Israel InSight Magazine, November 2024

VOL. 1 ISSUE 3 • November 2024

50 TOP CHRISTIAN ALLIES OF ISRAEL

OCT. 7 — ONE YEAR LATER DOCUMENTING THE ATROCITIES NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS HAS ISRAEL FACT-FINDING MISSION STANDING WITH ISRAEL AT THE DOORPOSTS DEALING WITH PTSD AND WAR TRAUMA PROUD AND BOLD PRO-ISRAEL CLOTHING INCREDIBLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS “Flags of Fellowship” in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in remembrance of the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks, Oct. 6, 2024.

Photo courtesy of IFCJ.

BISHOP PAUL LANIER’S ISRAEL STORY MEET ISRAEL’S FIRST CHRISTIAN OLYMPIAN

Israel InSight is the new online magazine for Israel’s Christian friends…

From the team at award-winning Southern Jewish Life magazine… a new, unique publication for those who want to stay informed and deepen their connection with the land and people of Israel • Reliable coverage of Israel and the Middle East With context and information the mainstream press ignores

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Wear your support for Israel

Top 50 Christian Allies of Israel according to the annual list by the Israel Allies Foundation.

My Israel Story

Olam Tova designs are for those who have no problem making a statement about where they stand.

Bishop Paul Lanier, board chair of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

“The selection itself — Mike Huckabee is one of Israel’s greatest friends — tells us that the days of public daylight between the U.S. and Israel are about to end.”

David Friedman, ambassador to Israel during President Trump’s first administration, on the selection of Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, an announcement that came as this issue was wrapping. We will have our recent interview of Huckabee on our website soon.

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Why Israel says UNRWA can not be allowed to keep operating in the region

Behind the scenes with the developer of Israel’s Iron Dome

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Actress Patricia Heaton urges Christians to display mezuzah cases in solidarity with the Jewish community

Israel developing PTSD treatments, with help from the Navy SEALS and friends in the U.S.

4 From the Editor 74 Reading Israel

82 Israel on Campus 99 Biblical Calendar: Cheshvan

86 Israel Sports 101 Israel Marketplace Israel InSight • November 2024

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The Beginning During each year, when the Torah is read in synagogues throughout the world, every time one of the Five Books of Moses is completed, everyone sings “chazak, chazak v’nitchazek” — “be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other.”

That, of course, is also the case at the culmination of the annual cycle of reading, when Deuteronomy is completed and the reading immediately starts again with the beginning of Genesis. (In our congregation, I am the one who does those readings every year).

That day is Simchat Torah, literally “rejoicing with the Torah.”

But when we said that phrase this year, it also marked the anniversary of the horrors of October 7, and a year of war that nobody wanted, but feared was inevitable.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook

It has been a year of advocating for the hostages, rooting out terror groups, dealing with the threat from Iran — and facing relentless hate on college campuses and anti-Israel demonstrations worldwide, as antisemitism has exploded and become acceptable.

SOCIAL/WEB Eugene Walter Katz

This issue features 50 Christian leaders who stand strong as allies of Israel, recognized by the Israel Allies Foundation.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rivka Epstein, Nathan Klein, Tally Werthan, Bebe Hudson, Belle Freitag, Claire Yates

But we can not afford to become weary. We must strengthen each other.

We have Bishop Paul Lanier’s Israel Story, and his journey to becoming the board chair of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

We also have a story about strengthening Israeli soldiers and civilians who have gone through and seen unspeakable horrors in the past year. The effort involves developing an app that can help people self-diagnose PTSD and get them treatment based on their level of symptoms. That project is in development, and those with a heart for the military can help support something that no doubt can also be used here with the U.S. military.

We have answers that you won’t get in the mainstream media, such as why Israel feels the need to keep control over the Philadelphi Corridor in Gaza, or why the United Nations agency overseeing the Palestinians is toxic and must be dismantled.

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And that barely scratches the surface of what is in this issue.

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Let us be strong, and let us all strengthen each other.

Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher.

It has been a very difficult year for Israel and the Jewish community worldwide — check out the editorial at the end of this issue to see what has been happening lately. At a time such as this, your support and your strength are incredibly important.

Lawrence Brook Publisher/Editor

Please help us strengthen Christian support for Israel and the growing bridge between the Christian and Jewish communities by supporting our work. Subscribe if you haven’t already, and urge your friends to do the same! Your support is valued and needed. You can also advertise with us, or contribute to the magazine. Let us strengthen each other.

We thank our many, many friends in the Christian community throughout the region who have been so helpful with their feedback, suggestions and insights as we launch this important publication, and we welcome your continued comments.

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook

November 2024 • Israel InSight

Views expressed in Israel InSight are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. We retain the right to refuse any advertisement.

ICYMI

In Case You Missed It Iranian athlete Saeid Sadeghianpour forfeited his Paralympics taekwondo match to Israeli athlete Adnan Milad.

Milad, who is Arab, had his arm amputated after a work accident in 2018.

Courtesy of IFCJ.

“Flags of Fellowship” at Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel in remembrance of the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks, Oct. 6, 2024.

Flags of Fellowship: IFCJ remembers the 1200 victims of Oct. 7 with displays worldwide (JNS) — The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews held a memorial event on Oct. 6 to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel.

As part of the event, 1,200 Israeli flags were placed in Kibbutz Kissufim, representing the number of victims killed during the massacre. The flags were positioned in front of the burned house of Dafna Gershkovitz, daughter of firefighter Danny Gershkovitz, who was murdered alongside her husband, Ivan, on that Black Shabbat.

The event was attended by Ayelet Shilo Tamir, CEO of the IFCJ; Dafna’s parents, Danny and Cecilia Gershkovitz; Eshkol Regional Council head Gadi Yarkoni; the council’s chief security officer

Ilan Isaacson; and Rabbi Reuven Deri.

In parallel to the flag display at Kibbutz Kissufim, more than 350 churches, universities, schools and synagogues throughout the United States and Canada participated in the “Flags of Fellowship” project, displaying fields of 1,200 Israeli flags on their grounds to remember each person lost that day, and to honor the heroes and highlight the unity of Christians in support of Israel and the Jewish people. Overall, more than 300,000 Israeli flags were raised around the world.

This event is part of the IFCJ’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness and support for Israel, combat rising antisemitism and mobilize Israel’s supporters globally to make their voices heard.

Is your church or organization having an Israel event?

Send us information beforehand for a calendar listing, and photos afterward!

israelinsightmagazine@gmail.com

On July 7, the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg was evacuated following an emailed bomb threat claiming explosives were placed around the building and the state’s Judicial Center “in the name of Palestine.” The email was sent to over 250 House and Senate members.

A university student who sported a keffiyah at graduation and shouted out “Free Palestine” during the proceedings has reportedly been deported. The ceremony in question was at New York University — but not in New York, it was at their Abu Dhabi campus.

A survey of Palestinians in June found that 96 percent of those who had not seen video footage from Oct. 7 believed that Hamas fighters did not commit atrocities against Israelis. Among those that had seen the footage, 54 percent — a majority — still felt that Hamas had not committed any atrocities. In the poll, 10 percent said they had seen the footage, though an earlier poll, in March, found 20 percent saying they had seen the footage.

Andrew Makadsi, creative director to the pop star Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, has Israel InSight • November 2024

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ICYMI

In Case You Missed It set his social media account to private after StopAntisemitism exposed antisemitic posts, including calling for “death to all Zionists and their followers.” Makadsi also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, according to posts that the watchdog shared. He is creative director of Parkwood Entertainment, a production and management company that Beyoncé founded.

All over social media, HEAL Palestine stated that “It is with deep sadness that HEAL Palestine announces the killing of our Gaza Program Manager, Islam Hijazy, in Gaza today. She was the mother of two small children, and a humanitarian with the highest ethics and professionalism.

Islam intentionally stayed in Gaza to help others. ‘My place is in Gaza serving my people,’ she said when she started her leadership role with HEAL. HEAL Palestine is more dedicated than ever to serving Gaza, in her honor. Ceasefire now.” While readers were to infer that Israel had killed her, it was actually three Hamas operatives that riddled her car with 90 bullets, in an effort to stymie competing groups from controlling humanitarian aid, which Hamas steals and then sells to Gazans.

During the Olympic men’s basketball medal ceremony, NBC announcer Mike Tirico mistakenly said that French player Mathias Lessort had draped himself in the

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

Hezbollah rocket fire responsible for burning 57,000 acres in northern Israel (JNS) — Hezbollah’s incessant cross-border attacks on northern Israel since Oct. 8, 2023 have burned over 230,000 dunams (57,000 acres) of land, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund said on Oct. 30.

According to KKL-JNF’s Forestry Department, it will take some five to seven years for nature to repair the damage.

According to the data, Israel’s Upper Galilee and Golan Heights regions have suffered the most damage, with almost 43,500 acres burned, followed by the Lower Galilee (some 6,175 acres), the Western Galilee (2,223 acres) and the Hula Valley (178 acres).

The woods that saw the most destruction are the Birya and Baal Shem Tov forests outside the city of Tzfat, Ramot Naftali Forest in the Upper Galilee near the border with Lebanon, and Hazon Forest near Karmiel.

The fires have also “affected a large variety of animals,” KKL-JNF said, noting that the nests of many birds had been destroyed while “large numbers of arthropods were unable to escape the flames.”

According to the NGO, “All the woodland and forest trees — including coniferous trees such as pine, cypress and cedar, as well as broad-leaved trees such as oaks, Judas trees, eucalyptus, carob and almonds — were damaged by the fires. Public spaces such as parking lots, birdhouses, observatories, forest entrances and scenic roads were also burned.”

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily for over 12 months, firing some 10,000 rockets, missiles and drones. Jerusalem has escalated attacks on Hezbollah since adding the return of displaced citizens to northern Israel to its official war goals on Sept. 17.

Photo by Michael Giladi/Flash90.

Israeli firefighters try to extinguish a fire sparked by missiles launched from Lebanon, near the northern city of Safed, June 12, 2024.

Israel delays implementing new digital procedure for incoming visitors

By Etgar Lefkovits

(JNS) — A new digital entry procedure for visitors to Israel from visa-exempt countries is being postponed until next year, officials announced on July 28.

The Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA-IL) requirement, which is undergoing a pilot test and was due to go in force on Aug. 1, will now take effect on Jan. 1, Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority said.

The authority cited “a number of requests mainly from airlines that requested additional time to prepare for the implementation of technological systems” as the reason for the postponement.

The new program entails filling out an online form for entry approval before departure for Israel.

The application, which will cost $7 or 25 shekels, is intended to simplify the entry process so that visitors can just swipe their passports at Ben-Gurion Airport upon arrival, as holders of Israeli biometric passports already do.

The U.S., Britain and Canada all have similar digitalized systems in the place, and the E.U. is expected to launch one soon.

The timing of the previously announced rollout of the new procedure had raised eyebrows.

Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

The departure hall at Ben-Gurion Airport, April 4, 2023.

The war against Hamas in Gaza has led to a staggering 80 percent drop in tourism to Israel, with many foreign airlines that suspended flights to Tel Aviv after the Oct. 7 attack operating on reduced schedules, while others have yet to resume service at all.

“The delay in implementation of the Electronic Visa into Israel for tourists until January 2025 was a very smart move, and is greatly appreciated,” Mark Feldman, Jerusalem director of Diesenhaus Tours, told JNS. “For now, any way we can get tourists to Israel should be encouraged. Once the war is over and millions of tourists are planning on coming to Israel, we can implement it.”

At CBS News, Jerusalem isn’t in Israel An executive at CBS, in an email in August, instructed employees to “not refer to Jerusalem as being in Israel,” The Free Press reported on Oct. 10.

Mark Memmott, the senior director of standards and practices at the news department of the New York-based broadcasting network, acknowledged that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but added this did not mean that CBS should accept this.

“Yes, the U.S. embassy is there and the Trump administration recognized it as being Israel’s capital. But its status is disputed. The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel regards Jerusalem as its ‘eternal and undivided’ capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem — occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war — as the capital of a future state,” Memmott wrote.

ICYMI

In Case You Missed It Palestinian flag. It was actually the flag of Martinique, where he was born. And as an added irony, Lessort used to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel’s basketball league.

The number of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem set a new record since the 1967 liberation, with over 51,000 visits for the entire past year. While Muslim officials complain of a Jewish “invasion” of what they call al-Aqsa, by comparison a typical Friday during Ramadan sees well over 100,000 Muslims visiting.

A man who missed his flight and a work appointment because anti-Israel demonstrators shut down the roads to the Chicago airport on April 15 has started a class action suit against the groups that organized the shutdown, along with actions at the Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Seattle-Tacoma airport.

Omar Shehada, 35, a Palestinian from Judea and Samaria who appears on a terror watchlist for alleged prior “explosives/arms” use, was arrested on the southern U.S. border in Santa Teresa, N.M. Shehada was caught on Aug. 12, the New York Post reported, citing a leaked U.S. Customs and Border Protection memo that didn’t identify the terrorist group with which the man is associated. He flew from Madrid to Bogota to Panama City to San Salvador before trying to enter the United States, according to the memo.

Israel InSight • November 2024

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ICYMI

In Case You Missed It The arrest came the day before four congressmen penned a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, and Christopher Wray, the FBI director, about an earlier report of people with possible terrorism ties being arrested at the Mexican border.

Antisemites in Greece attacked an Israeli, beating him so severely he had to be medically evacuated back to Israel. The attackers stopped only when they noticed that he wasn’t a Jew — he was wearing a cross necklace. Fahad Qubati is an Arab Christian from Nazareth, who was recently discharged as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. His mother said had the assailants not seen his cross, he likely would have been murdered.

A Turkish historical television series, “Conqueror of Jerusalem” has a Jewish character named Ephriam trying to establish a Jewish kingdom from the Nile to the Euphrates, and in the show he attempts to do this by using his money to control the leaders of the Crusades. In real life, of course, the Crusaders were known for killing Jews that they came across in their travels to the Middle East to try and conquer the Holy Land from the Muslims. Several other Turkish series use the antisemitic trope of Jews with money secretly controlling the world.

Longtime NBA player Patrick Beverley signed an offer he “couldn’t refuse” with Hapoel Tel Aviv. The 12-year veteran

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

Infinity Concepts raises $5 million for Israel Since last year’s Hamas terror attacks, Infinity Concepts, a brand-communications agency based in Pittsburgh, has partnered with nonprofits and ministries to raise more than $5 million in support of the people of Israel.

The milestone was announced on October 24.

“We love Israel, and we are tremendously blessed to work with so many others who love her as well,” said Mark Dreistadt, president and CEO. “It is humbling to realize that in the last year since the horrific events of October 7, millions of Americans have opened their hearts and contributed so much to the health and well-being of Israel. And Infinity Concepts has been able to play a part in that.”

Infinity Concepts specializes in connecting ministries and nonprofits with the American Christian audience, providing leadership in branding, fundraising, digital advertising, media placement, public relations and creative design.

The $5 million raised by Infinity Concepts clients has been used to purchase ambulances and medical supplies, feed starving families, help single moms and widows, equip soldiers with warm-weather clothing and flashlights, help Holocaust survivors, treat wounded soldiers, and support the families of the bereaved.

“In Genesis 12:3, God tells us that those who bless the family of Abraham will themselves be blessed,” said Dreistadt. “We thank Him for the generosity and kindness that He has poured out on Israel through our many great clients, and we thank Him for the role we have had in supporting them.”

South African Christians donate emergency vehicles to border communities

By Etgar Lefkovits

(JNS) — South African Christians are donating two emergency rapid response vehicles for use in Israeli communities near the border with Gaza, in a repudiation of their government’s policies towards the Jewish state.

The faith-based move comes at a time when South Africa has emerged as one of the most active opponents of Israel around the globe, having taken it to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice on genocide charges over the

nearly year-old war against Hamas in Gaza and squarely allied itself with Iran and its terrorist proxies.

The vehicles will be donated to the Magen David Adom rescue service next month for use in communities that came under ground attack during the Oct. 7 invasion in which Hamasled terrorist killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, wounded thousands of others, and triggered the war.

“The name of South Africa has been tarnished by the ANC government

over a protracted period, particularly after the October 7 attacks, but there is a lot of support for and admiration of Israel in South Africa based on Judeo-Christian values,” Chris Edens, the head of the South African office of the evangelical organization Bridges for Peace, which is behind the initiative, told JNS on Sept. 19.

He noted that the decision to donate the vehicles, which cost $80,000 each including personnel training, was a direct response from Christians to the South African government’s anti-Israel policies.

“Funds for Israel were flying off the charts post October 7 and it is quite gratifying that financial support is consistently higher than we have ever experienced,” Edens said.

Relations between Jerusalem and Pretoria have plunged to an all-time low with no operational embassy or consulate in Tel Aviv, both countries’ ambassadors recalled, and in a year in which besides taking Israel to the U.N. court, then-South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor visited Iran.

Last December, Johannesburg hosted a Hamas delegation to South Africa.

Magen David Adom employs about 1,400 emergency response vehicles — ranging from ambulances to scooters — nationwide but seeks to expand its fleet to 2,000.

ICYMI

In Case You Missed It was three-time NBA AllDefensive Team and played for Philadelphia and Milwaukee in the 2023-24 season. He has also played for the Lakers, Clippers, Bulls, Rockets and Timberwolves. Beverley had been weighing an NBA veteran minimum deal of $3.3 million per season.

Photo: Courtesy

A Bless Israel Box distributed by Bridges for Peace.

of handwritten “letters of love” from Christian supporters to Israeli soldiers on the front lines and families that have been displaced by the war.

“You don’t hear this on the media, but there are thousands upon thousands of believers in South Africa that are standing with Israel, and we want to show our comfort and support to stand strong,” Liz Campbell Robertson, chair of the Christian branch of WIZO in Cape Town, told JNS. ‘Bless Israel Boxes’ Earlier this year, a group of Japanese The evangelical organization has also Christians donated two ambulances to distributed more than 4,000 blue and Israeli communities along the border white “Bless Israel Boxes” to churches with Gaza to replace some of those deacross South Africa, inspired by the stroyed in the Oct. 7 attack, in another iconic tin blue boxes used by the Jewshow of faith-based support. ish National Fund to collect coins for The move was led by the mayor Israel dating back 120 years. of the city of Gifu, the capital of the “It offers the ability in a practical Gifu prefecture where Chiune Sugisense to connect those who will never hara, the vice-consul for the Japanese get to Israel but want to support Israel,” Empire in Kaunas/Kovno, Lithuania, Edens said. who saved thousands of Jews from the The Christian group has also teamed Nazis during World War II, was born up with the Women’s International Zi- in 1900. News of that donation caused a stir in Japan. onist Organization to send thousands

The Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Committee announced that it would withdraw its endorsement of Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY) over her recent moves on antisemitism and Israel, according to Jewish Insider. The DSA said it was pulling its endorsement because Ocasio-Cortez had failed to meet a series of anti-Israel conditions, hosted a webinar on antisemitism, said that anti-Zionism can cross into antisemitism, voted for a resolution describing opposition to Israel’s right to exist as antisemitic and joined a statement that expressed support for the Iron Dome missile-defense system.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England announced that it adopted a “weapons exclusion” in its investments, in part to boycott the Jewish state, “so there is no longer the potential to earn interest from companies that profit from violence and war, such as the devastating loss of life and sexual and genderbased violence happening in Gaza.” The organization urged its supporters to follow suit.

Israel InSight • November 2024

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ICYMI

In Case You Missed It The Republic of Paraguay will open its embassy in Jerusalem by the end of 2024, in a sign of support for Israel in Latin America, Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano said on Sept. 13. Five countries currently have their embassies in Israel’s capital: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea.

There is controversy in Canada as Hassan Diab, 70, a Lebanese-Canadian academic, has been hired as a professor at Carleton University. A member of the terrorist group People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine, he was convicted by a French court in 2023 for involvement in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that killed four. He will lecture on “social justice in action” in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The course, ironically, will teach “the dynamic relationship between institutionalized legal power (police, court, surveillance, prison, etc.) and miscarriages of justice in society.”

The Muslim-najority nation of Albania will open a commercial liaison office in Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish state, Prime Minister Edi Rama told Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a meeting in Tirana on Sept. 12. The move “marks a significant upgrade in the strong relationship between the two nations and represents a symbol of the deep friendship between the two peoples,” according to a statement by Herzog.

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

Head of Iran’s anti-Israel intelligence group turned out to be Israeli agent (JNS) — Tehran created a unit to counter Israeli Mossad operations in Iran only to discover, in 2021, that its head was a Mossad double-agent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told CNN Türk on Sept. 30.

“Israel organized complex operations inside Iran. They could easily obtain information. In Iran, they are still silent about this,” the former Iranian president told the news channel. “The man who was in charge of the unit in Iran against Israel was an Israeli agent.”

Beyond the unit head, some 20 other members of the unit were Mossad agents, Ahmadinejad claimed. He added that those agents were involved in

stealing documents related to Iran’s secret nuclear weapons program in 2018.

The documents suggested that Iran was enriching uranium for military purposes, violating the oversight agreements it had signed.

The former Iranian president also said the double-agents were involved in eliminating Iranian nuclear scientists, including leading nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020.

In 2021, former Iranian intelligence minister Ali Younesi said that “the Mossad has infiltrated many government departments in the last 10 years to such a degree that all the country’s top officials should fear for their lives.”

Bamba Wars: Anti-Israel groups try to get Trader Joe’s to drop Israeli products

By Miri Weissman

zation is calling for Trader Joe’s to halt (Israel Hayom) — Anti-Israel activist sales of Israeli products “until Israel ends the occupation, respects internaorganization CodePink has collected 15,000 signatures on a petition urging tional law and ensures full and equal Trader Joe’s to remove Israeli products rights for Palestinians.”

In response, Jewish community from its stores, while Jewish commugroups have mobilized a “buycott” nity groups have launched a countcampaign, circulating messages ener-campaign encouraging supporters couraging supporters to purchase to purchase these same items.

“As the Israeli genocide continues to Israeli products and thank the retailer devastate Gaza and the broader Middle for continuing to stock them. The East, companies like Trader Joe’s must counter-campaign highlights Trader Joe’s previous stance against boycott take a stand,” CodePink states in their petition. “By stocking Israeli products, efforts in 2005/2006 when the company maintained its Israeli product lines Trader Joe’s supports a system that despite similar pressure. perpetuates suffering.”

Both groups are utilizing grassroots The Boycott, Divestment, and Sancorganizing tactics, with CodePink tions Movement petition specifically distributing action guides and flyers targets several products currently carried by the grocery chain, including for store demonstrations, while Jewish Israeli-made feta cheese, Bamba snacks community groups are sharing their message through WhatsApp and other and Dorot frozen herb products. social media platforms. Trader Joe’s The campaign takes aim at Trader has not yet publicly responded to eiJoe’s corporate ethos, referencing the ther campaign. company’s stated commitment to Originally published by Israel Hayom. ethical business practices. The organi-

Israeli university launching unique mental health trauma center spurred by distinctive nature of Oct. 7 attack

By Elana Sztokman

How do you deal with the trauma of the deadliest day Jews have experienced since the Holocaust?

This was the question Israeli trauma experts faced in the wake of Oct. 7, 2023, when over 1,200 Israelis were killed and some 250 taken captive in Hamas’s attack on Israel.

The massive attack by terrorists immediately was followed by additional traumas: The displacement of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes in the conflict zones.

The subsequent war, which has left hundreds more soldiers dead and thousands wounded.

Emotional scarring on a national scale.

At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, some of Israel’s foremost trauma experts set to work to design new clinical approaches and train therapists to deal with these traumas.

“These experiences are beyond anything we have seen,” said Professor Asher Ben-Arieh, dean of the university’s Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare and CEO of the Haruv Institute for the Study of Child Maltreatment, noting that some children were taken hostage and witnessed their parents’ murder or kidnapping. “The tools we have used until now are not sufficient. We need new solutions and new ideas for how to treat these traumas.”

Ben-Arieh estimates that 25% to 50% of those who experienced trauma were likely to develop problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, complex grief, or difficulties in marital, social, or occupational adjustments.

To meet these new needs, Hebrew University’s Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health set about to launch the Institute for Traumatic Stress and Recovery to create a multidisciplinary, academic-clinical hub to address trauma-related research, training, prevention, treatment, and resilience promotion.

The Institute for Traumatic Stress and Recovery aims to give therapists and trauma survivors evidence-based practices and technologies, accessible via Israel’s public health system, to enhance the healing and recovery of Israelis grappling with the enormity of these traumas. The institute will conduct research, train therapists in new evidence-based practices, and provide patient-centered, comprehensive, coordinated care.

“This proactive approach will not only enhance the capacity for timely and effective trauma intervention, but also contribute to a more informed and resilient community as a whole,” said Hebrew University psychology professor Jonathan Huppert, who is involved in the project.

“Trauma manifests in many ways and can be different for different people,” Huppert said. “Not everyone has PTSD.

Some have stress, grief, and difficulty coping with the effects of being relocated. Since Oct. 7 people are more stressed in general. They may experience more negative thinking, trouble sleeping, more physical aches and pains, muscle tension. Things may set them off more easily.”

Many experts in the field say it long has been clear that Israel needs to improve its overall approach to mental health. There has been insufficient training of mental health professionals using evidence-based best practices treating trauma, a lack of integration between research and practice, and a lack of awareness among the public at large about the impacts of collective traumatic stress.

The events of Oct. 7 drew attention to those problems while adding the urgent need for new approaches to trauma specific to this historical event.

The new institute, which will offer a rare combination of research with clinical practice, training, and advocacy, has raised 25% of its budget so far and is actively seeking support for the remainder.

“We need enough money to have a stable center to think out of the box,” Ben-Arieh said. “And we need it urgently. We’re not even post trauma. We are not past this. It’s still happening.”

After the shock of the initial Hamas attack, Ben-Arieh and his colleague Ofrit Shapira Berman, a Hebrew University professor who specializes in treating adult survivors of complex childhood trauma, joined an October 7 National Task Force to care for children who were abducted.

Working with Israel’s Ministry of Social Services and other governmental bodies, the task force trained the security services who first greeted the abducted children upon their release in late November 2023 to ensure the children would not be retraumatized in the process of their release. They also worked with their parents.

The task force identified six groups of children at high risk since Oct. 7: child hostages; those who witnessed severe violence and murders; newly orphaned children; children who lost a parent, sibling, or other relatives; children whose friends or peers were killed or kidnapped; and children displaced from their homes.

“There is a deep issue of betrayal in childhood trauma,” said Ben-Arieh. “In these cases, these events often happened in places that their parents said were the safest in the world. Parents could not save their children. Or they had to choose.

We have new forms of trauma that we don’t understand.”

He added, “We need to change the field.”

Show your solidarity with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem by giving to the We Are One campaign.

Learn more or donate at AFHU.org

Israel InSight • November 2024

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Big Issues

The real story behind the headline or the 30 misleading seconds on the evening news…

Why is Israel insistent on keeping control of the Philadelphi Corridor?

Border between Gaza and Egypt has been the site of major weapons smuggling

By Yossi Kuperwasser

delphi Corridor, the world would recognize the fact that Israel was no longer the occupying power in Gaza. It was (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) — The Israeli military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza explained to him that not only would that not happen, but evacuating the Philadelphi Corridor would enable the flood and Egypt is essential to ensure that Hamas and the other of enormous quantities of weapons. terror organizations face considerable difficulties in their Sharon insisted — and the gloomy forecasts materialized efforts to reconstruct and resupply the enormous terror when a Palestinian mob tore down the wall, and vast numenterprise they had built in the Gaza Strip. bers of weapons flowed to Rafah in front of the Egyptian Keeping the border closed will hamper their ability to soldiers who did not lift a finger. smuggle the weaponry and the other means of warfare, Did that mean the IDF again had to personnel and even vehicles and funds take control of the corridor? Israel could that Hamas and Islamic Jihad previously There are important have done so — but it had not “left just brought from Egypt through the vast netreasons why Israel to come back again.” Instead, Sharon sent work of tunnels they constructed under the corridor, through the Rafah border needed to go into Rafah, a senior military delegation to complain to the Egyptians. The complaint was duly crossing itself, and via other routes. and needs to control the recorded, and the smuggling continued After identifying and neutralizing all border between Gaza and even intensified. the tunnels, Israel will have to erect an The security establishment claims that underground barrier along the corridor and Egypt if Israel now leaves the Philadelphi Corrisimilar to the one it built along the Gador and the smuggling resumes, the IDF za-Israel border. The IDF will have to be deployed along the corridor to ensure that the underground will be able to return and retake control of the corridor. barrier, the aboveground wall, the monitoring of the Rafah Militarily speaking, Israel could have done that as well in crossing, and the other elements of the systems designed to 2005 and 2008 but refrained, and this time, too, there will be prevent smuggling are functioning so that any infiltration reasons to refrain. The United States will promise to presattempt will be immediately thwarted. sure Egypt and will warn that such a military move could cause severe harm to civilians and lead to a regional war; the Clearly, on the day the shooting stops, the Gaza terror organizations will launch a gigantic effort to smuggle weap- Egyptians will demand proof of the smuggling and warn of damage to Israeli-Egyptian ties; and Iran, through its proxons into the Strip, and the more the Israeli presence along ies, will threaten a harsh response. It is also doubtful wheththeir vital artery shrinks, the easier it will be for them. The er Israel will be able to detect the smuggling. In that regard, chances that Egyptian, Arab, international or Palestinian Israeli intelligence has not been particularly impressive.

Authority forces would effectively meet the challenge are paltry. This idea was tried in the past and failed miserably.

There is no reason to believe that it will be different another Boots on the ground In light of all this, there is no substitute for a physical time.

Israeli presence along the corridor to prevent smuggling.

Before the 2005 disengagement from the Strip, Prime However, such a presence is also essential for additional Minister Ariel Sharon argued that if Israel left the Phila-

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The location of the Philadelphi Corridor on Gaza’s border with Egypt.

strategic reasons.

First there is the need to shape a new reality in Gaza for “the day after” the war. If the overall military control that is needed to combat terror is to be in Israel’s hands, Israel needs to maintain control of all of Gaza’s borders, including the Philadelphi Corridor. Any other arrangement will make it almost impossible for the IDF to prevent the emergence of terror threats from the Strip. Eventually, Israel would return to the reality of Oct. 7, 2023.

Second, lasting Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor is what will preclude Hamas control of the strategic passage.

The ongoing physical change on the ground, compared to the situation before the current war, will constitute a message to Hamas, the other members of the Iranian axis, and the Palestinians in general, that the Oct. 7 terror attack was a strategic error that significantly harmed the advancement of their goals, chief among them the elimination of Israel.

Apart from the warfare against Hamas, the Israeli deployment along Philadelphi can serve as a rehabilitator that can compel a process of Palestinian soul-searching and make clear to the Iranians and Hezbollah that whoever launches a war against Israel pays a strategic price.

Against all these weighty considerations stands the urgent need to free the hostages, who are suffering terribly and whose lives are endangered. In Hamas’s view, precisely in light of what has been said here, it must insist on its demands

Photo courtesy Hamzé Attar/X.

regarding Philadelphi so that it can claim that the terror onslaught was a wise and justified move that proved itself from a strategic standpoint. Thus, the conflict over this issue pertains to preventing smuggling and a broader context.

An Israeli concession here will be interpreted by Hamas, Iran and Iran’s proxies as evidence of the triumph of their approach, enabling them to make excuses for and justify postponing the direct response to the blows they recently suffered.

The mediators are trying to find an arrangement that will allow both sides to say they achieved their goals and that will also safeguard the interests of Egypt, the United States and Qatar themselves, chief among them preventing a regional escalation and ending the suffering of the Gazan population. So far, without success, though there seems to be some slow progress in this direction.

It still appears that the best way to progress towards a solution is to ramp up the military pressure on Hamas while making clear that continued stubbornness on the organization’s part will entail a high price.

IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser is director of the Project on Regional Middle East Developments at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He formerly served as director general of the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and head of the research division of IDF Military Intelligence. Originally published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

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Big Issues Why it matters: Israel bars UNRWA cooperation

United Nations “humanitarian” agency seen as infiltrated by terrorists and obstacle to peace

By Canaan Lidor, Amelie Botbol

(JNS) — Israel’s Knesset on Oct. 28 made it illegal for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to operate in Israeli territory, and for state officials to cooperate with the agency.

The two laws were passed by a large majority following the exposure of UNRWA staff complicity in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, and despite pressure from the United States and other countries against the move.

The Biden Administration was “deeply concerned” about the legislation, according to an unnamed U.S. State Department official cited by Axios. This echoes language used by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to the vote.

Josep Borrell, the E.U. High Representative for Photo by Evan Schneider/U.N. Photo Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, tweeted that Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, talks the new laws “would de facto render UNRWA’s about UNRWA employees who were involved in the Oct. 7 vital operations in Gaza impossible, and seriously massacre. He spoke at the U.N. Security Council meeting on Oct. hamper its provision of services in the West 29, 2024.

