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1. Chile Rescue: “One of the Zeniths of the Human Race"
by Hillel Fendel
Hilik Magnus, head of a world-famous Israeli company that rescues Israelis lost abroad, saluted the rescuers of Chile’s 33 miners who were trapped for over two months deep underground.
The miners had been trapped nearly a half-mile underground since August 5 when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed all around them. They were feared dead until Aug. 22, when they passed a note up through a thin borehole that had been drilled to their small, 50-square-meter shelter. It was feared that a rescue operation would take four months, but it in fact took just over six weeks.
Beginning at midnight Tuesday, a special 28-inch-wide capsule was lowered down a specially-drilled shaft to the men’s shelter and then raised up again with a miner inside. The 33 trips took less than 24 hours to complete, and each internationally-televised ascent was greeted with utter joy and cheers from the assembled families and public officials.
The Greatness of the Human Spirit
“One cannot feel anything but wonder and admiration at the great professionalism displayed by the Chileans,” Magnus told Arutz-7. “They pulled this off not only with great engineering skill, but they dropped everything and invested everything in order to help others who needed them; I believe this is one of the zeniths of the human race. They showed us the greatness of man’s spirit.”
He said that Israel, which has also pulled off some world-famous rescues with great courage and engineering skill, “does not face the same challenge as we saw in Chile. We don’t have mines of that type, nor do we have experience and knowledge regarding mines.”
“Chile is far from a third-world country,” Magnus said. “It is the Europe of South America, and especially in terms of the mines there. I was once in the mines there, and it is simply an amazing enterprise, with giant factories and advanced technological means enabling them to descend deep into the ground and extract all sort of metals from the earth. It’s incredible.”
Magnus, whose rescue missions generally involve individuals, said that the fact that the 33 were together was a tremendous advantage for them: “They had each other for support, and this is very different than one who goes through a crisis like this alone. I’m sure that each of them suffered his own trauma, but in the end, I have no doubt that they will recover. People have recovered from worse than this.”
2. Montana Gov. Visits Judea/Samaria Town
by Hillel Fendel
Ofra in Binyamin, one of Judea and Samaria’s first modern-day Jewish communities, welcomed a visit by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer on Wednesday.
Governor Schweitzer, a former rancher and farmer, is the first Democrat to govern Montana in 20 years. His visit to Israel was organized by American Jewish supporters of the Democratic Party. They scheduled a meeting with veteran settlement activist Yisrael Har’el, who arranged that the get-together would take place in his hometown of Ofra, in southern Samaria, north of Jerusalem.
Ofra is a prime symbol of the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria (Yesha), having been founded back in 1975 as the first Jewish town in the region and as home to many leading settlement activists.
Schweitzer was greeted in an official ceremony as a guest of the town, with children waving flags of Israel, the United States and Montana. He took his advisors’ counsel not to ascend to Ofra’s offshoot community of Amona, a few kilometers to the east and above Ofra; Amona was the site of the most violent clash in Judea and Samaria between police and residents when the former evicted the latter from several homes in the early days of the Olmert government in January 2006.
Gov. Schweitzer met with Ofra officials and residents, including new immigrants, in the town’s Medrasha (seminary). The hosts brought up various issues and gave the Governor a new perspective on Jewish ties to their ancestral homeland.
Montana, the Indians and Israel
Leah Shklar reminded Schweitzer that if the Americans have no plans to “return” Montana lands to the Indians, then all the more so do the Jews have national rights to live in their ancestral homeland despite the modern presence of Arabs there.
Yosef Atlan explained to the Governor why he chose to move from France specifically to Ofra, and Hila Vitkin described her simple sense of belonging to the area as a mother seeking a safe and pleasant Jewish life for her family.
The Arab Mentality
Meir Nachliel, head of Ofra’s town council, told Gov. Schweitzer privately that the Americans do not know the Arab mentality and are deluding themselves into thinking that the Arabs seek peace. Schweitzer expressed solidarity with these sentiments, explaining that he had lived in Saudi Arabia for seven years. It was later learned that he oversaw the building of major irrigation projects and the construction of the world’s largest dairy farm in Saudi Arabia.
From Ofra, Schweitzer made his way to a meeting with PA prime minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, several kilometers to the southwest. Residents of Ofra expressed confidence that their meeting with him had left a positive impression on the Governor.
3. Yad Vashem Honors Dutch Couple as Righteous Among Nations
by Chana Ya'ar
The Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum honored a Netherlands couple with the Righteous Among the Nations award Thursday for their role in rescuing Jews from the Nazis.
The posthumous ceremony was attended by Aart Plantinga, the couple’s son, who received the medal and certificate of honor on his parents’ behalf.
H.E. Michiel den Hond, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Israel, also attended, along with Holocaust survivors who were rescued by the couple, and friends of the family.
Nicolaas and Hendrikje Plantinga, along with their son Aart, lived in Amsterdam in the family’s boarding house. While Hendrikje managed the family business, her husband Nicolaas delivered dairy products each day through a neighborhood where many Jewish families lived.
