"When G-d will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers. Then our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with glad song." Psalm 126
We’re fine. really. Despite little sleep. Despite bouts of surfing the news. Meditating and praying. Watching Mission Impossible 2 and The Dictator for diversion. Despite running to bomb shelters and hearing the loud booms and rumblings of thunder which is how we know there’s been a direct hit – when the floor below shakes for minutes.
The game changed a bit last week, when we realized Iran had kept the Big Boy Toys for themselves. Those hypersonic. Those cluster bomb missiles that create menacing ripples in the sky. That fly under the defense system. That sneak through and hit civilian targets. These are not your friendly Hamas or Hizbulla rockets. Oh no. They are something entirely different with the capacity to flatten city blocks and kill thousands.
But we’re fine. Really. We’ve seen open miracles. The IAF knocking out the entire air defense of the giant in less than 72 hours. The elimination of evil players – a Roayal Flush in the IRGC deck of cards. We’ve called their bluff. Militarily, we have proven our superiority, our determination, our resolve, our courage and our faith that we do not go it alone, but with the hand of G-d to lead us to victory. So we are just fine.
We have seen hospital buildings evacuated just hours before a strike. We are witnessing the Israelis taking the call to shelter seriously. We now know to run to a protected area is to save a life. Although every loss is a tragedy, Israel has a remarkably low fatality rate – less than 30 civilians have been killed thus far since we struck Iran. Missiles have crashed into homes and stuck in the roof without exploding. Babies have been rescued intact from the rubble. People reunited with missing pets they thought killed. Huge pieces of shrapnel fallen from the sky only to land at a front doorstep or side yard. We are doing well. To live in Israel is to believe in miracles.
A home in central Israel this morning
Friday a huge ICBM stuck downtown Haifa. The few people who were out sought cover for the most part. Two mosques down the street from each other along with a recently abandoned building were demolished. An imam was injured. Also a woman who suffered a heart attack due to the siren. And one other person. We could see the smoke rising from our balcony. We knew from the sound of impact it was bad. But we are doing fine.
An IRGC missile on its way to Israel, missed its intended target. Instead, it struck a Syrian oil facility. Another lucky hit, I guess. Most of the ICBMs that have gotten through have landed in empty space. Another lucky miss, I guess. You spend 4 hours trying to find a vacant parking space in central Israel, but the bombs? We’re really doing okay here. A little overwhelmed, a lot exhausted, but we are fine. Really.
Today we woke up to another early alarm. It was a large barrage accompanied by the news of Trump and the US aid the military gave to strike the nuclear powerhouses that we couldn’t reach. I’m actually really glad that threat has been neutralized and pray it will not lead to anything larger. In the meantime,
I appreciate most of the letters I’ve been getting. And those videos. So many videos. Yes I did see the Tucker Carlson kumzits with Ted Cruz. I’ve begun to watch at least some of the homilies you’ve sent me from your pastors. I can assure you. Things are well. They are well. With our souls. John said to tell you we have a large rooftop balcony with patio furniture and ice chest filled with drinks and snacks. We have a front row view of Armageddon which is 18 miles as the crow falls. We are not afraid. We are fine. Really.
As far as missions work. Aid to infants, widows and the still starving, still poor, still innocent victims in Gaza. I assure you. We neither can nor will travel there to help with humanitarian aid. Seriously. There’s much to be done here in Israel. Many ways to help and to be involved. Neither John nor I desire to join a resistance movement protesting the current situation. We will not drive to Jerusalem. We will not drive to Tel Aviv. We will not hold placards to stop the war. We will not take our voices to Bibi’s residence. We are doing just fine where we are. We actually think our u irked government has navigated the entire situation masterfully. We are in good hands.
Yes. Blessed are the peacemakers. Make love, not war. We truly desire peace. Here at home. Here in the Middle East. Throughout the entire world. But there are just wars and we have just collectively cut the head off the viper. Yes. Blessed are those who can forgive their enemies. Forgive the snarkiness, but no one from Hamas, Hizbulla, Houthieville or Iran has called me offering a sincere apology for the years of terror and bald faced threats to kill me and my countrymen on both sides of the globe. I carry no grudge with the people of Iran. I hope the people can be liberated from their evil oppressors and we can resume friendly relations again. We are good with that. We just want peace and to resume our normal routines.
For the ones who are “just absolutely scared to death for you!” Thank you for your concern. If you have ever lived in Israel, you know that we value, cherish and love life. It is a precious and fleeting gift. We do not take ur blessings for granted. And we live every minute as it is our last. Every moment counts. We are not afraid. Exhausted. Overstimulated. A bit anxious even. But not scared to death. We have a firm belief that our lives are in G-d’s hands, and that is not a bad place to be. So stop your doomscrolling social media and listening to the fear mongering of divisive media outlets. Pray. Do good deeds for others today. Pick 3 things to do that will be a blessing each day. But don’t be scared to death. We are fine. We will be fine.
And for those wanting to know what we think about the Final Battle. As my tzaddik of a husband repeats, “It’s all in G-d’s hands. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen and we cannot stop it. He who made all things can turn the worst possible scenario into the miraculous, into blessings. We just need to believe. And pray. And walk in love.” Then we will be fine. Really.
Now if I can just stay away from the bag of chips and get a shower and some sleep….I’ll be fine. Really.
I hope I’ve not offended my subscribers, my old high school fellow students or past neighbors. After I hydrate, get some protein and a few winks, I’ll be back to my old reporting. In the meantime, we’re okay. Really truly-
An IDF sapper this morning carries an unexploded missile out of a house in Haifa
After a restless night of running to the safe room, we were awakened again this morning to the sound of the red alerts They were first signaling UAV invasions into the Golan and Jordan Valley. Then came the huge missile barrage.
We are witnessing days of the miraculous, my friends. Last night, there was an emergency meeting of the board at Soroka Hospital in BeerSheva. It was decided for some reason to move the outpatient clinics and one-day surgery underground. At 07:15 am the sirens began to blare throughout the county signaling imminent attack. Shortly afterwards we received the news. Soroka had taken a direct hit.
Soroka is the largest hospital in the south serving all the Negev and Gaza Envelope communities. It is also one of the largest rehab units for wounded soldiers and is always full of patients. The missile hit one of the main buildings and yet no one was killed because it had been evacuated the night before. There were almost 90 wounded: 2 seriously, an 80 year old man and a 78 year old woman. There are 6 others in serious condition and 9 in moderate condition, but no deaths. Baruch haShem! Praise the Lord!
Now for my op ed. Last year, the IDF was quickly and falsely accused of bombing a Gaza hospital. It was immediately (within 15 minutes) reported that there had been over 5000 casualties! This was soon toned down to over 1500. The news spread throughout the world as reported by the unreliable propaganda arm of Hamas, the Gaza Health Ministry. Shortly thereafter, it was reported the rocket landed in a parking lot, killing 23 people. After a thorough investigation and review of drone footage from aerial surveillance, it was discovered that Hamas had launched a rocket from a pickup truck at the back of the hospital, which misfired and struck the hospital. The damage was done, and people still believe the IDF targets hospitals and innocent civilians.
The IDF targets terrorists. We have seen it in Gaza as well as Lebanon and now Iran. They go out of their way to evacuate civilians from active military zones and will abort a strike if there is the chance of killing an innocent people. Hamas placed their weapons in and underneath hospitals, schools, mosques and UN facilities. Underground tunnels are burrowed under homes and public places. Iran has exclusively been targeting civilians, mostly dense packed urban areas. Now a hospital. This is a war crime. Where is the outrage from the world?
Also this morning, a kindergarten/day care was hit in Ramat Gan (all of this news has been cleared for publication. I reveal no secrets). All of the little children are fine as the classrooms were held underground. Rescue workers were there to evacuate all the little children and reunite them with their parents. Another miracle and narrowly averted disaster!
Two days ago, a direct strike hit the Weizman Institute of Science, one of Israel’s most prestigious research centers. Dozens of experiments were destroyed. The ICBM struck more than ten biology labs, including those focused on cancer, aging and A-I based personalized medicine. Work that was in progress for over a decade was all destroyed. Israel aims at life-saving research, for the benefit of mankind.
Hundreds of Americans on Israel birthright trips were evacuated by cruise ship to Larnaca, Cypress. They had survived the Iran bombardment. 1500 people were on board the ship, escorted by the Israeli navy. Florida governor, Ron DeSantis chartered four jets to pick them up and fly them back to the States where they can then take other connecting flights home.
Thousands of Israelis are waiting at American and European airports to return to Israel. Airspace opened yesterday for two packed flights (including scores of returning soldiers) to land at Ben Gurion. This morning, another inbound flight from Cypress was diverted mid-air back to Larnaca due to Iranian missile barrages. Hopefully flights will soon resume to bring stranded tourists and foreign nationals back home and pick up the returning Israelis.
Israel yesterday destroyed Iran’s digital nuclear archive backup, the last copy of knowledge on how to build a bomb. There are now no top scientists. No documents. And for now, limited ability fore a nuclear future. Strikes have been made on Iran’s Arak nuclear wastewater facility after the evacuation of all civilians in a wide radius. One of the last things left to do is to somehow destroy or incapacitate the Fordo nuclear facilities, which lie deep underground. Whether this can be done by stealth or even remotely remains to be seen. The only bomb that can reach the bunkers that far down are held by the United States and is carried by the stealth bomber. I pray America does not have to enter into the war!
Last night, the Iranian broadcasting company was hacked. Images of demonstrations and calls shown on screen for the Iranian people to take to the streets and protest against the regime were shown. The Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi made a statement from outside the country: “The Islamic Republics has come to an end and is falling. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright and together we will navigate this sharp turn in history. Now is the time to stand. It is time to take back Iran. May I be with you soon.” There have been reports of major demonstrations and young girls and women are throwing off their burkas and head coverings. The Iranian government cut the internet at the beginning of the war, but it was quickly restored (by Elon Musk) through Starlink. The channel also broadcast a statement from Netanyahu telling the citizens of Iran that Israel does not fight against them but against the totalitarian regime. The time of the people will come shortly.
German Chancellor Freidrich Meira, at the recent G-7 said, “ Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us.” There are unconfirmed reports which claim that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni is dead. In the meantime, Iran continues its own threats. “We are about to launch the largest and most violent attack in history on Israeli territory.” That was three days ago.