Bank.” The laws stand “in stark contradiction to “UNRWA — United Nations Relief and Works Agency international law and the fundamental principle of humaniwill operate no representation, provide no service or hold ty,” he added. any activity, directly or indirectly, in the sovereign territoUNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini ry of the State of Israel,” the law co-authored by Bismuth tweeted that the legislation “opposes the U.N. Charter and states. violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international The second law, passed by 92-10, states: “No state aulaw.” thority, including entities and individuals who legally hold However, experts on UNRWA, including former Israeli public office, will engage in any contact with UNRWA or its lawmaker Einat Wilf, who has written an acclaimed book representatives. ” This legislation was coauthored by MKs about the agency, dispute that the legislation contradicts international law. Israel is not party to any treaty compelling Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beiteinu), Dan Illouz (Likud) and Ron Katz (Yesh Atid). it to engage with the group or allow its activities, Wilf told “UNRWA will not operate in Israel, their benefits will be JNS. canceled, their entry to Israel will be banned. Total DisconThe two laws are by far the most robust parliamentary nect, ” Malinovsky tweeted following the votes. push by Israel against UNRWA, the largest donors of which According to its website, UNRWA employs some 30,000 are the United States and the European Union. The agenstaff, most of them Palestinians, including 13,000 in the cy for decades has been accused of providing cover and Gaza Strip. It also has staff in Judea and Samaria and eastincome to Palestinian terrorists while undermining peace ern Jerusalem. UNRWA also operates in Jordan and Lebaefforts. non.

The law that bans UNRWA activity on Israeli territory, Being banned in Israel could end UNRWA’s work in Jeruauthored by Knesset member Boaz Bismuth (Likud) and six salem and greatly complicate its operations in Gaza and Juother coalition lawmakers, was passed by a majority of 87 dea and Samaria, where the organization is at least partially of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers. Nine MKs present voted against the law, one did not vote. The remaining 23 lawmak- dependent on Israeli cooperation. ers were not present for the vote.

In the wake of the Oct. 7 massacres in Israel, in which

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Hamas terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and abducted another 251, evidence surfaced about the complicity of UNRWA staff in those atrocities and other acts of terrorism.

For example, UNRWA worker Faisal Ali Mussalem al-Naami and a colleague were captured on video loading the body of Israeli Yonatan Samerano into a vehicle in Sderot.

According to Israel, over 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, mainly Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA. UNRWA’s Lazzarini has flatly denied these allegations.

On Sept. 29, Hamas admitted that Fatah Sharif Abu alAmin, chairman of UNRWA’s Teachers’ Association, was its commander in Lebanon. The agency had suspended Abu al-Amin in March, yet after his death denied knowing he was involved in terrorism.

UNRWA-employed Arabic teacher Yusef Zidan Suleiman al-Hawajara was recorded bragging to a friend on Oct. 7 about capturing a female hostage. (“We have female hostages, I captured one!” he says in a recording released by the IDF.) In July, Israel’s foreign ministry published a list of names and ID numbers of 108 UNRWA employees Israel accuses of being Hamas terrorists. It was a “small fraction,” a Foreign Ministry official wrote, of a much larger list including hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members who also worked for UNRWA. The wider list could not be released due to security considerations.

On Oct. 13, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter about the agency to Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. In the letter, which demanded Israel increase the amount of aid being let into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, they noted that they were “deeply concerned” about the Knesset bills.

UNRWA had a budget of about $1.1 billion in 2023. Eighteen countries suspended funding to UNRWA following the Oct. 7 attack, including the United States, which provides roughly a third of the organization’s budget. The United States froze its donations to UNRWA until March 2025.

Only it and New Zealand have not yet reinstated their funding.

As of the morning of Oct. 29, it was unclear how donor countries would respond to the Israeli move.

“We will have to look at how UNRWA donors respond. In the past week, they have been threatening Israel to not take this move, but it will be interesting to see whether or not they enforce Israel’s decision,” Anne Herzberg, legal adviser at the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor organization, told JNS.

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@IDF on X

Abu Itiwi was an UNRWA employee, but also a Nukhba Commander in the Al Bureij Battalion of Hamas’ Central Camps Brigade. He took part in the murder of Israelis hiding in a bomb shelter in Re’im on Oct. 7, and was killed by the IDF on Oct. 23, 2024.

According to Herzberg, while the Israeli move is a blow to UNRWA, it will not end the agency.

“While Israel can prevent UNRWA from operating on its own territory, they can’t block the organization from operating in Lebanon, Jordan or other countries,” she noted.

“In my opinion this move won’t be the end of UNRWA, but I would hope that responsible governments such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Germany take this as an opportunity to engage in significant investigations,” she added.

While it has been obvious for years that Hamas is stealing money from UNRWA and using its installations, the organization has refused to put safeguards in place, she said, emphasizing that the agency itself is to blame for the Israeli move.

“If UNRWA indeed plays such a vital role, then the international community must implement reforms as well as bring criminal charges not only against UNRWA employees who participated in Oct. 7 but also officials who not only allowed Hamas to exploit UNRWA’s facilities and money but looked the other way,” she told JNS. “In addition to UNRWA there are another 13 U.N. agencies operating in Gaza and 23 in Judea and Samaria; there are other actors who could step in to fill the role that UNRWA has been playing,” she continued.

“It’s not so much about getting the humanitarian aid in, it’s really about what is being done to protect that system in

Gaza with Hamas in control, and rather than trying to find solutions, the United Nations and other aid organizations tried relaxing or even eliminating vetting processes,” she added.

Through UNRWA, the United Nations employs a unique refugee definition to Palestinians. The agency defines as refugees not only those who fled the 1948 war, but their descendants in perpetuity until a “just solution” emerges for their status. The United Nations employs a different definition for all other refugees, who cannot pass the title to their descendants and often lose it when they are naturalized elsewhere.

This has perpetuated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to many critics, including Hillel Neuer, the founder of U.N. Watch.

“What the Knesset did yesterday is extremely significant,” Neuer told JNS on Oct. 29, though he too said that the new legislation would not close UNRWA down.

“The legislation will require closing UNRWA’s facilities in Jerusalem. Israeli officials are barred from dealing with UNRWA representatives operating in the West Bank and Gaza, it will make UNRWA’s operations more difficult, I don’t think it will necessarily close them,” he said.

However, he added, the move by Israel had a greater significance.

“Beyond the concrete consequences, a very important message was sent, which is ‘no more’,” he said. “No more will Israel tolerate an agency that has a pathological agenda.

The aim of UNRWA is not distributing aid, it is teaching Palestinians that they will dismantle Israel,” he continued.

“Terrorists factions say openly that UNRWA is witness to the injustice they suffered. They want to undo this injustice, and Oct. 7 is the continuation of UNRWA. The message of UNRWA is to encourage Oct. 7,” he said.

Neuer explained that back in 2011, UNRWA knew that the head of its teachers’ union in Gaza, Suhail al-Hindi, was a Hamas official and did nothing.

“They allowed him to be the head of the teachers union, he was elected to the Hamas politburo in Gaza. Eventually in 2017 he was asked to resign and go away quietly. When they were pressured to suspend him, 8,000 teachers in Gaza rallied and shut UNRWA down for three months off and on,” Neuer said.

With regard to Lebanon, “UNRWA knows that its staff supports Hamas in Lebanon,” he added. “We sent information that the head of their teachers’ union in Lebanon was a Hamas official. Israel eliminated him last month. Last week, Israel eliminated an UNRWA truck driver and he was the

Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

Israelis protest against the U.N. Relief and Works Agency outside one of its offices in Jerusalem, March 20, 2024.

head of the Hamas terrorist squad that on Oct. 7 assaulted [the Kibbutz] Re’im bomb shelter,” he continued.

“If this were a normal agency, the head of the agency would resign,” he added.

As for what comes next, there is still some uncertainty, he said.

“Immediately, there is no direct impact to UNRWA in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The direct effect is on UNRWA in Jerusalem. Israel will have to think about the schools and facilities and provide alternatives. Israel already provides all governmental service to Arabs in eastern Jerusalem and there is no reason why they can’t do the same for Shuafat,” he continued.

“The more complicated thing is the prohibition on dealing with UNRWA in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. It is not clear what will happen next, it’s not entirely clear. There will be a few months for the law to go into effect and there will be a lot of pressure on Israel to somehow freeze the law. I don’t think Israel should surrender,” he said.

“The important thing to remember is that Palestinians are prisoners of assistance that keeps them in permanent dependency. UNRWA dooms Palestinians to a cycle of dependency. It calls itself an aid agency but it is a Palestinian war agency. The whole point of UNRWA is to tell Palestinians that their future is to dismantle Israel,” he concluded.

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Getting a first-hand view

A National Religious Broadcasters fact-finding mission to Israel expresses solidarity The National Religious Broadcasters, the world’s largest association of evangelical Christian communicators, led a solidarity mission to Israel to learn first-hand about the war against Hamas and the aftereffects of the October 7 invasion from Gaza that led to the massacre of 1200 Israelis.

Troy Miller, president and CEO of NRB, organized the trip, which was announced at NRB’s convention in February and took place in late May. The mission was “to find out what is going on, what is the mood, what is the real story as compared to what we see in the mainstream media.”

While the news is filled with video from anti-Israel demonstrations in cities and college campuses, leading Israelis to feel isolated, “we wanted to bring a message, ‘that’s not true,’ there are lots of American evangelicals that are praying for and supporting Israel’s right to defend themselves.”

The trip was done in collaboration with Keep God’s Land, Israel365 and the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. There were briefings from Israeli government officials, and visits to key sites and with Israeli communities, focusing on life in Israel during and after October 7.

Miller said this was the first of what he hopes will be an annual solidarity and fact-finding trip.

The delegation started the week-long visit with a briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, learning about diplomatic efforts. They had the opportunity to participate in a blood drive with Magen David Adom, which has an annual presence at the NRB convention, and toured the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. They also visited the underground emergency hospital at Hadassah on Mount Scopus.

Eitan Na’eh, Israel’s ambassador to Bahrain, gave a briefing about the Abraham Accords and current relations with Arab countries. They also met with a Bedouin tribe to learn about their role in Israel, and how their youth volunteer to serve in the Israel Defense Forces.

Additionally, the group saw how there is a large population of Arab Israelis, with “a lot of comraderie and support between the communities.”

Miller added that the Jewish and Arab communities “can live in peace, it has been proven. It’s the radical Islamists who want to disrupt that.”

The delegation went toward the Gaza envelope and visited the “car graveyard,” with over 1600 destroyed cars of vic-

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tims of the Hamas massacre. They met with the volunteer response group ZAKA, which was tasked with retrieving all human remains from the cars.

They also visited some of the border communities affected by the massacre, learning about the challenges they face in rebuilding, and also visited the Nova music festival site, which has become a grassroots memorial.

In Tel Aviv, they saw Hostages Square, where the Hostages and Missing Families Forum keeps their plight in front of public consciousness. Families of three hostages had shared their story at this year’s NRB convention.

The delegation was also able to enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem. There was also a dinner with Israel Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, who was at the NRB convention.

One day was spent in the territories, learning more about the Keep God’s Land initiative, which had been unveiled at the convention. Miller said the initiative is “to really help people be aware of what we are talking about. Words and language are so important.”

To that end, at the convention earlier this year, Christian broadcasters were urged to drop the term “West Bank” and refer to the areas by their Biblical names, Judea and Samaria. Miller said the term West Bank conjures up an image of something other than Israel, but “this is historical Israel, this is where Jesus walked… this is part of the land God carved out when he promised it to Abraham.”

In visiting Samaria, Miller saw just how small Israel truly is. “You’re up in the Samaria hills and you can see all the way to the Mediterranean,” he said. “You understand what Israel would be giving up in security if those areas were turned over to the Palestinians or the Islamists who are bent on the destruction of Israel.”

Being in the territories also showed a perspective of Israeli life that is completely absent in mainstream media.

“When you visit the Jewish communities, they have to have security fences around them, guards at the gates to protect their community, but you don’t see the same thing in the Arab communities, they’re not threatened at all by the Jewish communities, and you don’t see that at all in the media.”

At the president’s residence, Jim Scudder, Jr., of InGrace Ministries, presented Israel President Chaim Herzog with a flag of Israel with the names of hostages in Gaza forming

Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO

Jim Scudder, Jr., of InGrace Ministries, presents Israel President Chaim Herzog a “Bring Them Home” flag with the names of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

the stripes and the Star of David. Miller said the flag was designed by Scudder’s church and presented “as a symbol to show the churches in America haven’t forgotten about Israel, and haven’t forgotten about the hostages, and they remain high on our list of prayers.”

Herzog called it “A meaningful and beautiful show of solidarity for our hostages” and “a moving token of support from Christian friends of Israel from all over the world.”

The group also visited a military base where reservists were training for anticipated action along the Lebanese border, where over 100,000 Israelis have been evacuated from their homes due to persistent rocket fire from Hezbollah.

Miller said he was impressed by the soldiers’ resilience and their desire to protect their communities. “It’s not like you’re going off to a foreign country to fight, it’s in your back yard.”

Upon returning to the U.S., Miller said “Israel has made clear that its conditions for a ceasefire are the destruction of Hamas, the freeing of all hostages, and certainty that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. Israel is our most important ally in the Middle East and should have international support in acting in the best interest of its own citizens, including those being held hostage in Gaza.”

What Christians can do

Miller said Christians should continue to pray for Israel, especially for the soldiers defending the state, and for the return of the hostages still in Gaza.

The group “heard loud and clear” from Israelis and from American Jews they encountered in Israel how Israel feels isolated and alone, as do American Jews. “If you have a Jewish community near you or your church, reach out to them” to let them know there are Christians who support them.

Similarly, the large number of anti-Israel demonstrations on campus have left Jews feeling isolated and threatened. “If you are part of a Christian organization on campus, reach out to your fellow Jewish students, that they are not alone, they are loved and cared for.”

There are also practical things for Christians to do in Israel. Miller said traditional “holy land experience” trips are on hold, but churches are always doing service trips elsewhere in the world. This is the opportunity to have a service-oriented trip to Israel, he said. “A lot of these kibbutzim in the south need help cleaning up and rebuilding the communities,” he said. “A lot of their workers were foreign workers who went back or can’t come to help.”

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The Middle East opportunities from Trump’s victory

By Caroline Glick

time had come to punish Israel for opposing its nuclear (JNS) — A collective sigh of relief was heard across Israel appeasement of Iran and for rejecting its efforts to establish as the results of the U.S. presidential election were declared. a Palestinian terror state. That month, America’s U.N. ambassador Samantha Power drafted an anti-Israel resolution But we cannot rest on our laurels. At this critical juncture, that declared all Israeli presence beyond the 1949 armistice Israel must carefully assess the challenges it faces in the lines—including the Western Wall in Jerusalem—illegal. immediate term, as the lame-duck Biden administration Power then pawned it off on other Security Council memcompletes its term. And it must set goals for the next four years to ensure that the opportunity Donald Trump’s return ber states to sponsor and abstained from the vote, ensuring the passage of what became U.N. Security Council Resoluto the White House affords us is not squandered. tion 2234.

To understand the immediate requirements, we need to Resolution 2234 was the most anti-Israel resolution ever remember what happened during Barack Obama’s final passed in the Security Council. It effectively called for an months in office. international boycott of all Israeli activities beyond the 1949 armistice lines. But 2234 wasn’t meant to be a standalone Nothing left to lose event. The Obama team planned to pass an additional resoNo longer concerned about winning an election, in Delution that would set out a timetable for Israel to agree to a cember 2016, the Obama administration decided the time had come to punish Israel for opposing its nuclear appease- Palestinian state in Hamas-controlled Gaza, all of Judea and ment of Iran and for rejecting its efforts to establish a Pales- Samaria and eastern, southern and northern Jerusalem. The tinian terror state. That month, America’s U.N. ambassador resolution was supposed to include sanctions on Israel if it failed to capitulate within the set time Samantha Power drafted an anti-Israel schedule. resolution that declared all Israeli presThe incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ence beyond the 1949 armistice lines — administration must Netanyahu worked with Trump’s tranincluding the Western Wall in Jerusalem sition team to scuttle it. Netanyahu and — illegal. Power then pawned it off on not be blindsided Trump’s advisers appealed to Russian other Security Council member states by the departing President Vladimir Putin, who signaled to sponsor and abstained from the vote, that Russia would veto the resolution. ensuring the passage of what became administration’s Stunned, the Obama team angrily shufU.N. Security Council Resolution 2234. anti-Israel efforts as fled away.

Resolution 2234 was the most anti-IsThere is good reason to assume that in happened in 2016 rael resolution ever passed in the Secuthe two and a half months before Trump rity Council. It effectively called for an returns to office, the outgoing Biden international boycott of all Israeli activities beyond the 1949 armistice lines. But 2234 wasn’t meant team intends to get that long-shelved resolution passed. to be a standalone event. The Obama team planned to pass The Biden team may also initiate a resolution requiring an additional resolution that would set out a timetable for Israel — on pain of Security Council sanctions — to accept Israel to agree to a Palestinian state in Hamas-controlled a ceasefire in Gaza that will leave Hamas in power, a ceaseGaza, all of Judea and Samaria and eastern, southern and fire in Lebanon that will leave Hezbollah on Israel’s northnorthern Jerusalem. The resolution was supposed to inern border and in charge of Lebanon, or both. clude sanctions on Israel if it failed to capitulate within the Now as then, Netanyahu must work with Trump’s team set time schedule. and Israel’s many allies in the Senate and House of RepreIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked sentatives to block these anticipated moves. with Trump’s transition team to scuttle it. Netanyahu and Beyond punishing Israel for not bowing to the administraTrump’s advisers appealed to Russian President Vladimir tion’s yearlong demand for capitulation, the purpose of the Putin, who signaled that Russia would veto the resolution.

Biden administration’s anticipated U.N. ceasefire resolution Stunned, the Obama team angrily shuffled away. is to prevent Israel from winning the war and to block the No longer concerned about winning an election, in Trump administration from supporting an Israeli victory.

December 2016, the Obama administration decided the The Biden team is expected to reinstate Obama’s effort to

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Credit: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO.

Former President Donald Trump, also the current 2024 Republican presidential candidate, meets with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on July 26, 2024.

pass the Palestinian statehood resolution in order to prevent both Israel and the incoming Trump team from abandoning the failed and destabilizing “two-state” chimera.

In other words, the purpose of the U.N. operation is to prevent Trump from adopting his own policies and prevent Israel from securing itself.

Blocking the Biden administration’s anticipated moves is Israel’s most pressing diplomatic challenge. But obviously, they are also a means to enable Israel to win the war it is currently fighting. As to the war, Israel must move deliberately to achieve its strategic goals on all fronts — and particularly in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

The administration began slow-walking critical military supplies to Israel last December, forcing IDF officers to justify nearly every bullet and tank round expended. It threatened sanctions to block Israel from taking any action that would fundamentally shift the strategic balance in Gaza, and throughout the region, in its favor. It blocked a congressional effort to pass a law sanctioning International Criminal Court officials for waging lawfare against Israel, and so effectively greenlighted ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s bid to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

The Biden team delayed Israel’s action in Rafah for months by threatening an arms embargo and by forcing Israel to maintain futile hostage talks with Hamas’s state A Gallant effort It is to this end that Netanyahu fired Israeli Defense Min- sponsors Qatar and Egypt until they reached their inevitable, failed conclusion. ister Yoav Gallant on Nov. 5.

The administration spent a year pressuring Israel to agree The Biden administration began micromanaging every to surrender sovereign territory to Hezbollah in exchange aspect of Israel’s war effort immediately after Oct. 7, 2023. for a respite from the Iranian proxy’s missile war. The U.S. It sent American generals to Israel Defense Forces headoffer, if accepted, would be a strategic catastrophe for Israel, quarters, where they made “suggestions” that made no sense but to which Israel had to listen — if it knew what was keeping Hezbollah’s forces intact, fully armed and poised along Israel’s border just steps away from communities they good for it.

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were trained to overrun and massacre.

The administration continues to pressure Israel to leave Iran’s regime, nuclear installations and oil platforms intact.

The Biden team’s success to date in preventing Israel from defeating its foes owes in large part to its exploitation of the Israeli security brass’s institutional and ideological opposition to Netanyahu, his coalition partners and voters. Gallant was the central figure in the administration’s divide and conquer effort to block Israel from taking action that would change the strategic balance of power in the region.

During the eight months that Gallant’s fellow retired generals Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot served with him in Netanyahu’s War Cabinet, Gallant colluded with them and the administration to block government plans to order operations like the seizure of Rafah — that would pave the way to the dismantlement of Hamas’s military forces and ending its political and economic grip on power.

It was only with the resignations of Gantz and Eisenkot in June that Netanyahu was able to overrule Gallant and order the invasion of Rafah, cutting Hamas off from the rest of its state sponsors. Since then, working with the IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Gallant opposed, slowed and watered down — but was unable to block — Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon.

Gallant and Halevi blocked the government’s plan to task the IDF with distributing food, medicine and water to Gazans even though it is the only way to dismantle Hamas’s continued political and economic control over the area.

Gallant and Halevi opposed the operation to blow up the beepers of Hezbollah operatives, which neutralized Hezbollah’s senior and mid-level command structure.

Gallant tried to block Israel’s move to eliminate Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah by insisting that Israel provide advance notification to the administration, knowing full well that the Biden team would try to block the operation.

Gallant openly and repeatedly called for Israel to end its war effort in Gaza in the interest of freeing the hostages, even though there is no actual deal on the table to release them.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Gallant had refused to remove Halevi or any of the other senior IDF commanders responsible for the Oct. 7 fiasco from their positions. Instead, he rubber-stamped every action Halevi advocated, including firing more aggressive generals from the IDF and promoting to senior positions incompetent, dovish generals who had failed to warn of or prepare for Oct. 7.

Finally, Gallant reportedly opposes taking any independent Israeli strategic action against Iran.

By removing Gallant from office, Netanyahu removed the

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major political obstacle to pursuing victory on all fronts.

This is imperative as Israel moves from managing the war under the Biden administration to winning the war in anticipation of Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Looking towards the four years ahead, Israel must determine its strategic goals not only for winning the war, but for securing its borders and its position in the region, and safeguarding its alliance with the United States for years to come.

Three vulnerabilities

Oct. 7 and the war that followed exposed three strategic vulnerabilities that Israel can work with the Trump administration to overcome. The first is the specter of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River. The second is the U.N. system. The final vulnerability is Israel’s strategic dependence on U.S. munitions.

Since Oct. 7, any residual public support for the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River has disappeared (outside the fever swamps of the radical left).

The onslaught from Gaza, which has been an independent Palestinian state since 2005, and the near-unanimous support the atrocities enjoyed among Palestinians in Judea and Samaria made clear that a Palestinian state is not a solution to anything. Rather, it is an existential threat to Israel no less severe than Iran’s nuclear weapons project.

To contend with the Palestinian threat, Israel needs to extricate itself completely from the strategic deathtrap of the so-called “two-state solution.” David Friedman, Trump’s first-term ambassador to Israel, recently published “One Jewish State.” Friedman’s book sets out the case for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. In it, Friedman urges Israel to determine its goal for securing its national rights and security needs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Israel should immediately take Friedman’s advice. Netanyahu, his ministers and advisers must determine a clear strategy for extending Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria and taking permanent military control of Gaza. They must then work with the Trump administration to secure U.S. support for those plans in the framework of a regional peace.

The moral corruption of the U.N. system is nothing new.

But since Oct. 7, Israel has recognized that this system, replete with its in-house terror group the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, terror auxiliary force the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and international courts trying Israel for genocide and treating Israel’s leaders and soldiers as war criminals, is itself a mortal threat to the Jewish state.

Broadly speaking, the U.N. system today is a full-blown alliance of the Marxist, post-national left, China and Islamic terrorist groups. Israel obviously cannot contend with this

behemoth on its own. Working with the Trump administration and other nation states that are similarly — if less existentially — harmed by the U.N. system, Israel must spearhead an effort to dismantle, divide and permanently weaken the U.N. system and restore the power of nation states to work separately and in alliance with others to secure international peace and prosperity.

Finally, in light of Israel’s experience with the Biden administration’s exploitation of Israel’s strategic dependence on the United States for munitions as a means to undermine Israel’s war effort, Jerusalem needs to end its client-state relationship with Washington. Israel and the United States must cooperate in transforming the U.S.-Israel bond into a true alliance between a global superpower and a regional power.

Trump’s determination to decrease America’s foreign aid budgets, and his doctrine of supporting allies to enable them to defend themselves as the surest way to decrease America’s need to fight wars, fully aligns his position with Israel’s strategic requirements. Israel should move quickly to forge a new defense relationship with America that would end U.S. military assistance over a 10-year period. During that period, the relationship would shift from supplier-client to a strategic partnership geared toward weapons systems development. To end its vulnerability, Israel should maintain and expand its efforts to rebuild its domestic arms industries with the goal of being fully capable of producing all the munitions it requires to win its wars and preserve post-war peace by the end of Trump’s term.

This transformation of U.S.-Israel ties will enable the alliance to survive and thrive over time, to the great benefit of both countries.

In his congratulatory message to Trump on Nov. 6, Netanyahu wrote, “Your historic return to the White

House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”

This is absolutely true. And by firing Gallant, Netanyahu has facilitated the rebuilding of Israel’s alliance with America on firmer footing than ever before. By working together to achieve common goals, Israel and the United States, under Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, can secure the peace of the Middle East and their nations’

separate and common interests in the international arena, to the benefit of the world as a whole.

Caroline B. Glick is the senior contributing editor of Jewish News Syndicate and host of the “Caroline Glick Show” on JNS. She is also the diplomatic commentator for Israel’s Channel 14, as well as a columnist for Newsweek.

Glick is the senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Center for Security Policy in Washington and a lecturer at Israel’s College of Statesmanship.

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STANDING with Israel

Actress Patricia Heaton urges everyone to display mezuzah cases in solidarity with Jewish community While traditionally, the mezuzah is seen as a symbol of a Jewish home, there is an effort underway to have it also be a sign of solidarity with the Jewish community by Christian allies.

Actress Patricia Heaton, who is Catholic and is best known for roles in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,” started the MyZuzahYourZuzah campaign, posting a video of herself at her Nashville home, asking non-Jews to “please join me in the #MyzuzahYourzuzah campaign to show solidarity with your Jewish friends and neighbors, fight antisemitism and bless your household.”

After Oct. 7, Heaton saw the Hamas-produced footage of their atrocities against Israelis and how campuses erupted in protest — of Israel. “I looked around for everyone else who was going to be outraged,” she said on a Sept. 23 appearance on Fox and Friends, “and it was very silent, so my partner and I created the October 7th Coalition, or O7C, to help Christians activate, to be as visibly and vocally supportive of Israel, the Jewish people, and fight antisemitism.”

The case for solidarity

Heaton decided to use the mezuzah as the symbol of solidarity and support, and came up with the name MyZuzah for the project.

However, MyZuzah was already the name of a Jewish organization that was established in 2017 to encourage the placement of kosher “fair trade” mezuzahs on every Jewish home in the world, even doing so free for those who can’t afford one.

MyZuzah has over 420 partners in 74 countries, and has distributed over 18,000 mezuzahs in the past five years.

MyZuzah Program Director Alex Shapero said Heaton reached out to them a few weeks ago, “and we were happy to get on board.”

Seeing the outpouring of anti-Israel sentiment across the country, Heaton “was frustrated at the lack of allies and people who were willing to say that this is wrong,” Shapero said.

The campaign kicked off with Heaton’s appearance at the Israeli American Council Summit in Washington, followed

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by the Sept. 23 appearance on Fox & Friends, and the posting of her video, which as of press time has over 2.5 million views.

The mezuzah was also chosen because many college students have reported that mezuzahs they put up on their dorm rooms have been vandalized or ripped down. Heaton said “we have to stand up for the Jewish people and for their right to exist, their right to be Jewish and practice their faith.”

Shapero said Heaton’s effort “comes from a place of pure love and support, and a desire to stand in solidarity.”

In the first few days, they received “hundreds” of orders. They have been trying to ship as many as possible before the Oct. 7 anniversary, and recipients are asked to post photos or videos to social media of them putting the mezuzah up.

MyZuzah carries a wide range of mezuzah cases, from Gary Rosenthal, “Bourbon Barrel,” Yurkovsky, and hand-embroidered designs in clear cases from Yad LaKashish, “Lifeline for the Elderly” in Jerusalem.

The “Solidarity Case,” a basic clear case for $18, has a yellow ribbon in place of the scroll, which the website states is “only required for Jewish homes.”

Orders through MyZuzah go toward their program to supply mezuzahs in the Jewish community.

Wide range of opinions

An official Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry account responded to Heaton’s post: “We are lucky to have you” and “We love this so much.”

“As antisemitism reaches unprecedented levels, thank you, Patricia Heaton, for standing in solidarity with the Jewish people,” it said.

“You are the definition of a righteous gentile,” wrote John Podhoretz, the editor of Commentary magazine. “Thank you, Patricia Heaton.”

The “Solidarity Case” is a mezuzah case that has a yellow ribbon calling for the safe return of the Israeli hostages, rather than containing the handwritten parchment scroll that is commanded only for Jewish homes.

Michael Dickson, the executive director of StandWithUs, wrote that “this is some serious love, allyship and solidarity,” and “may the mezuzah protect your home and your loved ones.”

The watchdog StopAntisemitism said it was “thrilled” by Heaton’s call.

Eylon Levy, former Israeli government spokesman who is very active on social media, said “this is a really beautiful gesture of solidarity, and the Jews dunking on this don’t understand how urgently we need our friends and allies to speak up.”

But not everyone is applauding the effort. Shapero said that because of a lack of non-Jewish allies throughout history, many in the Jewish community have a “healthy sense of suspicion,” especially around non-Jewish use of Jewish symbols, which often is followed by attempts to proselytize.

In recent years, there has been concern about the promotion of mezuzahs by “messianics” especially with cases using symbols related to Jesus.

As for the sacred nature of the mezuzah, Shapero said the case “is merely the protective housing. The important part is the scroll on the inside,” and non-Jews are urged to put up just the case.

He said that many Jews are unaware of that distinction — he has heard of people who put up the case but discarded the scroll, thinking the case was the important part and the scroll was an unnecessary instruction sheet that they could not read because it is in Hebrew.

Julia Ioffe, a founding partner of Puck News and its Washington correspondent, wrote that non-Jews shouldn’t affix mezuzahs. “This is not a show of solidarity but of weird and continued appropriation of our culture and religion,” she wrote. (In another post, Ioffe, who is Jewish, joked about non-Jews getting circumcised in solidarity with Jews.)

“This is not the move. There are far better ways for allies to show their support,” wrote “Bluegrass Rabbi” Shlomo Litvin, who co-runs Chabad of the Bluegrass and the Chabad Jewish Student Center at the University of Kentucky. “Having said that: If you don’t have mezuzos… don’t comment here.”

David May, research manager and a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said “I have mixed feelings about this, but I’m grateful for people who want to show solidarity with the Jewish community. If every house had a mezuzah and if every male wore a kippah, Jews wouldn’t be such easy targets.”

Heaton “isn’t claiming to be Jewish and isn’t claiming to represent Jewish values,” he wrote. “She is just there to show

X screenshot

Patricia Heaton places a mezuzah on her front door.

solidarity.”

Other past symbols

This is not the first time mezuzahs have been used as an item of solidarity. In 2022, the Hillel at Indiana University distributed mezuzah cases to non-Jewish students with the inscription “I stand with my Jewish friends” after over a dozen mezuzahs were ripped from dorm doorposts.

In 1993, a “Not In Our Town” campaign in Billings, Mont., responded to antisemitic incidents with the distribution of pictures of a menorah in the local paper, for the entire community to post in their windows in solidarity.

Shalom Hartman Institute President Yehuda Kurtzer said the MyZuzah YourZuzah controversy is “total nonsense,” saying righteous gentiles who stand with the Jewish community are cherished, and their well-meaning gestures “should be simply welcomed and thanked.”

Shapero said “It is a privilege to help Patricia Heaton and the righteous non-Jews who want to put up a mezuzah case in solidarity with the Jewish community.”

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Getting under the umbrella

New conference aims to unite voices of pro-Israel Christian groups

By Mike Wagenheim

States,” Bramnick told JNS. “And I started thinking, if the Jewish community represents about 2 percent of the Amer(JNS) — The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations was formed in response to the Ei- ican public, the Christian community represents around 30 senhower administration’s request for a unified, consensus, percent. The potential of an organization like this to strongly support a secure, safe and sovereign nation of Israel is coherent agenda for American Jewry. huge.”

In September, the Conference of Presidents of Christian While the Christian COP doesn’t Organizations in Support of Israel vary politically to the extent the launched, and its founders say Jewish COP does, Bramnick told they’re modeling it after the Jewish JNS that it isn’t necessarily organizaumbrella. tions that focus on Israel as a policy “I hope not,” deadpanned David item that are being invited.

