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1. IAF Retaliates for Rocket Attack, Overnight Air Strikes in Gaza
by Hana Levi Julian
The Israel Air Force carried out an air strike against terrorist operations in Gaza overnight in retaliation for a Kassam rocket fired at the western Negev on Saturday. The rocket exploded in the city of Sderot, according to the IDF Spokesman's Office, but caused no injuries or damage.
In response, IAF fighter jets targeted and identified hitting two weapons factories in the northern and central regions of Gaza early Sunday. They also struck one smuggling tunnel located in the area of Rafiah, along Gaza's southern border with Egypt. All pilots returned to base safely.
The Qatar-based Aljazeera news network reported that the IAF carried out four attacks during the night.
The air strikes were carried out despite an announcement Saturday by Hamas "Interior Minister" Fathi Hamad that the terror organizations had cut a deal with allied groups to temporarily halt the rocket attacks. Hamad told reporters at a news conference in Gaza the decision had been made in order to give people time to "rebuild" following the IDF's counterrorist Operation Cast Lead.
"The IDF will not tolerate any attacks by terror organizations against Israel and its citizens," said the IDF in a statement.
Nearly 270 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel since the end of last winter's counterterrorist operation on January 18. This is in comparison to more than 3,300 rockets and mortars fired in the year before the IDF carried out the operation, the IDF spokesman pointed out.
In the past month, Hamas terrorists have again slowly begun increasing the number of rocket attacks on Israel, with approximately 15 rockets and mortar shells fired to date.
2. Bereaved Parents: Topple PM if He Releases Murderers
by Gil Ronen
A group of bereaved parents whose loved ones died in terror attacks vowed to do their utmost to topple the government of Binyamin Netanyahu if it agrees to release hundreds of terrorists in exchange for one captive Israeli soldier.
If the deal takes place, the parents said, they will launch a campaign against the Netanyahu government, similar to the campaign against the government of Ehud Olmert that was launched by bereaved parents from the Second Lebanon War.
In an improvised Hebrew language website they wrote: We, bereaved families that were struck by terror, from Hamas and other terror organizations; we, victims of injury who were wounded in body and spirit by Palestinian terror, do hereby declare that the release of terrorist murderers by the Bibi [Netanyahu's nickname – ed government will mean that a red line has been crossed – one that we cannot live with.
“From the minute that the Bibi government abandons us and our children to the mercy of more than 1,000 murderers who will be set free; from the moment that the Bibi government betrays the memory of our murdered children; from the moment we see that all principles and all precedents have been shattered and that Bibi who vowed to fight terror betrays his principles and breaks his promises – we will work to topple the Bibi government.”
"Just as the Second Lebanon War brought down Peretz, Halutz and Olmert, the Bibi deal will bring down the Bibi government,” they predicted.
3. Combat Units are Top Choice for IDF Recruits
by Hana Levi Julian
Sunday will see the launch of the new IDF recruits for November 2009, and this month's cycle saw a significant increase in willingness to serve in combat roles, with motivation at the highest level it's been in a decade.
The vast majority of recruits -- 73.7 percent of all field units -- sought to serve as fighters, compared with 67.2 percent in November 2008.
In November 2009, about 30 percent of all candidates are expected to join the IDF this calendar year. In this cycle, boys and girls will be designated for combat field units, support systems and administrative positions. About two-thirds of the girls who join in the near future are expected to be designated for volunteer units.
All those placed in field units, without exception, were sent to one of their top three preferences -- an increase of five percent over November 2008.
There was more than a 10 percent increase in the number of Armored Corps recruits over last year -- 89 percent this November, up from 73 percent in the same period 2008, and an even greater jump in Artillery -- 75 percent this month, up from 45 percent a year ago, among others.
Among those who joined the ranks were 270 new olim (immigrants), most of whom joined various infantry brigades.
In recent years, there has been a decline in the number recruits, for various demographic reasons. To cope with this phenomenon, the IDF initiated several new projects this year to encourage high school students to look ahead with greater anticipation and encourage significant future army service.
4. Exclusive Report on Yemenite Jewry
by Stefan Kirschner
Stefan Kirschner, a resident of New Jersey, has just returned from a trip to Yemen where he met with the few Jews who still remain there. An interview with him upon his return appeared in The Wall Street Journal. Kirschner has written the following article, with accompanying photos, serving as a recorded view of a vanishing portion of Jewish history.I became interested in Yemenite Jewry 10 years ago while living in Israel. There are not many Yemenite Jews in the US so that is where I was exposed to the Yemenite Jewish community for the first time. I soon came to feel that they represent one of the most authentic forms of Judaism today. My interest in the community’s roots grew and after much reading and researching, I decided to visit Yemen before the remnant of Jewry left there emigrated. I managed to arrange to have a Yemenite Jew pick me up at the airport in the Yemenite city of Sana’a and be my driver and translator throughout my visit.