In the meantime, IDF estimates that over 60% of Iran’s missile launches have been destroyed by the Israeli Air Force. Still, over 100 remain operational. The IRGC has switched from static launches to mobile launchers which shoot much fewer missiles simultaneously, but can be moved around. Several have been hit within the streets of Tehran as well as adjacent to large mosque complexes. Israel is able to eliminate them with surgical precision strikes, that do limited damage to nearby surroundings (unless the launchers are loaded). The IAF reigns supreme over the wide open Iranian airspace.
In lighter news, an elderly British-Israeli couple were visiting their children in England when they became stranded. Taking matters into their own hands, they dressed as Muslims, traveled to Egypt and somehow found their way back into Israel through Eilat.
We wait with bated breath to see what will happen next. I shall try to keep you posted. Again, we watch and pray for good news. May peace come soon to all of us.
So the bombs are dropping. The tourists are freaking out and running to shelters while Israelis have their cell phones out filming Star Wars. The emergency siren sounded last Thursday night/Friday morning signaling the start of war and Israelis got to work immediately. Making memes. We’ve been through this before. For centuries. An evil empire seeks to destroy us. Miracles happen. We win. Let’s party.
I guess it’s part of the resilience that the morning after an intense night of missiles hitting the city, Tel Avivians can be found drinking coffee at sidewalk cafes. Nothing will stop us. We keep on living. And laughing. It’s seriously what keeps us strong. Finding the humor in every situation.
Like our city announcing free parking during war time 🤪. Nu? Can’t we stretch this out just a little longer?
The planes are not landing in Ben Gurion. All passengers are stuck both ways. Airspace over Israel is closed. Yet I managed to get not one, but two Amazon deliveries today right on time! Hysterical and true. Nothing stops these guys.
Within two days of the Israeli attack on Iran this genius of a video short came out, a spoof on “Fauda”
There’s so much irony in this war. The Shiite regime of the Ayatollahs has been repressing women for decades, subjugating them, covering them, banning them from education and society. So what does Israel do? Send in teams of women fighter pilots and navigators to bomb Tehran.
There’s nothing these imams and mullahs hate more than Israel and Jews. That’s why this is so funny –
After 72 hours of the IAF clearing Iranian airspace and eliminating virtually all of the IRGC hierarchy, we’ve heard that Khameni has gone into hiding. No sooner than it was announced, the memes started flowing.
The joke here is that among those in Iran no one knows where the Ayatollah is……. Except the Mossad. (BaDAHbum 🥁)
Life in Israel really is a little crazy right now. We are getting about two hours of sleep each night before being awakened by sirens and Iran is getting their own fireworks display.
Even John and I are cracking wise. Last night: We received a message from Emergency warning that an attack was imminent. Stay close to shelter. That was two hours ago, and I’ve been putting off taking a shower. (Do I have time to pee/shower before the red alert? Frequent thought here)
22:49 pm
Me: Do you think I’ll have time to take a shower now? Do you think they’ll bomb at 11? John : They haven’t bombed at 11 yet…. Me: But they said they’d bomb imminently. They could throw us for a loop. John: Check with the Spanish speakers. They seem to know everything beforehand 😂. Me: But what if the siren goes off and I’m in the shower and don’t hear it? John: Then you’ll be dead. Me: Will you tell me? John: Sure. I’ll shout up at you from the miklat (safe room).
Waiting for the IRGC jets to arrive…
Yesterday the news all over the world was whether there would be American involvement. And what would happen? Not to worry, there’s a meme for that too –
In the meantime, Iran is getting a thorough thrashing by Israel.
This is one video we had to watch again and again. At first we thought this was a skit by SNL or the Israeli Eretz Nehederet, but it was real. All I could think (besides that finger wagging was Gilda Radner. The ultimate irony after the Iranian regime calling for the destruction of the Zionist pig dogs for the past 78 years…. And then the producer yelling at the end (John Belushi?)
Breaking: The Mossad responds to the IRGC’s claim of their targeting a Mossad base: “None of us are at the base. We’re all inside Iran.”
Hey. There are so many Mossad agents operating in Iran right now that I accidentally bumped into a guy at the shuk and stupidly said, ‘slikhah’ (excuse me). Before realizing I may have accidentally blown my cover, the other guy answered ‘ha kol b’seder, akhi.’ (It’s all ok, bro)
As far as the resolve and resiliency of Israelis, especially during wartime….there’s absolutely nothing like it. Life continues, because if we stop participating joyously, they win. Here, a folk dance class continues in the underground protected area of a community center. During a missile barrage! (This one’s for you, Carola😉)
Khameni calls Trump and says, “I had a dream last night that all of New York was in ruins, and Iranian flags were flying everywhere.” Trump replies, “Strange. I dreamed that all of Tehran was thriving, full of high tech and billboards…”. “What did the billboards say?” asks Khameni. Trump answers, “You think I know how to read Hebrew?”
I really wish I could download and repost some of the great and uplifting things happening here in Israel. I will leave you with a parting A-I generated video. Do you remember that calm, soft spoken yet direct and fatherly Israeli spokesman for the IDF, Gen. Daniel Hagari? He retired after a year of reporting and the entire country missed him so badly. He really was irreplaceable. And he’s back!
Hasbara. הסברה. (Has- bah-Rah) Definition: defensive explanation; Publicity as in apologetics or setting the record straight; an Israeli/Hebrew word not directly translated easily to English….what I will be doing in this blogpost
Over the past four days we have been receiving emails and phone calls and other text messages and videos from people outside Israel (mostly Americans). Most are well wishers, whom we appreciate very much. Old friends, family, neighbors who are concerned about our well being. I assure you that despite the difficult circumstances we are undergoing here in Israel now, we are strong, resilient and quite well.
I am shocked by some of the conspiracy theories, A-I generated videos and stories, fake news and scare stories being pushed. I know people mean well and are yearning for the truth…aren’t we all? Most of these stories are incredibly overblown and in fact, very anti Israel. I hope to give my best explanations here based on lived experience in the Middle East and scouring of news sources as well as verifiable accounts of what has happened. In essence, Hasbara.
Why is the United States letting Israel drag us into a war and why are we giving them so much money?
Let me answer the second question first. Israel and the U.S. have been allies for over 75 years now. Yes. The American government gives Israel billions of dollars, but it is all under contract. Israel must spend that money in the United States, using defense and aviation companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin (F-35s); McDonnell Douglas/Boeing (F-15) and General Dynamics (F-16). We buy parts, jets and some ammunition from the U.S.. In return, Israel supplies the United States with intelligence information, technology (Iron Dome, Trophy Active Protection anti-tank systems, high tech computer navigation systems, various defensive drones, cybersecurity innovations and telecommunications technology). Israel contributed to the Arrow Missile Defense System. This, in turn, creates thousands of jobs for Americans, thus bolstering the American economy. These are just some of the contributions that Israel makes to American security.
The two countries regularly train together, strengthening both countries militarily. Israel also lets the U.S. store its weapons here as a MidEast stockpile in event of regional emergency. Most were depleted/taken back under the Biden Administration. That said, we are allies and share the same enemies and threats, albeit Israel more existentially. Israel is not “dragging the U.S. into a war. So far, Israeli pilots have done most of the work in clearing the airspace over Iran to bomb precise military and now IRGC and government targets (air bases, weapons storage facilities, weapons factories, missile launch sites, nuclear facilities, and in Tehran- the IRGC headquarters, Finance Ministry, Intelligence Ministry, Iranian Broadcasting Systems, etc). This has been done single-handedly by the IDF in cooperation with Mossad operatives who were able to embed themselves inside Iran.
The United States has helped shoot down drones, when over 100 heavily explosive laden suicide drones were launched from Iran last Thursday night/Friday morning. Jordan also helped. The U.S. is not involved in active combat. The Trump Administration has sent aircraft carriers to the area as a show of force and to prevent the Straits of Hormuz from becoming blocked. That is a defensive measure to protect one of the world’s most heavily traveled trade routes. Thus far, that is the extent of their involvement.
This is a preemptive war. It is surgically conducted. It is targeted. It is precise. It is not a call to war or the start of World War lll. It is not a land invasion to conquer more territory (colonialism). It is a neutralization of a terrorist regime. It is between Israel and Iran.
Whether the U.S. will use the stealth bomber, the MOAB or other heavy bombs to destroy the Fordo Nuclear Weapons Facility located deep underground in heavy fortified concrete is to be seen. This is one of the last things to be done if there is not a complete surrender first. Hopefully this war can end without U.S. involvement. What will be, remains to be seen.
2. Does Israel really want to start a war with Iran? Isn’t that reckless, especially since they were in the middle of peace talks and signing a non-nuclear agreement?
Iran has been threatening Israel (and the West/America) with nuclear annhiliation. They are radical Shi’ite Islamists operating under a (madman, opinion mine) Ayatollah and mullahs who believe in the imminent coming of the 12th Immam or Mahdi, their version of a Messiah. They believe that the only way to issue in the Mahdi is through global chaos and bloodshed. Also through the complete elimination of the Zionist State, aka Israel/the Jewish people. For them, to die as a shaheed or martyr is the greatest honor, a ticket straight to Allah with the gift of 72 perpetual virgins. When they say they will attack, they need to be taken seriously. First Israel, the little satan, then the United States, the great satan.
Despite the JCPOA, Iran has been secretly enriching weapons grade uranium. They were at the point of equipping nuclear warheads (estimates range between 9-15) on ICBMs. They had reached breakout level. And verifiable documents have been released proving they were intent on getting those weapons to Yemen, Qatar and two other rogue nations. Two weeks ago, I believe, the Atomic Energy Commission verified all this, with Iran admitting and even saying they had constructed a ‘secret weapons facility.’
Iran has been the main sponsor of terror groups and nations, forming, supplying and fomenting groups such as Hizbulla, Hamas, the Houthis, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations. They are partially behind the flooding of Europe, the United States and greater Western World with “refugees,” namely single males between the ages of 15-40.
They have never been genuine in their “peace talks” or non-proliferation or enrichment promises, not with the world or with Israel. They are not to be trusted. Seriously. Time and again, with Hamas (under Iranian and Qatari control), pauses in fighting have taken place in Gaza allowing the terrorist regimes to regroup and restock. The same scenes have been played out repeatedly through the years. If they are truly serious about negotiating, why doesn’t Iran first order Hamas to release the remaining 52 hostages? That would be a start.
3. How can you live in a country that is a genocidal regime that targets civilian populations? I always thought you (personally) werepeaceniks.