Friedman, former U.S. ambassador Friedman, who together with to Israel, knowing how unwieldy the Israeli American Council CEO Elan Jewish Conference of Presidents, Carr and educator and writer Rabbi with its 52 national Jewish organiPesach Wolicki were among the zations spanning the political specJews in attendance at the launch, trum, can be. said that humility is just as importFriedman was among those in atant as developing consensus in the tendance on Sept. 17 for the launch Conference of Presidents format.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images. reception in Arlington, Va., to which “It’s always difficult for religious Former Rep. Michele Bachmann addresses 100 presidents of top Christian orthe Values Voter Summit in 2016. organizations that have strong ganizations and Christian influencfollowings with charismatic people ers were invited. with justifiably large egos to work together and to kind of The effort is being led by Rev. Tony Perkins, Family Reconsolidate,” Friedman told JNS. “The reality is that whether search Council president; Michele Bachmann, dean of the it’s Jews or Christians or any other group, the leadership of school of government at Regent University and former U.S. America only has the capacity to absorb a certain amount congresswoman; Mario Bramnick, Latino Coalition for of messaging, and the more that the messaging can be conIsrael president; and Luke Moon, executive director of the solidated and funneled through a single source by someone Philos Project. who is respected and speaks for the large group, it’s great.”

Moon told JNS that since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, “there Friedman asserted that a single-voiced Christian Conferhave been a lot of moments where I really wish that I did ence of Presidents on Israel would be even more powerful, not have to go to every organization I know individually given its sheer numbers and its already-established political and say, ‘Let’s do this thing together’.” pull.

He said the new organization presents “an opportunity to “It’s always good to get everybody in a room and force have one place where everybody, all the leaders, are there, everyone to ponder what we really agree upon. What are and we can really speak with not only one voice but also our key points? And how do we want to present it, and how mobilize our networks and our members and our people to do we want to phrase it?” he said. “And it’s a good discipline, be more involved.” even if people walk out of the room and maybe go in differBramnick said he has gone on a few missions to Israel ent directions on other points.” with longtime Jewish Conference of Presidents executive Bachmann told JNS that there is an extra duty within the Malcolm Hoenlein, and that’s where the idea for the newly Christian community in a post-Oct. 7 environment to suplaunched group sprung. port Israel, saying that “we’re in a magic moment right now, “I was so impressed just by what they were able to accom- a very special moment, when I’ve seen more flowering than plish in terms of their influence abroad and in the United I’ve ever seen in my life between the Christian community

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and the Jewish community.

“You can’t look at a horror like October 7 and you can’t be human and have a heart and not have your heart broken over something like that. It kind of quickened the hearts of Christians and slapped us in the face,” she said. “If we don’t show up now, when Israel is under constant attack, if we can’t figure this out, then who are we?”

Earlier in the week, Bachmann helped launch Regent’s Institute of Israel Studies, with Friedman and Ohad Tal, a Knesset member from the Religious Zionism Party, in attendance at the school in Virginia Beach, Va. She told JNS it’s one example where the Christian community aims to have influence on Israel issues.

“Our whole purpose is really to be an antidote to Columbia University and all these elite universities where you’ve

had all the [anti-Israel] protests,” said Bachmann. “We want to partner with secular schools, Jewish schools, Christian schools, churches, and put out a baseline of information about Israel, about the Jewish people, the right to the land, but then also intersect that with current events.”

Moon said every invitee responded positively to the idea of the Christian Conference of Presidents, though not all could make it to the launch, which also included a working meeting the next morning. Moon said he doesn’t anticipate the group will take much concrete action until after the U.S. election in November when the political landscape is expected to become much clearer.

But, he said the group was planning a pro-Israel rally on Washington’s National Mall to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre (see below).

Christian groups organize Washington rally on anniversary of October 7 massacre

By Mike Wagenheim

(JNS) — J.D. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, headlined a “Remembering Oct. 7” event on a sun-drenched afternoon in Washington that brought hundreds of attendees out to the National Mall.

“The best way to end the war, and I believe the only way to end the war, is if Hamas would let the hostages go,” the Ohio senator said at the event, which the Philos Project organized with other Christian and Jewish cosponsors.

Vance blasted the Biden administration for failing to secure the release of the remaining hostages, whom Hamas holds in Gaza, stating that U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “haven’t done a thing.”

“Use your authority to help bring them home,” he told Biden and Harris. “We can do it. We just need real leadership.”

Hamas started the war when it attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, and “Israel is going to finish it,” Vance said.

He and his running mate, former President Donald Trump, “want to give Israel the right and the ability to finish what Hamas started,” he said.

If elected, Trump and Vance will make sure that “America will protect our American Jewish brothers and sisters,” he said.

“We will stop funding anti-American and anti-Jewish radicals.”

‘Jews are not alone’

Luke Moon, executive director of the Philos Project, a nonprofit that promotes “positive Christian engagement in the Near East” in “the spirit of the Hebraic tradition,” told

Photo by Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images.

Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) speaks at a rally and march on the National Mall in Washington to honor the heroes of the Oct. 7 massacre and remember the hostages still in captivity, Oct. 7, 2024.

JNS that he had his team apply for a permit in May for the event on the National Mall.

“I just wanted to get it before Hamas does, because I figured they would try to do something,” he said.

After securing the grounds, Moon invited Christian and Jewish organizations to sign on. “We’ve got to do this together,” he told JNS. “We’ve got to show that the Jews are not alone — that they have a lot of friends.”

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groups, including Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs and End Jew Hatred, as well as Christian organizations like Israel Allies Foundation, American Christian Leaders for Israel and International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

Moon told JNS that the goal of the rally was to focus on “celebrating the heroes, the people who ran to the front lines,” and to encourage attendees to “well up with courage to fight another year, another two years, however long it takes until we push back against the evil we see around us.”

The event featured a diverse docket of speakers, including media personality Zach Sage Fox, former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts and Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Egyptian peace advocate Dalia Ziada added an outside perspective, and Israeli-American rapper Kosha Dillz, Colombian religious musician Johan Manjarres and Israeli country music artist Omer Netzer performed on stage.

“It’s very important for Americans of all kinds of religious backgrounds to come here and say that we stand in solidarity with Israel, with Jewish people,” Roberts, of Heritage, told JNS. “I happen to be someone who’s Roman Catholic. I think it’s really important in particular for Christians in the United States to understand that if Israel and Jews can be attacked, all of us can be,” Roberts said. “This is an event not just about recognizing the tragedy of last year but about looking forward — that this also needs to be a year of victory.”

Unifying message

JNS asked Roberts what victory would mean going forward.

“Hamas ceases to exist, and for us in the United States, that any antisemitism in any of our institutions is totally eradicated,” the Heritage president said. “Until and unless that is the case, we’re not going to assume victory.”

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

Roberts, whose organization focuses on public policy and advocacy, lamented that “we have allowed institutions of higher learning, our K-12 schools, to teach nonsense, to teach hatred,” referring to the wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic activity nationwide.

The Heritage Foundation “would support really going after some of the funding mechanisms for all of these protesters, for the institutions that support them,” he told JNS. “That’s the kind of conversation we have to have if we want to solve the problem of antisemitism.”

Fox has made videos since Oct. 7 that have shined a light on hypocrisy and a lack of education among anti-Israel protesters. He told JNS that he hopes the rally will spread “a message of unity.”

“We’re standing here with Christians, Muslims. I just met Native American chiefs, who are here in solidarity with Israel,” he said. “We are trying to show that even if you disagree with people on one matter, Israel is what matters.”

Fox, who emceed the rally, has been disappointed in the lack of clear messages, or even outright silence, from many Hollywood Jews and influencers.

He told JNS that his newfound fame is a “double-edged sword.”

“Some days it feels like a lonely battle, but honestly, when I read the comments and the views, they speak for themselves,” he said of his videos, which have garnered over 1 billion views and impressions since the war began.

“When you see those metrics, you realize that you’re chipping away day-by-day at this indoctrination that’s happened to our culture, especially young people,” he told JNS. Susan Michael, the U.S. director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, an outreach group that connects churches to Israel, told JNS that she was particularly proud that the crowd included pro-Israel Muslims and Hindus, as well as Christians.

“It shows how important it is for us to come out in the streets, be seen and to stand with Israel and to remember the horrific terrorist attack of last year,” she said. “We do not want the world to forget, and a part of today is to bring that remembrance of what Israel suffered.”

Liora Rez, the founder and executive director of the grassroots StopAntisemitism watchdog, told JNS at the rally that it is critical for Israel’s friends, who showed up on Oct. 7, to continue advocating, even — and especially — in less friendly conditions, when Jew-hatred manifests.

“Don’t be quiet. Speak up, and if you see something that kind of stirs your stomach, contact us,” Rez said. “It’s so important for the public to show that American values and Israeli values are one and the same.”

The location of one of the impacts from a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel on Sept. 22. Notice the skeletons of three cars. These are the two houses that went up in flames. The owner of the house on the right decided to sleep in his bomb shelter. That saved his life.

Exploding Pagers, Hezbollah, Rocket Fire…

Why No One Can Predict What Comes Next

By Ari Sacher

The brilliance of the Israel Defense Force was astonishing, but their strategy was unclear. On Sept. 17, the pagers of thousands of Hezbollah operatives suddenly began to explode – in their hands, in their pockets, and in their ears.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had for years enforced a ban on cellphones because he knew that they could serve as a portal for eavesdropping and for geolocation of the owner of the phone. Pager technology was the preferred form of communication. The technology was ancient, and pagers had been out of production for years. For this reason, the pager network was far less susceptible to hacking than the cellphone network. Nasrallah trusted them with his life. Big mistake.

Somebody had known about this network for quite some time and had successfully infiltrated the Hezbollah supply chain, outsourcing the production of pagers from a Taiwanese company called “Gold Apollo” to a company in Hungary called BAC. After the explosions, when reporters went to

BAC offices to interview the CEO, they found an empty house with a mailbox. BAC was a straw company, and the pagers were being manufactured under license elsewhere.

Whoever had manufactured the pagers had incorporated PETN, an explosive, in the battery.

On Sept. 17, a signal was sent to all of the pagers indicating that a high-ranking Hezbollah official wanted to speak with them. When the call was answered, the pager exploded. This occurred nearly simultaneously all over Lebanon, injuring about 4,000 and killing more than 800, according to a Hezbollah message that was leaked to the internet. The operation was brilliant: Only Hezbollah operatives were targeted, meaning zero collateral damage. Note that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was also seriously injured, a clear indication of overt Iranian collusion with Hezbollah.

All eyes turned to Israel, who neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

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– walkie-talkies. As the walkie-talkies operated on a point-to-point network, it made potential eavesdropping even more difficult than breaking into the pager network. The next day, walkie-talkies inexplicably began to explode all over Lebanon. This network had obviously been infiltrated as well. All eyes turned to Israel, who neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

Hezbollah was in chaos. Communication was impossible. They could not coordinate an attack, and they could not prepare a defense. An IDF attack was a sure thing. Perhaps this was what the IDF had been waiting for all along, to attack and defeat Hezbollah when they were in complete and entire disarray. But when 24 hours went by without any significant IDF movement, Israelis quickly grew skeptical. The exploding phone trick was cutesy, but wasn’t that meant to be a leadup for something much bigger? Every newspaper and radio station asked the same question: What was the strategy?

On Sept. 20, this question received an answer. IDF fighter-bombers destroyed a building in the Dahia neighborhood in Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. The media initially reported that the target was Ibrahim Aqil, the Head of Operations in Hezbollah.

Less than an hour later, the IDF admitted that Aqil, who was also the acting commander of the terror group’s elite “Radwan Force,” was the target.

Wanted by the U.S., too

Aqil was wanted not only by the Israelis. The U.S. accused him of a pivotal role in the Beirut truck bombings that struck the American embassy in April 1983, which killed 63 people, and a U.S. Marine barracks six months later that killed 241 people. The State Department had offered $7 million for information about his whereabouts.

Interesting factoid: Aqil had been

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wounded in the pager explosions two days earlier and had just been released from the hospital. Nevertheless, the killing of Aqil, while an intelligence coup, was far less than what Israelis thought was coming. Yes, he was a high-ranking Hezbollah official, but in late July, Israel had assassinated Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and what had that accomplished? Been there, done that, and the Hezbollah continued to fire rockets at northern Israel.

As the weekend wore on, it became evident that Aqil was not the only person killed in the Dahia bombing. At least 20 high-ranking Hezbollah commanders were in the same room with him. After the dust had cleared, Israel had taken out 6 of the top 9 terrorists in Hezbollah. How does that happen?

Did the IDF get lucky, finding so many wanted men together in one room?

Likely not.

When cellphones are forbidden and when pagers and walkie-talkies blow up in your face, the only way to hold an important meeting is face-to-face. That was the strategy: It had taken years of planning but in one fell swoop the IDF had decapitated Hezbollah leadership.

What a coup de grace. What foresight.

What planning. The operation went a long way in restoring at least some of the IDF intelligence deterrence that had been destroyed on October 7. The stage had now been set for a final assault on Hezbollah to push them north above the Litani River, where they would no longer threaten Israeli border towns, enabling nearly 100,000 citizens to return to the homes they had evacuated on October 8.

Hezbollah strikes back

This is where this essay was meant to end, but Hezbollah were not ready to roll over and die, at least not yet.

On Sept. 21, Hezbollah announced that they were preparing to avenge the deaths of their commanders. At 8:30 p.m., Brigadier Danny Hagari, the IDF spokesman, briefed the nation. He told us that a strike by Hezbollah was imminent and that the IDF Home Front Command had updated its rules for citizens living north of Haifa, a population center of more than one million, located about 20 miles south of the Lebanese border. My town of Moreshet is about 10 miles to the east of Haifa, well and truly in the middle of the newly-defined danger zone. Schools were canceled, and no more than 100 people were permitted to congregate indoors. Outdoor events were limited to 10 people. And then we waited. All through the night, IDF fighter-bombers buzzed overhead, and we heard the distant thuds of their bombs falling in Lebanon, hopefully on fully-loaded missile launchers.

At about 1 a.m. we were roused from our sleep. We were not awoken by the sirens in our town, but, rather, by sounds of nearby interceptions. We

went to our bomb shelter all the same. Can’t be too safe.

A few hours later, my wife and I took a walk around the The target was the Ramat David Air Base about 10 miles block to assess the damage. The rocket that hit closest to us south of us. Nothing was hit, other than a barn full of cows. impacted a driveway and completely destroyed three cars.

So while people’s lives were spared, their livelihood was not. Two houses that were adjacent to the driveway sustained A little before 5 a.m. we were awakened again, this time major external damage, but the internal damage was apby our town’s siren. Once again we quickly – but orderly parently less than could be expected. Across the street, the – went down to the bomb shelter. This time the intercepts houses had their roofs blown off, windows smashed, and were much louder and much closer. The target was the walls riddled with pockmarks from the shrapnel. On the RAFAEL Leshem facility, Israel’s most important factory for street below, there was a cavernous crater in the ground missile development and production, about two miles down where the rocket had impacted (No such crater was found the road. The missiles all missed their target, overshooting on the street above, likely because a large tree over the it by a few miles and flying over our heads. impact point had triggered the warhead Who would have thought, above ground). Cars had been strewn as if I did not bother going back to bed. We by a hurricane. One car had been blown with the 95 percent had to start our day, as our daughter had completely over a fence and landed upside success rate for Iron to return to her army base in Tel Aviv down in the front yard. on an early bus. I went to synagogue for Dome, the “other” 5 morning prayers. At 6:24, another alarm The speed in which the mess was percent would be in a sounded. This time there were two targets: cleaned up was striking. Explosive Ordneighborhood where the RAFAEL Leshem facility and the RAnance Disposal came and took away the many of the system FAEL David Institute in Haifa bay. About rocket debris. The hole in the road was developers live?

20 seconds later – far shorter than the 90 filled in, and the cars were towed. Now, seconds we were promised – we began to the town youth are going door-to-door to hear intercepts right over our heads. Suddenly, I heard an clean up houses that suffered damage – broken glass, smoke explosion far louder than I had ever heard before – and I damage and the like. Just another day at the office. have been to more than a few missile flight tests in my life.

What is my takeaway? It is that in this war, no person has It was clear that something had fallen nearby and exploded. the vaguest idea what the future holds. Who would have We all exited the synagogue. thought that in only three days, Israel would turn Hezbollah Only a few yards from my house, I could see fire and into a shell of itself, convincingly turning the tide of a seemsmoke. We ran down to the source of the fire. Two rockets ingly endless war of attrition? Who would have thought that had fallen, one about 50 yards down the street from my Israel could surreptitiously plant explosives in pagers and house and one on the street below. These were Fajr-5 rock- walkie-talkies, turning them into ticking time bombs? ets; each carrying a warhead weighing 400 pounds, of which Who would have thought that two rockets carrying a about a third of the weight was high explosive and the rest combined total of nearly a half a ton of explosives would consisted of shrapnel – ball bearings – to increase the killimpact a residential area and yet no one would sustain even ing power. Two houses were completely on fire. The flames a scratch? And who would have thought that Iron Dome, were so high that I considered the odds of anyone coming with its nearly 95 percent success rate, would miss two out of them alive were nil. rockets that would fall over the heads of many of the people I ran back to my house, and my wife and youngest daugh- who are responsible for its design and production? Nobody ter were in the bomb shelter. We remained there for 10 knew. Nobody could have known, and anyone who claims minutes as per Home Front Command instructions, and that he was unsurprised by the events of these four days is then I left to see what I could do to help. By this time, the a liar. police and the fire brigade had arrived on the scene. An IsOh, by the way, our house sustained only minor damage raeli Arab police officer who was blocking the street told me – a few pictures and a light fixture fell. It took about five that everyone had managed to escape their homes without minutes to clean up. Had the Hezbollah rocket launchers in injury. As I walked home, I saw some of the people, who Lebanon been elevated only a thousandth of a degree highlived on the parallel street whose homes had been hit, walk- er, we would be having a very different conversation. ing like zombies up the street toward a large clubhouse we Do I believe in miracles? Do I ever. had just built for the local youth. Here they will stay until Ari Sacher is chief systems engineer of Iron Dome, and a they can find another arrangement. Here too, no injuries. senior policy advisor to the U.S. Israel Education Association.

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Where has all the Gaza humanitarian aid gone?

Apparently, into Hamas’ pockets, to the tune of at least half a billion dollars

By David Isaac

(JNS) — Hamas has profited by at least a half billion dollars from humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 reported on Sept. 10.

Approximately 200 aid trucks enter the Palestinian enclave daily. “It’s actually become the main oxygen pipeline for the terrorist organization,” reported Channel 12‘s Almog Boker.

Hamas steals the humanitarian aid and sells it to the population. It then uses the money to finance recruitment, Boker said, noting that 3,000 terrorists have been added to Hamas’s payroll in northern Gaza.

Israelis on both right and left have condemned the ongoing aid theft by Hamas, their anger rekindled by the September murder of six Israeli Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90 Armed and masked Palestinians on trucks loaded with hostages in captivity. humanitarian aid entering Gaza through the Israeli Kerem The Tzav 9 (“Order 9”) protest group has led Shalom Crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, April 3, 2024. the movement against Jerusalem’s decision to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Strip.

“We let all those trucks come in, and Hamas’s strategy is “It is up to the entire nation to stand up so that this miserable and intolerable reality will end. We’ve been saying this to steal, hoard and gouge. That’s what they do… They steal the food. They charge exorbitant prices from the Gazans. all along: we cannot on the one hand fight the enemy and And that’s how they continue, [or] they hope to continue, to on the other hand feed it and give it the oxygen it needs to survive. And we have to take that away from them,” he said. fight us another day,” the group said.

The prime minister did not provide a timeline for when “We understand the civilians need humanitarian aid and that would occur. we are not against it — but where Hamas is in place — no aid should pass,” it added.

The Israeli government has been under pressure from the Although the estimated $500 million that Hamas is reap- Biden administration to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza from the war’s start, with President Joe Biden promising ing was first reported back in May, the government treats that if aid ended up in the hands of Hamas it would cease. the aid as proof of its positive conduct towards Gazan civilians, with spokespeople for the Prime Minister’s Office Nevertheless, the White House has continued pressuring regularly counting off the number of trucks entering the Israel to increase the flow despite admitting publicly that Strip during press briefings.

Hamas — a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed — seizes much of the aid. the issue of Hamas exploiting aid for its benefit at a Sept. 4 On June 14, the U.S. State Department sanctioned Tzav press conference in Jerusalem, promising that Israel would 9, which it called “a violent extremist Israeli group that has in time strip the terrorist group of its ability to use the aid been blocking, harassing and damaging convoys carrying for financial gain. lifesaving humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”

He noted that Israel has largely deprived Hamas of cash by taking control of the Rafah border crossing, leaving The State Department said that the Israeli government Hamas with humanitarian aid as its only source of funds. “has a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian convoys,” calling the aid “vital to preventing “They don’t have [Rafah]. So we’re choking them. But there’s one thing that they have, which is the distribution of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from worsening and to mitigating the risk of famine.” food,” Netanyahu said.

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Australia inquiry agrees: World Central Kitchen tragedy was error (JNS) — The April 1 Gaza airstrike that killed seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen was the result of mistaken identification, an Australian government investigation found on Aug. 2, confirming an IDF probe into the incident.

“Based on the information available to me, it is my assessment that the IDF strike on the WCK aid workers was not knowingly or deliberately directed against the WCK,” wrote former Australian Defence Force chief Air Chief Marshal (ret.) Mark Binskin, whom Canberra appointed to investigate the strike that killed Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom, 43, and six others.

Binskin’s investigation found that lower-level IDF officers decided to strike the convoy after mistakenly believing it was being hijacked by Hamas terrorists who were, in fact, unarmed local security guards.

“It appears that the IDF controls failed, leading to errors in decision-making and a misidentification, likely compounded by a level of confirmation bias,” said Binskin, who visited Israel as part of the probe.

The former military chief noted in his conclusions that the IDF probe was “timely, appropriate and, with some exceptions, sufficient.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April called the incident a “tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people.

“It happens in war, we are thoroughly investigating it, we are in contact with the governments and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again,” the premier said.

Photo by Atia Mohammed/Flash90.

Palestinians inspect a World Central Kitchen vehicle that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on April 2, 2024.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on April 3 took full responsibility for the incident and issued a formal apology, saying, “I want to be very clear — the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Israeli ground forces entered the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27 following weeks of airstrikes in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre, in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, wounded thousands more, and abducted more than 250 men, women and children to the enclave.

U.N. resolution calls for removal of Jews from Jerusalem’s Old City

By Mike Wagenheim

tary-general now backs the resolution, calling for the Old City in Jerusalem to be Judenrein, which he said he would report.

“He’s the secretary-general of the U.N. If there’s a resolution that passes and that asks him — clearly requests him to do something, he will do so, because those are the instructions he receives from member states,” Dujarric told JNS. “That’s what happened, and he encourages member states to respect the resolutions that are passed.”

(JNS) — Prior to the U.N. General Assembly’s vote on Sept. 18 calling for Jerusalem’s Old City, Judea and Samaria to be free of Jews, António Guterres, the global body’s secretary-general, told reporters that he would back implementation of the resolution should it pass.

The Palestinian-drafted resolution, which passed by a 124-14 margin with 43 abstentions, is meant to give force to the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion in July, when the U.N. high court in The Hague declared Israeli ‘Defined as settlers’ presence to be illegal in any area over the 1949 armistice JNS noted that the resolution mandates “evacuating all line. settlers” within a year and that the United Nations defines JNS asked Guterres’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric settlers as Jews living beyond the 1949 armistice line, induring a press briefing on Sept. 19 whether the secrecluding those in Oslo Accords-defined Area C of Judea and

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Samaria, and in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Dujarric denied that is the case. “The language supports an end to the occupation, which is what the secretary general and previous secretary generals have always called for,” he said.

“Those Jews living in the Old City are defined as ‘settlers’ by the United Nations,” JNS clarified.

“He has called for an end to the occupation, and he has called for the end of settlements,” said Dujarric before taking another reporter’s question.

The resolution lost support from some countries, which said it went well beyond the contours of the U.N. court’s advisory opinion. It also bans arms sales to the Israel Defense Forces of any equipment that would be expected reasonably to be used in the territory over the 1949 lines and calls for a

boycott of all products produced by Jews in those areas.

Guterres offered no public indication that he disagreed with any part of the resolution.

The eight-page resolution lacks any mention of Israeli security concerns, historic ties to the lands or Hamas’s terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

General Assembly resolutions lack legal force, but the resolution’s passage is expected to be used in international courts and other fora to seek additional action against the Jewish state.

It is widely expected that the Palestinians will request that the U.N. Security Council take up the issue. Security Council resolutions are binding, but the United States would be expected to thwart such an effort, including with its veto power.

Presbyterian Church (USA) denounces Christian Zionism Anti-Israel denomination also calls for divestment from Israel Bonds (JNS) — The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted on July 1 at its biennial meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, to divest from financial bonds in Israel and to denounce Christian Zionism, Religion News Service reported.

The denomination, which had 8,704 churches and 1.14 million members as of May 2023, voted to “reject Christian Zionism in all its forms” and to issue a report about the “dangers of Christian Zionism” and how “mainline Christians and those of other faiths are complicit, though unaware of connections with Christian Zionism.”

“Presbyterian Church (USA) has long singled out Israel for animus, fixation, double standards and demonization.

Now PCUSA has voted to divest from Israel bonds and to slam ‘Christian Zionism,’” B’nai B’rith International stated.

“The denomination tragically fails to speak for all its members, for fairness and for truth,” B’nai B’rith added.

A previous version of the resolution referred not to the “dangers” of Christian Zionism but to “heretical views of Christian Zionism.” A prior version of the resolution also referred to the 10 Commandments as “a core requirement of Judaism,” although the new version scrubbed that reference.

The other resolution, which called for boycotting Israel Bonds, addressed the church’s investment in the “sovereign debt,” of “three nation-states that are currently engaged in prolonged occupations: Israel, Morocco and Turkey.”

“Israel has occupied Palestinian territory since 1967; Morocco has occupied Western Sahara since 1976; and Turkey has occupied Northern Cyprus since 1974,” the denomination stated. “Addressing Israel’s prolonged occu-

pation of Palestinian territory is especially urgent today, as it is directly connected to the devastating war in Gaza and ongoing violence in the West Bank.”

“On Oct. 7, 2023, amidst the 56th year of Israel’s occupation, Palestinian militants killed 1,139 Israelis and took 241 people hostage. In response, the Israeli military has invaded and bombed Gaza and, in a lesser but still lethal manner, the West Bank,” the denomination said.

It added that the Israel Defense Forces has “killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 15,000 children” since Oct. 7, and “Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 548 people, including 135 children, in the West Bank during that same time.”

“Israel has detained at least 9,170 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza since October 7,” it added. “Israel has severely limited Gazans’ access to food, leading the U.N. Commissioner of Human Rights and other human rights organizations to suggest that Israel is, or may be, using ‘starvation as a weapon of war.’”

RNS reported that both resolutions were part of legislation that passed unanimously. The denomination “has been sharply critical of Israel and its policies over Palestinians for decades,” it reported. “Two years ago it voted to declare Israel an apartheid state, angering the U.S. Jewish establishment.”

“There is a growing consensus in the church that we shouldn’t be profiting from Israel’s human-rights abuses and, frankly, genocide against Palestinians,” said Bob Ross, a member of the steering committee of the advocacy group Israel/Palestine Mission Network, RNS reported.

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Anti-rocket science

Developer of Iron Dome describes how the lifesaving system became a miraculous reality Since 1991, by day, rocket scientist Ari Sacher’s job has been to build missiles, most recently the defensive missiles Israel uses to respond to rocket attacks from around the region. By night, since 2017 he has worked with the Birmingham-based U.S. Israel Education Association.

“They are both meaningful in different ways — they both are for the protection of the Jewish people,” he told a gathering at the Bais Ariel Chabad Center in Birmingham on July 11.

In introducing the evening, Rabbi Yossi Friedman from Chabad of Alabama said USIEA is “an amazing organization that works so hard to protect the state of Israel.”

John Mejia, a USIEA board member, said “What we do is very simple. We educate Congress.” The organization has built deep relations with high-level leaders through tours “that go from A to Z. They see everything,” including “the places they aren’t supposed to go to.” Most tours do not go into the territories because of political sensitivities, but USIEA believes that without seeing those areas, representatives are missing vital information needed for understanding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The organization has also been involved with building economic ties between Israelis in the territories and Palestinian business leaders, and with a recent effort to “friendshore” medical manufacturing away from China to the Abraham Accords countries, to further cooperation throughout the region. In September, USIEA issued a paper on the necessity of reforming the education system in Gaza, so schoolchildren will learn something other than the demonization of Israel that has been pervasive in the curriculum over the past couple decades.

In 2011, Sacher was a senior engineer in the Iron Dome team at Rafael. Every couple of years, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee would bring a delegation to see the latest defense systems. The AIPAC trips specialize in newly-elected representatives, while USIEA focuses on veterans who are highly placed in relevant committees.

This visit was a couple months after Iron Dome demonstrated its initial operational capability. None of the company senior staff was available for the presentation, so Sacher wound up doing it.

He explained that the delegation had been on the road since leaving Jerusalem at 6 a.m. and this was their last stop of the day. It was also the first major heat wave of the year, so “the last thing they wanted to do was hear a rocket scien-

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tist talk about rocket science.”

He had some fun with the delegation, by assuming a thick Israeli accent and slow delivery to start with, unlike his fast-paced witty talk in Birmingham. He soon adopted his normal persona and explained Iron Dome to the delegation, and since then over the years he has spoken to well over 400 representatives about Iron Dome. He says it resonated, and the U.S. has provided a great deal of funding toward the system’s development. He said support for Iron Dome has been “almost visceral.”

A few months after the AIPAC visit, Heather Johnston, founder of USIEA, brought a delegation of high-ranking members from the House Armed Services Committee.

Johnston had met Sacher on one of the AIPAC trips.

Johnston asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declassify Iron Dome enough so the Congressional delegation could see it, and he agreed. That, and a visit to a hilltop overlooking Ashkelon and the Mediterranean, where it was evident to the representatives just how small Israel actually is, prompted them to substantially increase U.S. funding for Iron Dome development when they returned to Washington.

When Israel found itself battling Hamas 15 months later in 2014, there were many Iron Dome batteries in key locations, with a success rate of over 90 percent.

Developing the Dome The summer of 2006, he said, was “horrific” because Hezbollah fired 4500 rockets at Israel. By comparison, he reminded that Hamas fired about 4500 rockets at Israel in the first week of the current war that began after Oct. 7. But 2006 was the first large volume of rocket fire launched into Israel.

“We understood we had a problem,” he said. There was a meeting in Tel Aviv to discuss Operation Sunfish, a laser-based system to deal with incoming rockets. “Everybody loved the idea of a laser,” Sacher said, and scoffed at his system for developing a missile that would shoot down incoming missiles. The feeling was that lasers “are cool,” and an officer told him “we don’t do bullets,” which was the officer’s

dismissive description of the defense missiles.

While lasers may be cool, Sacher reminded them, they don’t work in the rain. “If we can convince our enemies to hold their fire on rainy evenings, then a laser is a pretty good solution. We have not convinced our enemies to do this.”

United States forces in Iraq and Afghanistan brought in the best defense system at the time, Vulcan Phalanx, which he described as “essentially a cannon” for the 21st century.

It explodes into a cloud of “uranium knives” that shred an incoming missile “about 25 percent of the time.”

Aside from the very low effectiveness, “what goes up must come down,” and clouds of depleted uranium knives were falling everywhere. Also, 10 percent of the shells were not exploding in the air, leaving dangerous debris.

Additionally, that sort of system for protecting a military base is not suited for protecting a population center, because of the shrapnel.

By December 2007, Iron Dome was a PowerPoint presentation with six slides. “Two and one-half years later, we had a system protecting the state of Israel.”

As soon as an incoming rocket breaks the horizon, which takes a couple milliseconds, it is picked up on radar. Some of the rockets are the length of three footballs, he said. The system starts plotting algorithms. “We’re rocket scientists, this is how we enjoy ourselves,” he said. The algorithm determines if the rocket’s trajectory is toward a populated area, as they do not have a guidance system. “Most fall in areas we don’t need to protect,” he said. In those cases, roughly 75 percent of the time, they let the rocket go because “we don’t want to burn a $100,000 interceptor.”

If an interceptor is sent up, it goes alongside the incoming rocket and has a proximity fuse that detonates, destroying the incoming rocket next to it. That is why intercepts have two explosions.

On the ground, civilian readiness is still vital, because while most intercepts are over open areas, the debris still comes down. The rule is to wait at least 10 minutes after the last alarm before leaving a shelter or protected space.

Because of the expense, he said it would be really nice if lasers were an option, and a laser-based system was unveiled in February that can hit in the diameter of a coin at over 6 miles. It is not expected to be operational until next year, and there are still ways to foil a laser-based system.