In the summer of 1942, many Jewish customers beseeched Nicolaas for refuge in the family’s boarding house. Eventually, the Plantingas took 10 Jews into hiding, each paying for their own food.
Once a month, a member of the Underground would deliver food ration coupons, and Nicolaas would travel to a distant neighborhood to purchase food and medicine in order to avoid suspicion. The risk was monumental.
In March 1944, the Underground contact was arrested, and the hiding place was discovered. German and Dutch police surrounded the house and captured the Jews, who were deported to concentration camps. Of the 10 who had tried so desperately to avoid detection only one, Wilhelmina Mathilda van Praag, survived and currently lives in Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, Hendrikje, who was sick at the time, was not arrested, nor was her son. Nicolaas was not at home, and upon his return the neighbors quickly told him what had transpired, warning him not to enter the house. The three Plantingas instead sought shelter at a local factory, but when the owner discovered that Nicolaas was wanted by police, he turned them in.
Hendrikje and her son were eventually released, but Nicolaas was deported to the Vught concentration camp, and from there to Neuengamme, where he died in January 1945.
When Hendrikje and Aart returned home, they found that their house had been looted, and she was no longer able to rent out rooms to support herself; instead, she was forced to work as a housecleaner. Hendrikje died in December 1989.
4. Buffett Wants to Invest Even More in Israel
by Elad Benari
American investor Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest people, says he would like to invest more in Israel.
"We are always interested in more investments in Israel. We will be happy to acquire a large and independent company in Israel, or some small companies - what I call mergers into the existing framework and I think we will do both," said Buffett said in a video interview screened on Tuesday at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Labor social economic conference at Airport City.
More than four years ago, Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. acquired 80% of Israeli company Iscar Ltd. for $4 billion. Iscar Metalworking Companies (IMC) is an industry leader in the metal cutting tools business, owned by the Stef Wertheimer family with operations worldwide. Buffett later said that purchasing Iscar was a “dream investment.”
Now, Buffett is enthusiastic about possibly investing more in Israel. “Our company CTB, which deals in agricultural equipment, bought two small companies in Israel that succeeded well and we have a company TTI that I think did a small acquisition in Israel,” he said. “I loved the place. I spent some days there three years ago and enjoyed it very much, I managed to see almost all the country and I received a wonderful welcome from everyone.”
He added that he believes that Israel has a sustainable advantage in the global competitive market place. “If you are looking for brains - stop in Israel, there is no need to go further. If you go to the Middle East to look for oil, then skip Israel. In my opinion, Israel as a state has proven that it has an exceptional amount of brains and energy and in my eyes it works.”
Buffett believes that a country’s success is dependent on government and business working together in cooperation. “Sometimes this may be a strange partnership, but [government and business] are part of the same family. That does not mean that the two brothers always get on well with each other. But they have a common goal. No state will succeed if it does not cultivate a climate in which businesses thrive, and businesses will not flourish in a country where the government is not stable, progressive and has a vision.”
“I see the same situation in the U.S. as in Israel,” added Buffett. “I think it is important that businesses and governments understand each other. They will disagree, but ultimately the government will not prosper without business, and businesses will not thrive if the government is not adequate... I do not know the internal situation in Israel, but I do not think [Israel] would not have gotten to where it is today if there had been disputes between government and business.”
Referring to his investment in Iscar, Buffett stressed that he is “more than satisfied” with it. “If you have more companies like Iscar, call me.”
Meanwhile, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) rose on Wednesday. The Tel Aviv 25 Index rose 1.4% to 1,255.52 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index rose 1.4% to 1,157.64 points, and the Tel-Tech Index rose 0.95% to 230.05 points. The Tel Aviv 25 Index closed at a new record high. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Israel's economy is forecast to grow at least 4 percent in 2010 and at a similar pace in 2011.
5. Helen Thomas Blames Israel in New Interview
by Maayana Miskin
Veteran journalist Helen Thomas, 90, gave an interview that aired Wednesday, her first since resigning in June due to backlash over her statement that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine.” Thomas stood by her remarks, and accused “them” – apparently a reference to Israelis – of distorting her remarks.
Thomas defended the statements she made in June, which included a demand that Israeli Jews “go home” to Poland, Germany and America.
The statements were “exactly what I thought,” she told radio interviewer Scott Spears. She added, “I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive.”
She accused “them” – an apparent reference to Israel – of putting her remarks in a bad light. “They distorted my remarks, which they obviously have to do for their own propaganda purposes, otherwise people might wonder why they continue to take Palestinian land,” she said.
Thomas said “Baloney,” to the suggestion that she may be anti-Semitic, and expressed hope that she will be remembered for “integrity, honesty, and my belief in good journalism.”
She also criticized senior figures in United States politics, calling U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “a hawk,” and saying, “I thought women in politics would have more compassion, be more liberal.” She described the possibility that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will run for president as “a national tragedy.”