We don’t love war. Absolutely. We decry when any innocent civilians is killed. Who wants to live in a place where one constantly is running to protected areas or is continually under the threat of annhilation? We crave peace. But more on that later.
The IDF is the only army that I know of that issues evacuation orders or actually takes the time to strategize the movement of innocent civilians to safe spaces and out of active war zones, i.e. Gaza, Tehran. (Until this latest war) Israel is the only country I know of that drops leaflets and then knock bombs (bombs that tap/shake the roof of a building without exploding) as a warning to clear that particular building before an attack, i.e. Gaza City, Khan Younis, Rafah. What other country delivers water, power and humanitarian aid (despite what you hear on social media) to its enemy in wartime? What other country pauses in the middle of military operations to administer polio vaccines to children? What other country sets up triage tents and evacuates sick children and wounded civilians back to its own country for hospitalization and treatment while delivering humanitarian assistance, i.e. Operation Good Neighbor in Syria, 2018-2020?
The definition of genocide is to eliminate a certain population due to ethnic cleansing, religion, race, health/medical undesirability (eugenics) or to completely annihilate a certain people. That said, if Israel has been involved in “genocide of the Palestinian people,” then how has the population, say, of Gaza grown from 297,638 in 1997 to 2.2 million in 2025? That does not sound like a genocide to me.
On the other hand, Gaza had a Jewish population going back over 3,000 years. Most Jews living in Gaza fled during the 1929 Palestinian massacre and riots. In 1945 there were 80 Jews left. The Gaza Strip had 146,207 Jewish people living there fairly peacefully with their Muslim neighbors until 1995, when every single Jew was forcibly expelled (by their own Israeli government) according to the Oslo Accords Treaty. Today there are no Jews left in Gaza. They were not killed, but they were kicked out.
Need I mention the Holocaust? Or the Farhud? These are examples of ethnic cleansing and genocide. What about the Armenians in Turkey? Or the Rwanda genocide against the Tutsis in 1994? Why does no one mention or stand up against a real genocide, the massacre of thousands of Nigerian Christians by radical Islamists (Boko Haram, jihadi militant groups, Fulani)? According to the report “Martyred Christians in Nigeria” over 52,250 Christian men, women, children, infants have been brutally murdered since 2010. Over 18,000 churches have been set on fire. This, my friends, meets the definition of a genocide.
4. Why don’t you leave before it’s too late?/ I read that Israel is preventing its own people from leaving the country.
John and I did not take the decision to move to Israel lightly by any means. We had been planning for years to move out of the failing stater of California. Selling house and moving far away from all family and friends was not a passing whim or middle aged crisis. Our children were grown and leaving home and there were many, many factors involved in our decision. Not the least of which was the fact that we believe with all our heart in the Zionist ideals: that the ancient Biblical and ancestral homeland of the Jewish people always was and always will be Israel. This is provable by history and archaeology despite the fact that the Jews have been in diaspora for 2000 years. It is also the birthplace of Christianity. I have been deeply committed to and involved with inter-religious dialogue for decades.
As for our leaving: this is now our home. We are still American citizens, but this is where we have chosen to stay, again for very many reasons. At this point, the international airport is closed to everyone. Airspace over Israel is understandably restricted due to threat of attack. As for the post on Twitter that was sent to me:
I had never heard of this woman, so I did some research. Ms. Fenigson is a chief marketing officer of several global companies, now turned activist and podcaster of “You’re the Voice.” She rose to stardom during the pandemic as an independent journalist and labels herself “a dissident.” Ms. Fenigson is very left leaning and is often very outspoken against both the current Israeli government and the Trump administration. She has become a well known international speaker and “freedom activist” ( all quotes hers).
That said, yes Israel has forbid all flights to everyone. And yes, Kaitlin Jenner, who was here to tour the Gaza Envelope communities did get out last Friday morning. However, for safety precautions, Israel has removed a large percentage of its planes to other countries, that I will not mention here. Discussions are currently being held on how to get stranded Israelis and Lone Soldiers back home. Possible options are flights to Mediterranean countries followed by chartered cruise liners home. All Israelis are seriously advised against traveling through Egypt or Jordan (Jenner was escorted to Amman as an American citizen and then flew back to the States from Jordan) for their own protection.
After Israelis are brought back, the first priority will be given to tourists and those with dual citizenship. Privately chartered airlines are being considered for this once the airspace is deemed safe enough.All people are being kept as safe as is absolutely possible. Tourists are being put up at Israel’s expense. We want no casualties. This only makes sense.
The state control of phones: every single Israeli phone line has been receiving those banshee like, horrific sounding, extremely loud signals as soon as an Iranian missile launch is detected. We get these alerts at all times of the day and night, and. Most definitely, it can be jarring/nerve unraveling. However, it is not to panic us, but to alert us that we have less than six minutes to take cover. At the minute before impact there is another signal and country-wide red alerts and sirens go off 15 seconds before impact in the surrounding area. This is to ensure that all people have a chance to get to a protected space or to stop their vehicles, exit and take shelter in a more protected area. I thank G-d and the State of Israel for coming up with this systems. It saves lives.
From the magnanimity of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and the KKL, concrete bunkers or shelters have been placed everywhere through the land. We, here value life, not death. This also pops up on all phones.
As far as I know, they are sent in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, French and Spanish. Many times, we have to use Google translate-
The last question I’ll address at this time (I’ve already gone too long) is from a girlfriend in the States who wanted to know –
5. I was listening to a podcast where this was discussed and I wanted to know what you believe. Netanyahu and Mossad are only interested in endless perpetuation of war and controlling regime changes.
We live in a really tough neighborhood. Israel is completely surrounded by the Arab world. Some of the countries are more friendly than others, but many want us dead (From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea is all Israel). The Arabs comprise 99.6% of the MidEast. Israel has 0.4%
I truly believe the Iran situation is completely different than U.S. or Israeli involvement in Iraq (where Israel was told to stand down and did), Syria, Libya or Afghanistan.
Iran, pre WWll used to be Persia. The Islamic grand mufti with Adolph Hitler to discuss the Final Solution. The name of Persia was then changed to Iran from Aryan and the Farhud was soon enacted throughout the Middle East. (Long history. Look up for yourself). In 1979 the Persian monarchy was completely dissolved (under Pres. Carter’s admin). Shah Rena Pahlavi and his family escaped and went into hiding. They were replaced by the Radical Jihadist Ayatollas, mullahs and Shiite clerics. Again. Do your own study of history.
Persia/Iran was a highly educated, highly Westernized, free country. Women had full rights. The Jewish and Christian communities flourished. As the Islamist radicals came to power, many Persians also fled to Paris, New York, Miami and Los Angeles among other places. Those more liberals who stayed behind were imprisoned and tortured and killed. Read the true historical accounts in Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafsi. Please!!
Women were forced to completely cover themselves in burkas. Universities were taken over, extreme censorship ensued. All. Things Western were deemed Satanic. (movies, books, music outlawed). The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was formed under strict Sharia and the military began to build its might, eventually exporting its jihadi terror to other Islamic countries. This is a sliver, nutshell synopsis. I’m probably skipping a lot.
Today, the Crown Prince of the Persian Pahlavi dynasty remains in exile. The Persians support him and many Iranians today long for freedom. Women are daringly removing their burkas and have literally been dying for the cause of freedom. In the past week, millions of Iranians are coming out in support and thanks of what they see as Israel liberating them from an oppressive regime.
Do I personally support a regime change with the restoration of freedom? Most certainly? Do I like war? Absolutely not. Do I endorse the IDF taking the chutzpah and initiative to cut the head of the Medusa that strangles and terrorizes? Of course. Do I want American boots on the ground? No.
Nothing is always black and white. We find ourselves in a complex situation. What we do next is a Sword of Damocles. (Look that up if you need to) Yet what we do next, what Netanyahu, what Trump decides is precarious.
Israel is completely united at this time. We are all on the same page. The United States needs to be firm, steadfast and united. The world is watching. Iran or what is left of it is watching. The enemy thrives on division. They see it as a sign of weakness. Please stop the infighting. Discussion tables are important. Infighting is not. Hatred of our fellow man is not.
Stay away from conspiracy theories. Stay away from fake news and scare tactics. Stay away from fear monger if and slandering. From A-I and deep fakes. It’s getting very hard to tell the difference these days. Listen to that still, small voice inside you.
All I can say to this is this is the time to pray. Fast and pray. Pray for world leaders to make wise decisions. Pray for all plans to go well. Pray for the protection of all innocent citizens, wherever they may be. Pray for peace. But whatever happens, I take comfort in what my husband continually repeats to me. It gives me great comfort. “Everything that happens is in G-d’s hands. He alone has the ability to turn evil to good, to shape the future. Things have to happen the way they happen. Our job is to trust, believe, pray and put ourselves in His hands. Then all will be well.”
If you find this post informative or inspiring in any way, please please share it.
The Iranian people are presently thanking their liberating army
Last night after a sizable barrage around sunset, we had a relatively quiet night. John and I prayed, of course, and then watched a couple more episodes of Mrs. Maisel, our latest diversion. We caught up on news, said night prayers and tucked in early, for us 11:30 pm. John woke up a few minutes before 4 am and commented on what a restful night it’s been. “Maybe they’ve been so decommissioned in Iran that they can’t launch any more missiles. I’m going back to sleep.” BAM!!! It’s all his fault😉
The banshee wail struck again at exactly 4am. Not 30 seconds later the neighborhood sirens blared out in communion with all the sirens from neighboring cities miles away. Thank you, Israel (Pikud haOref/Home Front Command). You sure are doing a swell job of warning your people.
We now know how important it is to be in a shelter. With these hypersonic, heavily loaded ICBMs it’s a whole new ballgame. And we as a nation are learning the best place is underground. Thank goodness our saferoom is below ground and more than heavily fortified with 24 inch steel enforced concrete walls and a steel door that reminds me of Ft. Knox. (Only problem is we have the old doors designed to handle missile attacks but not invasions. They are not lockable from the inside.) Anyway we beat feet again, our small long-haired dachshund flying off the bed and leading the way.
It was another hard night. Again. I reiterate. John and I are not afraid. We are taking all precautions and leave the rest up to G-d. We rely upon His Divine protection after having done all else. Still. The sounds of the Iron Dome rockets actually whizzing past our house (I sometimes wonder how they clear our roofline) and the crashes of the interceptions and also the direct hits (we hear those too. They are much different than the interceptions) are nerve wracking. The red alerts on our phones tell us where and when the strikes are expected in real time so those procrastinating Israelis can really run in those last few seconds.