Also, a laser must remain locked on to its target for several seconds for enough energy to build up to destroy the threat.

But still, it is attractive to have a far less expensive option.

“Incoming missile? $1.99. Another missile? $1.99…” he said, mimicking pressing a button repeatedly.

In recent months, there has been more of an emphasis on northern Israel with Iron Dome because Hamas capabilities have been mostly eliminated, but “Hezbollah has taken up the slack,” launching thousands of missiles from Lebanon over the last several months. Many of those missiles have started large forest fires throughout northern Israel, even when they are intercepted by Iron Dome.

A naval version of Iron Dome, called C-Dome, was recently deployed, and in April made its first intercept over the Red Sea on an object fired toward Eilat from the Houthi in Yemen.

Sacher asked, “Want to know what the miracle of Iron Dome is?” He said it is a success rate of over 95 percent.

While one might think other countries would be lining up to buy the system, Sacher said it is not useful in all situations, such as covering large areas. He likened it to having “a fur sink. It’s very interesting to have — in someone else’s house.”

President Donald Trump recently told the Republican National Convention that he would have an Iron Dome over the U.S., but Iron Dome batteries protect about 150 square miles from short-range missiles, which is not something the 3.7 million square mile U.S. has dealt with.

The Iron Dome, which response to short-range threats, is just one layer of Israel’s missile defense. David’s Sling covers ballistic missiles from 60 to 130 miles away, along with aircraft and drones. The Arrow 2 and 3 intercept long-range missiles above the earth’s atmosphere.

Partnerships with the U.S. also means that components of Israel’s missile defense systems are made in 26 or 27 different states. In February, Raytheon and Rafael announced construction of a missile factory in Arkansas for Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptors. Testing of the Arrow 3 interceptors took place in Alaska.

Over the years, Sacher has visited defense manufacturers in the Huntsville area numerous times during the system’s development and implementation.

Sacher closed the presentation with a slide he recently showed on Capitol Hill — an outdoor photo from his nephew’s wedding. Far in the background, there is an Iron Dome interceptor reaching its target.

“All an Israeli needs to continue living is a sense of security,” he said. “The children of Israel live, and that is what we plan to continue doing.”

All an Israeli needs is a sense of security

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Proud and Bold Olam Tova launches with clothing designs promoting Israel

At a time when many people are reluctant to make a public display about supporting Israel, Jenna Galbut is helping people wear it on their sleeves.

And their chests, their legs, their foreheads…

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Galbut, who made a name for herself in the last decade as a personal development guide online, and has more recently done brand development and investment advising, recently opened Olam Tova, an online clothing store with bold, youthful designs that carry a message — that the wearer is a proud supporter of Israel, and isn’t going to hide it.

The clothes also have another purpose — profits are sent to help Israel recover from the Oct. 7 attacks.

Olam Tova, Hebrew for “A Good World,” is part of her response to how October 7 changed her outlook, and enables people to “support Israel, and look good doing it.”

On July 24, there was a launch party in Miami for Olam Tova, with singer and social media influencer Montana Tucker as keynote speaker. The evening also included former Israeli spokesman in Britain Eylon Levy, who is the subject of one of the designs. Also on the program were IDF paratrooper Sam Fried, UnOrthodox comedian Chani Lisbon, author Dov Forman, activist Adela Cojab, comedian Yechiel Jacobs, life coach Vivace Maxvictor and producer Zack Sage Fox. “Growing up, I was very Americanized,” Galbut said. “A lot of American Jews took Israel for granted — it would always be around, we didn’t have to worry.”

But growing up with relatives who survived the Holocaust, she was taught to “be careful,” that there is never a period of 100 years without something bad happening to the Jews.

October 7 “shifted and repositioned my identity,” while being very depressing.

She had been active with the Me Too movement and marched with Black Lives Matter, but found that when it came to the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, her concern and solidarity for their causes was not reciprocated.

“It was really hard being abandoned by my friends, the people I marched with,” she said. “I’m showing them video of October 7 and they won’t say a thing. That was really heartbreaking.”

She decided to channel her energy into doing something for Israel.

She has a friend who is connected to a family in Kfar Aza that stayed in hiding for 48 hours as Hamas rampaged through the area. “When they came out, everyone was dead.” She really wanted to be able to help families like that, and came upon the idea of designing Isra-

el-themed clothing as a way of raising a lot of money quickly, to help Israelis.

She figured that she taught herself how to design materials when she self-planned her wedding in 2022, so “I could probably figure this out.”

In November, she started organizing Olam Tova and coming up with “trendy and cool” Israel-related designs.

It turns out that the clothing has a dual purpose. In addition to raising money for causes in Israel, it is a physical demonstration of support.

“It is time to start being loud and proud, because we won’t survive otherwise,” she said. “We don’t have time any more to be hiding.”

Fashion “is inherently activism,” she said. “Any time you are wearing an article of clothing… you are sending a subliminal message to the one who is seeing it.”

Wearing Israel In May, she did photo shoots in Mississippi and Georgia, spotting the occasional Israel flag on the back roads or outside a church.

Some Olam Tova designs are more subtle, like a turquoise, blue and green pattern with the Hebrew word Shalom in black, or the word ‘Freedom” with a subtle American and Israeli flag pattern.

Others are much more pointed — shirts that say “Hamas was not expecting October 8 Jews” and an even more direct play on the Hebrew phrase for “The nation of Israel lives” — “Am Yisrael F—ing Chai,” only the actual shirt eschews the hyphens.

Bad words are a motif for other shirts, such as one stating “’Israel’ and ‘Jewish’ are not bad words,” and “If Zionism is a dirty word, then talk dirty to me.”

Other phrases include “Spread hummus not hate,” “Only losers are antisemites,” “Dear Antisemite, your hate only makes us stronger,” “Zionism is sexy” and “Jews bite back.”

The abandonment she felt from previous allies after October 7 is manifested in a shirt with the quote “I was a bleeding heart liberal but they left me with a bleeding heart.”

There are dresses with Israeli flag, Chai or Israeli national seal patterns, Israeli flag leggings, and a July 4 pattern in reds and blues incorporating Israel InSight • November 2024

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five- and six-pointed stars.

There are sneakers with Israeli flag designs, and for beach activism certain to draw attention, an Israeli flag bikini. For those at the other end of the clothing spectrum, there is a Tznius collection for dressing modestly.

In June, a few of the Israeli flag items, including yoga leggings, the bikini and a pencil skirt added a rainbow motif for Pride Month. A ‘Pride” tank top includes the Israeli, U.S. and Pride flags.

Not everything has to do with Israel. Some patterns incorporate bagels, nosh or hamsas, or a “Schvitz” shirt perfect for summer heat.

In addition to clothing, Olam Tova offers many of the patterns on suitcases, travel bags, hats, pet clothing, slide sandals, weekend bags, socks and yoga mats.

Galbut sees Olam Tova creating “a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for Israel and Jewish causes,” confronting and changing the narrative set by anti-Israel groups.

If one feels too self-conscious, Galbut said to go out with friends who are wearing similar messaging, as there is strength in numbers. Not everyone is bold enough to be the “the first wave of pioneers to take it on and have courage” to wear these messages. “We’re doing it. The first wave is already here,” which will prompt others to join the second wave.

“Join the first wave, or join the second wave,” she urged.

Orders can be placed at olamtova.com.

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Fervently inclusive — except for Zionists

Even the role playing game community gets caught up in anti-Israel controversy The world of role-playing games, historically a space that welcomes individuals from all walks of life and has been a safe haven for those who don’t quite fit in elsewhere, has been the latest to become enveloped in exclusion over Israel.

On June 24, Uri Kurlianchik posted a warning on X for “geek friends” who were planning to attend Gen Con, a longstanding convention for tabletop gaming, that an event that was to be hosted at the convention was excluding Zionists.

Within hours, that event, the Creator Recognition in TTRGP Awards, announced that it was no longer able to have its event at the convention due to “safety concerns.”

Gen Con is the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, and this year was held Aug. 1 to 4 in Indianapolis. The convention includes role-playing games, strategy games, collectible card games, miniature war games and more. Founded in 1968, the convention draws around 50,000.

The CRiT Awards “is a peer driven award show striving to recognize creators in an inclusive and positive way,” but the guidelines for this year’s awards excluded as nominees “individuals who identify as Zionists, promote Zionist material, or engage in activities that without a doubt support Zionism.”

Zionism is the belief that Jews are entitled to national self-determination in their ancient homeland, and surveys show that well over 80 percent of Jews identify with Israel in some manner.

The nominee guideline about Zionism was listed under a section called “inclusivity and respect,” which stated that the CRiT Awards does not tolerate racism, homophobia, ableism or sexism.

Kurlianchik noted that the guidelines “officially excludes nearly all Jews, Israelis, and anyone who believes Israel has the right to exist,” calling it “insane bigotry.”

A few hours later, “Ivy and the CRiT Awards Board” issued its statement, “due to recent events and the attention that we have received, it is with an extremely heavy heart and much disappointment that the CRiT Awards will be unable to return to Gencon for it’s (sic) 2024 event, due to safety concerns.”

Instead, they had a virtual event a couple weeks later, and

acknowledge that there may be nominees “who wish to remove their participation.”

They added, “We want to take this moment to reaffirm our stance that hate in any capacity will not be tolerated, by any individual or groups within our event. We ask for patience as we come to terms with the situation, and want to thank the community for the outpouring of support and positivity.”

Nominations for the awards had been taken through May 31, and on June 3 they announced that their Gencon event was almost sold out. Finalists were announced and voting opened on June 14, and on that day the awards coordinators stated on X that “we at the CRiT Awards would like to take a moment to publicly acknowledge this so there is no confusion” reiterating the “updated portion in our Code of Conduct” that barred Zionists.

This publication reached out to the CRiT team for comment but never heard back.

CriticalBard, who said on X that they are a host for the awards, said Gen Con “has chosen money over morals” and that due to “backroom bull---” the awards were told to “leave or we’ll make you leave.”

On June 28, CRiT issued a statement that it had been alerted to “a concern about one of our nominees” on June 14. They contacted the nominee about the removal of the nomination and said it was handled “internally, respectfully and without issue.”

On June 24, they said, they were “being targeted” online with “hostility.” About three hours later, they were contacted by a “kind and apologetic” GenCon staffer who presented a series of options. “It became clear that it would not possible for the CRiT Awards to return to GenCon,” and they withdrew three hours later.

The statement noted that the CRiT organizers “do not condone harassment, violence or terrorism.” It goes on to define Zionism as “a movement that has historically been weaponized to support the establishment and maintenance of an Israeli apartheid” and says that “conflation of Judaism with Zionism” is “pro-imperialist, anti-Semitic.”

It also calls for a “free Palestine” and claims Israel is perpetrating a genocide.

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SUPPORTING Israel

ZAKA discusses aftereffects of Oct. 7, including mental toll on their volunteers Since Oct. 7, ZAKA has played a key role in dealing with the aftermath of the Hamas massacre in Israel, and was preparing for the possibility of war in the north. Israel’s non-governmental rescue and recovery organization is now turning to supporters around the world to ensure that its volunteers have what they need to do their jobs, and the mental care resources to deal with what they have seen.

On June 5, ZAKA held a program in one U.S. community that is very aware of the organization — New Orleans, which was the site of ZAKA operations following the levee failure after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

An iconic photo shows ZAKA volunteer Rabbi Isaac Leider carrying waterlogged Torahs in waist-deep water through the flooded sanctuary of Beth Israel. The June event began with a donor reception in the sanctuary of the Orthodox congregation’s new building, and continued next door at Gates of Prayer, a Reform congregation that housed Beth Israel until their new building could be constructed.

Rabbi Phil Kaplan of Beth Israel said the Torah rescue was not why ZAKA originally came to town in 2005 — in addition to general assistance, they sought to retrieve the body of Meyer Lachoff, longtime gabbai of the congregation, who died two days after being evacuated to Baton

Photo by James Henry Brook

Beth Israel Rabbi Phil Kaplan, ZAKA volunteer Micha Lader and Gates of Prayer Rabbi David Gerber.

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Rouge.

ZAKA has about 3,000 volunteers around the world, ready to deploy anywhere in the world on two hours’ notice. The organization has just 12 employees.

One of the volunteers is Micha Lader, who has been a volunteer search and rescue supervisor for the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol for 15 years. Among the sites he has been sent to over the years are the World Trade Center and the Surfside building collapse in Florida.

He was at Shemini Atzeret services in Toms River, N.J. on Oct. 7, when “we knew something big was going on” as the sheriff entered the sanctuary and said “don’t get scared, but you will see a lot of police outside now,” as a precaution.

He contacted his brother, who by then was at the Shura military base near Ramle, “where all the bodies were taken to get identified” after the Hamas massacre. Initial reports had the death toll from 400 to 600, but his brother told him “it is far more than that.”

At that point, it was only a matter of when, not if, he would head to Israel. The June 5 event, held in conjunction with Jerusalem Day, was the first time he publicly spoke about his experiences. “It’s been difficult to put into words.”

About two weeks after Oct. 7, Lader was part of a team sent to the Gaza Envelope communities to relieve those who had been there since Oct. 7, to “give them a break.”

Though the scenes were still horrific, “what we saw and what they saw were two different things.” They were looking for bodies and helping clean up the scene. There was a list of places they still could not go, because live grenades were present.

Moshe Rozenberg, executive director of ZAKA, said at the beginning, the priority was “collect the bodies and go,” because it was too unsafe to collect tissues and other samples. There were still terrorists who had not been located, and constant rocket barrages from Gaza.

They finally got a call from the government that it was safe to expand their work, but it was still on ZAKA to fund the needed supplies. Some volunteers on Oct. 7 were relying on the flashlights from their cell phones.

While Lader said he has been to sites of hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters, “this was different. This was deliberate,” and what he had seen in the past did not

Photo by Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90

A ZAKA—Disaster Victim Identification volunteer at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza Strip, Nov. 2, 2023.

prepare him for what he would see.

Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was commandeered and plunged into a ravine, killing 16. Students from the nearby Telz-Stone Or smell. He knew the smell of death, but this was far yeshiva rushed to administer aid, and one of them went on worse, and pervasive. to found ZAKA in 1995.

Kibbutz Be’eri, where 101 civilians were murdered along Lader said the 405 attack showed a need for knowledge with 31 security personnel, “was the worst I have ever seen,” on how to treat a disaster scene — marking where bodies with holes in every single home. There were homes that were taken from, finding out where survivors had been sithad rooms with blood but no bullet holes, shrapnel or fire ting, “all these details are extremely importmarkings. That’s where terrorists stabbed ant to identify bodies later on.” people or killed them with their bare hands.

Many ZAKA That was especially important following He said it was a scene of “murder for the Oct. 7, as many bodies were beyond recogsake of suffering,” and “there was no line volunteers nition.

Days or weeks later, Zaka volunteers that was not crossed.” have gone to went to where unidentified charred bodies As houses were checked, they were been found, based on details on the psychiatric wards had marked with an X and codes for what was body bag, to look for any blood, tissue or found inside — markings familiar to anyone to cope with what other source of DNA. “Many bodies were who experienced the aftermath of Katrina. identified based on this,” such as in burnedthey saw after Getting the word out about what hapout cars. pened “is everything,” Lader said.

October 7 ZAKA is the acronym for disaster victim Lader insisted “we will rebuild. We will identification in Hebrew. In Israel, they heal. We will ensure the light of those we lost will live on have sole responsibility to deal with incidents of “unnatural through our acts.” death,” such as from terror attacks. They work with emer-

Responding to terror

The roots of ZAKA go back to what is called the first Palestinian suicide attack, in July 1989 when the 405 bus from

gency services and security forces to ensure that the dead are handled with respect, a mitzvah of the highest order because the deceased has no way to repay the kindness.

Israel InSight • November 2024

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In addition to working in Israel, an international team is ready to be dispatched to major mass casualty incidents.

The ZAKA International Rescue Unit works in close cooperation with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the IDF and other government bodies.

In 2005, ZAKA was recognized by the United Nations as an international volunteer humanitarian organization, citing its work at the scenes of terror attacks in Mombasa, Istanbul and Taba, recovery of remains from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and natural disasters such as a tsunami in Southeast Asia.

The organization has a legal department to help families when a government insists on an autopsy, which most of the time violates Jewish custom, or if cremation is ordered.

When there is no other choice but to do an autopsy, there is a ZAKA volunteer “to make sure nothing is taken out.”

Though many think of ZAKA as an Orthodox agency, Lader said it is apolitical and ready to grant humanitarian assistance to anyone, anywhere. They have secular volunteers and volunteers from other faiths, such as Muslim volunteers versed in their rituals in handling the dead.

Rozenberg says his organization steps in “when Magen David Adom is stepping out.”

Nobody else does what ZAKA does, he said. “Very few people in the world can physically and mentally do the work that ZAKA volunteers are doing.”

But even that has its limits. Rozenberg said two “perfectly healthy” volunteers died of heart attacks since Oct. 7 — one was 39, one was 44. “They couldn’t take it.” Nineteen volunteers have been in and out of psychiatric wards after what they saw in the communities bordering Gaza.

Rozenberg met with a volunteer in New York who is a successful real estate lawyer. He is paying for weekly therapy sessions. He told Rozenberg, “That, I can afford. What about the people who can’t afford?”

The organization is looking to raise funds “to give them the proper mental support they need. Also, their spouses and kids, who now have a ‘different’ father.”

Gates of Prayer Rabbi David Gerber said that the ZAKA volunteers “witnessed first-hand the cruelty of our enemy.”

Arnie Fielkow, former CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, said he knew a little bit about ZAKA, but “the more that I learned about this organization, the more impressed I become. They are truly doing God’s work.”

After ZAKA showed “dignity and respect” for the Beth Israel Torahs and the Jewish victims of Katrina, the event was “our opportunity to thank ZAKA and those affiliated with it for all they do in Israel and around the globe.”

Fielkow said the best way to show appreciation to ZAKA is to support their efforts in a time of great need and uncertainty in Israel. “Let’s partner up and make sure they have whatever they need in order to fulfil their mission.”

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Helping Israel deal with wartime trauma

Tech company enlisting U.S. Christians, Jews to address overwhelming mental health need According to the Israeli Center for Mental Health, around the demand is great, immediate access is rare. Having a 70 percent of Israelis have mental issues such as anxiety self-assessment app will give increased accessibility and or distress from the October 7 attack and subsequent war, convenience, “early detection of symptoms, and widespread and the Ministry of Defense estimates that 30 percent of use that can save lives by leading to early interventions.” wounded soldiers have some form of post-traumatic disorThe project is partnering with the Master Life Coach der.

Training Institute in Dallas. The institute’s CEO, Rodney With the incredible need for therapeutic solutions, Gil Love, has known Ilutowich for years, and after Oct. 7, he Ilutowich, founder and CEO of technology education com- contacted Ilutowich with the idea of using technology to pany Compedia, was recently in Alabama to garner support assess trauma. “I thought I was going to have to sell him on for the Israeli Trauma Healing Project, which will provide the idea,” but Ilutowich “said let’s go. We’ve been let’s go-ing scalable healing for Israeli soldiers, civilians and their fam- ever since.” ilies, using technology to provide post-trauma therapy on a Love said “We’ll be able to reach out using the app and wide scale, far beyond the country’s current capacity. the assessment tool to see what the level of PTSD is with “The level of stress and post trauma now in Israel is horthese men and women, and treat them where they are.” rific,” he said. “There aren’t enough therapists and psychiaAfter the assessment, the trauma project envisions three trists in Israel.” categories of assistance. The biggest part, which would Don Carmichael, a Birmingham fundraising consultant, reach the most people, is a digital solution through Hesaid “they can only involve so many people” on a onebrew-language technology, for “lighter kinds of trauma.” to-one basis. “How can you provide For “heavier cases,” there would be something scalable that can really in-person treatment with therapists, reach people on a large scale?” also with life coaches trained in this Carmichael has worked with Iluarea. towich before, when Ilutowich was The third category is experiential on the board of Yad Vashem and the outdoor therapy, partnering with the museum was working on a new wing Israel National Leadership Center in about the Righteous Among the NaAriel, which was developed by JH Isrations. el in Birmingham.

Ilutowich said that “the need is The digital platform for hosting the growing every day… I see it as an content has already been developed emergency situation.” Shortly after his

by Ilutowich, at a cost of $3 million.

Alabama visit, news broke of a woman The content itself comes mainly from who survived the Nova music festival the United States Navy’s SEAL Future On Oct. 20, Nova Festival survivor massacre, but committed suicide on Foundation, which Ilutowich said has Shirel Golan took her own life on her 22nd birthday. “a lot of experience.” her 22nd birthday. She had lost 11 Ilutowich noted that the Israeli gov- friends on Oct. 7.

He stated that more Navy SEALs ernment is not focused on the issue killed themselves after coming back because they are in the middle of trying to win a war. “They from Iraq than the number who were killed in active duty take care of people who are wounded… they know how to there. Upon returning to civilian life, many “couldn’t find treat them,” he said. “The soul is something elusive.” themselves in society again.”

To help with this pressing need, and knowing that early He added, “we can’t afford to let this happen in Israel.” intervention is critical, his team is looking to develop a The SEAL Future Foundation developed tools and rePTSD assessment app that would evaluate the presence of sources for successful transition back to the civilian world, PTSD, so the proper level of treatment can be planned. and is donating its trauma treatment content “to help their Because assessments have typically been in person and brothers in arms in Israel.”

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

Compedia will translate the content into Hebrew and modify the content to an Israeli Jewish culture, and all content “will be Bible supported.”

The content will be available on demand, accessible from rehabilitation centers and from home, and will incorporate digital activities and animation to encourage engagement and participation.

With the help of groups in Birmingham, Ilutowich is working to raise $380,000 for the first phase of the project. The first phase will fund the translation and digital conversion, and the rollout to soldiers. The first goal, developing the assessment app, is $50,000.

The next phases will adapt the program for youth, grade schools and kindergarteners, then the final phase will be full implementation of the program.

Christian supporters of Israel in Birmingham pray for Gil Ilutowich is willing to travel or speak remotely Ilutowich on Sept. 26 to any group or individual who wants to help the least 200,000 people, so “the whole world would be against project become a reality. us.”

Compedia was founded in 1987, providing educational For Israeli soldiers, who meticulously warn civilians betechnology for companies like National Geographic, and fore launching operations, and who are fighting an enemy educational games based on Bob the Builder, Casper and that dresses as civilians instead of being in uniform so they the Muppets. Their products are in over 40 languages with never know who might be trying to kill them, “their souls millions of users, and now use the latest AI and AR/VR have been hurt by being in that situation.” Many have been technologies. in the field for 10 months.

They also provide educational resources around SpaceIL, As with so many in Israel, for Ilutowich this is not just a and were instrumental in the digital proliferation of iTaLAM, a Hebrew and Judaics curriculum used by Jewish Day concept. Oct. 7 was supposed to be his son’s last day of service in the IDF, and he was supposed to pick him up on Oct. Schools around the world.

8. His son did eventually come home — after being stabbed Ilutowich said Compedia has previously been working by a terrorist. He has since recovered. with the Joint Distribution Committee, which allocates FedHis daughter was also called back to her elite unit, and eration-raised funds in Israel, on a project for children with autism, specifically about dealing with trauma among autis- Ilutowich said “the horrific things she saw made her so tic children. He said those children are tied to a routine, and sick,” as the trauma manifests itself in physical sickness.

Ilutowich grew up around Holocaust survivors. “All my if you interrupt the routine, as happens during war, “it is a disaster,” so they worked with universities to develop a unit neighbors, all the people I knew were Holocaust survivors.”

It wasn’t until he was older and visited Arizona, seeing on how to deal with stress.

Compedia worked with the Yahalom Unit, a special oper- old people joking around, that he realized that old people ations unit of the IDF, creating 3-dimensional environments weren’t automatically sad. “As the son of Holocaust surviin virtual reality to simulate the Hamas tunnels the soldiers vors, I have some of that trauma in me.”

He noted that one-third of the soldiers killed in the Yom would encounter in Gaza, so they could train virtually, with Kippur War of 1973 were sons of Holocaust survivors. avatars as virtual Hamas fighters.

He added, “I don’t want another generation of sad old They also created a simulation of the Hezbollah tunnels, people.” which he said are “huge. Trucks can go there.”

With the war continuing, Ilutowich said he is “willing to Ilutowich said Hamas spent billions to construct a tundevote my life to this, it is so important.” nel network for themselves while leaving Gaza civilians exposed, with the hope that Israel would wind up killing at More information: blessil.org Israel InSight • November 2024

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Mark Ruben, left, listens to County Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo discuss Palm Beach’s investment in Israel Bonds

Israel Bonds shatters sales records after October 7 Numerous states among large institutional investors showing support for Israel In May, Israel Bonds announced that it had sold over $3 billion globally in the six months since the Oct. 7 attacks, triple the usual annual sales.

Over 35 state and municipal governments invested, for a total of over $1.7 billion. The largest investor in Israel Bonds is now Palm Beach County, with over $700 million.

There has also been a mix of retail and institutional purchases showing broad support.

Mark Ruben, the Palm Beach executive director of Israel Bonds, has been in the middle of that effort, and doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Since he started with Israel Bonds in 1991, he said he has sold over $2 billion — with about $1 billion of that coming since the war started last fall.

“Israel’s supporters around the world have sent a clear and powerful message with their investment dollars in the wake of Oct. 7,” said Israel Bonds President and CEO Dani Naveh. “From the synagogue members buying Bar or Bat Mitzvah Celebration Bonds to state treasurers making

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

unprecedented purchases, Israel Bonds has seen a surge of investments across every category that we do business.”

Palm Beach County purchased $160 million in Bonds in October, then made an additional purchase after the county commission raised the cap on an individual investment in the county portfolio from 10 percent to 15 percent in March. The county’s overall portfolio is $4.67 billion.

Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo announced on March 26 that the county was the world’s largest investor in Israel Bonds. “My first duty to the taxpayers of Palm Beach County is to make sure that our tax dollars are protected and invested correctly and wisely,” Abruzzo said. “Israel Bonds are paying a higher rate than our U.S. Treasuries and are just as safe.” He said the county would earn $83 million from the investments.

The state of Florida also has $250 million in Israel Bonds investments. After a purchase last October, the state added $50 million in March, according to state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

Not everyone in the area is thrilled, as three U.S. citizens of Palestinian descent in Palm Beach County filed suit in May. Abruzzo calls the case “frivolous” and expects that it will be dismissed.

After Oct. 7, Georgia and Oklahoma each purchased $10 million, Ohio and South Carolina each added $30 million, Alabama bought $6 million, Louisiana bought $5 million, Texas added $20 million, among many others.

Israel Bonds is apolitical, Ruben said, and Florida shows how Israel Bonds has “help from across the board politically speaking.” Abruzzo is a Democrat, and Patronis is a Republican. “they have been extremely supportive.”

But Ruben isn’t keeping only to South Florida — he will go “anywhere in the country that there is an interest.” The College of the Ozarks in Missouri was not aware of Israel Bonds, “but lay leadership brought me to them to speak about the role Israel Bonds plays in Israel, always, but in this particular time specifically.”

Brad Johnson, president of College of the Ozarks, announced the college’s investment “as another way to demonstrate our support of Israel. As a Christian institution, we have a scriptural stake in the fate of Israel. Our Board of Trustees and our campus have committed to pray for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem.”

Ruben said he has had discussions with other Christian colleges. “People from the Christian and the Jewish communities have been in contact with me.”

He said the support from the Christian community “for

the Jewish people and Israel is heartwarming, and very much needed now.” He added that he was “grateful for their support and look forward to more.”

He also has spoken with some states that do not currently have Israel Bonds investments.

When he started in 1991 as a field representative, Israel Bonds hit $1 billion in worldwide sales for the first time.

Twelve years ago, the U.S. sales started hitting $1 billion per year.

Funds going to Israel through Israel Bonds are not directed at specific projects, but are used for what is needed at the time. Bonds “enabled Israel to become a leader in high tech, for example,” he said.

Through the years, the government often limited the amount of Bonds that could be sold, because they did not want to take on too much additional debt, as they had one of the lower debt to GDP ratio among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

With the current war, “anything we can raise, they are happy to receive.”

With growing institutional and governmental purchases, Israel Bonds has been less event oriented than the days of the annual Israel Bonds dinner in communities throughout the country. Events “are still important to reach our goals,” Ruben said. “It’s a good mix, and we’re happy to do events when they are appropriate.”

Despite the larger numbers of investments coming in, “we’re going to keep pressing,” and he is “always available.”

Rolling with the Tide On Sept. 7, Israeli Consul General to the Southeast Anat SultanDadon was at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to see Alabama take on South Florida, as the university honored retired coach Nick Saban. During her visit, she spoke to the local Jewish community and students at Hillel, and spoke to the School of Law and the Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership. She watched the game with University President Stuart Bell and Rep. Mike Rogers. “At a time when too many universities are sadly getting it wrong, UA is setting a beautiful example of how to get it right,” Sultan-Dadon said.

“These are difficult times for Israel, and it was so heartwarming and appreciated to be among so many friends and supporters.”

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“Trees for Trolls” is Ga. Rep’s “Southern Jewish” way to say “Bless Their Hearts”

By Menachem Wecker

(JNS) — Esther Panitch was inspired when Renee Evans, of the World Jewish Congress, bought trees in Israel recently for Peach State legislators who voted in favor of a bill to codify into law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.

Evans put Jewish National Fund tree certificates on the lawmakers’ desks. “I saw the certificate, and I was like, ‘Huh. This would be great if I could just name it in honor of a troll’,” Panitch, a Democrat who is the only Jewish state representative in Georgia, told JNS. And so her “trees for trolls” approach was born.

“This is my southern, Jewish, pearl necklace-wearing, woman lawyer from Miami’s way of saying ‘Bless their hearts’,” she told JNS. On April 11, Panitch posted on social media that she donated a tree in Israel in honor of the University of Georgia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. “We should build a forest for all the trolls,” she wrote.

The trees cost $18 apiece — $10 each when purchased 10 at a time.

“It made me feel so good when I did it,” she told JNS. “It’s a great feeling. You can get back at the trolls in a way that helps Israel.”

Panitch grew up with a JNF pushke — charity box — near the Shabbat candles and kiddush cup. “For me, it was, ‘Oh. Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael/JNF. It’s a win-win. Israel benefits, and the trolls get a little of their own medicine,” she told JNS. “Doing something to help Israel during this time is great,” Panitch, who is also active in Hadassah, told JNS. “And if it means that I leaned into my petty side a little bit to do it, then that’s fine, too.”

Conservadox

Panitch grew up in North Miami Beach and went to Lehrman Community Day School there. She was raised “kind of Conservadox,” she told JNS. She and her husband, who were married by an Orthodox

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

Photo courtesy Georgia House of Representatives.

Esther Panitch, a state representative, in the Georgia House of Representatives chamber in the state Capitol in Atlanta, on Jan. 25, 2024.

rabbi, are members of a Conservative shul. “We’ve always gone between both areas,” she said.

“I’m not shomer Shabbos, but I’m trying to get better, and not be on social media, definitely, on Shabbat,” she told JNS. She and her husband, who met at a Greater Miami Jewish Federation singles event — “We’re like poster kids,” she said — keep a kosher home. She went to Camp Ramah and all of her kids went to Camp Judaea. Both Panitch and her husband grew up in Zionist homes.

“We wanted to make sure that our kids had that education,” she said.

Having raised alarms about Jew-hatred long before Oct. 7, Panitch has, to some extent, seen others catch up in the past several months.

“The non-Jewish community really has seen what we deal with, because there’s no way to ignore it anymore,” she told JNS. “It may not have happened in their neighborhoods.

Their houses may not have had the fliers, but there’s no avoiding what’s going on in the world. The anti-Israel people are blocking airports and other areas of commerce. You cannot avoid it.”

“I feel good that we have a government that is supporting not just Israel but the Jewish community within the United States,” she added. “I’m especially grateful to live in Georgia, where I have a state legislature and an executive branch that stands by the Jewish community, as evidenced by the passage of the IHRA definition this past year.”

Thick skin

Panitch had a run-in with Jewish Voice for Peace in March 2023, which led her to buy an Israeli tree in honor of that anti-Israel group earlier this month.

After seeing JVP members at a hearing, she invited them the Nazi party before they were killed.” to meet with her in her office. Though they scheduled a “Well, they didn’t like that,” Panitch told JNS, of Jewish meeting, the JVP people didn’t show up, Panitch told JNS. Voice for Peace. “They tweeted that Esther essentially called “I’m sitting in my office emailing them, ‘Hey are you us Nazis.” in the building? Are you close?’ They said, ‘Oh sorry. We “I said, ‘Thanks for spending so much time on my bill. Am couldn’t get to the Capitol today’,” Panitch said. “Then I saw Yisrael chai’,” she said, using the Hebrew for “the nation of my minority leader, who said, ‘Can you meet with me this Israel lives.” afternoon, there are some Jewish people coming.’ I’m like, Asked how many Georgians JVP actually represents, ‘Who?’” Panitch said “The only people that show up to their events He told Panitch the names, and it turned out to be JVP. are like 20 core people. Tiny. I don’t even know that it’s a “I was in his office when they walked in,” she told JNS. “I rounding error.” was there and they started to cry She receives antisemitic attacks and insisted that someone who from both the far left and far right, was pro-their side be present in she told JNS. The latter came after the room, even though we weren’t her in particular when she critialone. It was me, my minority cized Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) for leader, the Democratic lawyer, who amplifying an antisemitic account told them, by the way, that the that attacked a Jewish Washington IHRA definition doesn’t infringe Post journalist. (Collins’s soon free speech.” cial-media post remains live.)