Thomas made headlines in June for her statements that Jews do not belong in the Land of Israel. The statements were made in an impromptu interview with Rabbi David Nessenoff.
At the time Thomas, a veteran White House correspondent and then-reporter for Hearst newspapers, expressed regret for her remarks. “I deeply regret my comments... They do not reflect my heartfelt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance,” she said.
While Thomas' remarks were widely condemned, she later received a lifetime achievement award from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
6. US Grants $1M to Abraham Fund Co-Existence Project
by Chana Ya'ar
The U.S. federal government has granted nearly a million dollars to the Abraham Fund to support a three-year Arab-Israeli co-existence project.
The initiative, announced Tuesday, will be funded through the State Department’s U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) conflict mitigation and reconciliation program.
The Abraham Fund, founded in 1989, is a multi-million dollar foundation focused on promoting co-existence between Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations.
Approximately 1,600 Arab and Jewish students are expected to participate in the activities under the organization’s Language as a Cultural Bridge Initiative, which begins at the elementary school level. At present, more than 15,000 students in 220 schools across the country learn Arabic as a required subject.
Under the program, Israel’s public schools would mandate the teaching of Arabic culture and language, just as Arab students are currently required to learn Hebrew as part of their own public school curriculum.
In addition, the program will sponsor cultural events throughout the year that bring together Jewish and Arab Israeli children. Arab students will attend Hebrew-language enrichment classes and participate in Jewish cultural seminars, and Jewish students will do the same, learning conversational Arabic and attending Arabic cultural activities.
According to the Abraham Fund’s website, the seeds of the program were actually launched more than five years ago by the Ministry of Education in the cities of Haifa and Karmiel.
In 2004, the organization conducted a comprehensive mapping of Arabic language instruction in Jewish schools and subsequently developed a special curriculum to combine the instruction of conversational Arabic language together with Arabic culture. The current, U.S.-funded program is based on that initiative.
7. Military Court Convicts Terrorist Who Killed Three Israelis
by Elad Benari
A Military Appeals Court has convicted 34 year-old Iyad Abayat, a resident of Bethlehem and member of the Fatah-controlled Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades terrorist group, of four crimes of voluntary manslaughter.
On November 1, 2000, Abayat took part in a shooting attack near the El Khader village. He covered his cohorts, all of whom were dressed in IDF uniforms, as they placed roadblocks on the road. When an IDF vehicle carrying six soldiers approached, the group fired towards them at close range, killing Lt. David Chen Cohen and Sgt. Shlomo Adshina and injuring the other four soldiers.
Abayat was also involved in a shooting attack in 2002 on the road connecting Jerusalem and Gush Etzion. Terrorists opened fire on a vehicle belonging to the Friedman couple, killing Deborah Friedman and wounding her husband Yona Friedman.
Both the prosecution and defense appealed the Military Court’s initial more lenient ruling, and the Military Appeals Court accepted the prosecution’s appeal in its entirety. Abayat was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, assistance in voluntary manslaughter, attempted voluntary manslaughter and shooting a person with live fire.
In their ruling, the judges wrote that despite the fact that Abayat was not in the precise location in which the shooting took place, he still played an active role in the terror attack: “the appellant [Iyad Abayat] was asked by Musa Abayat to join him and other Tanzim operatives in the shooting attack. The appellant accepted the offer, and went to the site of the attack fully armed and equipped. Musa Abayat was in constant contact with the appellant during the event, giving him instructions from time to time. Therefore the appellant, though not at the precise location of the shooting, was aware and was kept updated throughout the entire development of events, waiting for group members in order to help them flee in his car after the attack. Thus, the appellant took an active role in the incident, even though his contribution had no active significance.
“As such, it is to be determined without doubt that the defendant participated in the shooting attack and holds responsibility for the attack as a party to the crime,” concluded the judges.
Abayat is one of many terrorists who have prosecuted for shooting attacks executed on Highway 60, a north-south road stretching from Be’er Sheva to Nazareth. Highway 60 is a main road that is used by Judea and Samaria residents. It has long been a popular choice by Arab terrorists as a place to commit terror attacks against Israelis, especially during the al-Aqsa Intifada, known [bitterly] as the Oslo [Peace Accords] War in which from 2000-2006, over a thousand Israeli civilians were killed by shootings and suicide bombings. The road continues to be a focus of attacks.
On August 31 of this year, Highway 60 was again the scene of a deadly terror attack. PA terrorists murdered Yitzchak and Talya Imas, Kochava Even-Chaim and Avishai Shindler in a shooting attack at the Bani Naim junction. Those terrorists were killed recently in a shootout with the IDF.
Terror attacks, and specifically shooting attacks, are typicaly called "resistance" attacks by Arabs, but they are violent, life threatening, and intentionally target civilian victims. A survey carried out by a PA organization in early August found that among the Arab public in the Palestinian Authority, over 55% view violence as either essential or desirable, nearly 31% see it as either acceptable or tolerable, and only 13.7% say it is unacceptable.
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