The battery of missiles started in the north where we live. Not only were they going for dense packed areas, but this time, it was fairly evident they were aiming at various military bases and defense companies. The barrage moved to the center of the country. Then the desert towards Eilat. Was it Houthis joining in? Then the Gaza envelope, Ashdod, Beersheva. Jerusalem area. Back up to the Golan and Galil. Down towards the center. Tel Aviv. Jaffa. Bnei Barack. Petach Tikvah. ramat Gan. Then towards the central coast, towards Caesaria, where Netanyahu’s home is. Then back up here. No joke. It lasted for more than 25 minutes. Never seen anything like it. These b@$+@**$ were going all I stopped taking screen shots after awhile. We later found out over 100 ICBMs had been fired at us.
We stayed in the mammad for almost 45 minutes waiting for the all-clear sign. A big shout out to our local Spanish-speaking community who launches up-to-date information and messages like Iran launches missiles. Mucho gracias!!! Next: to scour all the top news sites I could (John quickly and smartly went right back to bed) for the latest of what the heck just happened. Before retiring around 6am, all I could find out was that there had been at least five direct hits in central Israel. They were pulling people out of rubble and putting out fires. One direct hit at least in Haifa.
First let me back-track a bit with the photos I was unable to bring up yesterday. This is some of the devastation from Saturday night’s barrage, mostly in Bat Yam a coastal community just outside Tel Aviv.
And from other parts in central Israel, Rehovot (Rehobath in “American”), and another Tel Aviv suburb
The death toll from last night has climbed to 10. Of course we all are mourning the deaths of every person lost, but thank goodness, it was that low. Multiple impact sites included Haifa, Tel Aviv, cities surrounding the Tel Aviv area, and Eilat. Over 200 people were injured and required hospitalization, including a 10 year old boy and a days old baby. An elderly couple did not survive a direct hit to their apartment complex. They were in their safe room, which completely ripped away from the building. A yeshiva in Bnei Barack was hit as well as a synagogue in Holon. Relief and rescue workers are still pulling people from the rubble.
Just thought you should know. When you hear about shrapnel falling from the sky, this is what it looks like. From a side yard in the Hula Valley (Upper Galilee), this stood waist tall to a man:
We had seem some pretty strange occurrences from videos taken, most specifically from our friend in Poriyya. At first John and I couldn’t completely explain the phenomenon. We knew the missiles exited then reentered earths atmosphere, but didn’t know the scientific mechanism. So now for the nerd part-
Some of the missiles experienced an exoatmospheric detonation when intercepted in space. It happens when an explosion occurs outside the earth’s atmosphere, about 62 miles or 100 km up or higher, where there is a vacuum. There is no oxygen to propagate a thermal blast like it does on earth. When an explosion happens on earth, the detonation produces a shock wave. This occurs due to the interaction of the explosion’s energy with the air’s molecules which usually causes a fireball. Since there’s no air molecules in space, because it’s a vacuum, these effects are absent because there’s no medium to compress or heat. Instead the energy is released as electromagnetic radiation or pulse. (-Kagan Dunlap)
The next short is footage from an Emirates flight. You can see when the rocket boosters fire, propelling the missile out of earth’s atmosphere. The missiles traveled in space for longer than Katy Perry, just sayin’-
Our neighbors, men and women, are now being called up to serve. Two are paramedics. One is a nurse. The other an engineer. Two are border patrol. One neighbor told John he was going to be stationed on the Jordanian border, as there is a real threat of both drone infiltration and infiltration of a large contingent of ‘Palestinian refugees’ from Jordan there who want to see another 7 October. I’m so glad they are putting aside work and family to protect us: may angels escort them throughout their duty. For the past two days we have seen a rise in UAV activity flying in from the East. One was just shot down over Caesaria this morning. We had followed the red alerts from Harish across the country (7 miles wide at that point) until its interception. Thankful, too, that now there is a real front line on the Jordanian front.
For the good news: there was a beautiful wedding at sunset (shortly after the first missile barrage) in the desert near the Dead Sea yesterday evening. Despite the war, there was much singing and dancing and joy. Life goes on.
Yuval Hazut,22 and her husband Yaris, 25. Imagined for months long the birth of their first son. A historic attack by the state of Israel on Iran was not part of the plan, but that is how it turned out. While in the labor room at Rambam. hospital in Haifa, a decision was made to reduce the General activities of the hospital to the protected underground complex. The birth, uncomplicated, was completed an hour ago underground. “It was a quick and easy birth,” stated the new mother,”When the attack started in the morning I didn’t think too much about the consequences, but I felt safe and wrapped in love. Everyone calmed me down. We started upstairs and the whole crew moved me downstairs. It was a little stressful, because it was not at all what we had planned, but it’s better to Ben in the safest place and focus on the birth. What’s important is that we were all healthy and protected.
The tense day that passed in Israel during the missile attacks, was also an especially busy time in the delivery room of Rambam. Eight births that morning alone, paralleled with the move of the entire department to their underground facility. Also at this hour, there is a lot of activity in the delivery rooms with the expectation of 16 more babies soon. – Army War Room News
As a result of the current security situation, it has just been announced that the Macabi Games (International Jewish Olympics…it’s a very big deal ) have been postponed. They have been pushed off until summer of 2026. It will give all the athletes the opportunity to prepare and get even better until next year. You will most definitely find us on the baseball stadium.
There are massive calls out for people to donate blood. All Magen David Adom stations are open as well as sites at local universities and some community centers. Remember no more than 50 people allowed in a public area (other than hospitals, private units, etc).
It has been found out, that while Israel is under direct attack, foreign media outlets like Al Jazeera, Al Arabiye, Memri, and fake ‘journalists’ are actively sharing exact locations of missile falls in real time to be fed back to Iran. This helps the enemy regime better target Israelis. They are not publishing just news, but providing exact coordinates, filming sensitive zones and broadcasting data that would otherwise be classified at that time. This is a security breach. Their credentials need to be revoked and they must be deported or jailed. Pronto. Two have been arrested already-
South Korea is sending pallets of humanitarian aid to Israeli families hit by the war. “We are not making street rallies as often as paid Hamas kids because we have jobs. But we are praying for you every day,” reported one person at a pro-Israel rally. Another shouted,” Thank you Israel for freeing the world from global terrorists.” The multitude amassed in Seoul could be seen waving both Israeli and Korean flags. “Korea stands with Israel,” “Korea condemns terrorists” were some of the slogans chanted before the crowd broke into both ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ and then ‘Hatikvah’ yesterday.
Last night the voices of resistance echoed throughout the streets of Tehran. Residents are shouting anti-regime slogans from the windows and rooftops. “Death to Khameni”. “Come back Pahlavi” “Thank you, Israel.” Freedom is surely near. For those of you still writing me about Israel being the aggressor and starting WWlll or this will make gas and other prices skyrocket, I shall address you tomorrow, G-d willing.
Lastly, I’d like to explain the name of this military operation. You might have heard the name Operation Rising Lion. But that’s not what it’s called in Hebrew. The name האם כלביא (am k’lah-vee) actually translates to a people like a lion. It comes from Numbers 23:24, the story of Balaam and Balak. Balaam, the prophet called upon to curse the Children of Israel, was unable. He said, “Behold, the people shall rise up like a great lion, and lift himself up like a great lion.” The curse becomes a blessing. According to linguist, Elon Gilad, the word “lavi” is a Biblical word for lion like ‘aryeh.’ In Russian and the Slavic languages, the word for lion is ‘lev’ which comes from the Latin word “leo” via the Ancient Greek, “Leon.” This comes from an ancient Semitic source, like Biblical Hebrew. Long story short, the strong Lion of Judah is awake and roaring. Strong. Bold. Courageous.
And now for the video we took early Sunday morning. We were on our way downstairs and I stopped to film out our window. At first notice the one missile, then the numerous Iron Dome anti missile batteries shot up. Wait for the end when you see the Iranian missiles reenter the atmosphere on their way towards the center of the country. As soon as the siren sounded, we ran to our mammad.
Well, Israel is making world news again. To start, I’d like to thank all those out there who have personally emailed, texted and called us to ask us how we are doing; to lend their support and offer up their prayers for us all. What a past few nights and days!!!
We are now taking long naps during the day, because the nights here have been a bit maddening. The daylight hours have proven quite calm, but once night falls, the bombings start. And drone attacks. And red alert signals. All night long. But we are safe. We are strong. Except I picked a fine time to get a terrible stomach flu. Started Thursday. And it was Thursday night/Friday morning that our world exploded. Despite all the mayhem, we have seen so many miracles, so I shall try to focus a bit more on those.
It was miraculous that this whole operation, which had been bits and pieces in the planning for years, was carried out flawlessly and so far, all of our pilots have returned from their missions unscathed. It’s nothing short of a miracle that all those who were “in the know” did not let any of the plans get leaked. Last October, just before Israel planned to attack the Iranian Regime, a CIA operative leaked the news to the Washington Post and New York Times. Israel did manage to knock out some of their aerial defense systems, but the full range of mission was not accomplished.
It is inconceivable that Israel had Mossad agents planted deep within Iran: they were building drones and sneaking in parts for their covert ops. How they did not get discovered is a miracle. They built the UAVs at their own factory, and at the exact right second, released the drones to further incapacitate all radar, satellites, intelligence gathering and aerial detection capabilities so the IDF fighter jets could achieve the bombing of precision military targets.
The IDF/Mossad attack on Iran actually was a just cause, in refutation to the two people who wrote my husband saying the Israel was starting World War lll with the backing of American right wing war hawks. Israel had received intelligence that the Iranian Regime was at breakout point. They had secretly been enriching weapons grade uranium and were in the process of assembling ICBMs with nuclear payloads…somewhere between 9-15 of them. There was communication between Iran and other radical Islamist nations that Iran would supply these rogue nations with nuclear weapons. The Atomic Energy Commission came out with their verification of this and Iran admitted to all this and more. They were even using a newer, secret nuclear facility to expedite the forming of these weapons. They would use them against the “little satan,” Israel and then the “big satan,” the United States. There was little time. Israel had to act.