“Some of their strategies to waste Panitch told JNS that she asked my time backfired,” Panitch said. the congressman’s staff in private It took her some time to realize for him to apologize. “It wasn’t that Jewish Voice for Peace was like I initially just slammed him on going around telling Georgia Twitter,” she said. lawmakers that it represents the Many of the antisemitic attacks Jewish community. she receives also have “a misogy“By the time that we realized nistic slant” to them, Panitch said. that they were lying, it was a little “I don’t pay attention to people late in the session to educate my I don’t know. They can spend all colleagues about who actually of their time trolling me. It’s fine,” represents the Jewish community, she told JNS. “It’s the people I do or who didn’t represent the Jewish know, many of who have either community,” she said.

Rep. Panitch buys a tree in Israel “for” been silent or have refused to Motaz Azaiza, a Hamas “journalist” and In late November, State Affairs stand up, notwithstanding that we, Georgia asked Panitch in an inter- terror supporter recently honored by Time the Jewish community, have stood Magazine. view what the people of Georgia up for other minorities in their should know about the war against times.”

Hamas in Gaza.

“I’m a lawyer. I have a thicker skin. I do divorce and “So I want them to know that anybody who tokenizes criminal defense. I’ve been the subject of hate campaigns Jews by holding up JVP, or IfNotNow, that’s what they’re before,” she added. “It’s just something you deal with. It’s doing, they’re tokenizing the Jewish community by using not fun, but you deal with it. You don’t let it distract you, some who are willing to be used as a cover,” Panitch told the and frankly, the more it comes, you know you’re closer to news outlet. “Don’t forget, there were Jews who supported your target.”

Israel InSight • November 2024

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OPINION Israel

Illegal Occupation!

Settler Colonialism!

Exploiting Natives!

But nobody demonstrates for the New Caledonians, since they can’t blame Israel New Caledonia.

By Rafael Medoff

Photo by Sébastien Jermer/Wikimedia Commons

Major news outlets that have been devoting disproportionate attention to Gaza have paid scant attention to what’s Illegal settlers! Occupied territories! Colonialism! Police been happening in New Caledonia. Recently, the New York brutality! Those accusations have been shouted with pasTimes belatedly reported that the French have been pouring sion from tents on college campuses across America in security forces into the country to suppress the fight for recent weeks. But do those concerns apply only in select independence. And the French parliament is enabling recircumstances? Because an overseas conflict that should cently-arrived French citizens in New Caledonia to vote in rouse the ire of the nation’s protesters has so far failed to future referenda, which could tilt the results against indeattract their interest. pendence. The Times noted that a widely-circulated video The site of the conflict that dare not speak its name is shows French police officers “forcing a Kanak protester to New Caledonia, an island nation 900 miles east of Australia, his knees so that one officer could kick the man’s head.” just slightly smaller than Israel. In recent months, the indigThis must all come as quite a surprise to readers of the enous tribes there have been waging a battle for indepenNew York Times. Until May, there had been just one article dence against the French colonialist authorities. in the Times about the New Caledonian independence For nearly two hundred years, France has been illegally struggle in the past 10 years. occupying the island country, exploiting its vast nickel The major human rights groups that are so concerned reserves, and settling French citizens there irrespective of the wishes of its indigenous inhabitants, the Kanaks. Unlike about Gaza likewise have not shown much interest in the human rights of the Pacific island’s natives. Amnesty Israeli Jews, who have strong historical, legal and religious International issued its first-ever press release about New ties to the land where they live, the French settlers in New Caledonia are just white Europeans who have pushed their Caledonia earlier this year. The last time Human Rights Watch issued a news release mentioning New Caledonia way into somebody else’s country without permission. was 13 years ago — in a complaint about Israel arresting a In fact, the very name of the country is a sham. The Palestinian Arab rock-thrower who claimed he was in New British explorer James Cook, sailing in the vicinity in 1774, Caledonia at the time of the attack. thought the mountains resembled the terrain of the CaleWhat about America’s leading professional associations? donia region of his native Scotland. Not surprisingly, the native Kanaks would prefer a name more authentic than the In recent months, numerous groups of academics and other professionals who have no ostensible connection to the one a seafaring Scotsman chose for them.

Middle East have been issuing denunciations of Israel for The French seized New Caledonia in the 1850s because defending itself against Hamas. they needed a distant territory to serve as a penal colony.

The National Women’s Studies Association, the AmeriThousands of French criminals finished their sentences and then took up residence in the country. Once again, the can Sociological Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Studies Association, among Kanaks had no say in the matter.

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others, have weighed in with bitter, one-sided criticism of Israel. These groups are vigorously opposed to “colonialism” and “illegal settlers” when there’s a way to accuse Israel.

But when there are no Jews to blame, they don’t seem too interested.

What about all the angry college students? Surely those who have been marching for Gaza are equally outraged about white Frenchmen oppressing brown Pacific islanders.

After all, many of the placards at the Gaza rallies and the manifestoes issued by their sponsors rail about the evils of colonialism.

Yet colonialism in New Caledonia doesn’t trouble the Arab-American and Muslim students who are leading the campus protests. Despite their lofty slogans about opposing all oppression, the only targets of their hatred are Israel and Jews.

Nor are the Kanaks on the agenda of the fellow-travelers who populate the rallies and tent encampments. The students who denounce Israel because it’s exciting and popular to join the mob seem to have no interest in what the French are doing. Apparently, if Instagram influencers aren’t talking about New Caledonia, it just doesn’t count.

The professors are silent, too. All the faculty members whose letterheads acknowledge that their universities sit on the land of indigenous people (yet never offer to actually vacate that land) have turned a blind eye to the plight of the indigenous tribes of New Caledonia.

The same seems to be true of the Jewish anti-Zionist students who are the frequent subjects of media attention.

Setting up tents outside French consulates wouldn’t facilitate their acceptance into the social and political circles to which they aspire. Hating Israel, and only Israel, is the price of admission.

So pity the poor Kanaks. Their country overrun by foreigners, their natural resources plundered, the very name of their country imposed by a Scottish explorer of long ago — they are the very epitome of People of Color battling White Colonialists. But they can’t get anybody interested in their plight — because there’s no way to blame Jews for their suffering. If only Israel would invade New Caledonia, the Kanaks might yet have a chance.

Dr. Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. His latest is “Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to America,” a nonfiction graphic novel with Dean Motter.

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53

A radical idea for “the day after”

Netanyahu should call on America’s Christians to lead restoration of Gaza

By Jonathan Feldstein

“two-state solution” is the only answer, a panacea: creating a Palestinian Arab state in a territory whose population (as In recent months, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has many as three in four of whom) actively supports Hamas, spoken with numerous U.S. officials, in the U.S. and in Iseven denying the Hamas massacre ever took place. Or, if rael, from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala they acknowledge it did happen, many find justification for Harris, and the conversations no doubt included what the and celebrate it. They subscribe to a genocidal theology that future of Gaza and maybe the wider Middle East ought to Israel has no legitimacy, that Jews are foreign occupiers, be. and they pray for the destruction of Israel and murder of all Minimally, this is what the relationship cannot be: with Jews. the Iranian Islamic regime continuing to threaten Israel and It is definitely not a solution that will bring peace. It is the world, and the Iranian proxies of Hamas, Hezbollah and more a “two-state illusion.” the Houthis not being able to continue to threaten us “the Today, fast-tracking a Palestinian state simply rewards day after.”

The “two-state solution” may have been mentioned as the Islamic terror with the message: Kill enough Jews and get a state. The lack of peace is not for lack of the creation of answer for long term peace. But what Netanyahu should a Palestinian state. Rather, it is due to Islamic intolerance call for, and the U.S. should widely embrace, is a bold at the existence of the Jewish state. That’s what they mean solution that actually can bring a real solution for peace in when they chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will Gaza, one that addresses the theological/ideological root be free.” No more Israel or Jews. of the problem, rather than creating an Nevertheless, despite these realities, the independent Palestinian state governed by Christians uplift world still reflexively calls for a “two-state terrorists. communities in the solution,” as if it is actually viable. It’s as if The actual solution is a complete restotheir foreign policy is directly out of the most dangerous ration of Gaza undertaken by Christians movie “Argo” when CIA agent Tony Menfrom America and around the world. It’s a places. Gaza is ripe, dez notes, “There are only bad options. It’s radical idea, all the more so as promoted by the need is great, the about finding the best one.” At the time, the an Orthodox Israeli Jew. U.S. faced its own Islamic-rooted hostage time is now The core of the problem in Gaza under crisis. The CIA official to whom he was the Iranian-backed Hamas, and embraced reporting asks, “You don’t have a better bad idea than this?” by most Gazans, is an extremist Islamic ideology that calls to which he is told, “This is the best bad idea we have, sir, by for the destruction of Israel, and genocide of Jews. Chrisfar.” tians, on the other hand, love Gazans and love Israel and The current situation is not sustainable, but the answer is the Jewish people. They are honest brokers who can restore not to promote the “best bad idea” that will make the situGaza with love, and prevent a rebuilding of the culture of ation worse, legitimizing another terrorist state on Israel’s hate and terror. borders whose citizens want its destruction, and which has Christians have a tradition of going to some of the most failed for decades. What needs to happen now, to actually dangerous and inhospitable places in the world to show achieve peace in and restore Gaza, is a truly good idea. their love and uplift communities. Gaza is ripe, the need is Even those who promote the two-state illusion acknowlgreat, and the time is now. edge why it’s not practical.

Since the inhuman October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorState Department spokesman Matthew Miller said as ists, murdering 1200 people, including raping and sexually much.

“We’re also going to have to defeat the ideology bemutilating many, incinerating people alive, and kidnapping over 250 people, 120 of whom are still in captivity in Gaza, hind Hamas and that is not something that can be accomplished on the battlefield… Ultimately you have to beat that I have been troubled by the absurdity so many posit that a idea with a better idea.”

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Photo by Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images.

A man walks past destroyed buildings and sewage water erupting from collapsed underground pipes in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, July 8, 2024.

Palestinian Arabs need a change of heart. Creating a new terror state because there’s no better idea is foolhardy. And dangerous.

Gaza does need to be restored, rebuilt from (under) the ground, where hundreds of miles of tunnels created a maze of terrorist infrastructure, on up. The Palestinian Authority and “moderate” Arab states cannot be relied upon. They have been central to the kleptocracy endangering Palestinian Arabs through smuggling weapons that allowed Hamas to hijack and control Gaza to begin with.

The actual solution for peace in Gaza requires Christians who will restore everything. Engineers, architects, and city planners. Medical personnel, nutritionists, and educators.

People with backgrounds that can rebuild and create prosperity. Christians will succeed because they love Gazans and want to see them prosper, and reject the evil form of Islam represented by Hamas and Iran. They will oppose a return to hatred of and terrorism against Israel, because it’s bad for the Gazans. But they’ll also do so because they love Israel and the Jewish people, and want to see Israel live in safety, free of genocidal threats.

And when the Christians show their love, and genuine caring, Gazans will see another path, a “better idea.” They will realize that the extremist Islam which they have embraced has failed them. They will experience people with a relationship to the God of Israel, and begin to realize that the people and State of Israel are not only not enemies, but essential allies.

Ridiculous? Crazy? Perhaps. But there is no other feasible ideas. For details visit SolutionForPeaceInGaza.com.

Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six, and a growing number of grandchildren. He has become a respected bridge between Jews and Christians and serves as president of the Genesis 123 Foundation, www.Genesis123.co, and recently published “Israel the Miracle,” featuring 75 essays by Christian leaders around the world writing why Israel is so significant. He writes regularly on major Christian websites around the world about Israel, sharing unique experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He is host of the popular Inspiration from Zion podcast. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.

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50 American evangelist Franklin Graham heads this year’s list of Israel’s top Christian allies around the world.

The list is compiled every year by the Israel Allies Foundation, which mobilizes support for Israel worldwide.

They have a network of over 50 Israel caucuses in legislative bodies around the world.

According to the Foundation, each of the Christian allies “has been particularly vocal in their advocacy, positioning themselves as some of the most prominent defenders of Israel globally.

“This diverse group, which includes pastors, former politicians, and organizational leaders, represents the leading voices championing Israel in 2024.”

The list is released at the beginning of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a time when Christians from around the world come to Jerusalem, inspired

by Zecharaiah 14:16, which speaks of a time when all nations will gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the holiday.

At a time when Israel is seen as needing all the allies it can get, this is the first list since the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and massacre, as that happened

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on Simchat Torah last year, the end of the Sukkot holiday.

The individuals on the list have served to counter the international condemnation that Israel has faced for defending itself from an existential threat led by the Iranian regime.

Last year, the list was led by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is second this year.

British author and political commentator Douglas Miller, who has been widely praised for public and vocal support for Israel in Britain and around the world, was not listed as a Christian ally, as he considers himself an atheist.

“It is a great honor to stand with Israel. This nation was brutally attacked and has every right to defend itself from those who want to wipe it off the face of the earth,” Graham said in a written statement. “As a Christian, I believe the Jews are God’s chosen people, and so we want to do all that we can to stand with Israel in this hour of great need and provide for those who are constantly at risk. I continue to encourage everyone to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ as the Bible teaches.”

Photo by Rhododendrites via Wikimedia Creative Commons

Israel’s Top Christian Allies Israel’s

50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

1

Franklin Graham

Photo credit: BGEA

2

Mike Pompeo

Franklin Graham is a prominent American pastor and humanitarian who leads both Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Through Samaritan’s Purse, Graham oversees extensive humanitarian efforts, including disaster relief and development projects worldwide, with a focus on providing aid and support to communities in need.

Graham is a vocal advocate for Israel’s rights and security, frequently expressing his support through public statements and initiatives that emphasize Christian solidarity with the Jewish state. Additionally, Samaritan’s Purse provides humanitarian aid to Israel, reflecting his commitment to supporting the country both spiritually and practically. Following the Hamas attack on Israel in early October, Samaritan’s Purse immediately deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team. In November 2023, Graham visited communities along the Gaza border to witness the

devastation firsthand and offer additional humanitarian aid to displaced families and those who had lost loved ones.

Currently, they are providing 42 armored ambulances — including 28 that will be armor-plated and bulletproof — and are building ambulance response stations near the Gaza and Lebanese borders in areas that are constantly at risk. Samaritan’s Purse has also supplied 1,000 Advanced Trauma Life Support kits for doctors and healthcare workers in Israel. Since the Hamas attack, they have sent three airlifts to Israel with critical relief supplies and have deployed doctors and nurses to support the medical system in northern Israel. They are also undertaking six construction projects, including two ambulance centers — one in Avshalom on the Gaza border and the other in Shlomi on the Lebanese border — two trauma resilience centers, an equine therapy center, and an OBGYN clinic for Bedouins in the south.

Mike Pompeo is a politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Trump as both the director of the CIA and secretary of state. In his role as secretary of state, he was a strong advocate for Israel, supporting its claims to Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Judea, and Samaria, and playing a key role in brokering the Abraham Accords.

During this time he established what became known as the “Pompeo Doctrine,” which held that the United States no longer viewed Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria and the settlements there as “inconsistent with international law.”

Before his tenure in the Trump administration, Pompeo served as a U.S. congressman for 16 years, during which he was an active member of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus. His unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people earned him the Peace Through Strength Award, presented by American Ambassador to Israel David Friedman at the new Friedman Center.

Together with Ambassador Friedman, last year Pompeo produced and starred in “Route 60: The Biblical Highway,” a film traversing the 150-mile road through Judea and Samaria which highlights the incredible biblical sites found along it.

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50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

3

Pastor Larry Huch

4

Joni Lamb

5

Paula White

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Pastor Larry Huch is the founding and senior pastor of New Beginnings Church in Bedford, Texas. Together with his wife, Tiz, he is celebrating 44 years of ministry. Over the years, they have pioneered seven churches in the United States and Australia and launched their global outreach initiative, Larry Huch Ministries. Their New Beginnings television program and media ministry are broadcast daily around the world, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers.

In addition to their church and media efforts, Pastor Larry and Tiz are dedicated to charitable projects in Israel, focusing on aliyah, supporting Holocaust survivors, and providing assistance to hospitals. Their initiatives in faith-based diplomacy reflect a strong commitment to Israel and have made a meaningful impact on countless Jewish lives. Since October 7, Pastor Larry has visited the Jewish State multiple times, sharing the truth about the country with his tens of millions of viewers worldwide.

Joni Lamb is the executive producer, co-founder and president of Daystar Television Network, one of the most popular Christian television networks in the world. Along with her late husband, Marcus Lamb, she helped build Daystar into a prominent Christian media platform that broadcasts in 195 countries.

Joni is a passionate supporter of Israel and actively engages in humanitarian

efforts there. Through their organization, Daystar House of Hope Israel, she provides food, shelter, and medical care for aging Holocaust survivors. Additionally, Joni hosts television specials aimed at raising funds and support for the State of Israel, further demonstrating her commitment to this vital cause.

Recently, Joni Lamb was awarded the Israel Allies Award for 2024 in recognition of her and Daystar’s extensive efforts to support Israel since October 7.

Paula White is an American televangelist known for her influential role as former and incoming President Trump’s pastor, advisor to the White House on Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, and chair of the Evangelical Advisory Board during his administration. She made history by delivering the opening prayer at President Trump’s inauguration, becoming the first female clergy member to serve in this capacity.

A passionate advocate for Israel, Paula White has worked to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship in significant ways. She currently leads the National Faith Advisory Board, which engages,

educates, and mobilizes over 32,000 faith leaders. Their nationwide calls often include prayer and action items to support Israel.

“My deeply held faith and conviction has aligned me to stand with and support Israel in every possible way,” she said. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob made a covenant with the Jewish people and promised them a nation.

That nation, Israel, is the foundation and birthplace of my Christian faith. I also stand with Israel for geopolitical reasons. Since 1948, the nation of Israel has been America’s staunchest ally in the Middle East. I proudly support Israel and the Jewish people.”

50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

6

Pastor John Hagee

7

Dick Saulsbury

8

Jüergen Büehler

Pastor John Hagee is the founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel, the largest grassroots Christian pro-Israel organization in the United States, with over 10 million members. He also founded Hagee Ministries, which broadcasts his teachings internationally and has contributed more than $100 million to humanitarian causes in Israel over the years.

In addition to his advocacy work, Pastor Hagee serves as the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San

Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational evangelical congregation with more than 22,000 active members. His contributions to Israel were recognized by the state on its 70th anniversary when he was honored as one of the 70 greatest contributors to the nation since its founding. He was also invited by U.S. Ambassador David Friedman to deliver the benediction at the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, further underscoring his significant role in fostering U.S.-Israel relations.

Dick Saulsbury is a trailblazer in faith-based diplomacy, advocating for the notion that individuals who embrace Judeo-Christian values can translate their deep faith into meaningful political action. Since the establishment of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus in 2004 and the founding of the Israel Allies Foundation in 2007, Saulsbury has actively supported numerous initiatives aimed at bolstering the State of Israel and enhancing the well-being of its citizens.

His efforts have significantly strengthened the relationship between Jews and Christians in the 21st century, contributing to the closest ties ever seen between the United States and Israel. His work has not only fostered strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives but has also resulted in concrete actions, such as the dismantling of the Iran deal and the pivotal transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He is also the vice chairman of the IAF’s Christian Advisory Board.

Dr. Jüergen Büehler is an ordained minister and trained physicist who serves as the president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

Based in Jerusalem, the ICEJ reaches out to more than 170 countries worldwide, with branch offices in over 90 nations. Its primary objectives are to support Israel in friendship and solidarity while equipping and educating the global Church about God’s purposes for Israel and the nations of the Middle

East. The ICEJ is the largest Christian ministry headquartered in Israel. Since October 7th, Büehler has acted as an ambassador to the Christian world by leading the response to emergency needs that arose in real-time.

“It is so exciting to see God rebuilding Zion, to see Him restoring His people back to their land,” he said. “No matter where you live, you too can participate in what God is doing here in the Land of Israel” Israel InSight • November 2024

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50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

9

Patricia Heaton

10

Patricia Heaton is a well-known American actress acclaimed for her roles in the popular television sitcoms “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle.” With a career spanning several decades, she has received multiple awards, including Emmys, for her outstanding performances. In addition to acting, Heaton is involved in producing and actively addressing various social and humanitarian issues through her public platform.

Heaton supports Israel by participating in fundraising events and advocacy

efforts that benefit the Jewish state. She leverages her visibility to promote positive relations between Christians and Israel, emphasizing the importance of supporting the country and contributing to initiatives that raise awareness and funds for Israeli causes. Since October 7, Heaton has consistently spoken out for Israel and called for the release of the hostages. She recently launched a mezuzah campaign encouraging non-Jews to affix mezuzahs to their doorposts in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people (See story, page 24).

Dr. Phillip Calvin McGraw, widely recognized as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show “Dr. Phil.” He has long been an outspoken supporter of Israel, especially in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.

Following these events, Dr. Phil traveled to Israel to witness the situation firsthand. He actively counters anti-Israel arguments, addressing their shortcomings and reinforcing the necessity of standing in solidarity with Israel during these challenging times.

Manny Pacquiao is a renowned Filipino boxer and politician celebrated for his remarkable achievements in the sport, having secured world titles in eight different weight classes. His boxing career has earned him global acclaim, making him a prominent figure in the sports world. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Pacquiao has made a significant impact as a former senator in the Philippines,

engaging in political and humanitarian efforts to improve the lives of his constituents.

In support of Israel, Pacquiao has worked to foster positive relations by participating in charity events and public engagements that promote goodwill between Christians and the Jewish state. As a devout Christian, he has often called on his followers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Dr. Phil McGraw

Photo credit: Phil McGraw photographed for the cover of Newsweek magazine by Jerry Avenaim

11

Manny Pacquiao

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November 2024 • Israel InSight

50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

12

Mike Huckabee

13

Pastor Sandor Nemeth

14

Rev. Peter Fast

Mike Huckabee, a former pastor who served as the Governor of Arkansas, ran as the Republican presidential candidate in both 2008 and 2016. He currently hosts a TV program on TBN called “Huckabee.” An ardent supporter of Israel, Huckabee has visited the country dozens of times and led thousands on solidarity tours to the Holy Land. He is a prominent advocate for

Israel in the media and was a leading voice in the push for the U.S. to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Since October 7, he has spearheaded a pro-Israel campaign of public diplomacy on social media and through his many media appearances.

Governor Mike Huckabee was honored with the Israel Allies Foundation’s Israel Allies Award in 2023.

Pastor Sandor Nemeth is the founder and senior pastor of Faith Church in Hungary, which has provided moral and practical support for Israel over the past 40 years. The influence of this community, now over 70,000 members, extends well beyond its congregation through various national media initiatives, including television programming and academic institutions.

Faith Church actively engages in grassroots political events and hosts Israel-themed international conferences.

They contribute to legislation and raise their voices against antisemitism and

anti-Zionism, organizing large protests when necessary and advocating in parliament. Their extensive diplomacy has facilitated a steady influx of tourists to Israel, fostering genuine respect and admiration for the Jewish state.

Through these efforts, Pastor Sandor Nemeth has made a significant impact on the lives of Israelis and the Jewish community, promoting understanding and solidarity between Hungary and Israel. He is also the owner of ATV and Hetek magazine, one of the few media sources in Europe that provides fair and balanced coverage of Israel.

Rev. Peter Fast is the International CEO of Bridges for Peace, an organization dedicated to supporting Israel and fostering relationships between Christians and Jews both in Israel and around the world. Before this role, he served as the national director for Bridges for Peace Canada. Peter is an educator on topics such as Hebraic roots, historical and modern Israel, Christian antisemitism, and early church history. As a sought-after

speaker, he captivates audiences with his engaging presentations. Additionally, he is an accomplished author, having written two novels that reflect his insights and experiences.

Bridges for Peace is one of the largest Christian ministries based in Israel and has been working diligently to meet the needs of communities across the Jewish state since the outbreak of war on October 7.

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50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

15

Troy A. Miller

16

Mike Evans

17

Stefan Thompson

Photo credit: Damian Szprejda

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Troy A. Miller, a seasoned executive with over 30 years of management and business experience, is the president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters and NRBTV. Under Miller’s leadership, NRB has developed strong partnerships aimed at enhancing the relationship between the Christian community and the Jewish people, particularly through the NRB International Christian Media Convention. The 2024 convention emphasized the tragedy of October 7, featuring numerous events designed to educate and encourage support for Israel, as well as the annual Breakfast to Honor Israel, which brought together Christian and Jewish leaders. This year, under Troy Miller’s guidance, NRB adopted a resolution calling on its members to avoid the erroneous term “West Bank” and

instead refer to the Biblical Heartland region of Israel by its historic and biblical names, Judea and Samaria.

Over the years, NRB’s Board of Directors has passed numerous resolutions honoring Israel and condemning antisemitism. As president and CEO, Miller has consistently upheld NRB’s longstanding commitment to supporting Israel and advocating for the welfare of the Jewish community.

“I am grateful to be recognized by the Israel Allies Foundation as one of Israel’s Top 50 Christian Allies,” Miller said. “The past year has strengthened and reinforced evangelical Christian solidarity with Israel during Israel’s time of need, and the Christian broadcasting community has been unwavering in its commitment to moral clarity and truthful reporting.”

Dr. Mike Evans has dedicated over 50 years to defending Israel and advocating for the Jewish people. As the founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center, he leads a global prayer initiative for the peace of Jerusalem, rallying millions of believers through the 73 million-strong Jerusalem Prayer Team Facebook page. Dr. Evans has collaborated closely with leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Net-

anyahu and President Donald Trump, hosting numerous foreign dignitaries at the FOZ building in Jerusalem. Since October 7, he has worked tirelessly to support survivors of the terrorist attacks, raising awareness and providing charity and care for affected families.

On October 6th, 2024, Evans led a major commemoration service to remember the victims of October 7, which was broadcast to the Christian world.

Stefan Tompson is a South African-Polish social media commentator and content creator. He is a co-founder of Visegrad24, where he produces insightful content on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and other global political issues.

In October, research conducted by the University of Washington identified Visegrad24 as one of the seven most influential accounts on X, with over 1.1 million followers and more than 1 billion impressions.

Born in London to Polish and South

African parents, Tompson asserts that his support for Israel “is not an act of altruism, but an act of self-interest,” believing that Hamas poses a threat to Western civilization. In January, he visited Israel and filmed 1,090 videos showcasing various aspects of the country, from the vibrant cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to the mixed city of Ramallah and the sites of the October 7 attacks. Since October 7, his content on the war has been among the most viewed on Twitter, creating a new realm of support for the Jewish state.

50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

18

William “Bill” Holmes

19

Cheryl Chumley

20

Pastor Jair Montenegro

William L. “Bill” Holmes is a co-founder and partner in several successful ventures, including MidStates Operating Company, Trinity Royalty Partners, LP, BJ Environmental Services, LP, BJ Realty Partners, and Landover Corporation.

Beyond his business achievements, Holmes is a dedicated supporter of Israel and faith-based diplomacy. As a devout Christian, he is committed to promoting biblical values, including

the imperative to bless Israel. He serves on the Christian Advisory Board of the Israel Allies Foundation.

“I stand with Israel, because Israel is God’s chosen land, for His chosen people,” he said. “The re-establishment of Israel as a nation for the Jewish people after WWII is a fulfillment of God’s prophecy. As a Christian by profession of faith, I am called, and it is my pleasure, to stand and pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).”

Cheryl Chumley is an American journalist, author, and conservative commentator currently serving as the online opinion editor for The Washington Times. She frequently contributes to discussions on political and social issues across various media platforms, including news programs, radio shows, and podcasts, and has authored several books.

A strong advocate for constitutional rights, Chumley often challenges efforts to undermine them. She is a vocal supporter of Israel, emphasizing the strategic and moral significance of maintaining a firm U.S. stance in backing the country against its adversaries.

In her commentary, she highlights the

threats posed to Israel by groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, advocating for a robust defense policy and strong diplomatic ties to ensure Israel’s security.

In March, Chumley traveled to Israel to witness the aftermath of the October 7 terrorism firsthand. She visited the site of the Nova music festival, describing the memorial as “having the feel of 9/11.” Her trip also included a visit to the Old City of Jerusalem, where she explored the deep connections between Jews and Christians. She has consistently called out injustices against the Jewish state and remains a vocal advocate for Israel.

Pastor Jaír Montenegro is the co-founder and director of the Roka Ministry in Bogotá, Colombia and has served as a pastor for 30 years in various ministries with a global reach. He is currently a member of the board of directors of El Keren Kayemet LeIsrael in Colombia. His passion for souls and love for God’s people have led him, along with the renowned Pastor William Arana, “the voice of the Daily Doses” and founder of El Ministerio

Roka, to develop and lead projects and solidarity activities that have blessed the state of Israel in difficult times.

Since 2017, they have supported the March of Life in Colombia together with Roka Ministry and Pastor Raul Rubio, with the participation of thousands of people. Their commitment to the Israeli people has led them to donate trees in Israel. He has also taken hundreds of pilgrims to the Holy Land, supporting local tourism.

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50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

21

Ralph Reed

22 Tom Hess

23

Sheree Trotter

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Ralph Reed is a prominent political strategist, serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of Century Strategies, a public relations and public affairs firm. With extensive experience in presidential politics, he has played a key role in seven presidential campaigns. Notably, he served as a senior adviser to President George W. Bush during the 2000 and 2004 elections and was the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party from 2001 to 2002.

In addition to his work in political

campaigns, Reed is a significant leader in conservative advocacy, particularly within faith-based movements. He chairs the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a grassroots organization that promotes conservative values with a strong emphasis on pro-Israel policies.

Before this role, he served as the executive director of the Christian Coalition, where he successfully mobilized evangelical voters and established the organization as a key player in Republican politics.

An Israeli resident of Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives since 1987, Pastor Tom Hess and his wife, Kate, are the founders and leaders of the Jerusalem House of Prayer for All Nations. This prayer house has maintained continuous 24/7 prayer and worship for 35 years.

Tom also organizes the All Nations Convocation in Jerusalem and the Watchman’s Tour of Israel, hosting

5,000 delegates annually since 1994, along with a yearly Global Government Leaders Summit in Jerusalem. He is a vocal advocate for Aliyah and the Isaiah 19 Highway vision. Additionally, he convenes a Global Day of Prayer on June 7 each year to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.

Tom and Kate have co-authored and published 35 books, including “Let My People Go” and “The Watchman.”

Dr. Sheree Trotter is the founder and executive director of Crossover: Israel, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the bond between Christian communities and the state of Israel. Through Crossover: Israel, she leads initiatives aimed at educating and engaging individuals about Israel’s significance, fostering a deeper understanding and support within Christian circles.

Under her leadership, Crossover: Israel offers a variety of programs that

emphasize Israel’s historical, cultural, and geopolitical importance. Trotter’s work focuses on building bridges and promoting positive relationships between Christians and Israel, enhancing mutual appreciation through educational and cultural exchanges.

She is also the founder of the Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem, which advocates for the Jewish people’s indigenous rights to the Land of Israel, supported by Indigenous peoples from around the world.

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Apostle Arome Osayi

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Charles McVety

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Dave Weldon

Apostle Arome Osayi is a prominent Nigerian pastor and the founder of the Remnant Christian Network, an organization dedicated to spiritual revival and empowering believers. His ministry is characterized by dynamic preaching, prophetic insights, and a strong emphasis on spiritual warfare and Christian living.

Apostle Osayi demonstrates his support for Israel by emphasizing the nation’s biblical and prophetic signif-

icance in his teachings. He advocates for Christian solidarity with Israel, highlighting the importance of standing with the Jewish state in the context of biblical prophecy. His support for Israel is evident in his sermons and the overarching messages of his ministry, which underscore Israel’s role and encourage Christians to cultivate positive relations and understanding toward the nation. He has also led pro-Israel activities on the African continent in response to the atrocities of October 7.

Dr. Charles McVety is the president of Canada Christian College in Whitby, Ontario, and a prominent evangelical Christian leader and conservative political activist. Recognized as Canada’s most influential pro-Israel pastor, he has organized numerous pro-Israel rallies and is deeply involved in advo-

cacy efforts. McVety established the Israel Allies Foundation Canada and has hosted the first Israel Allies Gala dinner in Canadian history, honoring former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Since October 7, he has led multiple campaigns to combat the rise of antisemitism in Canada.