Stefan Kirschner on ancient Yemenite backdrop
It is difficult to be a tourist in Yemen today. To travel outside of Sana’a, one needs a “tasrich” document from the Ministry of Tourism which outlines where and when you will leave for and arrive at each destination. This document is photocopied numerous times and is presented at the many military checkpoints leading in and out of Sana’a. This is due to the fact that there is an ongoing insurrection in the north of the country led by a group called the al-Houthi. The group’s leader has been killed but the insurgency goes on, despite government claims to the contrary. Although hundreds of soldiers and insurgents have been killed, the West barely knows about it due to the media blackout in Yemen.
The entire north, including Sad’a where my mother-in law was born, is off limits, as is the famous old stone bridge of Shihara. Also closed is the northeast, including Marib with its famous stone columns from the ancient Himyar civilization and the entire east including Wadi Hadramout and the former Jewish village of Habban. During my last day in Yemen, I met a Spanish tourist who said she had gone there as part of a convoy. The east is usually off limits due to general lawlessness and threats by tribesmen to kidnap tourists, as well as threats from the local Al-Qaeda group.
Yemenite guide in foreground. Hostile looks from passersby
Yemenite Jews have several features which make them unique. First, there is their pronunciation of Hebrew, thought to be the most authentic since it includes different sounds for each letter (except sin and samech). They differentiate between a dotted and undotted gimmel, dotted and undotted daled and without, and pronounce the vav as wav, and sof or taf as thaf.
The Yemenites are extremely strict in their reading of the Torah in making sure that all the proper vocalizations and intonations are done right. In Yemenite synagogues, when one is called up to the Torah one is expected to read the portion and not just recite a blessing. Every person is expected to know all the readings. In addition, the Yemenites read the Targum (Aramaic translation of the Torah by the convert Onkelos in the Talmudic period) after every sentence. A young boy known as the “metargaman” or translator stands near whoever is reading and chants the Aramaic translation.
The Yemenites have passed down the way to tell which locusts are kosher from generation to generation and they are not bound by the Ashkenazi Jews’ prohibition against polygamy. I could not find any kosher locusts during my visit as they reportedly come in waves and none are preserved. I did, however, come across one man visiting from Israel, who was looking for a third wife.
There are about 35-40 Jewish families remaining in Yemen today. Most of them reside in Raydah, a small town an hour north of Sana’a. The others are internally displaced refugees who were expelled from their homes in the north by the al-Houthi. They were airlifted to Sana’a and now reside in a hotel in the capital. Their homes in the north were subsequently demolished by the al-Houthi. We met them on our first night in Sana’a and they are very depressed.
Kirschner with Jews who were airlifted to Sana'a for their safety
Traveling around the country with my skull capped, bearded guide who sported long sidelocks and an Arab jalabiya (or in Yemenite-gamis) and gauging the reactions from the Arabs was interesting. We were never left alone and always attracted attention ranging from interest to antagonism. Although we were never physically assaulted, my guide was the victim of an attempt to spit at him.
The numerous photos of Saddam Hussein, Ahmed Yassin, and Hassan Nasrallah on display everywhere are unnerving. Oddly, pictures of Saddam Hussein nearly outnumber pictures of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. My guide translated some choice epithets for me. One man, a police officer no less, told my guide to cut off his sidelocks and become a Muslim.
Daggers are sold openly in the souk
Another old man asked my guide to provide him with a Jewish woman to marry. Once a carful of Arabs drove by and shouted “Yemach Shemo” (a curse) at us in Hebrew, which I found bewildering until my guide told me that he knows them and they are his neighbors. All I understood were the shouts of “Yahoodi, Yahoodi” (Jew, Jew) whenever we entered an area.
Jewish school kid who attends traditional religious school
A combination of traditional Islamic anti-Semitism, anti Zionism, and the paternalistic attitude that Moslems have for “djhimmis” are rampant in Yemen. Sometimes these attitudes overlap and it is difficult to tell which one is being encountered. Suffice it to say that it is not easy being a non-Muslim in Yemen.
Just weeks after my visit, one of my hosts, Moshe Nahari, whose picture accompanies this article, was murdered in the souk in Raydah by an Arab terrorist.
Jewish cemetery in Yemen filled with smashed headstones
Mr. Kirschner invites questions about his trip and can be reached at oritk2@yahoo.com.
5. Wanted: Religious-Zionist Families to Aid Would-be Converts
by Hillel Fendel
The Ministry of Immigration and Absorption reports success in recruiting religious-Zionist families to “accompany” would-be converts, but still needs another 2,000.
Well over 300,000 new immigrants to Israel are not Jewish according to Halakhah [Jewish La. Some 30,000 of them have participated in the course of study to convert to Judaism, but only some 50 percent of those have actually completed the course and converted.
The rabbinical conversion courts require that each would-be convert and his/her family be escorted along the conversion process by a Torah-observant family. However, up until recently, the national-religious public was not aware of the need, and despite that sector’s pioneering volunteer spirit, the matter of helping would-be converts fell by the wayside.