Top Iranian nuclear facilities, weapons storage sites, rocket launching pads and ammunitions factories were all severely damaged or destroyed in the first 12 hours. In addition, 22 top ranking heads of the IRGC, the Revolutionary Guard were eliminated. Top generals in all branches of the armed forces and advisors to the ayatollah. They never saw what was coming as precision guided missiles found their way into exact apartments leaving the rest of the building intact. In two instances, top security officials were killed by arrows! Arrows!!! We all watched in awe as the news flowed in. But we also knew, that our turn would come next.
In the wee hours of Friday morning, Iran managed to send off over 100 drones toward Israel. These are not small UAVs, but massive suicide drones, like the ones the Ukraine shot at Russia just the week previous. They are able to cause a huge amount of damage. Israel was able, with the help of Jordan and the US, to shoot down every single one of them even before they made it to Israeli airspace. That’s pretty miraculous.
The fact that Hizbulla’s presence as a military threat in Lebanon has been drastically diminished meant that they stayed out of this. A threat from them combined with Iranian attacks would have added another layer to a complex situation. The IDF was able to fly right oven Syria, something that would not have been possible just a year ago. We are living in miraculous times.
We knew as soon as Shabbat started, our turn would come. People had spent all Friday stocking up on supplies and cooking for the weekend ahead. Sure enough just before sunset, that horrific banshee wail of an alert signaling system went off on everyone’s phones in the country. This was followed by instructions to stay close to a safe space or protected area. To be alert for further notifications. For Shabbat observant Jews who don’t use electronic devices, to have their radio preset and turned on to receive up to the minute, detailed information on what to do. We were used to missile barrages from Gaza and Lebanon. We had survived two failed attempts from Iran to destroy us. This would be fine.
All was fine until 12:48 Friday night/Saturday morning. The banshee signal went off once again. Be prepared to enter bomb shelters. Don’t wait for siren. Iranian attack imminent. By 1:06 we began to get the incoming alerts
On the way to our mammad, I looked out the window and saw the flares from the Iron Domes rising from four different spots. Our city siren had not activated yet, and I was already up. Getting John roused from sleep and into action was fun. I took some footage for you from inside the house before we went into the shelter. You can see the fireballs from Iron Dome and the streaky missiles coming in from the upper left hand. was not afraid, but we definitely knew to get moving as we heard the first interception close by and our own sirens started to blare.
The missiles were falling all over Israel, from north to south. We soon got the targeted maps showing where the incomings were to land.
The entire country was red. After sitting in the saferoom for about 15 minutes. John went back to bed. I stayed up going through news and social media scouring for damages. We found out that Iran planned to launch 1,000 missiles at Israel, it was unable due to damage from Israeli strikes earlier in the day (New York Times). That was a miracle. Only 200 had been able to be launched. Unfortunately, nine points in central Israel had been hit. All in civilian locations. It was evident that Iran targeted civilian population centers while Israel only hit military installations.
Air defense systems out at sea as well as all the Iron Dome batteries activated. Yet the system was overwhelmed. 5% got through, and it was incredibly intense especially over Tel Aviv. These were not the same missiles that were launched by Hamas or Hizbulla. These were hypersonic ICBMs. Some intercepted, rained down huge fragments below, also causing lots of damage. Most of the population remained in or close to bomb shelters in anticipation of a third wave coming in.
Several homes and buildings were destroyed Friday night/Saturday morning. There were several moderate injuries and many who had to be treated for light injuries and shock. It was a terrifying experience in Tel Aviv, I have no doubt, but to see some of the footage that’s emerged from the shelters…. Just amazing. I have often spoken of the resilience of the Jewish Israelis. But when the going gets tough, the vast majority turn to praise, singing and dancing.
We ran to the shelter four times Friday night/Saturday morning, every 2-3 hours. The Tel Aviv area was very hard hit. Two women were killed. One mother, trying to get her three children out of their apartment and down the stairs to a safe area, dropped her three month old baby at the time a missile hit her building. There was total chaos, parts of the structure had collapsed. A soldier found the baby and reunited it with the mother, who was cut by flying debris and in total shock. Yet the fact that the family survived was miraculous (the father is a reservist in Gaza). Another miracle.
Saturday morning was different than most Shabbat mornings. No synagogues were holding services as ‘large’ gatherings were prohibited. People were staying close to home, but it was amazing to me that all the neighbors were checking up on each other. “Do you have food? Do you need anything? How are you holding up? I can run to the store for you tomorrow. How is your dog handling this?” People were sending one another prayers and psalms of protection and even though it was Shabbat, our landlady and several others called to find out how we were. The unity and caring here is unbelievable.
We knew we were in for another hard night. All Israel steeled themselves for the next waves. It didn’t start until 10:55pm when the banshee wail of an alert came through our phones. And then the warning.
We knew there were incoming, and headed downstairs. There were no sirens so we opened the front door to see both the iron dome and then the two small incoming top left. As soon as the siren started, we ran to the bomb shelter, then literally all hell broke loose.
The interceptions and direct hits crashed over and around us shaking the house. It was thunderous. It was big. Like nothing we’d heard previously. We stayed in the shelter for about 15 minutes. As soon as it started, everything was over. John and I went out on the balcony to get a full view of the area. Nothing terribly unusual. We started getting the news. A house in the Arab village of Tamra, right down the way, suffered a direct hit. Four women, all members of the same family were being pulled from the rubble.
Manor Abu al-Hejira Khatib, Manar Fakhri Khatib, Shadrach Khatib and Hala Khatib, a mother, two daughters and the cousin. All killed.
There was other damage throughout the North. So why didn’t Iron Dome or Iron Beam intercept all? What was going on? These are a more highly sophisticated type of missiles than the shorter range rockets used by Hamas from Gaza or the Hizbulla missiles into the North. They are hypersonic and actually travel at rocket speeds out of earth’s atmosphere. They re-enter earth’s orbit, flaming, much like a comet. The payloads are much higher. The explosives have hundreds of kilos on each missile, so they do way more damage. And the Iranians supposedly have even bigger missiles that they haven’t used yet. Thank goodness most are intercepted.
At 02:30 we were awakened once again from a fitful sleep. The alert said to prepare for imminent incoming barrages. There were no sirens at all. Everything was eerily quiet, so I ventured onto the balcony and filmed this. Watch to the end. I was able to capture most of the incoming. They all headed toward central Israel from Jerusalem to just below Tel Aviv. (I’ve spent three hours trying to get this clip to upload. Pardon the technical difficulties. I shall try to have it up and posted at a later time.
Tel Aviv again got it worst. Bat Yam a gorgeous beach community was devastated. There were at least ten killed with hundreds wounded. Seven people are still reported missing. Homes wiped out. Apartments uninhabitable. It was the worst missile attack in Israel’s history. Yet cleanup started immediately. Roads being resurfaced. Glass windows replaced. Bulldozers in to clear rubble. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly all this happens. Once again, my photos are not uploading. The damage is unbelievably horrific.
So to recap: Israel has single-handedly brought Iran to its knees in less than 72 hours. Today, the city of Tehran was evacuated of civilians. Only Israel would put out a warning to the people beforehand.
Today over 20 cars in the Tehran area spontaneously exploded. They were the cars of nuclear scientists. 14 scientists are eliminated.
Mashhad Airport has been struck. This is deep, deep in Iranian territory. They took out their refueling aircraft.
The Iranian Intelligence Ministry in Tehran has been completely destroyed
The Parliment. Uilding and Ministry of Justice has been eliminated
The water and sewage systems of Tehran have been obliterated. Tehran is now burning and flooding.
Iran’s Hamadan airbase has been destroyed. Multiple aircraft hangars are compromised.
Ali Asghar Hejazi, Deputy Chief of Staff to Khameni has been in talks with Putin to secure safe passage out of the country for him and his family. The few remaining higher ups are planning their own exit strategies.
The IRGC headquarters has sustained a massive hit.
Putin has just had a conversation with Ayatollah Khameni, one of the last three leaders of Iran left, to tell him that the Regime is in serious danger of collapse and that he must come to the negotiating table at once.
Ben Gurion airport has closed its runways until the end of the month. Over 100,000 Israelis are stuck outside the country. The government is now trying to come up with alternate scenarios to get them home. They are being asked (if in Europe) to go to Athens, Cypress and other Mediterranean spots.
Since beginning this blog, we have been interrupted by two runs to the saferoom (as well as Father’s Day calls from all our kids) and my bouts with this stomach flu. It’s inconceivable to me that the Iranians can still have enough gumption to attack up in massive bombardments. This last one was a doozy. From the Golan Heights in the North to the beach city of Nahariyya, throughout the Galilee, the entire center, into Ashdod and Ashkelon, Beersheva and the desert. How could this happen? I just don’t understand. John said he saw satellite images of rocket launchers hidden in densely packed area of Tehran streets. They are mobile and easily hidden. I pray this will be over soon.
Despite the devastation we are currently suffering and the mourning this nation endures, we know that standing up to evil comes at a great cost. We totally thank the Lord for helping us put this whole plan together and for having it go off without a hitch. Israel is, in fact, a rising lion. In the forthcoming days, the world will be a much safer place.
We’ve known something was up. It was right there before our faces. The Iranian threats. The Yemeni threats. The Qatari threats. The countdown for the peace talks/ nuclear talks with U.S. and Iran. The recalling of Ambassadors, military families, and others out of the Middle East. The US State Dept. messages to American citizens to stay in certain areas only traveling to the airport. There has been so much drama since last Tuesday. And then on Wednesday our government collapsed.
There has been a long-standing debate in Israel as to whether to force the Haredim, the Ultra Orthodox to serve in some capacity in the IDF. The men sit in the Yeshivas all day studying Torah at the expense of the taxpayer. Most live off of the generosity of the government dole. And many Israelis think it’s just not fair. Unfortunately, or fortunately, they make up several seats of the parties that have kept the coalition or government together. And Tuesday they called it quits. Dissolve the entire government. Force new elections. Bibi, you just lost control over your own government. And the EU and other countries are sanctioning our right wing politicians, Ben Gvir and Smotrich. Things are falling apart. (Well orchestrated smoke screen???)
Trump and Elon had a huge falling out/romantic and dramatic breakup of their bromance last week, which caused the diversion of much public attention from the Big Beautiful Bill and foreign affairs….until the riots started. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta. My how our heads were spinning this way and that just to keep up.