Dr. Dave Weldon is an American physician and former Member of Congress who served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2009. During his tenure, he was a founding member of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus, alongside Rep. Eliot Engel. Weldon’s vision for establishing the first sister caucus to the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus was instrumental in the formation of Israel Allies Caucuses in over 50 countries worldwide, fostering international support for Israel.

Following his retirement from Congress, Weldon continued his advocacy for Israel by joining the board of the Israel Allies Foundation. After the passing of Rabbi Benny Elon, he stepped into the role of Chairman of the Board, where he has worked to strengthen ties between Israel and Christian communities globally. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to promoting Israel’s interests and ensuring continued bipartisan support within legislative bodies.

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Kathie Lee Gifford

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Anthony “Tony” Perkins

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Bishop Robert Stearns

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Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television personality, actress and singer best known for her work on the talk shows “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee” and “Today” with Hoda Kotb.

Throughout her career, she has made significant contributions to the entertainment industry through her music, books and film projects.

Beyond her entertainment career, Gifford actively supports Israel through various initiatives. She has

participated in fundraising events and charity projects aimed at assisting Israeli communities and fostering positive relations between Israel and the international community. Her advocacy often involves using her platform to raise awareness and generate support for causes related to Israel. Since October 7, she has intensified her pro-Israel activities and has been outspoken against the rise of antisemitism in America.

Anthony “Tony” Perkins is the president of the Family Research Council, a Christian conservative policy and lobbying organization based in Washington. Perkins participated in the “Christians in Solidarity with Israel” trip organized by the National Religious Broadcasters, where he broadcast his radio show live from Jerusalem to demonstrate Christian support for the

Jewish state. An outspoken supporter of Israel, he traveled to Israel after October 7 to show solidarity in the wake of the war against Hamas. He has also been a major advocate for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

Since then, FRC has become an even more vocal advocate for the Jewish state, mobilizing its extensive membership base in support of Israel.

Bishop Robert Stearns is the founder and executive director of Eagles’ Wings. He has ministered in more than 30 nations worldwide, with a central focus on Israel. A powerful communicator, Stearns is the author of seven books and speaks across the country at various churches, conferences, and venues. He is also an accomplished recording artist and soloist.

Stearns is the visionary behind the worldwide prayer initiative, “The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem,” which is observed annually on the first Sunday of October and involves the participation of over 500,000 churches

in more than 175 nations. Additionally, he serves as the presiding bishop of the historic Tabernacle Church in Buffalo, N.Y., and as president of the Israel Christian Nexus in Los Angeles, Calif. He is at the forefront of educating Christian communities worldwide about the role of Israel, the Jewish people, and our shared Judeo-Christian values.

Since October 7, Stearns has hosted multiple events in support of Israel and recently launched the Bonhoeffer Declaration, one of the largest Christian unity declarations in modern history, standing against anti-Semitism.

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Pastor Terri Pearsons

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Pastor Joseph Prince

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Pastor Jobst Bittner

Pastor Terri Pearsons is a prominent Christian leader, pastor and author who heads Terri Pearsons Ministries, which is dedicated to teaching faith and empowering believers around the world. As the daughter of Kenneth Copeland, she has continued her family’s legacy of ministry through impactful teaching and leadership. Pearsons is known for her dynamic preaching and commitment to helping individuals grow spiritually, with her ministry reaching a wide audience through various media platforms.

In her support for Israel, Pearsons emphasizes the nation’s biblical significance. She participates in and

promotes initiatives that enhance Christian understanding and support for Israel, including educational events and trips to the Holy Land. By advocating for Israel’s role in the Christian faith and encouraging believers to stand with the nation, Pearsons helps strengthen the relationship between Christians and Israel. Alongside her husband, George Pearsons, she pastors Eagle Mountain International Church and has generously supported Israel, particularly in the wake of October 7.

Her ministry has donated millions of dollars to Israel for aliyah, social projects and advocacy.

Pastor Joseph Prince is a founding member of New Creation Church in Singapore. His unanimous appointment as senior pastor in 1990 marked a significant turning point in the church’s history. Under Prince’s leadership, the congregation has grown more than a hundredfold — from approximately 150 to over 31,000 attendees.

New Creation Church also organizes

frequent trips to Israel.

With more than two decades of full-time ministry experience, Joseph Prince is now a leading voice in ministry worldwide through his books, teaching resources and television ministry. His strong advocacy for Israel has inspired millions in Asia and around the globe to support the Jewish state.

Pastor Jobst Bittner, founder of TOS Church in Tübingen, is the initiator of the March of Life movement, which has spread to over 20 nations and 400 cities. In 2024, more than 100 marches were held on Yom HaShoah and other dates, carrying the message “Am Israel

Chai” and mobilizing tens of thousands in support of Israel and against antisemitism. On October 7, 2024, a worldwide vigil honored the victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks by reading their names at 130 locations across 25 nations.

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Michele Bachmann

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Rev. Cornelis Kant

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David Parsons

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Michele Bachmann served as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 6th congressional district from 2007 to 2015, becoming the first Republican woman from Minnesota elected to the House. She is currently the dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University and the chair of the Family Research Council. A devout Evangelical Christian, Bachmann actively supports Israel, addressing the conflicts involving Hamas and Hezbollah while emphasizing the importance

of Christian backing for Israel.

As co-chair of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, she encourages the Christian community to unite in prayer for Israel’s peace and protection. A tireless advocate for a united Jerusalem and the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the capital city, Bachmann has intensified her outspoken support for Israel following the tragedy of October 7, participating in numerous interviews and events to advocate for the Jewish State.

Rev. Cornelis Kant is a Dutch pastor and the executive director of Christians for Israel International, one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in Europe. He currently serves on the Christian Advisory Board of the Israel Allies Foundation Europe.

His work emphasizes promoting a deeper understanding of Israel’s role in biblical prophecy and encouraging Christian support for the Jewish state.

Kant organizes educational programs, conferences, and outreach initiatives to highlight Israel’s significance and ad-

dress misconceptions within Christian circles.

Through Christians for Israel International, Kant seeks to bridge cultural and religious divides by fostering dialogue and collaboration between Christians and Israelis. His leadership is crucial in advancing the organization’s mission to build solidarity and mutual respect, supporting Israel’s right to exist and thrive while enhancing Christian appreciation of the nation’s historical and spiritual importance.

David Parsons is the vice president and international spokesperson for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, a prominent organization dedicated to strengthening ties between Christians and Israel. He is an author, attorney, journalist, minister and Middle East specialist. Having been on staff in Jerusalem for the past 22 years, Parsons has been interviewed by hundreds of media outlets and travels the world to speak about Israel. His weekly podcast delivers insights about Israel directly from the region to viewers

around the globe.

Parsons is recognized for his efforts to educate global audiences about the significance of the Jewish state, promoting understanding and solidarity within Christian communities.

He frequently speaks at conferences, events, and media platforms, emphasizing the importance of Christian advocacy for Israel. Before moving to Jerusalem, Parsons worked in Washington, where he played a key role in drafting and passing the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995.

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Lela Gilbert

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Matt Schlapp

Lela Gilbert is an accomplished author, journalist and speaker focused on international religious freedom and the challenges faced by religious minorities. Her work frequently addresses the persecution of Christians and the broader implications of violations of religious rights worldwide. Gilbert is recognized for her in-depth reporting and analysis, contributing to various publications and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting religious liberties.

In her support for Israel, Gilbert actively advocates for the country’s security and legitimacy through her writing and public appearances. She emphasizes Israel’s role in the Middle East and its significance from both religious and geopolitical perspectives.

Her work often highlights the challenges Israel faces and supports efforts to strengthen its position on the global stage, reflecting her commitment to both the nation and the broader cause of religious freedom.

Matt Schlapp is an American political consultant and the chairman of the American Conservative Union, an organization dedicated to promoting conservative policies and values. As the leader of the ACU, he plays a key role in organizing the Conservative Political Action Conference, a major annual event that attracts prominent figures from the Republican Party and the conservative movement. Schlapp is a well-known advocate for conservative causes and has a strong presence

in political media, where he frequently discusses policy issues and promotes conservative viewpoints.

Through his work with the ACU, Schlapp has consistently demonstrated strong support for Israel, advocating for robust U.S.-Israel relations and pro-Israel policies. At events like CPAC, he emphasizes the strategic and moral importance of supporting Israel, bringing together conservative leaders and activists to discuss and promote initiatives that benefit the nation.

Jentezen Franklin is the senior pastor of Free Chapel, a multi-campus megachurch. Each week, his television program, “Kingdom Connection,” is broadcast on major networks around the world. A New York Times best-selling author, Jentezen has written 10 books, including “Why Bless Israel,” “Acres of Diamonds,” and the groundbreaking “Fasting and Right People, Right Place, Right Plan.”

Pastor Franklin has raised significant funds for various projects in Israel.

Through friends and ministry partners, they have built a church in Jerusalem, constructed housing for Holocaust survivors, and provided critical food and medical assistance. More recently, he helped rebuild and restore the devastated community of Mevo Modi’im. His

organization has supported numerous projects in the Eshkol region of Israel, and much of the equipment provided

by Jentezen Franklin Media Ministries, in collaboration with JNF, helped defend communities on October 7.

Since that day, JFMM has launched an initiative called “From Darkness to Light,” aimed at building safe rooms in every home, establishing safe houses in communities, and constructing 10 command and control centers that will include a fire station, ambulance services, and communication facilities.

Additionally, they are working on building the first emergency hospital in the Upper Galilee, designed to protect the Jewish people from threats posed

by Iranian and Hezbollah missiles and drones.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

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Jentezen Franklin

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Pastor Marcos da Costa Brunet is a highly influential leader in Córdoba, Argentina, where he heads the ministry Take Your Place (Toma tu lugar in Spanish). He is also a singer, speaker and composer of contemporary Christian music. In December 2006, he was ordained as a pastor by the Council of Pastors of Rio de Janeiro, registered

with the OMEB (Order of Evangelical Ministers of Brazil).

In 2023, the Friends of Zion Museum honored Pastor Brunet with the Medallion of Jerusalem in recognition of his significant support for the State of Israel. Following the events of October 7, 2023, he has focused his conferences on teaching biblical principles for praying for Israel. He is very active on social media, using his influence to educate his followers about Israel across various platforms.

Natalie Grant is a celebrated American contemporary Christian music artist known for her dynamic vocals and inspirational songwriting. With a career spanning over two decades, she has received multiple Dove Awards and is recognized for popular hits like “Held” and “King of the World.” Her music often explores themes of faith, hope, and personal empowerment, establishing her as a prominent figure in

the Christian music scene.

In addition to her musical accomplishments, Grant actively supports Israel through various initiatives. She participates in fundraising events for Israeli charities and uses her platform to advocate for related causes. Her efforts include raising awareness about the needs of Israeli communities and fostering connections in support of Israel.

Mike Sodrel served as a Member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2007, representing Indiana’s ninth district.

During his time in office, he was an active member of several committees, including Agriculture, Transportation & Infrastructure, Small Business, and Science. Alongside his late wife, Keta, Sodrel was a strong advocate for Israel, significantly enhancing the engagement of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus.

After leaving Congress in 2008, Mike joined the board of the Israel

Allies Foundation, where he currently serves as vice-chairman of the Board of Directors. Together with Keta, he dedicated considerable time and energy to the Foundation, supporting numerous initiatives. The Sodrels frequently traveled to Israel and Washington, attending events and working tirelessly to promote the mission of the Israel Allies Foundation on Capitol Hill and beyond. They were the first recipients of the Israel Allies Award, an annual honor given to those who have distinguished themselves in support of the Jewish state.

Pastor Marcos de Costa Brunet

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Natalie Grant

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Mike Sodrel

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Pastor Shanuka Elangasekere of Agape Ministries is a dedicated advocate for Israel and serves as the Chairperson of the Israel Sri Lanka Solidarity Movement (ISSOM). She leads a grassroots effort to rally the silent ma-

jority of Sri Lankans — approximately 75 to 80 percent — in support of Israel.

Shanuka and her team work tirelessly to counter biased media narratives and engage with government officials and thought leaders to promote Israel.

Driven by strong faith and conviction, she envisions a united international community centered around Israel, inspired by biblical teachings.

Karel Sedlacek has over 25 years of experience fostering relations with Israel and has become a stalwart advocate for the country’s interests in diplomatic circles. He serves as the Director of the Czech Republic Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus, demonstrating his commitment to strengthening ties between the two nations. Notably, Sedlacek played a pivotal role in or-

ganizing the inaugural European conference of the Israel Allies Caucuses in the Czech and Slovak parliaments.

This landmark event brought together dignitaries from both republics, Israeli ambassadors, and the mayor of Jerusalem, showcasing Sedlacek’s significant contributions to diplomatic cooperation and friendship between Israel and the Czech Republic.

Pastor Shanuka Elangsekere

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Karel Sedlacek

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Bishop Joshua Nzyoki Mulinge Bishop Joshua Nzyoki Mulinge is the founder and Presiding Bishop of God’s House of Marvels International Church, overseeing more than 100 churches across Kenya. With over 40

years of experience in ministry and international diplomacy, he also serves as president of the Africa-Israel Initiative, fostering strong ties between African nations and Israel. A strong proponent of Aliyah, he organizes influential conferences and develops economic partnerships. As an author and leader, he inspires many.

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50Israel’s Top Christian Allies

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Pastor Jimmy Evans

Photo credit: Jimmy Evans Facebook

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Lance Wallnau

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Tim Dunn is the CEO of CrownQuest Operating, LLC, and CrownRock LP, where he oversees significant operations in the oil and gas sector.

His success in the energy industry has established him as a prominent figure in Texas’s business community.

In addition to his business accomplishments, Dunn is deeply committed to Christian advocacy and support for Israel. As chairman of the Christian Advisory Board for the Israel Allies

Foundation, he passionately works to strengthen the bond between the United States and Israel. His dedication to the Jewish State has led him to organize numerous trips to Israel, providing key decision-makers and politicians the opportunity to experience the region’s realities firsthand.

Through these efforts, Dunn aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Israel’s historical and geopolitical significance.

Pastor Jimmy Evans is an American pastor, author and speaker known for his impactful work in marriage and family ministry through his organization, MarriageToday. As the founder and CEO, he provides essential resources, counseling and educational materials aimed at strengthening relationships and promoting healthy marriages. His influence extends to a wide audience through books, seminars and media appearances, where he shares practical advice and biblical principles to help couples build lasting connections.

In addition to his marriage ministry, Evans actively supports Israel, advocating for strong Christian solidarity with the Jewish state. He frequently incorporates his support for Israel into his teachings and public speaking engagements, emphasizing the importance of standing with Israel from both a biblical and strategic perspective. Through his ministry and outreach efforts, Evans seeks to deepen understanding of Israel’s significance and encourage Christian support for its well-being and security.

Lance Wallnau is an American author, speaker and consultant renowned for his contributions to Christian leadership and prophetic ministry. He is widely recognized for his teachings on the intersection of faith, politics and culture, emphasizing how Christians can engage with and influence societal and governmental systems. Wallnau’s work includes writing books, leading conferences, and guiding how faith can address contemporary issues. He is politically active, mobilizing Christians

to participate in the political process by voting and advocating for biblical values.

In his support for Israel, Wallnau highlights the nation’s significance in biblical prophecy and encourages Christian solidarity with the Jewish state. His efforts reflect a commitment to strengthening ties between Christians and Israel, emphasizing the importance of understanding and supporting Israel from a faith-based perspective.

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Rev. Hayley Ace

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Dave Ramsey

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Pastor Jim Scudder Jr.

Reverend Hayley Ace, co-founder of the grassroots movement Christian Action Against Antisemitism with her husband, Timothy Gutmann, is a dedicated advocate for the Jewish community. Both reverends from Lea Valley Church in Waltham Abbey, they stand firmly alongside the British Jewish community in the fight against antisemitism. Hayley passionately

emphasizes Christians’ duty to love Israel and the Jewish people, teaching the history of Christian antisemitism to educate others about racism against Jews. As a member of New Zealand’s Māori minority, she also advocates for all indigenous peoples to support Israel, highlighting the importance of solidarity in combating prejudice and promoting understanding.

Dave Ramsey is a prominent financial advisor and media personality known for his expertise in personal finance. As the founder of Ramsey Solutions and host of “The Dave Ramsey Show,” he offers practical advice on managing finances, eliminating debt and building wealth. He is also a best-selling author, having written several influential books on financial management.

In addition to his financial work, Ramsey actively supports charitable

initiatives that benefit Israeli communities, contributing to organizations that provide humanitarian aid and support to those in need in Israel.

Recently, after the Sonesta Hotel in Nashville canceled its hosting of the Israel Summit due to alleged safety concerns from anti-Israel activists, Dave Ramsey stepped in to accommodate and even expand the event. He expressed pride in standing alongside friends from Israel by hosting the summit.

Pastor Jim Scudder Jr. is a Christian pastor, author, and broadcaster leading Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, Ill. He hosts the “InGrace” television and radio program, where he shares biblical teachings and Christian perspectives. Additionally, he oversees Dayspring Bible College and Seminary, continuing the ministry legacy of his father, Dr. James A. Scudder.

A passionate advocate for evangelism and Christian living, Scudder promotes support for Israel by highlighting its biblical significance and organizing tours to strengthen connections between American Christians and

the nation. Through his ministry and media efforts, he frequently discusses Israel on “InGrace,” emphasizing its spiritual and historical importance.

In May, Scudder traveled to Israel to dispel misconceptions about the country. He engaged with politicians, rabbis and activists while visiting sites affected by the events of October 7 to uncover the truth for himself. He works to foster understanding of Israel’s challenges and advocates for its right to self-defense. Using his platform, Scudder encourages prayers, support, and solidarity with Israel.

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DIGGING Israel

Photo by Menachem Wecker

A portion of the mosaic, dated to about the year 230, on view in the exhibit “The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faith” at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15, 2024.

“Greatest discovery since Dead Sea Scrolls” Megiddo mosaic goes on view at Bible Museum in Washington

By Menachem Wecker

trying to say to me about ancient history, about the history of Christianity, about the place in Israel and so much more,” (JNS) — For hundreds of years, a mosaic lay hidden in Megiddo in northern Israel until, in 2005, it was found and Campo said.

“This object really is a way for us to come together — a preserved as a local prison sought to expand. The mosaic way for us to see that these tiny little tesserae, these tiny recently made the trip — in nearly a dozen pieces — across little chips, these beautiful pieces when placed together — the ocean to Washington, where it is on exhibit at the Muthey tell a remarkable story of unity,” he told those assemseum of the Bible.

The exhibit “The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faith” bled. “We truly are among the first people to ever see this, to experience what almost 2,000 years ago was put together is on view until July 6, 2025. by a man named Brutius, the incredible craftsman who laid At an opening reception for the exhibit on Sept. 15, the flooring here.”

Carlos Campo, CEO of the museum, said that the mosaic, The mosaic, which contains a very early mention of the which dates to around the year 230, like an Impressionist name of Jesus and includes an illustration of two fish, as show that opened recently at the nearby National Gallery of well as a variety of geometric patterns, is “the greatest disArt, requires stepping back to take in the broader, unifying covery since the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Campo said. picture.

Gil Lin, the head of the Megiddo Regional Council, “Frankly, I’m still stepping back, because as I step back, agreed in his address at the reception.

I learn more about the power of this object and what it’s

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“The Megiddo mosaic represents the most significant ar- adorn floors. chaeological find since the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Lin said. “This “All the mosaics in the Roman period and the Byzantine mosaic, nearly 1,800 years old, is the earliest known house period are just like a carpet — that you walk over it,” she of prayer and the first physical proclamation of Jesus Christ said. as God. For billions worldwide, it’s not merely an artifact JNS asked if religious people at the time would have but a tangible link to shared history, tradition and faith.” found it anathema to tread on sacred symbols, and might The “priceless treasure from antiquity” have preferred instead to walk around The mosaic is the earliest religious symbols or divine names. Savarwill return home and will be installed where it was found and where it can be example to proclaim iego said ancient people didn’t have such best appreciated, he promised. “Megiddo a concern and would have walked on the Jesus as divine will do everything to build an ideal home mosaics and would have sat around them. for the Megiddo Mosaic and preserve this It is significant, she told JNS, that four invaluable piece of history,” he said. women are named in the mosaic, as is the man who created “Israel’s rich history has yielded countless archaeological the mosaic. The women could have been martyrs or could wonders, yet even our most seasoned historians stand in have been significant in other ways. awe of this remarkable discovery,” he added. “My father “We don’t know for sure,” Savariego said. “It doesn’t say used to say, ‘If these floors could share their past.’ Well, in Megiddo, they never stop talking.”

Eliav Benjamin, deputy chief of mission at the Israeli embassy in Washington, said at the reception that the “extraordinary artifact” reflects “the deep connections that unite us all, our nations, our people over history across the globe.”

“This is probably one of the best well-kept secrets not just in Israel but in the entire world until now,” he said. “So definitely a special occasion now to have it exposed for the first time. People in Israel haven’t seen it. People in the world haven’t seen it.”

He noted that the symbol of the fish in the center of the mosaic, which scholars think may refer to fish as symbols of Christianity, is on display in Washington as the High Holidays approach, and that the fish head is a Rosh Hashanah Photo by Menachem Wecker symbol for “a new beginning and a good start.”

A portion of the mosaic (including a very early reference to Jesus), dated to about the year 230, on view in the “This definitely is time for this, too,” he said. exhibit “The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faith” at Also in line with the approaching Rosh Hashanah holiday, the Museum of the Bible in Washington, on Sept. 15, 2024. there was a recitation of the Shehechiyanu blessing at the ribbon cutting that opened the show. what they are doing there.”

‘Like a carpet’

Alegre Savariego, curator of the Rockefeller collection and mosaics at the Israel Antiquities Authority who worked on the exhibition, told JNS that the most important thing for viewers to take away from the show is the significance of one of the inscriptions.

“We found the name of Jesus before Christianity was part of the Roman empire,” she said.

The inscription is the second one to be found naming Jesus, after a church in Dura Europos in present-day Syria, Savariego told JNS. She said that mosaics in this time period were meant to

It’s also unusual to have so many women named. “Not like this together,” she said. “You will have one sometimes, but not four.”

The artist being named is also noteworthy. “Usually, you don’t have it,” she said. “This is the only one in Israel.”

One of the inscriptions on the work notes that “Brutius has carried out the work.”

“The artists who created mosaics were a skilled workforce in the Roman Empire. Despite the practical and decorative value their work brought to Roman structures, only about 100 of them signed their work,” a wall text in the exhibit states.

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and which they might find lighter and more fragile than expected, that are of the variety that are included in the mosaic.

The entire mosaic is original, although a large set of stones in the middle of the floor is a replica. Scholars think that the original set of large stones, which is in Megiddo, was the base of a table, perhaps for use during the celebration of Communion.

“We archaeologists like to speculate a lot, and we have a good imagination,” Savariego told JNS. But she thinks it’s clear that there would have been a table in the middle of the mosaic floor.

“The news is not really objective,” she said. “We always try to be objective, to bring the archaeology and the history of Israel, and this is very important.”

“This is what we are,” she said. “Not just the bad things.”

Savariego noted that archaeological evidence demonstrates that Jews, Christians and Muslims interacted peacefully in the Negev, in the southern part of the Holy Land, in the sixth and seventh centuries.

“We are not colonizers,” she said. “We do have history, even if they don’t like it, we do have it.”

“We were always working together,” she added. “You cannot erase the history.”

In the exhibit at the Bible Museum, that history almost ‘You can’t erase history’ was a non-starter.

Savariego was also involved in curating the long-term Campo, the museum CEO, shared photos during the exhibit “The People of the Land: History and Archaeology opening reception of the boxed pieces of the mosaic just of Ancient Israel,” located not far from the Megiddo show at barely fitting, with four men holding it on a slant, through the Bible Museum.

It is very important for Israel to get to tell its own story in the door to the exhibit.

“That’s a close fit, buddy,” Campo said. that gallery, according to Savariego, who told JNS that press coverage often distorts the Jewish state.

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Rare First Temple-era stone seal unearthed in Jerusalem

(JNS) — A rare and unique First Temple-era stone seal inscribed with a name in paleo-Hebrew script has been uncovered near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Aug. 29.

The ancient black stone seal, which was unearthed in an excavation by the Temple Mount’s southern wall, is believed to date back 2,700 years, and was used by a senior official in the Kingdom of Judah’s administration, the state-run archaeological body said.

“The seal, made of black stone, is one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem, and is executed at the highest artistic level,” said Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom, who directed the excavations with funding from the City of David Foundation.

The object, which is engraved with reverse script, served its owner both as an amulet and as a signature for legal documents and certificates, according to the IAA. It has a hole drilled through its length so that it could be strung onto a chain and worn around the neck.

The artifact is engraved with the words LeYeho’ezer ben Hosh’ayahu — “For Yeho’ezer, son of Hosh’ayahu” — in paleo-Hebrew script.

Experts said that the seal is an extremely rare and unusual discovery.

“This is the first time that a winged ‘genie’ — a protective magical figure — has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology,” said Filip Vukosavović, IAA archaeologist and assyriologist. “Figures of winged demons are known in the Neo-Assyrian art of the ninth to seventh centuries BCE, and they were considered a kind of protective demon.”

The seal was apparently made by a local craftsman, “a Judahite, who produced the amulet at the owner’s request. It was prepared at a very high artistic level,” Vukosavović said.

The name Yeho’ezer appears in the Bible (Chron. I 12:7) in its abbreviated form, Yo’ezer, one of King David’s fighters. In the book of Jeremiah (43:2), which depicts events thought to have occurred during the same period the seal was in use, the name “Azariah ben Hosh’aya” appears. “Hosh’aya” is the abbreviated form of Hosh’ayahu.

“This is further evidence of the reading and writing abilities that existed in this period,” said Baruch. “Contrary to what may be commonly thought, it seems that literacy in this period was not the realm only of society’s elite. People

Photo by Eliyahu Yanai/City of David.

A 2,700-year-old stone seal inscribed in paleo-Hebrew with the name “LeYeho’ezer ben Hosh’ayahu”—“For Yeho’ezer son of Hosh’ayahu.”

knew how to read and write — at least at the basic level, for the needs of commerce.”

When Hosh’ayahu died, his son Yeho’ezer inherited the seal. He “added his name and his father’s name on either side of the demon,” in an effort to “directly appropriate to himself the beneficial qualities he believed the talisman embodied as a magical item,” the archaeologists believe.

The paleo-Hebrew inscription “was done in a sloppy manner,” unlike the “careful engraving of the demon,” indicating that it could have been “Yeho’ezer himself who engraved the names on the object,” said professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, who took part in the research.

“The spectacular and unique find opens another window for us into the days of the Kingdom of Judah during the First Temple period, and attests to that administration’s international connections,” said Israeli Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu. “In doing so, it demonstrates the importance and centrality of Jerusalem already 2,700 years ago. It is impossible not to be moved by such an unmediated and direct encounter with a chapter of our past, a time in which the First Temple stood in all its glory.”

Additional information about the seal was presented to the public at the annual “City of David Research Conference,” on Sept. 4 in Jerusalem.

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Seeing Red

accommodations the animals had enjoyed when flown across the Atlantic first class as pet luggage two years ago.

“If they’re going to be used for such a holy [purpose], then Indiana farmer tends to heifers that they should at least be presentable,” he told JNS in an interrelate to unusual ancient sacrifice view in May, recounting his first impressions of the heifers.

There and then, Borntrager got to work. The retired

By Etgar Lefkovits farmer, who was raised on a dairy farm in northern Indiana, (JNS) — When a small conference was held this spring in quickly made friends with the animals, cleaned their small Israel’s biblical heartland on the laws related to the red heif- shed, renovated the stalls and even installed fans ahead of the coming summer heat. er, both Hamas and Hezbollah posted the ad for the event on their Telegram pages.

In the months since, he has become an inseparable part of their lives when he is in Israel, caring for them and checking Just months earlier, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza had in on them a couple times a week. chosen the 100th day of the Israel-Hamas war to cite the relocation of five red heifers to Israel from the Lone Star Three of the heifers to be bred State as the reason for the Oct. 7 massacre, and called the “bringing of red cows as an application of a detestable reliA new visitor’s center is under construction at the site, gious myth designed for aggression against the feelings of where the curious will be able to watch a film about the an entire nation in the heart of its Arab identity.” history of the red heifers, according to Shapira. The center is slated to be completed this fall.

“It seems like the whole world is talking about the red heifers except in Israel,” said Moriyah Shapira, a spokesIn the meantime, three of the five animals, who are rouwoman for Ancient Shiloh, the Samaria region where tinely checked by a group of rabbis for any blemishes that the biblical Tabernacle once stood. And which, since late would strip them of their ritual eligibility (such as two hairs last year, has also served as the home of the select redof a different color), have been disqualified and will be bred dish-brown ginger calves which are theologically prerequi- in the coming weeks via artificial insemination to produce site to the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, raising interest more promising offspring, she said. and eyebrows in the Christian and the Muslim worlds, An unusual journey respectively.

Feasting on hay and feed in their upgraded lodgings, the “They understood the importance of red heifers more five affable calves, aptly named Tikva (Hope), Geula (Rethan us,” said Shapira. demption), Segula (Virtue), Techiya (Rebirth) and Nechama Upgrading their lodgings (Comfort), were glad to see the sprightly Indiana farmer as When Indiana farmer Larry Borntrager, 76, first chanced he entered their barn. Borntrager knows them all by name, and keeps a small notepad in his shirt-pocket with sketches upon the prized cows during a wartime trip to Israel last of each’s distinct characteristics. fall, his first thought was the state of their lodgings. The makeshift shed at the historical site was a far cry from the Borntrager, who is of Amish ancestry, is a Noahide, even declaring before a rabbinical court in Jerusalem that he observes the Seven Laws of Noah. It was this that allotted him special dispensation to care for the calves, if not as of yet a long-term visa to Israel.

His calling to Israel began back in the 1970s when he and his wife served as Mennonite missionaries in Central America. After the 1973 Yom Kippur War broke out, Borntrager says he was drawn to the Jewish state by what he terms an “inner calling.” He recalled feeling elated when he heard good news about Israel and down when the news was bad.

He was spending time in Israel’s Arava region with his wife and three sons in the 1980s when he first heard about the red heifers, and got connected with a dig in the Qumran caves looking for ashes of the ceremonies that took place

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Indiana farmer Larry Borntrager tends to the red heifers in Shiloh, Samaria, on May 18, 2024.

Credit: Courtesy.

dispensation to fly to Israel as pets in first-class luggage.

Despite the stir their presence in Israel has created abroad, the idea that they would actually be ritually sacrificed is presently far-fetched, even if a small group of rabbis is now studying the relevant religious laws.

The enigmatic red heifer, or Parah Adumah, is first mentioned in the Book of Numbers, when God instructs Moses and Aaron to take “a perfectly red, unblemished cow, upon which no yoke was laid.” The animal is subsequently slaughFrom the Lone Star State to the Jewish state tered, and its ashes used in a purification ritual.

The calves, too, have had an unusual journey. Born in Such animals were rare even in antiquity. Jewish sources Texas to a special breed of cows known as Red Angus, they state that only nine were slaughtered in the period from were only a month or so old when their owner connected Moses to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. with a group of people from Jerusalem who had put an ad According to the 12th-century Jewish sage Maimonides, the out in a U.S. farmer’s magazine in search of the elusive red Messiah will offer the tenth red heifer. heifer, which hadn’t been seen in two millennia. They were “This ceremony hasn’t been performed for two thousand offering a whopping $15,000 per cow (the going rate was years, ” Shapira said, downplaying concerns of a religious $300 to $1,000), according to Shapira. war. “The idea is to be ready with what we can.”

After getting a deluge of replies, the group first conducted For now, the biblical quote, with a sample of the cedar tests across the Atlantic via Zoom to see if the cows qualiwood and hyssop used in the ancient ceremony, are the only fied before traveling to the Lone Star State to perform the things on display outside their pen, and the calves seem intricate checks in person. One farm was of particular interest; the Christian owner told them by phone that he had destined both for longevity — and popularity as a tourist indeed chosen the breed thinking that they could potential- attraction after the war with Hamas ends.

For Borntrager, it makes no difference. ly serve in the Temple.

“This little thing I am doing is my contribution,” he said.

In the end, five female calves who because of Covid had not been branded — which would have disqualified them by “It’s most enjoyable for me to take care of them. I feel it’s religious law — were selected. Then, to circumvent restric- rewarding.” tions on the import of livestock, they were granted special over 2,000 years ago during the time of the Jewish Temples.

His plans to continue with the excavation were interrupted by the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023.

Instead, he volunteered in an Israeli agricultural community near the Gaza border. It was during his visit to an Israel at war that he learned the red heifers he had first heard about a quarter-century earlier were actually in Israel; a friend took him to see them in Shiloh.

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Archaeological finds continue to prove Jewish ties to Israel

By Moshe Phillips

Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem recently found a 2,000-year-old clay token that was used in connection with offerings at the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The four-inch token may seem small, but it’s actually a very big deal for Zionism and the Jewish people.