To meet the need, the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption began a six-month campaign to recruit religious-Zionist families to the cause. The campaign included advertising, gatherings, informational literature, and the like – and scored significant success: The number of religious families who agreed to rally to the cause rose by several hundred – a 30% jump.
Some 2,000 families are still needed, however, just to meet the existing needs. It is assumed that even more immigrants would consider conversion if families were available to encourage and accompany them.
Chanukah: A Time for Spreading the Light
The Ministry is making yet another push for more families in honor of the upcoming Chanukah holiday. “Chanukah is a holiday when we take our light outside the home,” says Immigration Minister Sofa Landver. Referring to the commandment to “publicize the Chanukah miracles,” she added that we must “make public our homes’ light for all to see.”
“Nothing is more appropriate to the Chanukah atmosphere than to bring a ‘foreigner’ into our homes and have our light help illuminate his not-simple path of conversion,” Landver added.
Avigdor Leviatan, head of the Conversion Wing in the Ministry of Immigration, said, “The religious and non-religious publics view the non-Jewish immigrants as total foreigners, when in fact most of them are of Jewish descent, in many cases they have a Jewish father, and they view themselves as Jewish.”
“In general,” Leviatan said, “the religious public is not aware of the severe problem facing Israel in terms of the converts. The non-Jewish immigrants are wary of the conversion process, and the shortage in families to accompany them merely exacerbates the problem. We must think several steps ahead. If the situation remains the same, in several years the non-Jews will multiply and will become a significant portion of Israel’s population. This is liable to lead to the formation of two people who cannot intermarry, as well as assimilation. We must enlist all our forces to prevent this tragedy from happening.”
Rabbis Rally to the Cause
Rabbis Mordechai Eliyahu, Yaakov Ariel, Aharon Lichtenstein, Shlomo Aviner and Chaim Druckman have called on the religious-Zionist public to rally to the cause: “It is a great and holy obligation upon the communities to open their gates and the gates of their hearts to those who come from afar… We call upon religious-Zionist families to adopt immigrant families or singles during and after the conversion process, and to be a support for them.”
6. Neo-Nazi Vandalism at Rashbi's Cave
by Eti Baruch and Hana Levi Julian
Travelers who visited the Cave of the Tannaitic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Saturday found neo-Nazi graffiti in the form of swastikas spray-painted on the walls near the cave.
The tomb, located in Peki'in, is considered a holy place and is often visited by pilgrims who recite prayers there and supplications to the ancient sage.
Police have opened an investigation and report that suspects were arrested even before the probe got underway.
There have been several cases of damage to property owned by Jews in recent years, including the burning of a Jew and smashing of clay pots at a home.
Last August a 60-year-old Peki'in resident was arrested on suspicion of spray-painting neo-Nazi graffit on the walls of the ancient synagogue in the community. Arutz Sheva reported at the time that Margalit Zinati, a veteran resident in the area, had woken up to discover the words, "Death to the Jews" painted on her walls with a swastika. She called the police and the detectives who came to the community questioned the matter. Within a short time, another swastika was discovered painted on the walls of the synagogue next door to Zinati's home.
The place was packed with Jews during the day, some of whom arrived after the incident, and some of whom were touring in the area. "They hate Israel. For years they are harrassing Jews. We are talking about a group of people that does this deliberately in order to obliterate the existence of Jews in Peki'in," Zinati told them.
Unknown vandals spray-painted Nazi swastikas, Christian crosses and epithets on walls and asphalt roads at the "caravilla" site of Nitzan in southern Israel in the wee hours of Friday morning.
Incidents of neo-Nazi violence and vandalism were unheard of in Israel until recent years.
7. Yahrtzeit of the Maharsha
by Hillel Fendel
Today, on the 5th of Kislev 378 years ago, the author of one of the most widely-studied Talmudic commentaries – known as the Maharsha – passed away in eastern Europe.
Rabbi Eliezer Shmuel HaLevi Idelis wrote a commentary on both the Halakhic [Jewish lega and Aggadic [homiletica portions of the Babylonian Talmud. The commentaries appear in the same work, indicating the synthesis and integration of the two types of Torah study. They appear in different size type fonts, however.
Most of the commentary is based on the words of the Tosafists, but often deals with the Talmud itself and Rashi as well. It is printed in the back of nearly all editions of the Talmud, such that it is easily and frequently consulted.
Rabbi Eliezer Shmuel was born in Cracow in 1555 – his mother was a relative of the Maharal of Prague - and was recognized as a child prodigy. He established a large yeshiva in Posen, supported by his mother-in-law Edel, whose name he took in recognition of her help. When she passed away, he became Rabbi and Yeshiva Head in the Lublin area, and later headed a yeshiva in Ostrog in the western Ukraine, where he died and was buried.
The Maharsha was known for his acts of kindness and open home, and helped promulgate the edict forbidding the purchase of rabbinical positions.
He passed away on the 5th of Kislev in the Jewish year 5392 (1631).