The Iran negotiations deal was stalling. Trump reported that the Iran talks were proving to be tough, which is interesting, seeing as Israel has already said they will completely dismantle their whole system if a stalemate is reached. It seemed as if the Trump/Bibi friendship, too, was on the rocks. Bibi was snubbed completely during the US/Trump whirlwind tour of the Middle East 10 days ago. Trump had repeatedly told Bibi to stand down. The last nuclear talk would be in Oman on Sunday. Wait. Don’t act. Just stand down, Netanyahu. (Was this part of the brilliant smokescreen created to lull the Iranians into at least a temporary complacency???)
Israeli fighter jets have been strafing the skies all day since Monday. That’s not altogether unusual, it’s just that it’s been really, really quiet here the past few months. Like zilch. Nada. Nothing in the skies. Still, we continued to make plans. On Tuesday we went cherry picking in the Golan with some friends. It was an idyllic day, and I’ve never seen so many cherries on trees before. All the thousands of rows had branches laden to the ground. Schoolchildren on field trips ran through the rows scarfing up the red and yellow jewels. We couldn’t ask for a better day. We were right up against the Syrian border, literally. And all was as peaceful as can be.
John with his RainiersPerfect, peaceful dayRainier cherries $6/lb. All you can eat. We ate more than we brought homeLaden with cherries!The fields go right up to the edge of the Israeli borderYou can see the black border fence. 1 km beyond is SyriaLife’s a bowl of cherries
We continued to make plans for the weekend and into next week. We would go with friends to an art museum in Haifa at the top of Mt. Carmel on Monday to see the museum and the views. Spectacular views of the Mediterranean and Haifa port, looking North into Lebanon. A lovely café afterwards. On Tuesday, I made plans for a girlfriend from India to come over. I have 2 kg of organic fresh-picked apricots. It’s chutney season.
My Torah partner, Shari, and I met again last night to discuss the week’s Torah portion: Numbers 8-12. We discussed some current events as well and how the Scripture always seems relevant to our situation today. The Children of Israel are assembled and ready to venture forth into the Promised Land. The tribe of Judah/Yehudah always leads. Judah basically means “praise G-d” so praise goes before everything else. Something to remember.
Ch10:9 “And if you go to war in your land against the enemy that tries to destroy you, then you shall blow an alarm with the shofar; and you shall be remembered before the Lord your G-d, and you shall be saved from your enemies.”
Numbers 10:35 “Arise, o Lord, and let your enemies be scattered: and let them that hate you flee before you.”
It’s interesting that before any battle or any major operation (or before going into Gaza) the IDF soldiers pray. And Numbers10:35 is a main verse besides asking for His protection and His victory. I think it’s pretty cool that the modern army follows Torah so closely.
Two days ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu went to pray at the Western Wall with the President of Argentina, Javier Milei. Bibi placed a note in the wall that read “He shall rise like a lion and lift himself up like a king of beasts.” The military operation (all are named ) is called ‘Rising Lion’.
My other girlfriend from the States called to check up on us. To see if we were staying or leaving. If we’d been making plans or were ready. The news when she had awakened in California was less than hopeful. She was praying for Israel as were many members of her congregation.
I have a confession to make. John and I were pretty late to the game, but we’ve become absolutely addicted to the TV series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” We’ve been binge watching for the past two weeks. Yes. There’s a lot of foul language, but so many parts of it remind me of my childhood – my favorite uncle’s garment factory on the lower East Side. The food. The music of the Barry Sisters. The resort hotels of the Borscht Belt, where my parents worked their way through university while on summer break. The names (Weissman is my last name). The clothes. The arguing. It’s my story, too, in a way. So last night we decided to get in the last three episodes of season 3 before bed. It was 1:40 when we finished, and I decided to take a sleeping pill so I could get in one last good night’s sleep before any fireworks started.
At exactly 3am, we were spooked out of bed by the loud (loud doesn’t even begin to come close, was the siren in our bedroom window?) siren. It was a bit different from the ‘incoming’ siren, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I grabbed my phone and charger. John and the dog were marching down to the mammad. I decided to go out on the balcony to see what was up. Eerily quiet except for the blaring siren. Completely fogged in. Like milk. I could see nothing. Eeeewwwwww. Kinda creepy. No point staying out there, I began to head towards the stairs when both our phones let out this bansheeeeee waaaaiiiiilllll like we’ve never heard before. Pierce your eardrums wail. What the hell???
It was not the usual red alert. It was weird. The messages that were coming were all in Hebrew. No use now to sit and decipher. It’s off to the saferoom. Something big is up. About 20 minutes later, after hearing nothing, John went up to the bedroom. He had no desire for just hanging out waiting. He needed his sleep.
I went into the kitchen, scouring the internet for why this was happening. What was up. Something really big. We were soon to find out all schools and all unnecessary activities would be closed. No large gatherings. Stay close to a shelter. Extreme high alert elevation emergency no fooling around time. All things canceled. Stay home. The instructions started pouring in from Home Front Command. Then, our mayor came on and gave a talk about staying calm, everything was under control. Be prepared, and read all the alerts being given. Wow. We had just launched a surprise attack against Iran.
Israel launched the craziest pre-planned-to-a-tee attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. 61 days ago, Trump announced that Iran had 60 days to make a deal. After that, all bets would be off. Bibi and Trump had been playing this game that they were not at all on the same page and the US would not be a part of any strike. This night was Day 61 and BAM! Just had confirmation that 4 of the leading IRGC generals have been eliminated. Several nuclear facilities have been hit including the Nanatz Nuclear Facility. Wiped out. Mossad agents on the ground in Iran doing other targeted eliminations. Ballistic and nuclear capabilities are being taken down.
Israeli official report: Alongside extensive strikes by the Israeli Air Force, the Mossad led a series of counterterrorism operations deep inside Iran. These operations were designed to damage Iran’s strategic missile array and air defense capabilities. Major explosions rocked Tehran overnight. Israel is now preparing for a large-scale missile and drone retaliation from Iran.
Early this morning, the phone alert system went off again. About 8am. Stay close to shelters. All days activities canceled. Only necessary and emergency activity (Shopping for Shabbat?) Iran had launched over 100 drones towards Israel according to IDF spokesman, Gen. Effie Defrin (did I tell you how much I miss Daniel Hagai, our last IDF spokesman. Daniel. Come back!) IDF forces are actively engaged in intercepting the aerial threat…. I’m up watering the garden and picking tonight’s veg.
Oh….and this is super amazing. So there are people praying at the Western Wall, the Kotel 24/7. People are ALWAYS there at all hours of the night, in all weather, sending up their petitions. Interceding for Israel. Last night was no exception. After the sirens rang out throughout the country and it was announce the war had begun. several men began to blow their shofar. (Numbers 10:9 and recite the prayers. I have it on my army news feed. Its spine-tingling king in its Biblical veracity.
Now for the facts from today’s news:
The attack on Iran was preceded by a deception operation that included media and political components, both domestically and internationally, with the participation of various parties. Israel managed to surprise Iran with mind-blowing maneuvers.
Only a few secret partners jealously guarded the plan. As part of the deception plan, the Prime Minister’s spokesman distributed various announcements and briefings in the days leading up to the operation, among other things, in an attempt to influence the internal discourse in Israel and Iran.
Likewise, the Prime Minister’s office did not deny completely unfounded quotes supposedly from Netanyahu’s and Trump’s conversations (referring to the N12 report that Trump expressed opposition to the attack) on purpose, to project a public debate between Israel and the United States.
The goal was to make the Israelinpujblic and the Iranian leadership think that there would be no attack, and if there was, then not in the immediate future. This is out of fear that any information could ruin the surprise effect and the plan.
Now we are finding out the Tabriz airport has been taken out. The entire Iranian general staff and top nuclear scientists are reportedly eliminated in IDF strikes. air defense systems were wiped out. Radar installations and surface-to-are missiles have been destroyed. Israel has done this alone. Completely unaided, however, the some people in the US administration were in the loop. They had absolute coordination and understanding/cooperation of the US. The attack was a massive surprise. Israel couldn’t allow the world going on denying that Iran was not planning something.
Even yesterday he UN Security Council ruled that over the past 20 years they knew that the terror sponsor of the world was enriching uranium to make and use a nuclear weapon on Israel and the States. The Board of Governors of the Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for the first time in two decades Thursday after it refused to work with inspectors. Iran immediately announce it would establish a third enrichment site and swap out its older centrifuges for more sophisticated ones. Israel had to take the action they did on a remarkable surprise attack, taking out scientists, government, military leaders, weapons sites, weapons launch sites. The next few days a lot more will happen. We will be getting a lot more news about what is occurring.
This is just the beginning. There is more to be done. Hopefully, this will be the time for the beautiful Iranian people to step up and take back their country. We have the expectation that Iran or any of its proxies will retaliate in the next few days. Which is why it is so important that Israel took the action it did.
“ I was briefed on the attacks in advance, no surprises, but the US is not militarily involved and hopes Iran will return to the negotiating table. We are waiting to see what the Iranian response will be, we will defend Israel if absolutely necessary.” – President Trump.
It is now just past 1 pm here. I’m behind on my Shabbat cleaning and cooking. Iran’s supreme leader, Khameni has just replaced the top military commanders. Russia, the EU, the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and other nations are calling out Israel in violation of international law. Israel shot down over 200 UAVs this morning. Netanyahu and Trump are playing 4D chess. “ After a successful salvo of opening strikes, we will achieve many more, with G-d’s help.” No civilians have been targeted. Only terrorists and their leaders.
Israel, under complete cover, spent years preparing for last night. This included….. get this one! Building a drone base inside Iran and smuggled precision weapons into the country. According to the official, Mossad agents set up a drone base on Iranian soil near Tehran. The drones were activated overnight,striking surface-to-surface missile launchers aimed at Israel. In addition, vehicles carrying weapons systems were smuggled into Iran. These systems took out Iran’s air defenses and gave Israeli planes air supremacy and freedom of action over Iran. The third effort was Mossad commandos deploying precision missiles near anti-aircraft sites in Iran.
Israel has issued a severe warning to all Jews and to all its citizens abroad all around the world to be extremely vigilant.
i24 NEWS has stated that the strikes on Iran ‘achieved something on a scale that cannot yet be described.’ The head of the IRGC’s Air Force Amir Alihajizadeh was eliminated along with the top chain of command as they convened in an emergency meeting in an underground command center. 24 of the most important people in the Iranian army were eliminated last night in what will become known as one of the most daring and unbelievable missions I. The history of war. Do I hear movies forthcoming????
Attacks from Iran are expected. During Shabbat.In the heat of the night. We pray that G-d will rise and our enemies be scattered.