The token is the latest important finding by the Temple Mount Sifting Project, a group of archaeologists who for the past 20 years have been digging through tons of debris dumped outside Jerusalem’s city walls by the Islamic authorities who control the mosques on the Temple Mount.

For many years, in blatant disregard for the sanctity of the historical remains on the Temple Mount — the holiest site in Judaism — the Islamic officials have been carrying on renovations and then dumping the debris as if it was garbage.

The Islamic authorities have never wanted to draw attention to what their bulldozers uncover. And for good reason — because every piece of the past that is dug up reconfirms the thousands of years of Jewish history in the Holy Land.

By contrast, the archaeological findings from the Temple Mount are a reminder of how recent (and weak) the Arab connection to the country really is. The clay token that was just found there doesn’t contain any reference to “Palestine.” It doesn’t have any drawings of “Palestinian” kings or queens, or indigenous holidays, or ancient symbols. Because there aren’t any such things.

The clay token relates to the practices of religious pilgrims — that is, Jewish religious pilgrims — who came to the Temple in Jerusalem during biblical times. They came there because Jerusalem was always the center of Jewish religious and national life, and never the center of Arab or Muslim religious or national life, even during the years it was occupied by Muslim Arab regimes.

It was fitting that the token was discovered shortly before Passover because it is one of the three holidays — Jewish holidays, not “Palestinian” holidays — each year when Jews from around the country would bring their offerings to the Holy Temple, or Beit Hamikdash, in Jerusalem.

Since it was impractical for these Jewish pilgrims to bring with them all the religiously required items, they would purchase the tokens and then exchange them for the items needed for the Temple offerings. Nowadays, in the absence of a rebuilt national Temple in Jerusalem, descriptions of the offerings are included in the prayers that Jews around the world recite on those three holidays.

The tokens are specifically mentioned in the Talmud be-

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Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords found during an archaeological dig in the Judean Desert on display during a press conference at the Israel Antiquity Institute in Jerusalem, on Sept. 6, 2023.

cause they were a part of Jewish religious life in Jerusalem.

Not Muslim life. Not “Palestinian” life. Jewish life.

The archaeologists of the Temple Mount Sifting Project have during the past two decades uncovered several thousand items related to the biblical period. And not one of them refers to “Palestinians.” Isn’t that interesting?

Now you can see why the Islamic religious authorities were treating the materials as garbage. Every scoop of dirt has the potential to reveal further evidence that the rightful owners of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel are the Jewish people.

Moreover, the Jewish holidays — every one of them — are inextricably bound to the Holy Temple and the Temple Mount. Islam cannot say the same thing. The seder night is replete with examples of this concentration of Judaism on the Temple and the reason Jews recite “Next year in Jerusalem” both at the close of the seder and at the close of the fall holiday of Yom Kippur.

Fortunately, the archaeologists of the Temple Mount Sifting Project have stepped in to rescue Jewish national history. Their work is sacred work in the truest sense. They are not only achieving the high scientific purpose of archaeology; they are demonstrating, every day, the deep roots of the Jewish people in the Holy Land. Not because they set out to achieve that goal, but simply because that’s what the evidence shows.

Moshe Phillips is a commentator on Jewish affairs whose writings appear regularly in the American and Israeli press.

Israeli antibody treatment targets most aggressive breast cancer (JNS) — A newly developed antibody-based treatment for the most aggressive type of breast cancer could also be used to treat many other cancers, the Weizmann Institute of Science announced on Nov. 3.

The researchers at the university in the central Israeli city of Rehovot, which offers postgraduate-only degrees in the natural and exact sciences, discovered that aggressive breast cancer prompts nearby immune cells to build “molecular bridges” between themselves, which causes these cells to refrain from attacking the cancer and leads to suppression of the immune response.

An antibody treatment that blocks the building of these bridges was shown in a mouse model at the university’s laboratories to restore the immune system’s ability to attack with force, inhibiting the cancer’s progression, the university said.

In the past, cancer treatment focused on destroying the malignant cells, using radiation treatment or chemotherapy.

In recent decades, however, it has become evident that a tumor’s development depends on the communication between the cancer and the nearby noncancerous cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which the study fo-

cused on, is the most aggressive type of breast cancer and represents up to 20 percent of all new cases, the university said.

A significant proportion of these cancers occurs in patients with mutations in two genes, which are especially common among Ashkenazi Jews.

The City of Hope cancer treatment and research center in Duarte, Calif., in Los Angeles County, is working with the Weizmann Institute to develop therapies based on the antibody, the university said.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women around the world, after lung cancer. While steadily on the decline over the last several decades, the chances are that one in 39 women, or 2.5 percent, will succumb to the disease.

TNBC accounts for 15 to 20 percent of breast cancer cases. They lack or show low levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression and/or gene amplification.

The study is being published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell Reports.

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CAMPUS Israel

Photo by Cade Chudy

From Left: Rivka Kidron, Yarden Gonen, Michael Levy and the Passages students in front of the U.S. Capitol holding aloft pictures of hostages held in Gaza.

Christian students trained for a contentious semester

(JNS) — Hundreds of Christian college students underwent a training session in Washington in late July to prepare them to combat renewed anti-Israel and antisemitic activity on their campuses this fall.

More than 250 students from scores of universities and colleges across the U.S. and South Africa took part in sessions on Israeli history as well as how to advocate for the Jewish state and show solidarity with Jewish students.

They also met with two families of hostages abducted from Israel during the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, and held a prayer session with them on the National Mall, where anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations took place recently as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an address to a joint session of Congress.

“This was a really important weekend of training and uplifting hundreds of passionate Christian students who want to advocate for Israel and stand with their fellow Jewish students on campuses, where they are expecting an extremely challenging upcoming semester,” said Rivka Kidron, a former adviser on Diaspora and Christian affairs for Netanyahu and co-founder of Passages, which organized the event.

“Passages was created precisely for these moments, as an organization that will be a force-multiplier to help spread Israel’s case in the places where they are most challenged,” Kidron said.

The students met with the families of Romi Gonen and

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Or Levy, who were kidnapped from the Supernova music festival on Oct. 7. The Israelis spoke to the conference participants about their experiences and how they are working to free their kin.

An estimated 101 hostages remain held by Hamas in Gaza.

“Meeting with these passionate Christian students has been an extremely uplifting experience for us,” said Yarden Gonen, Romi’s sister, who has become one of the faces of the hostage families around the world.

“We know that they have taken on our mission of ensuring that our loved ones are not forgotten, and that they will share our stories with their families, friends, churches, communities and on their campuses.”

The conference included a group of students that was brought by South African Friends of Israel.

“Our students are devoted Christians and see the importance of strengthening our bonds with Israel, especially at such a challenging time in South Africa with our government taking a discriminatory stand against the Jewish state, which is not a true reflection of the average African,” said Danny Botn, CEO of South African Friends of Israel.

Dubbed the “Christian Birthright,” Passages has brought more than 11,000 Christian students from North America to visit Israel since the organization was formed in 2017, in an effort to both strengthen their religious identity and to build bridges of friendship with Israel and the Jewish people.

On Campus Who are the real students for justice in Palestine?

Hint: They aren’t the ones building encampments

By Julian Markowitz

dents check all of those boxes.

Let’s examine the words, one by one.

(JNS) — This is a message for pro-Israel students on campus: You are the Let us take the word “students,” real “Students for Justice in Palestine.” which these activists claim to be. While For those who don’t know, “Students the activists involved in the pro-Israel campus movement are students, many for Justice in Palestine” is the preeminent anti-Israel group on American col- of the activists involved in SJP are not lege campuses. It was they who primar- students at all. Rather, they are shady, ily ran the infamous encampments this quasi-professional agitators. Impervious to university sanction or discipline spring. SJP is a harmful organization, with no homework to complete and but you have to hand it to them, they do at least have a good name. Unfortu- no exams to cram for, the non-student ranks of SJP can dedicate themselves, nately, that self-appointed title as the defender of justice is wholly inaccurate. full-bore, to sowing discord and unrest It has long been argued that the Holy while brazenly violating university policies without fear of reprimand.

Roman Empire was neither holy nor These off-campus agitators borrow Roman; it was not even an empire. upon the legacy of pure student activIt might similarly be said that SJP is ism, as they cynically invoke the legacy neither student-driven nor seeking justice; it’s also not concerned with the of campus protest movements to advance their extreme, inorganic agenresidents of the region that some call da. Pro-Israel campus clubs have no Palestine. By contrast, pro-Israel stu-

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

Activists with Students for Justice in Palestine participate in an encampment protest at the University Yard at George Washington University in Washington, on April 25, 2024.

Casey Robert Goonan was arrested for allegedly torching a police cruiser and several campus areas at the University of California at Berkeley in response to an encampment crackdown. His attorney said the investigation is “political” based on his beliefs in a free Palestine. Students for Justice in Palestine at Columbia University called for his release, saying he took “rational action of targeting state infrastructure” and that the fires are “in direct response to the university’s violent police repression of their own students,” and that his sparks can be transformed into flames. Their graphic calling for him to be released also included “resistance is love.”

In early October, the University of Michigan Central Student Government debated the Gaza Reparations Act, which would have defunded almost all of the university’s student clubs so $440,000 could be sent to Birzeit University, which is near Ramallah, not in Gaza.

After the measure failed, by just 22-16, anti-Israel activists shouted obscenities to jeer the council and security officers who were on hand.

The Shin Bet announced on July 21 that five arrests were made in a Hamas plot to carry out a shooting attack in Judea and Samaria, directed by Hamas in Turkey. The five suspects are Hamas representatives to the student council at Birzeit University. Harvard University has an official partnership with Birzeit University.

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On Campus A JLens study shows that if the top 100 American universities boycotted Israel in its investments, based on recent returns of two hypothetical portfolios, one of which boycotted Israel-related firms, the universities would lose over $33 billion over the next decade.

In New York City, the New School Student Senate voted to freeze funding to all registered student organizations at the university, effectively shutting them down from accessing funds for any social event, seminar or other programming, until the university administration agrees to their demands for divestment from Israel. The measure passed, 16-1, on Aug. 24, and on Aug. 29, the university took control of the student activity fund, effectively reversing the senate’s decision.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, an unsanctioned student group, replaced Veterans Day with “Martyrs Day.” “Veterans Day is an American holiday to honor the patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice of veterans. We reject this holiday and refuse to celebrate it,” the group’s flyer stated, “The American war machine should not be honored for the horrors unleashed on others. Instead, we will celebrate Martyrs Day in honor of those martyred by the Israel-US war machine.”

They held a protest on the campus quad, while other students and veterans planted American flags nearby and held a peaceful counterdemonstration.

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such fellow travelers. They are entirely composed of enrolled students and reflect the feelings of a distinct, organic stakeholder group among the broader student body.

While SJP claims the mantle of the defenders and seekers of “justice,” pro-Israel students seek genuine justice.

What does “justice” look like in the context of SJP? Given the group’s longstanding and well-documented history of supporting, excusing and condoning Hamas terrorism, we can surmise that wanton murder and kidnapping is part of the “justice” SJP claims to promote.

We can also gather that for SJP, “justice” means the wholesale destruction of Israel. Indeed, its chapters routinely refuse even to dialogue with local Jewish groups on campus. Their refusal to “normalize” relations with their peers and classmates evidences their utter eliminationism when it comes to the State of Israel itself.

What about “justice” for Palestinians? Well, SJP has consistently failed to criticize Hamas’s murder of Palestinian political opponents, its open oppression of Palestinian women and the group’s tendency to throw Palestinians convicted of religious offenses off of tall buildings. We may conclude all this, too, fits within the perverse SJP conception of “justice.”

By way of comparison, pro-Israel campus clubs invariably support dignity and self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians, while celebrating diversity, empowered women, religious pluralism and thriving minority communities within Israel.

And the elephant in the room: the use of the word “Palestine” in SJP’s name.

This may throw off some pro-Israel readers. In some pro-Israel circles, Palestine is not preferred. Palestinian solidarity advocates, for their part,

refuse to say “Israel” or “Israeli” at all — instead referring to the state as “the Zionist entity” and to its citizens simply as “colonizers.” Yes, Palestine was a retronym applied to Judea by the Romans.

Yes, Palestine invokes the ancient and long-extinct Philistines (to whom present-day Palestinians bear no connection). Yes, Israel is a state that must be recognized and deserves to be called by its chosen name. But like it or not, old place names die hard. Mumbai and Bombay. Myanmar and Burma.

Istanbul and Constantinople (there’s a song or two about that one). Many well-meaning, reasonable, intelligent people call the region, the whole region, comprising Israel and the Palestinian areas, Palestine. For a long while, so did the early Zionists. Palestine is often used as a primarily geographic, not political, descriptor.

Differing names for the same area ought not obfuscate the reality: that pro-Israel students seek justice for all those in the region be they Arab or Ethiopian, Israeli or Palestinian, Christian, Muslim, Bahai, Druze or Jew. Were pro-Israel groups on campus to start self-identifying as “The Real Students for Justice in Palestine,” I’m certain that SJP wouldn’t appreciate it.

There might well be some Old Weststyle, “There’s no room in this town for the both of us” type showdown — such a showdown pro-Israel students should embrace.

Any open debate between “The Real Students for Justice in Palestine” and SJP would readily expose which group is composed of students, which group possesses a legitimate conception of justice and which group seeks the well-being of all people in the region some know as Palestine.

Julian Ross Markowitz is a marketing and public relations executive based in Los Angeles.

Halt Federal funding to antisemitic universities

By Etgar Lefkovits

told the gala attendees “It’s us, plus God, against the whole (JNS) — The United States should halt federal funding to world,” to enthusiastic applause.

Gila Gamliel, Israel’s Minister of Innovation, Science and universities that back antisemitism and incitement against Technology, said that “Christian support for Israel is not Jewish students, and professors who voice such hate in their merely a political stance; it is a moral and biblical comclassrooms should be ousted from campus, the lieutenant mitment. This evening has been a testament to the often governor of Texas says. unspoken truth that indeed Israel has strong support, deLt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke as the academic year opened termined allies and righteous voices standing up for Israel in the United States after months of often violent and anin a swamp of opposition and slander.” tisemitic anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses the previous year that stunned the American Jewish community in ways not seen since World War II. “There is no room for terrorizing Jewish students on our campuses and professors that preach hate should be gone,” Patrick told JNS on Sept. 19. “If you behave like that you will not be in class anymore.”

He said that he was both “shocked and disgusted” at the antisemitic protests that erupted across America since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, which, Courtesy of the Israel Allies Foundation although originating from a minority of Daystar Television Network copeople, were being amplified by Amerifounder Joni Lamb receives the can professors in the classroom.

‘Read the Bible’

Joni Lamb, co-founder of the Daystar Television Network who was honored at this year’s event, told JNS: “Any true evangelical Christian that reads the Bible understands that the Land of Israel was given to the Israeli people and understands why it is so important that we stand with Israel.”

The evangelical channel, which reaches over 100 million homes in the United States alone, has donated $16 million to Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, to help rebuild Israeli communities near Gaza and provide bulletproof vests and helmets to IDF soldiers.

Israel Allies Foundation annual award in Dallas.

“As a Christian, we always pray for ‘God is on your side’ Israel, and you can’t create a better combination than “We are the Lone Star State, and you are the Lone Star Christians and Jews fostering the best of relations,” said Bill Country,” Patrick said in an address at the Israel Allies Foundation annual U.S. gala in Dallas on Sept. 19. “You will Holmes, a Texas entrepreneur who was one of the sponsors of the event. win this fight because God is on your side and Texas is on “It’s been a blessing to serve Israel in Texas where Israel your side.” has true friends,” the Israeli Consul General to the SouthPatrick was baptized in the Jordan River, near the Sea of west Livia Link-Raviv told JNS. “This friendship is not taken Galilee, during a trip to Israel in 2016. for granted at this time.”

The gathering of philo-Semites honoring the evangelical “It’s so vital that we stand on the right side of history and community for their support for Israel also comes at a time the right side of God,” Paula White, an American televanwhen the Jewish state is facing international opprobrium gelist and former faith adviser to former Trump, told JNS. over the 11-month-old war against the Hamas terrorist “This pact between Jews and Christians is more necessary organization. than ever before.”

“We are so used to being on the short end of history,” said The Washington-based Israel Allies Foundation has emerged former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, recountas a powerhouse of faith-based diplomacy since its inception ing the Jewish people’s centuries of persecution since the nearly two decades ago and boasts a network of 1,500 legislatime of Babylon. “We have been running and running and we were looking for salvation. Now we have this incredible tors in more than 50 parliaments around the world.

“Following Oct. 7 and the ongoing war Israel is facing, bond with this wonderful Christian community that we coupled with the surge in antisemitism globally, it is more never had before.” crucial than ever that we unite in support of the one and Friedman, who served under President Donald Trump, only Jewish state,” said Josh Reinstein, IAF president.

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SPORTS Israel

Meet Israel’s First Christian Olympic Athlete

By Jonathan Feldstein

but didn’t see.

Beyond the multi-tiered physical security, Ashlee also The Paris Olympics are behind us. Many outstanding related that the Israeli team was prepared in advance with athletes competed at their best, albeit marred by an outlandish opening ceremony that mocked Christianity. Israel’s psychological counseling, to deal with expressions of hate that they might encounter. Though she’s not Jewish, Ashlee Olympic team won the most medals ever, but also faced experienced antisemitism that faces all Israelis and Jews, unprecedented threats and security challenges to keep all which her “savta” survived in Europe, and that is so prevathe Olympians safe and able to participate safely. lent in America today.

Ashlee Bond is one of those athletes. Ashlee is one of The threats were real, but Ashlee noted “in the village I Israel’s top-rated athletes, who competed as part of Israel’s never once had any negative experience. I actually had very equestrian team, which made its debut in the 2021 Tokyo positive experiences.” Nevertheless, she was threatened Olympics. She is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. Most uniquely, personally. “I got a letter from a terrorist group threatening she’s also Israel’s first Christian Olympic athlete.

Despite growing up in the U.S., where she began compet- my life, threatening if I step out of an airplane to France, or walk on the streets, blood will run through the streets just ing in equestrian sports, Ashlee peppers her conversation like in (the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes in) Munich. with Hebrew words, underscoring her deep familial con(They) named me personally. A few (others) got their obitunection to Israel through her Israeli-born father and her ary sent to them.” grandmother, “savta.” She is fond of and close to her Israeli For the four-person equestrian team, there were “five family as well, using the Hebrew, “mishpacha.” “I just always security guards with us all day every day.” They would even identified as an Israeli American,” she affirms. As a Chris“follow us to the bathroom.” tian she has deep spiritual roots in Israel as well.

“I had to really just pray and rely on my faith to keep “Jesus (was) born in Israel, his whole life was in Israel… it me strong. I am a strong person, but I’ve never dealt with was always a really deep connection. something like that. So it definitely tested my personal Adding what many Christians without family ties experience in Israel, “In my core, I feel like as you fly into Israel, strength.”

In the end, Ashlee felt overwhelming support despite you get this emotional feeling of the presence of the Holy the heavy security needs. “When I went to compete in the Spirit. It’s just so spiritual for me every time I go there.”

Especially considering Israel’s equestrian team was com- ring for the first time I was expecting boos. When they announced my name, I think the whole stand erupted in peting for only the second time against teams from counapplause. I got emotional even before I started jumping.” tries that have been competing for over 100 years. Beating The enthusiasm followed her after her competition as well. teams like Switzerland, Spain and Mexico, Israel’s team “I was really blown away by the support we had.” finish was a huge accomplishment.

Being the first Christian on the Israeli Olympic team, did During the team competition, Ashley’s horse Donatello Ashlee have to overcome any hurdles? “Definitely. Not from took a bad stumble so she withdrew from the individual my teammates, but other aspects. In the beginning it was competition, placing the well-being of her horse over her (referred to as) as we’re riding on the Jewish team. I always desire to compete and win. “I still have things to prove for felt like, well, not everyone who’s an Israeli is Jewish. So I myself down the road and for Israel. I would love to win a felt a little bit of an outcast at times. (Recently) I felt more medal for Israel. Hopefully in Los Angeles, or Australia.” embraced. Now I feel empowered that I am accepted by the Preparing for the Paris Olympics required much more Jewish Israelis on my team, and the people that are around than training. Ashlee was among the Israeli Olympians who our team.” received hateful messages and even death threats. Security Ashlee’s competing is deeply personal. Getting emotional for the Israeli team was extreme and unprecedented. She speaking of her grandmother, Ashlee notes that because of related the multiple layers of security inside and outside her “savta” and how much she loved Israel, “that was (why) I the Olympic Village, in the building that housed the Israeli wanted to represent Israel.” athletes, and even measures that she assumed to be present

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She’s well attuned to Israeli society and the Olympic team represents that, “Everyone’s like a family.

The whole Israeli delegation was just so welcoming and warm, exactly (like) my family in Israel.”

What about the pro-Hamas people who threatened Ashlee and others, under the guise of being “pro-Palestinian”? They are “haters. Obviously there are the misinformed people that think free Palestine from the river to the sea is what they should be backing, which to me is just very sad. They’re uneducated, or been brainwashed by the propaganda.

The people against us are very loud. I think there’s not as many as are for us, but they’re just very loud.”

What is Ashlee’s message for people to understand the reality? “Because of my faith, it’s good versus evil. It’s the devil versus God and Jesus. And it is so obvious these days, unless you have scales over your eyes, which a lot of people do. They don’t see the truth of what’s really going on.

“I would say, read the Bible because Israel has been around for thousands and thousands of years, and is the Promised Land to the Jews.

“Israel (has) Arabs and Palestinians and Muslims and Christians and everyone. It’s a melting pot, and they all coexist together. The Arabs hold positions of power in government in Israel. I’ve heard this term about (Israel) ethnically cleansing Gaza. And it’s just not the case. The problem is not the Palestinians versus the Jews or the Israelis. It’s the terrorist organizations.”

Experiencing the death threats as a Christian Israeli, Ashlee also confirms that threats are not just “against the Jews (and Israel). Israel is just the beginning. They don’t want to stop at Israel. They want to come for America. They want to come for any country that isn’t Muslim. And they want to eradicate us (all).”

“If (the terrorists) gave up the hostages and laid down their arms there would be peace. If the Jews did that, they would literally slaughter all of the Israelis. People don’t understand that. They teach to hate. And they want death to Christians and Jews. Because Israel is God’s country, that is why Israel is so wanted because they want to kill God. They want to kill Jesus. It’s spiritual warfare. It’s simple because it’s between the devil and God, and that’s just the way it is until Jesus comes back.”

Meanwhile, discussing the Solution for Peace in Gaza as a plan that’s workable and can truly create lasting peace, Ashlee embraced it, “It’s beautiful. I love it. And obviously with God, all things are possible. And I believe that to my core. So I think (this) plan is a great plan, and I hope it can happen.”

Discussing how she’s long overdue to come visit Israel, Ashlee has checked her calendar and hopes to come in the fall to participate in the Genesis 123 Foundation “Root & Branch” olive harvest program, to help Israel economically because so much of the agricultural industry has been damaged since the war, but also spiritually, while getting to visit her family and recharge her own spiritual battery. “I never feel closer to the Lord than when I am in Israel, and I cannot wait to go back and obviously see my family.”

How has the war against Hamas impacted her? “It’s heartbreaking people can do the things that they can do. But then they’re demons… it’s very testing of your faith, what’s happened.” Yet seeing a bright side, she adds, “I think Israelis (are) the strongest people I’ve ever seen. And it’s brought them together.”

What about antisemitism in the U.S.? “I would say I’m shocked. But then, on the other side, I’m not really shocked by anything that the devil can can bring out. I’m also really disappointed in America’s response, because we’re supposed to be a huge ally to Israel. And I feel like they’re saying it, but not backing their words up with action.” Showing tremendous empathy, Ashlee also adds, “How do we have hostages there still? Americans? That’s unbelievable to me. it’s infuriating. It’s disgusting. It makes me so angry.”

See the conversation with Ashlee on YouTube here, or listen on the Inspiration from Zion podcast.

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Israel’s record Olympics showing lifts spirits

Israel won three medals at the Olympics on Aug. 3, In the men’s 100-kilo competation, Peter Paltchik defeatincluding one gold, bringing to a record-breaking six the ed Switzerland’s Daniel Eich for the bronze. He had lost the number of medals awarded to Israeli athletes at the world’s quarterfinal match to eventual gold medalist Zelym Kottop sports competition. solev of Azerbaijan.

With the three medals on Aug. 3, Israel’s total across all Judo is Israel’s most decorated Olympic sport, followed by Olympic games stood at 19, until Israel’s rhythmic gymsailing. nastics team took silver on Aug. 10, boosting the count to “I did it for our brave soldiers,” Reuveny told Channel 12 seven in Paris and 20 overall. after taking the gold. His brother was among those fighting In addition to the one gold medal, in Gaza. “The most important [goal] Israel earned five silver and one to me, that was what I was thinking bronze. before I sailed — I feel like it’s so much bigger than me,” he said.

The news from France lifted spirits in Israel as the nation girded for a The three Israeli athletes who won possible Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Aug. 3 showcase the mosaic that and as the war against Hamas in is Israel, all coming from immigrant Gaza continued for a tenth month. families.

Tom Reuveny took the gold medal Reuveny, 24, who began sailing in the men’s windsurfing final in at age eight, was born to a British Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images. mother and Israeli father. He is origiMarseille on Aug. 3 while Sharon Tom Reuveny of Team Israel celebrates Kantor won silver in the women’s. nally from Rosh Ha’Ayin. winning the gold medal in the Men’s Gymnast Artem Dolgopyat got a Kantor, 21, of Moshav Avihayil, Windsurf iQFoil class final. silver medal, his second back to back near Netanya, was born to immiOlympic medal after previously winning gold. grant parents from Australia and South Africa, and began On social media, Reuveny said “It means so much to me that surfing at age 10. She is the first Israeli woman to win a Hatikvah will be played at the Olympics, in honor of all our medal in the sport. fallen soldiers, and to give hope to the hostages still in Gaza.”

Dolgopyat, 27, was born in Ukraine and immigrated in Due to security concerns, the Israeli medalists did not 2009 at the age of 12, when he was already a contest-winparticipate in the round of medal presentations in front of ning gymnast. throngs of fans in the Paris gardens in front of the Eiffel ‘You made an entire nation happy’ Tower. The Israeli delegation was under highest security protection in the French capital in the wake of the war and “You have brought victory, together with your colleagues threats of violence. in the delegation, huge victories, which have always brought pride to the State of Israel, but at this time they simply lift Israel won four medals at the previous Olympic Games, the spirit of the nation,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nein Tokyo in 2021. tanyahu told the athletes in congratulatory telephone calls.

Israel took the silver in the rhythmic gymnastics team “This is our goal, to come and represent the country in competition after placing sixth in the preliminary rounds. the… best way possible and to show everyone how strong The team consisted of Ofir Shaham, Diana Svertsov, Adar we are and what an amazing people we are and [that] nothFriedmann, Romi Paritzki and Shani Bakanov. ing can bring us down. This medal is mine but in effect it Daria Atamonov placed fifth in the rhythmic gymnastics belongs to us all,” said Israeli judoka Raz Hershko, who took individual competition but was not in the team competisilver in the women’s over-78 kilogram weight class. tion. In 2022, she won Israel’s first-ever gold medal in the Israeli President Isaac Herzog, too, congratulated the World Games, held in Birmingham. The next World Games medalists, telling them via telephone, “You made an entire will be held in China in 2025.

Three of Israel’s medals came in judo. Inbar Lanir lost the nation happy, a nation that is at war and that is praying for gold medal match against Italy’s Alice Bellandi in the wom- the return of its hostages … you brought us a great light. en’s 78-kilo category. Raz Hershko, in the over-78 kilo wom- Thank you on behalf of an entire nation that was so moved.

I salute you, and I think I speak for the entire Israeli public en’s compettion, lost the gold to Brazil’s Beatriz Rodrigues who salute you.” de Souza.

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MY Israel STORY

Leading the Fellowship

A late-night commercial sparked a powerful new path for IFCJ’s Bishop Paul Lanier While the main purpose for the television commercials the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews runs is to garner financial support for the IFCJ’s humanitarian work, sometimes the commercials provide something else.

For instance, a future board chairman and passionate advocate.

Bishop Paul Francis Lanier and his wife, Debbie, founded Hope Community Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1990, and have led the church ever since. He is also an author, composer and recording artist.

Lanier’s father and both grandfathers were pastors, and his great-grandmother helped establish a church during the Great Depression. He constantly heard stories about Israel every Sunday and midweek. “I was aware of, comfortable with and fervently embraced the narratives because they are part of my faith,” he said.

Lanier said that when experiencing Jesus or the apostles, one must also engage with Abraham and Sarah, Moses, the prophets and the Israelite kings.

The land of Israel, he notes, is where “soul and soil” come together and the stories from Sunday School come alive, and after visiting Israel, what one sees on the evening news becomes personal.

However, when he was growing up in his part of North Carolina, “if I had met Jews, I am not aware of it.” He doesn’t recall any antisemitism — if anything, there was ignorance because there weren’t Jews around, and the topic never really came up.

His church has always been heavily involved internationally, such as constructing church buildings in Africa and doing projects in Latin America. Their first trip to Israel was in 1995, and they went back numerous times over the years, with his daughter, Kaylyn, spending a semester there.

Debbie and Kaylyn had left Israel just before the world shut down over Covid in 2020.

In September, his first grandchild was born. Her name?

Hadassah Hope.

Commercial break

Late one night in 2009, after leading a full day of Sunday services, Lanier went downstairs at 2 or 3 in the morning and turned the television on, “and there was an infomercial for the IFCJ. I had never heard of them, never seen the man sitting there in a house in eastern Europe.”

The man, of course, was Yechiel Eckstein, an Orthodox

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rabbi who thought far outside the box and realized there was a large segment of the Christian community that loved Israel and the Jewish people, but there was almost no acknowledgement of this, let alone awareness in the Jewish community.

In 1983, Eckstein launched IFCJ, which in the Jewish community was generally met with skepticism at best.

At the time, Lanier explained, “there was no bridge” between the communities, but “he was able to reach certain Christian platforms that gave him the opportunity to present his dream — and Christians grabbed it.”

He understands why there was “honest hesitance” in the Jewish community, as roughly 72 percent of the Nazis had identified as Christians.

By 2009, Eckstein’s late-night commercials giving Christians the opportunity to help support elderly and impoverished Holocaust survivors in eastern Europe and in Israel were widespread, and IFCJ was one of the main expressions of the growing support for Israel and the Jewish community among Christians.

In the commercial Lanier saw, Eckstein spoke about the living conditions for the Holocaust survivor he was visiting.

“He talked about the stench, so articulately and passionately that I smelled it, he talked about the cold and I felt it. He convinced me if I would send a little bit of money the next morning I could make life better for her.”

It “exposed part of my soul I didn’t know I had,” so even though he knew nothing about the organization, he asked Debbie about it and she agreed.

Four years later, as he did a 40-day fast, he told his congregation that he felt they were meant to be a blessing to Israel. “It became part of our conversation with God.” The church initially raised funds for IFCJ to assist Holocaust survivors in need, currently their efforts go toward Aliyah, helping Jews from around the world move to Israel.

He eventually met Eckstein, who came to speak at the church and “knocked it out of the park.”

In 2017, Eckstein was speaking at a church in Charlotte, and asked Lanier to join the IFCJ board. “I’m not a board kind of person, I’m not an executive” and he hates board meetings. He hesitated and prayed about it. “I needed to know it mattered to my family, to my congregation, that it On Aug. 1, Bishop Paul Lanier accompanied 154 French Jews who were moving to Israel.

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was truly making a difference.”

He joined the board.

In February 2019, Eckstein died unexpectedly, and his daughter Yael, who had been trained in all aspects of the organization, succeeded him as CEO. Five months later, she asked Lanier to become board chair, “which seemed as ludicrous as me joining the board.”

In a 2022 interview, Yael Eckstein recalled when Lanier told her years earlier that he had set a goal of raising $1 million to help Jews make aliyah. “I thought to myself, I talk to a lot of crazy people, and he just might be crazy. But I could tell by talking to him that God was with him, and he was going to meet that goal.”

He and his church have far exceeded that, raising about $1.5 million, which she said enabled IFCJ to bring “more than 4200 Jewish souls back to Israel, and this is just the beginning.”

She added, “I have never seen anyone lead us with such grace, passion and commitment.”

ern Israel, then flew to Paris to accompany a chartered flight with 154 French Jews who were moving to Israel on Aug. 1.

While the world vows “never again,” Lanier said the current situation seems to be much more of “here we go again.”

The difference, he added, is whether this time the world will believe what is happening and confront the hate.

When he returned to Israel in March, the feeling was “more resolute,” with a realization that Israel could not truly depend on anyone else.