I’ll be back soon- in the meantime, please pray for all of us as well as your own safety. Could be an interesting weekend.
I last wrote about the difficult situation faced by Christians in the MidEast. The Druze fight back against their Muslim oppressors. The Christians either become martyrs, preferring not to make waves, but to try to live in hopes of peace and tolerance – or they escape to places they feel will be safer. And that is exactly what the Islamists want.
The Christians population of Bethlehem has been completely routed. It is now over 98%Muslim. The Christians are being chased out of Nazareth with both ‘Arab mafia’ threats and acts of violence to person, home and business as well as ‘softer violence.’ This northern Israeli city, once home to Israel’s second largest Christian population continues to sink into neglect. The Muslim mayor, Ali Salaam, must be fired.
Streets adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation are being flooded with trash, garbage bins are not being emptied and are overflowing, the city smells pungently horrific. On Sunday, the holy feast of Pentecost, city workers came and set fire to the trash heaps near the Greek Orthodox Church and the Catholic Basilica. Burning plastics and toxic fumes filled the alleys and the buildings of Christian homes and convents/monasteries nearby.
One of the Catholic priests narrates in Italian. You can get the gist of what he is saying
Saher K., is a multi-generational resident. His family has lived in Nazareth for over 16 generations. Saher stated, “We live in a dump. It’s just like that. It’s a health hazard. It’s a shame. And we are alone in the battle. Many are just giving up. We can no longer get the value back for our homes.”
The Archbishop, Rafik Nahra, the Orthodox clergy and other Baptist and evangelical pastors have complained to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of the Interior. Some of the recommendations included that the current mayor and all members of the city council be dismissed due to the ongoing neglect and violence. This is a highly unusual step for a head of state to act against local authorities, and the complaints have gone unheeded. Now the residents are giving up.
Last weekend billboards went up throughout Nazareth advertising snack foods. The posters, abusive advertisements published by the Palestinian company “Qasrawi” mock the Last Supper. Designed to be egregiously offensive to the Christian population, Jesus and his disciples appear in the form of sheep. The Eid-Al-Adha holiday is a sacrificial festival in which sheep (and other animals) are slaughtered by the Muslims. Would Muslims accept such an insult to their prophet Mohammed?
Over the past year, a new group has formed under the head of Retired IDF commanding officer, Lt. Col. (res) Ihab Shlayan. A patriotic Israeli citizen, Ihab has spent the past year trying to unite the wider body of 250,000 Christians in Israel under one flag, literally.
Lt. Col. IDF, Ihab Shlayan, Israeli ChristianFlag of Christian unity
The VOICE, or Voice of Israeli Christian Eagles is fighting back with words, legal action, petitions to the government, and unification of the different branches of Christians in Israel. They promote military service or a year of community service after high school graduation. They would like to have oversight of their own private religious education. The VOICE seek full recognition as Israeli Arabs by the State of Israel and representation at all levels of government, university, military and in social platforms.
Ihab Shlayan today, sent an official letter to the Minister of the Interior, members of Knesset, Minister of Health. It reads:
This is not Syria. It is not Iraq. And it is not Gaza.
This is Nazareth – the City of the Annunciation, the holy city of Christians – now neglected due to failed leadership of the Nazareth Municipality and lack of involvement by Israel’s Ministry of the Interior.
Members of the Christian community are calling on the Government of Israel to take responsibility, reclaim control, and liberate Nazareth from Arab political dominance, restoring proper governance, public safety and cleanliness to this sacred city for Christians.
With respect, Lt. Col. (Res.) Ihab Shlayan. Chairman, The Christian Voice Association
In the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, a huge banner hangs in front of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest place in the world to the Christian community. It reads in Arabic and in English “Jesus is a slave to Allah. ‘Jesus said: I am indeed a slave of Allah, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship him alone. Quran 3:51” It is in English so all the pilgrims can see it. This is the most important church in the Christian world, the site of the execution, burial and resurrection of Jesus. And of course, many years ago, a mosque was built right in front of the mosque. Visitors can hear the loud call to Islamic prayer five times a day within any part of the Holy Sepulchre building. This is a message to Christians from the Islamic institution.
Several months ago, the Muslims of Nazareth put up another banner. It is at the entrance to the Basilica Cathedral of the Annunciation. A shrine noted as the place where Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, it is not only the largest church in the MidEast, but attracted millions of pilgrims each year (in the preCOVID days). Also, note that a large mosque with loudspeakers was built at the foot of the hill right down the street from the Cathedral. The imam of Nazareth can be heard making public addresses during their holy Mass services.
The State of Israel can no longer look away. The. Christian community in Israel is a generally peaceful one. They are our doctors and nurses. Most are highly educated. They run large businesses and serve the country patriotically. Sports coaches, restaurant and hotel owners, leaders and members of the Christian Scouts, engineers, and our friends. And they are being forced out by radical Islamists. This is not just Arab on Arab violence. It is a serious problem that must be addressed because it is spreading.
Not only is it spreading to our own community in Karmi’el and to cities throughout Israel, but is already posing major problems throughout Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, the UK…. and soon to be the US. It is not just a question of antisemitism or antizionism, but it is the soft conquering of Western civilization. The current rioting in Los Angeles and New York is a coming together of Marxists, Progressives, Socialists and radical Islamists. You can see by what they are wearing – their kheffiyehs, their headbands and black outfits. They are not trying to hide anything. It is not about deporting illegal immigrants. They are launching color revolutions throughout the Western world to overthrow the governments and the culture/heritage.
Please share this article with anyone who will listen. It is no longer a local problem.
When I started this blog, I had decided to stay away from anything political, contentious and anything that would possibly offend or be misconstrued. I shied away from all the elephants in the room, not wanting to ignite a firestorm. I have received beautiful letters of solidarity and friendship from many of my readers along with personal texts and emails. On the other hand, I have chosen to delete several messages from “trolls” who are either antithetical to Zionism (the belief that Jewish have the right to return to their ancient and ancestral homeland), to the Jewish faith and to Israel’s position to fight against evil and terrorism militarily.
The Israeli Defense Forces are not just fighting an existential war against terror and evil to protect the Jewish nation, but they realize they fight to protect other ethnicities, innocent civilians, both within Israel and abroad. So in the next article or two, I hope to address the elephant in the room. The Christians in Israel and Syria who are being heavily persecuted by the radical Islamists.
Christians in Israel make up about 5% of the population. They are divided mostly into Eastern/GreekOrthodox (Melkite); Latin/Roman Catholics and Maronites; Arameans; with a smattering of Anglican, Baptist and other believing sects. The majority are Arabic speakers. Many are indigenous to this land, the original Christians; others are refugees from persecution in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries.
Bethlehem in Judaea is the birthplace of Jesus, the second holiest site in Christianity. The city was 98% Christian just two decades ago. It lies in the mostly Palestinian part of what is called the West Bank, just about 8 miles from Jerusalem as the crow flies. Jewish people holding Israeli passports are not allowed entrance to this territory without a special tourist permit. Today the Christians total less than 2% of the total population, most of them being clerics.
The Muslims who live in this once Christian area have what we call their own “mafia.” They impose large taxes –jizzia or protektzia – upon small the Christians – mostly multi-generational, family owned business, artisans and sellers of religious objects, restaurants, cafes and hotels in return for having no harm come to their places of livelihood, homes or family members. It is extortion followed by violence.
Unfortunately, this all too often has gone unseen or has been couched under “Arab on Arab violence” and has not been curtailed by Israel or the Palestinian Authority. In addition, as Christian families flee for safer cities within Israel or abroad, the Muslims move in. Because of the newer, Muslim majority, Palestinians who are unfavorable towards Israel, more radical Muslim mayors have been elected. The Israeli Jews seem to be too busy fighting other wars to address this serious problem.
The radical Islamists even seem to have sway over the different Bethlehem churches. At Christmas celebrations, since the tourism has sharply declined from the time of the pandemic to today, Christmas celebrations have been curtailed or cancelled by the local authorities. Lights displays are no more. Christmas trees in the town square have been replaced by martyrs trees (decorations are the faces of Palestinian terrorists eliminated by the IDF while committing an attack). Traditional nativity scenes have been replaced by displays of “Christ in the Rubble,” a political statement. Negative propaganda put out against ‘the occupation’ by the Churches are part of the protektzia. Look it up. See for yourself. Martyrs tree, Bethlehem. Christ in the rubble.
We live in the Northern part of Israel, the gorgeous and mostly peaceful Galilee region. Small Jewish kibbutzim and moshavim and medium sized towns are being surrounded by an ever-growing Muslim presence. Our city is less than a half and hour drive from Nazareth. This city, most famously known as the place where Mary was visited by an angel and where Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived and worked as an observant Jewish family of carpenters, is another one of the holiest sites for Christians worldwide. The largest Catholic Basilica Cathedral in the Middle East, the Church of the Annunciation, is located in the heart of Nazareth. In Israel. The city also has a large Orthodox presence, centered around Mary’s well. In 2010, Nazareth was 99% Christian.
Nazareth received most of its income from Christian tourism. There are more convents and monasteries in Nazareth than any other Israeli cities outside Jerusalem. They used to be beautiful, welcoming places. Now, most are hidden behind tall, barb-wire topped walls for protection. In Nazareth, too, the Islamists have taken over. Threats against Christian businesses have become commonplace. Targeted killings have occurred since 7 October. Unfortunately, Israel expects the local governing bodies to police their own towns, but the mayor of Nazareth is now Muslim. For the past several years, the Christmas celebrations have either been curtailed or cancelled altogether. (Nazareth also boasted the largest Christmas tree in the MidEast with Christmas markets and parades.)
Large concrete walls throughout the city have been painted with Palestinian flags, swastikas, slogans against the “occupation,” and pictures of the martyrs, aka eliminated terrorists. They are often whitewashed, only to reappear, making the city a most unwelcoming place for non-Muslims. John and I personally know families from Nazareth who have left for our pluralistic, safer-feeling cities like Haifa, Karmi’el and the Kryot and for immigration to Canada and the United States. One family who we know, left without a word one weekend, after receiving numerous death threats. We still have no idea where they went.
Until the last five years, there were Christian majority Northern Israeli towns: Shefaram, Deir Hanna, Deir Al Assad, and Ibillin. Here, too, these towns are facing the same predicament. The “Arab mafia” has moved in. As an interesting aside, the word Deir, is Aramaic, for monastery. These towns from the 4th century once centered around ancient Byzantine Churches supported by the indigenous Christian population. Deir Hanna is the Monastery of St. John. Deir Al Assad, is the monastery of the lion, or St. Mark’s Monastery. The Muslim Arab population who moved in did not bother to change the original Christian name of the town. There is the clue, the reminder.
The problem of Islamic persecution of Christians is not just a phenomenon in Israel. It has happened throughout the Middle East. Entire countries have persecuted and killed and expelled almost their entire Jewish and Christian populations: Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Just this past week the Egyptian government took over all property rights to St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai.
Located at the foot of Mt Sinai , it is the oldest, continually inhabited Christian monastery in the world. Founded in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian, St. Catherine’s is home to some of the most ancient icons, relics and manuscripts. The Greek Orthodox monks have preserved the spiritual integrity of the site for over 1500 years. The monastery is said to be built around the burning bush of Moses/Exodus fame. It is now part of Egypt’s public domain. They have also appropriated 73 smaller Christian sites surrounding.
Because it has been a site for pilgrims from throughout the world, the government is considering turning this into a resort tourist area. Since 1980, the monastery has submitted documents of ownership for the 74 places including receipts, land rights and tax documents. The state has refused to recognize any of this. The monks are now being ordered to pay rent for use of the properties. The monks yesterday, Pentecost Sunday (the birthday of the Church) closed their doors to any and all outsiders. See Acimena.com for more information.
In Syria, the new rebel government that ousted Assad are now seen to be the ‘good guys.’ Formerly one of the heads of alQaeda, the new Syrian president has labeled himself a moderate and recently has had a seat at the world’s negotiating tables. This past week has seen Syrian Islamic terrorists going from village to village murdering Christians and Druze. Local sources confirm massacres in minority communities. Young women are being raped and taken against their will. Entire villages are being emptied and burned in areas of southern Syria near the Israeli border.
In response, Israel has launched targeted airstrikes aimed at stopping the attackers and preventing further atrocities. The international community has said nothing about this Syrian Islamic extremist violence against vulnerable religious minorities. We ALL must demand coverage by the press, truth from the international arena and accountability from the Syrians.
Nigeria has been hard hit as Islamist radicals are wiping out entire villages of Christians. These are actual genocides as complete and targeted minority populations are being massacred. Women and children beheaded. Congregants bolted into their churches as they gathered for Mass. Last week, Fr. Alphonse’s Alina, Nigerian pastor of Catholic Church in Fairbanks, Alaska returned home for a visit. His Mass was attended by over 200 people. While traveling to another village in the northern part of the country, Fr Alphonse’s was kidnapped by the jihadists group, Boko Haram. They desire to see Nigeria turned into an Islamic state, and the current government is doing nothing. Bishop Steven Maekawa has asked for continued prayer for the father’s safe release.
This Islamist jihadi madness is not localized in Israel (think from the River to the Sea chanters). Paris was overtaken on Saturday once again by thousands of Muslims at prayer around the Eiffel Tower. Tourists had no access. This occurred after riotous jihadists burned tired and cars and broke windows throughout the city just nights prior. Innocent women passengers were pulled out of cars and raped. Stores were broken into and looted and buildings and monuments grafittied. All this to further the freeing of Palestine.
London is a nightmare. Marchers, demonstrators, a literal infiltration into the highest of government offices are part and parcel of the agenda. Today, on the streets of Brussels, Belgium a dramatic reenactment was held of the 7 October massacre in Israel. Blood and bodies on the ground and people staging the kidnappings. All to the background of French music and keffiyeh covered “actors.” There are similar weekly demonstrations throughout Europe. Truly the Intifada (aka wipe out Israel and the Jews) is being globalized. Los Angeles riots throughout the weekend show not only a protest against ICE and deportation of illegals but a stand of solidarity with Gaza. It’s time to wake up, people….
As an aside, I’ve spent the last hour scouring YouTube for footage of these events. Footage I saw just this morning. As soon as a video showing pro-Palestinian rioting or violence is posted, it is taken down. Apologies for this. I shall continue my search-
The religious Jewish people count the days between Passover and Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. It’s a Biblical mandate in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Seven weeks of seven days of the Children of Israel traveling from Egyptian liberation under Pharaoh until the entire entourage arrived at the foot of Mt. Sinai. There, on Day Fifty, Moses received the Ten Commandments from G-d.
Every evening after sunset the count is called out. A blessing is said. Each day there is a meditation on a virtue like kindness or patience or wisdom. During the time of the counting of the Omer (a measurement of barley), there are no marriages. It is a time of seriousness, like the Christian Lenten season, in a way. No parties. No haircuts. No frivolity.
In Israel, for Shavuot, the more Orthodox visit the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem. A visit to the tomb of King David is part of the tradition. People stay up all night (Jewish people all over the world) studying Scripture. The reading of the book of Ruth is a custom as it takes place during the barley harvest. And in synagogue, the Ten Commandments are read. Oh, and people gorgeous themselves on dairy products.
Yes. Dairy. For the observant Jews, the Bible or the Torah is compared with dairy or milk which nourishes infants. Also Israel is the Land of Milk and Honey. For the more secular, Shavuot is the beginning of summer. The farm animals have had their baby lambs and kids and calves and the milk is literally flowing. And the harvest has just come in. Barley. Fruits. Vegetables. In Biblical times, Shavuot was a mandatory pilgrimage holiday when all the people were required to bring in their tithes to the Temple in Jerusalem. This is a huge agricultural festival, the First Fruits, or Bikkurim.
I am currently studying Scripture each week through Partners in Torah. Can’t speak highly enough about this organization. My partner, Shari, and I meet weekly by FaceTime. She’s in New York City, and I like her so so much. She challenges me often. And I rose to her Shavuot challenge. I’d always wanted to spend Shavuot at an agricultural kibbutz. It’s one of the most incredible truly Israeli experiences, or so we had heard. So I did something quite presumptuous.
Sunday morning, I called up a friend from Kibbutz Ginosar (Genesseret) on Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and asked her what she was doing; the kibbutz activities; and swiftly inserted myself into the middle of her family. In other words, I invited myself and John at the very last minute. Complete Chutzpah for this reserved American. “Evelyn, I’ll even bring a huge dairy savory cheesecake with vegetables. Anything.”
We drove down to the lake Sunday afternoon. It was absolutely gorgeous and very peaceful, as usual. Ginosar is one of the older kibbutzim, celebrating 88 years this year. It’s moderately sized, mostly agricultural, but they also run a large resort hotel on the side. The families are all very close and everyone knows everybody else.
Evelyn greeted us at the entry gate. Her father-in-law knew we were coming and made me this gorgeous harvest bouquet of barley and wheat stalks, figs, pomegranates and lavender- all grown on the kibbutz. It was the most welcoming introduction. As is traditional, everyone wears white, and as it is a harvest festival, it is customary for people – young, old, male, female – to wear a lovely floral wreath on their head.
We arrived shortly before the festivities. Many of the kibbutz folk, mostly the older people, gathered on the main square to watch the tractor parade. Tractors pulling carts filled with hay bales and families.
And the celebration began, first with the presentation of all the babies that were born on the kibbutz in the past year, 38 in all, a new record! So cute to see all the families. It is such a healthy thing to see a vibrant, happy, growing population. This was followed by a dance put on by some of the moms with babies on their front packs (or twins on front and back). It was adorable. The song, in Hebrew, was about how the mom can get no more sleep as the baby keeps her up all night and all day.
Notice the mom in the green shorts with twins!
The little children of three age groups all put on song and dance routines and little skits. The all the three year old boys were brought up for their first haircuts. It’s a very big, and very fun, deal here. There was a lot of remembrance of the war, those lost in battle, friends still in captivity. It was an incredibly hard year for all the kibbutzim. Many of the men between 18-50 have been doing military service. Pensioners took up the slack and planted and harvested all the crops.
Kibbutz Ginosar is a tremendously large and productive agricultural kibbutz. They own hundreds of acres along the Kinneret. The number of dunams (acreage) of each crop, and tonnage brought in was read aloud. I was stunned. Mangoes, bananas, pomegranates, wheat, barley, dates, apricots, peaches, avocados, almonds. Phenomenal.
I was even more surprised to see the teen involvement. They worked as ushers, MCs, and organizers. And several groups of teens put on choral and folk dance numbers. Did I mention wholesome yet???? This was followed by folk dancing, first by the women, the couples and finally, the plastic chairs were taken away and the entire field turned into one big folk dance fest as the sun began to set.
Rows and rows of tables and chairs had been set out for the communal kibbutz Shavuot dinner. Candles lit. Blessings set. There was a booth for Israeli wine and tables groaning under the weight of food. Quiches, salads of all kinds, vegetable dishes beyond belief. Hummus and techineh, and every kind of cheese and dairy one could imagine. It was super abundant and glorious! Folk dancing lasted until late in the evening. And there were small groups of instrumentalists. The wine flowed freely.
Evelyn, originally from Argentina, met her husband when he traveled to South America after his army service. She followed him back to Israel where they married. Yoav’s grandparents were some of the original residents of Ginosar, and her father-in-law was the one to find the famed sunken “Jesus boat,” a 2000 year old fishing boat. Evelyn is an ElAl flight attendant and Yoav is a farmer. They’ve lived at Ginosar for 19 years.
I tell you all this because Evelyn and her family took us in like we were one of the family. After living ‘in the city’ for ten years, I’d totally forgotten and missed that amazing aspect of Israeli life. Everyone is “mishpocha.” We met the brothers, the in-laws, the kids, and cousins. Young couples had driven up from Tel Aviv and central Israel to be with their family. And somehow there was room for all.
It was not extremely religious. In the morning some of the older folk went to the community synagogue. Children, with bathing suits on since 8am were eager to swim in the Kinneret. Others went sailing and jet skiing. The morning breakfast on the kibbutz dining room offered myriad dairy from cheese-filled bourekas and blintzes to fish. Fish is very typical for breakfast in Israel. There were fruit salads and vegetable salads over the top and freshly baked breads, homemade jams and freshly squeezed juices.
I must say, last year e spent Shavuot praying in Jerusalem. Most years, we spent at home very low key. Not particularly Israeli. This year, the Zionistic and patriotic spirit, albeit a bit subdued from what I was told (due to the fact we are still at war), was one of the most incredible experiences John and I have had here. Thank you, Evelyn!!! We had a blast!
Israel Dreams 