While Lanier had been to the border communities by Gaza, he felt he still had some homework to do. “I needed to go to the site of the greatest betrayal” of the Jews. He suggested to the IFCJ leadership that he needed to go to Poland and see Holocaust sites. In early June, he was at Auschwitz.

“I’m not Jewish and have never lived in Israel,” Lanier said.

“I’m never going to be able to truly grasp or understand all the emotion, the memory, the fear — it’s not mine.”

But “there were some things I could do to better prepare and understand.”

Showing up

What Christians can do

Lanier has been back to Israel several times since October 7. Last December, the atmosphere in the country felt “like everyone had been gut punched.”

While Israel was still trying to figure out how this could have happened, there was a brief outpouring of sympathy from around the world.

Lanier cautioned his congregation that the sympathy “would last 15 minutes.” And sure enough, it didn’t take long for “the usual anti-Israel voices” to come out in force.

“And what stunned me was how quickly and unrestrained the anti-Israel sentiment erupted.”

He said the world had tried to hide its antisemitism, as after the Holocaust it had become unpopular to be known as an antisemite. But within days, groups were “marching, destroying property, tearing photos of hostages, ‘from the river to the sea’… and none of it was in the back alley, it was on the main streets of every major city, there for everyone to see and experience.”

As an example of how extreme it was getting, Lanier noted that the chief rabbi in Paris urged members of the community to leave, because the community is “under siege by militant Islam and leftists.”

With what is happening in France, he said, “we’re about two or three terror attacks away from a major Aliyah out of France” and “the same could happen in England.”

Lanier is helping in that modern-day Exodus — in July, when it was apparent that Israel would have to do something about Hezbollah in the north, he spent a few days in north-

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As the conflict continues, Christians need to “pray and pay.”

Christians “need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the other cities,” but “as you are praying consistently, give.”

While many gave in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, “the war is not a one shot deal, it’s not just Hamas down in Gaza.” Now, there is the war with Hezbollah up north, and the shadow of Iran. “This war has many faces and many voices. Having one conversation is not going to suffice.”

In addition to fighting poverty and aiding Aliyah, IFCJ works on security needs. They had helped build 55,000 bomb shelters throughout Israel before Oct. 7. They also assist the tens of thousands of evacuees from northern Israel, who have been unable to return home because of the rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon. “When do they return,” he asked. “How do they return? The needs are always growing in number and in kind.”

Still, “it’s astounding what we’ve been able to do, what we’ve been required to do — and what we will need to do in the future.”

Lanier is “deeply grateful” to “have the honor and opportunity to step into a fight Israel did not ask for and did everything it can to avoid.”

He says he is “one voice of many Christians that are looking on and speaking, saying you are not alone.” Reflecting on centuries of antisemitism and persecution of the Jewish people, he says that one can’t rewrite the past, but “we can add new pages.”

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READING Israel

Documenting October 7 so the world will know

As Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, Alon Penzel was a political science student at Haifa University. The grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he went to social media to defend Israel from the inevitable waves of hate.

“Already on Oct 7, I immediately foresaw the worldwide denial we would face from the international community,” he said. The only way to defeat it would be to use “unfiltered, uncensored, unapologetic historical documentation” of the atrocities that Hamas perpetrated in killing 1,200 Israelis and abducting another 251 in communities near Gaza.

After Oct. 7, Penzel said “I felt my mind is not there, I had to take a shift in my life, abandoned my studies and everything not directly related to Oct. 7.” Though not a professional historian, he set out to interview survivors, volunteers and medical officials, to meticulously document their experiences — and get their stories out as soon as possible.

The result is “Testimonies Without Boundaries, Israel: October 7th, 2023,” the first book detailing the atrocities.

Completed in February, it is the result of interviews with over 60 people. With its detail of what happened on Oct. 7, it is not an easy read.

Penzel is touring the world to spread the word about the book, to counter the rampant Oct. 7 denial already present among Palestinians and their defenders on college campuses. On Oct. 8 and 9, he visited Atlanta, speaking to Jewish groups and on several college campuses.

The book is organized into five sections — testimony from ZAKA volunteers, the Forensic Medicine Institute and Nova survivors, about being human, and a statement from Israel President Isaac Herzog.

While in the military, Penzel, now 23, was a spokesperson for the foreign press in the Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories.

In his youth, Penzel participated in “Model UN” and won the prestigious Ramon Award for excellence and leadership after publishing his first book at the age of 16, “The Way Life Could Be.” As a specialist in international relations and diplomacy, he completed a negotiation course on behalf of Harvard University, and in 2022-23 was a Campus Fellow for CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

Penzel said the interviews were difficult, because of the detail he felt needed to be shared. “Sometimes you find yourself forced to ask sensitive questions,” he said. It isn’t

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just that someone’s friend died, it is the need to document how it happened. “If a Zaka volunteer saw a body, how did it look like,” what was the position in relation to other family members… getting the full picture “was a difficult, emotional process.”

The goal was not to sensationalize, but to bear witness.

He said when you connect a body to who they were as “a specific person, now you know who they are, who their family is, who they are connected to… it’s even more emotional than just visualizing what happened.”

All testimonies were checked through the Israeli Police, the criminal investigation unit and the Foreign Ministry.

Ones that could not be corroborated were not included.

At an event in Atlanta on Oct. 8, he shared the experiences of Natan, a rescue worker who arrived on scene days after the massacre.

He recounted entering a home that was completely destroyed, and seeing the body of a girl tied to a mattress, but could not lift her from the mattress. He and his colleagues soon discovered a man, her partner, tied to the other side of the mattress, but they both were also attached to each other through the mattress, by metal wires going through their stomachs.

Penzel said his faith in humanity was “undermined” when he interviewed Simcha Greinman, a 32-year volunteer for ZAKA, who went to the burned nursery school at Kibbutz Be’eri. There, he saw the body of a small child with a knife through its skull. Nearby was a burned hammer with pieces of a toddler’s skull.

Another ZAKA volunteer found a man who had been nailed to a door frame by a nail gun, as if he were crucified.

He interviewed Chen Kugel, director of the National Center for Forensic Medicine, who told him about a large lump of coal they received. An X-ray showed it was actually the bodies of an older woman and a young woman, hugging.

“We still don’t know everything that happened on Oct. 7,” he said. Many of the stories in the book were previously unreported and unknown to Israeli officials.

Because he wanted to reach fellow young people, as he was finishing the book he reached out to Israel-IS, which helps young Israelis tell their stories to peers around the world. A delegation of five IDF reservists with Israel-IS recently visited Atlanta, Birmingham and Nashville.

Israel-IS helped get the book published. The group’s CEO, Nimrod Palmach, had gone to the Gaza border on Oct. 7 to rescue civilians before being called up for reserve duty.

The book is already available in English and Hebrew, and he said the Spanish version was going on sale on Oct. 9.

Editions in Chinese, French and Portuguese are soon to follow.

It took a while for Amazon to carry the book, though. In July, Jewish Insider reported that Amazon had rejected the book, saying it was “in violation of content guidelines.” After media inquiries, Amazon reversed its decision.

An Amazon engineer, Sasha Troufanov, is among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, taken from his parents’ home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His father was murdered. Amazon has not spoken about Troufanov, with an anonymous employee last November telling the New York Post that the company feels talking about him would be detrimental, and a Globes article in June backed up that account.

In May, Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of Troufanov.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Diaspora Affairs are purchasing large number of copies to distribute to government officials worldwide, including an effort to distribute 500 copies to government officials in China.

The Israeli embassy in Australia gave copies of the book to those who attended their Oct. 7 commemoration, with numerous copies going to government officials. On Oct. 8, Senate Opposition Leader Simon Birmingham introduced a motion to mark the Oct. 7 anniversary, citing the mattress atrocity in his speech on the Senate floor.

Next month, Penzel is scheduled to speak to the British Parliament, at a time when Britain’s new government is pulling away from Israel.

Cheryl Dorchinsky, founding director of the Atlanta Israel Coalition, said the book also goes into the concepts of survivor guilt, and anger with God. “The book answers a lot of those questions from the conversations.”

While Israel has been screening a documentary of raw footage from Oct. 7, mainly with footage filmed by Hamas, that has been in closed-door sessions around the world, often with government officials or media figures, with none of the footage allowed beyond the room. Penzel noted the book brings the reality and extent of the atrocities to everyone.

Countering denial

With the atrocity denial currently going on among an-

ti-Israel activists, he said, “imagine what we will be facing in 50 years, 100 years.”

At George Washington University, someone approached him saying they did not support what happened on Oct. 7, but felt Israel had pre-meditated it to give Israel a pretext to commit genocide in Gaza. Penzel wondered, if a country is immoral enough to perpetrate a genocide, “why would they care about any justification?”

There have also been online reviews of the book that engage in Oct. 7 denial.

Penzel said that he has attended pro-Hamas rallies, holding an Israeli flag and the book, “interviewing people to hear what they had to say.” He said some denied the atrocities of Oct. 7, others supported it, while others “simply did not know what happened.”

He has been asked to do a book on the hostages who were liberated, but he said getting this book out was “just the beginning.” The important and more challenging part is getting people exposed to the testimonies. “That is all I care about,” he said. “Once one reads the book, they can’t just ignore it.”

He wants the testimonies to be spread “as much as possible,” out of the belief that “we owe it to the victims,” and it also shows “the basic legitimacy of Israel’s right to fight for its self defense.”

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Exploring the evidence of God’s covenant with Israel

“The Israel Dilemma,” new Patterns of Evidence documentary, in theaters in November Central to the Jewish claim on the Land of Israel is the idea that the land was promised to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac by God, as part of an eternal covenant. Anti-Israel groups reject that idea.

Christian filmmaker and documentarian Tim Mahoney’s latest Patterns of Evidence film, “The Israel Dilemma,” explores the case behind the covenant. It will be screened in theaters nationwide on Nov. 13, 14 and 17.

“This film gives Jews, Christians, and anyone interested in the Middle East a framework of objective evidence for understanding God’s plan,” said Mahoney. “Beginning in Genesis 12, God promises to make Abraham a great nation and to give them the land of Canaan.

“From this and other ancient prophecies, and the evidence assembled in the film, we begin to see God’s firm foundation: He promised the Land of Promise to the Jews. This is part of His bigger plan for the world, and His plan will not be thwarted.”

Working with Jewish and Christian scholars and religious leaders — some of whom express skepticism over the Biblical accounts — Mahoney mainly uses archaeological evidence to corroborate events in the Bible. Citing Moses’ prophecies in Deuteronomy, the Israelites would go through five phases — establishing a kingdom, the kingdom being destroyed, the Jewish people scattered and then persecuted, and then the return.

Taking each of the five phases, Mahoney examines contemporary scholarship to corroborate Biblical accounts in the Prophets, and match them to Moses’ prophecies.

Until recently, there was a debate over whether the Israelite kings even existed because of a lack of archaeological evidence, but in recent years there have been archaeological finds — from Jewish and non-Jewish sources — referencing those kings and other Biblical figures in their time period.

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Accounts of the conquest of Israel in the 700s BCE are found in records of other groups in the region, along with the Babylonian conquest of Judea leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. One of the debates in the film centers on the timing of the prophecies in Deuteronomy, with Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein making the case that it, and many other writings, were recorded after the events as a way of explaining what happened, perhaps around the fifth century BCE. Others point to the structure of the Hebrew in the book, as well as contemporary references from centuries earlier, such as the book having the structure of a treaty prevalent well before the time of the kings, to show it was written well before those events.

Regardless, it is seen as remarkable that the Jewish people would have such a story line, as in ancient times, defeated nations were mixed in with their captors after exile and their distinctions were lost, such as the Philistines being swallowed into the Babylonian captivity. Returning intact and reestablishing one’s kingdom was very unusual.

The meaning of the covenant is also explored, especially as related to the idea of chosenness, which is depicted as having greater responsibilities to be an example to other nations, not because of any inherent superiority. In the film, Israel is referenced as “the embodiment of God’s hope for all people.”

Among those interviewed in the film are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Rabbi Manis Friedman and Rabbi David Hartman of the Shalom Hartman Institute, along with many Biblical and archaeological academics around the world.

Friedman said Mahoney “has found archaeological and historical evidence for the entire story: going down to Egypt, coming out of Egypt, the Ten Plagues, the splitting of the sea, the giving of the Torah, the Hebrew language, and

Tim Mahoney in “The Israel Dilemma.”

more… bringing heaven and earth together. It’s amazing.”

This film is Part 1 and goes through the destruction of the First Temple and the return to the land under the rule of Persian King Cyrus, leading to the construction of the Second Temple.

The second part will deal with the Second Temple and talk about the five stages as a cycle that will be repeated.

After all, Amos notes that after the return, “they shall never again be uprooted,” and there would be the end of persecution. But that did not happen, as evidenced by the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and persecution that continues even after the modern-day return with the establishment of Israel.

According to Judaism, the Second Temple was destroyed by unwarranted hatred and internal division, while for centuries the church held that it was due to Jewish rejection of Jesus.

In the first film, while it comes from a Christian perspective, there isn’t much of anything that Jewish viewers would find questionable. Early on, there is one passing reference to a “fallen world,” and toward the end, there is a timeline of covenants labeled “God’s redemptive plan” that concludes with a “new covenant,” though the term is never spoken.

Taken from Jeremiah, Jews understand that to mean that at the end of days, the existing covenant with Israel will be

Photo courtesy Patterns of Evidence.

refreshed and renewed, to be faithfully followed eternally.

In Christian circles, the idea of “new covenant” has meant a whole new relationship with God based on acceptance of Jesus.

In recent decades, especially with the rebirth of Israel making prophecy come alive, more Christians have concluded that God’s original covenant with the Jewish people still endures and truly is eternal.

The film endeavors to show that ancient Israel has been in the Promised Land from the days of the Hebrew Bible and God’s promise to them continues today, and to combat the lies that the Jewish people have no right to be there.

Mahoney started an advertising and marketing firm in 1989, and in 2002 started exploring the Biblical story of the Exodus and the implications of questions about the Bible.

He started interviewing some of the world’s leading Bible scholars, archaeologists and historians, establishing Patterns of Evidence. In 2014, he founded Thinking Man Films, which has produced several Patterns of Evidence films, on the Exodus, Moses, the Red Sea miracle and Mount Sinai.

In 2025, his new Heroic Pictures will launch its first major motion picture, “The American Miracle: Our Nation is No Accident,” based on the bestselling book by Jewish talk show host Michael Medved.

Ticket information at patternsofevidence.com/israel.

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Now is the time to expand the Abraham Accords

By Joan Leslie McGill

(USIEA) — September 15 marked the fourth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, signed by Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. They stand as a powerful symbol of regional cooperation and peacebuilding in a region rife with conflict, especially now.

When the U.S.-brokered Accords were first signed in 2020, they signaled a tectonic shift toward regional security and prosperity. On last year’s anniversary, Heather Johnston, the founder and CEO of the U.S. Israel Education Association, wrote that “normalization among the Abraham Accords countries has already delivered hope to a region wrought with instability, opening a watershed of economic, diplomatic, trade, tourism, tech and medical collaborative opportunities.”

No one could have predicted the events that unfolded on Oct. 7. Today, the escalation of violence in the Israel-Hamas conflict has raised questions about the effectiveness of these agreements in promoting peace. Indeed, the accords have encountered their first major test.

But among all the skepticism, not one of the signatory nations withdrew from the accords in the aftermath of Oct. 7. In fact, an Israeli trucking company struck a deal to transport goods from the UAE and Bahrain to Israel via Saudi highways to bypass the Houthi terror on the shipping lanes in the Red Sea. Beyond the enduring economic ties, these countries represent a strategic geopolitical alliance capable of countering the growing influence of Iran. Iran has long been the ringleader of terror across the Middle East, directly funding and arming proxies that target both Israel and Western interests. Groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis operate under the direction of the Iranian regime.

Building and expanding the accords would be the countering balance of power in the region, with an emphasis on mutual security. This type of defense partnership was on display the night of April 14 when Emirati, Jordanian and Israeli militaries reportedly cooperated to intercept Iranian drones and cruise missiles targeting Israel. With all Middle Eastern countries under the threat of Tehran, now is the perfect time to continue strengthening the Abraham Accords by adding more nations to the coalition, along with Egypt and Jordan, which already have longstanding peace agreements with Israel. This would create a united front that can curb Iran’s disruptive influence, deter future military threats and further economic prosperity for the allying nations.

Saudi Arabia and Oman are believed to be the next coun-

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Photo courtesy of ISRAEL-is

A delegation of young leaders from Abraham Accords countries on the steps of the U.S. House of Representatives.

tries in line for an agreement. We already know of an American push for an Israel-Saudi normalization deal. The match makes perfect sense considering both nations’ ties to the United States, the economic potential and the obvious defense incentive. Any future normalization deal should occur under the banner and auspices of the Abraham Accords. It would add strength and credibility to a unified Arab-Israeli alliance.

In addition to solidifying relationships with key players in the Mideast, expansion efforts could also include countries like Indonesia, one of the most populous Muslim nations in the world.

I have been in countless meetings with American and Israeli government leaders, as well as Abraham Accords framers and signatories. One message consistently resonates: The region desires a counterweight to Iranian dominance, and this agreement can provide a credible deterrence against Iranian hegemony in the Middle East.

Those same leaders emphasize American backing and commitment as a necessary precondition.

Washington must play a leading role in brokering and expanding these agreements, and we are uniquely positioned to do so. By enhancing trade ties, investing in joint defense initiatives and encouraging technological collaboration — see U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, Iron Dome and the BIRD Foundation as examples — America can solidify the commitment of current signatories and attract new partners. This will serve U.S. national security interests as well.

Ultimately, the Abraham Accords are the best shot at creating a future where the Middle East can experience peace and stability. The United States can leverage its influence to ensure that nations tempted by Iranian influence see the accords as a promising alternative to safeguard long-term regional security and prosperity. Expanding them and bringing more nations into the fold will create a lasting legacy of cooperation and resilience in the face of ongoing and emerging threats.

Joan Leslie McGill is chief of staff at the U.S. Israel Education Association. She is currently earning her master’s degree in global policy at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies.

5785

The Biblical Calendar Cheshvan/Kislev

The Hebrew month of Cheshvan begins on Nov. 2 this year, 2024 on the common calendar and 5785 on the Jewish calendar.

Cheshvan is often called MarCheshvan, or “bitter” Cheshvan. The previous month, Tishrei, had Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; Yom Kippur, the day of atonement; Sukkot, the Festival of Booths; Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day of assembly; and Simchat Torah, when the annual cycle of reading from the Torah concludes with the end of Deuteronomy and immediately starts over at the beginning of Genesis.

By comparison, Cheshvan has no holidays at all. That is why it is “bitter.”

Because Tishrei has 30 days, there are two days of Rosh Chodesh, the celebration of the beginning of the new month. 30 Tishrei starts the evening of Oct. 31, while 1 Cheshvan starts at sunset on Nov. 1.

Similarly, Cheshvan has 30 days, so Rosh Chodesh for the next month, Kislev, is also two days — 30 Cheshvan starting at sunset on Nov. 30 and going through Dec. 1, and 1 Kislev from the evening of Dec. 1 through Dec. 2.

The word “Chanukah” means “dedication,” and celebrates the rededication of the Temple to serving God. Part of the cleaning and purification involved relighting the Eternal Light, but according to the Chanukah story, they could find only one jar of oil that still had an unbroken priestly seal, enough to last for one day, and it would take eight days to get additional oil.

Nevertheless, they went ahead and lit it, and miraculously, the oil lasted for the entire eight days until more could be procured.

Because the ancient rabbis were not enthusiastic about emphasizing military action, that victory of the few over the many was de-emphasized, and the miracle of the oil became the focal point of Chanukah. Also, it wasn’t long before there was mis-rule under the Maccabees.

Jews are commanded to publicize the miracle of Chanukah, particularly the miracle of light. Chanukah menorahs with nine branches are lit, starting with one candle plus the helper candle, adding another candle each night until the entire Chanukiah is lit. The new candle is the first one lit by the helper each night.

Families generally are encouraged to have their ChanukiKislev: The ninth month of the year is marked by the cel- ahs in a window or another place visible to others. ebration of Chanukah, starting on 25 Kislev. Since this year, With the emphasis on oil, Chanukah is about fried foods, Kislev has 29 days, there will be one day to celebrate the two in particular. This time of year, all the outdoor marnew month of Tevet, on Dec. 31. kets in Israel are filled with trays of jelly doughnuts, called sufganiyot. The other main food is the latke, fried potato Chanukah: This year, Chanukah is about as late is it ever pancakes. gets, with the first night on December 25 and going through There is a tradition of gift giving for Chanukah, but on a January 2., the third day of the month of Tevet. much more modest scale than those who celebrate ChristWhile Chanukah is one of the best known holidays, it is mas. Gifts of “gelt,” coins, are popular, and chocolate gelt is actually a minor holiday. As the events surrounding Chanu- widespread. It isn’t unusual to do one small gift each of the kah happened after Biblical days, there are no work restric- eight nights. tions on the eight-day Festival of Lights.

Because of its proximity to Christmas, and how the Chanukah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, Christian holiday takes over civic life in many countries, a small band of Jewish fighters, over the Syrian-Greeks who Chanukah has been boosted in importance and the gift givoccupied the land of Israel and had desecrated the Temple, ing enhanced, as if to compete. turning it into a house of worship for its pagan gods.

Chabad, in particular, does many public events, arranging Chanukah is seen as the first fight for religious liberty and for civic Chanukiah lightings and often having Christian a strike against assimilating into a larger culture around us. friends of the Jewish community take a leading role. In The Maccabees led a revolt, and in 165 BCE the small band many communities, they also organize a “car menorah” parouted the Syrian-Greeks, driving them from the Temple in rade, with electric menorahs on the top of each vehicle.

Jerusalem.

Israel InSight • November 2024

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Anti-ISRAEL Bias

CNN continues to erase Palestinian violence in Judea, Samaria Statistics manipulated on percentage of children, identity of combatants

By David Litman

(CAMERA) — When are material omissions in media coverage evidence of something more than just sloppy journalism? Persistence is one factor to consider. So too is whether the omissions consistently skew toward one side of a conflict or debate. Both of these factors characterize CNN’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Consider one of the network’s recent reports.

In their Nov. 5 article, “Israeli attacks in West Bank killed at least eight people, officials and residents say,” Kareem Khadder and Sana Noor Haq manage to omit an impressive number of crucial details in a transparent effort to depict Israelis in the most cynical light possible.

The story is focused on Israeli operations in several areas of the West Bank on Nov. 4 and 5, during which CNN says eight Palestinians were killed. The first major omission: the reason why the IDF was operating in the first place. The IDF arrested some 60 members of the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, seized weapons, and destroyed an explosives laboratory being used by terrorists.

But the worst omissions are when Khadder and Noor Haq get down into the details of the raids, or rather, into just some of the details.

They write that “[t]wo Palestinians were killed in the town of Tamoun.” But readers are left unaware that both Palestinians were members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The terrorist organization itself had announced that its “armed wing” members had clashed with Israeli forces in Tamoun on that day.

CNN continues: “In the village of Al-Shuhada, near the city of Jenin, an Israeli airstrike killed two people.” But according to the IDF, those “two people” were “armed terrorists” who had been shooting and throwing explosives at Israeli forces. The IDF’s statement was nowhere to be found in CNN’s story.

Khadder and Noor Haq also write: “in the city of Qabatya… two others [were] killed when an Israeli military vehicle rammed a car and opened fire, according to residents and video seen by CNN.” But both occupants were terrorists, including Majdi Hamza Ahmed Shkira, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad who was already wanted for acts of terrorism. Palestinian Islamic Jihad itself boasted about its

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terrorists “clashing” with Israeli forces in Qabatya, too.

Moreover, the evidence suggests the terrorists rammed into the Israeli military vehicle, not the other way around.

The IDF’s version of events, which the journalists also omitted in violation of basic journalistic ethics, was that “soldiers identified a suspicious vehicle that sped towards them and crashed into them,” wounding two of them.

CNN notably doesn’t show the video it relied on to reach its conclusions, but footage and images available online support the IDF’s story.

The footage shows two IDF vehicles in a defensive position, blocking the road. This is standard practice: one can find dozens of images of Israeli forces operating in the West Bank positioning their vehicles in similar fashion. Just a few feet away from the IDF vehicles sits a sedan with severe damage to its front hood, indicating it hit something head on.

It’s difficult to make definitive conclusions based on these images, but these facts do provide some important clarity and a basis to determine the reliability of any conclusions.

So why wouldn’t these pieces of information be included when they help shed light toward the truth? Is it because they cast doubt on CNN’s definitive conclusion of Israeli wrongdoing?

Khadder and Noor Haq’s pattern of omissions didn’t end there, though.

Continuing CNN’s tradition of giving its audience halftruths on violence in the West Bank, Khadder and Noor Haq claimed that “at least 775 Palestinians, including 167 children” have been killed by “Israeli troops and settlers” since October 7. They also claimed that “nearly 1,600 settler attacks against Palestinians have been recorded” during the same period.

But CNN leaves out the other side of the story: Palestinian violence. From October 2023 through September 2024 – excluding the month of January 2024, for which data was not immediately available – there have been 4,916 attacks

by Palestinians against Israelis in the West Bank and Jerusalem, including 1,140 firebombs, 695 pipe bombs, 253 shooting attacks, 277 arson attacks, as well as ramming attacks, stabbing attacks, car bombings, and even a suicide attack.

That’s at least three times as many attacks against Israelis as there were against Palestinians. These attacks have been

The Marketplace deadly, too, killing 40 Israelis and wounding nearly 300 more.

The emphasis on Palestinian child casualties is also misleading. While every death of a child is tragic, it is an established fact that Palestinian children are regularly involved in terrorism. The data shows that this trend continues to be highly relevant to the story. Databases on Palestinian fatalities show that between October 7, 2023 and March 31, 2024, 17-year-olds accounted for 36 percent of all deaths of minors. More than three-quarters (76 percent) of all minors killed during the period were aged 15 or older. The circumstances of many of those deaths, even according to anti-Israel activist organizations like B’Tselem, indicate they were involved in violence.

Together, Khadder and Noor Haq’s omissions demonstrate an unmistakable bias. They work to erase the violence of Palestinians while depicting Israelis as needlessly violent and oppressive. For media consumers seeking straightforward and honest reporting, CNN is clearly not the answer.

Originally published by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

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CBS producer asks: Are Jews human like us?

(JNS) — Already under fire for telling staff not to refer to Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and for criticizing its reporter’s tough questions about anti-Israel bias for Ta-Nehisi Coates, CBS has a more extensive problem of Jew-hatred, according to the Arabic department at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

Marwan Al-Ghoul, who has long covered the region, was “praised by the network last week for his ‘resolve’ in covering the conflict,” but the CBS Gaza-based producer, “has a troubling social media history,” CAMERA told JNS. “His posts include vile antisemitism — denying the humanity of Jews — open support for terrorism, calls for ‘permanent resistance’ and predictions about the demise of both the United States and Israel.”

“This glaring inconsistency raises serious questions about CBS‘s editorial standards,” stated Jonah Cohen, communications director for CAMERA. According to CAMERA, the CBS producer’s Arabic posts include asking “Are Jews human like us?” and writing “America and Israel are about to go down, but when?”

“Al-Ghoul also praised violent acts, including the murders of Israeli civilians Ziv Hajbi and Kim Yehezkel-Levengrond, and he gave a thumbs-up to a post denying Jews’ humanity: ‘By no means do they count as human, these are monsters in a human body’,” CAMERA added.

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israelinsightmagazine@gmail.com Israel InSight • November 2024

101

LAST Word

Just another week of normalizing antisemitism Now is not the time to remain silent on the sidelines

Despite a large rise in antisemitic incidents,

those attacks are often minimized, excused away or ignored by

the media, making the Jewish community feel even more isolated

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It used to be that most of the following incidents would have been big news — especially the attacks in Amsterdam.

In a coordinated, premeditated attack, thousands of Israeli soccer fans were attacked on the streets of Amsterdam by rampaging groups of Muslims on what they described as a “Jew hunt.” Anti-Israel groups claim the Israeli fans were chanting anti-Arab slogans and had torn down a Palestinian flag, justifying the violent response, though online records show the attacks were already planned. Of course, there’s never been any hateful, violent or genocidal chants at anti-Israel events, nor damage to Israeli flags, provoking Jews to attack Muslims.

Ahead of a similar match with an Israeli team in Paris in mid-November, social media is blowing up with promises to do a “Jew hunt” there.

Not long after the Amsterdam riot, a Jewish student was attacked in the bathroom of a pub in Dublin, Ireland. After three young men asked if he was Jewish, they attacked him, apparently giving him a concussion.

After a youth soccer match in Berlin, players from a local Jewish team were assaulted and chased by opponents and spectators.

During the match, players from the opposing Under-17 team reportedly shouted “Free Palestine!” repeatedly.

In Brooklyn, on Shabbat afternoon, a masked suspect lunged at a Chassidic man and tried to grab his 10-year-old child and take off with him, the attempted abduction was thwarted.

Also in Brooklyn a few days earlier, a 13-year-old Jewish boy was assaulted while riding his bike to school.

In Bergenfield, N.J., anti-Israel demonstrators held Palestinian flags and even a picture of Hitler, harassing attendees of an event promoting real estate in Israel.

Another synagogue, in Staten Island, was surrounded by anti-Israel activists who called for an “intifada revolution” and urged “go back to Germany.”

At DePaul University, two Jewish students were attacked and slashed by two masked individuals who made antisemitic comments. The Jewish students were doing a dialogue table with a former IDF soldier to promote understanding.

Pro-Hamas demonstrators surrounded the Chicago Loop Synagogue, setting off air horns, chanting and banging on windows, as the congregation hosted an appearance by an Arab Israeli peace activist. Two who got inside and started damaging property were arrested.

Also in Chicago, outside a theater, masked individuals waving Palestinian flags harassed and assaulted people attending a Michael Rappaport show. As a Jewish artist, Rappaport has faced cancellation of shows in the past year for “safety reasons” because he is a vocal supporter of Israel.

In the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles, police are looking for a suspect who used a ski pole to shatter windows of five Jewish-owned businesses.

In Montreal, a mob of 40 or so masked individuals ignored a court ordered buffer zone and surrounded a synagogue, harassing members of the Jewish community. Police allowed it to continue for three hours and advised the Jews to use the back exits, since the police could not guarantee their safety.

This, and a series of other recent incidents, led to Jewish leaders issuing a statement that it is “open season on the Jews of Montreal.”

In Britain, a Palestinian action group claimed responsibility for smashing windows and spraying red paint on Jewish community buildings.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida was informed that a former felon with a rifle and

Photo by VLN Niews/ANP/AFP via Getty Images.

Dutch mobile police officers stand guard after violence broke out in central Amsterdam following the UEFA Europa League soccer match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, Nov. 8, 2024.

body armor had been arrested. Moskowitz apparently was the suspect’s target, and the suspect had a manifesto that included antisemitism.

A Michigan man was arrested at the U.S. Capitol building.

Smelling of fuel, he had a flare gun and lighter, and a manifesto filled with antisemitic tropes about Jewish control of everything, and his views on the current Middle East war.

At Temple University, the Alpha Epsilon Pi house was vandalized twice in three days, with anti-Israel graffiti.

Several buildings at the University of Colorado Boulder were vandalized with antisemitic messages.

In Melbourne, a group of boys yelled “Heil Hitler” at a group of five Jewish girls who had just left their Jewish school.

Here’s the kicker. As mentioned, all of these stories would have been noteworthy and alarming in the past. But today, they barely cause a ripple — because each of those stories took place in the past week.

One week.

In the past month, there have also been physical attacks on Jewish students at Pitt and Michigan. Toward the end of October, an Orthodox man was shot while walking to Shabbat services in Chicago by an assailant who yelled “Allahu Akbar.” Adding insult, for days, public officials refused to speculate on it being a hate crime, and rarely acknowledged that the victim was Jewish. The suspect, from Mauritania, apparently entered the U.S. illegally at the Mexico border.

As a backdrop to the shooting, the president of Chicago’s board of education was finally forced to resign after discovery of a slew of antisemitic and pro-Hamas social media posts involving fringe conspiracy theories.

What about reports of swastikas found at schools? These days, that’s small potatoes and far too frequent to list. This list also does not include arrests made in the past week for crimes that occurred in previous weeks or months. There’s also little point in listing the petty annoyance-level attention-seeking leaflets spread by right-wing groups.

Those right-wing groups are seen as marginal cranks. Almost all of the above attacks come from Muslim groups or the left wing, and are framed as justifiable reactions to what they imagine Israel and Jews are doing, even as righteous acts of resistance. This normalization of antisemitism is highly dangerous.

If you are wondering how you can be an ally to the Jewish community these days, here’s the opportunity. Speak out.

Condemn antisemitism and let your disapproval be known.

Reach out to Jewish friends, many of whom are wondering why so many are being silent.

Do not be silent, for history has shown that what starts against the Jews does not end with the Jews.

Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor Israel InSight • November 2024

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