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Dear Friends of Arutz Sheva
Every year at this time, Arutz Sheva takes upon itself the funding
of the Passover seder for the Ethiopian Jewish community in Yaffo.
south Tel Aviv.We understand that this is the largest seder in Israel, and has been over the years, a momentous occasion for our Ethiopian Jews, in so many ways.
This year, over fourteen hundred Jews are expected to attend, G-d willing.
We take this opportunity of asking you to participate by way of a monetary gift.
In the event that you would like to support this effort with us, then kindly e - mail me at. Jonathan@arutzsheva.org or click here
We shall need your telephone numbers, so please include these, I shall ensure that one of our staff here at Arutz Sheva call you within a few hours to collect your gift.
With thanks.
חג פסח כשר ושמח
Happy Pesach
Yonatan Boofty
Arutz Sheva
Bet El
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1. Jews Move Into House Near Cave of Patriarchs
by Chana Ya'ar
A group of Jews has moved into a house in Hevron near the Cave of the Machpela (Patriarchs), after buying it from an Arab owner.The Jews quietly moved into the building, renamed “Machpela House” overnight, hoping to avoid a confrontation with local Arab neighbors.
The new residents insist they possess all the necessary legal documentation to prove their purchase of the building. “It's very exciting,” said Shlomo Levinger, one of the new owners. “It's taken us years to buy a house near the Cave of the Patriarchs. Police are not allowing anyone to enter until higher-ranking officers make a decision on the property,” he added. “We have been told that anyone can leave, but no one can enter. Naturally, we're not going anywhere.”
A large contingent of IDF troops arrived to maintain security at the scene and declared the area a “restricted military zone” soon after the new residents moved in.
"The issue now is whether Defense Minister Ehud Barak will allow them to stay," Hevron Jewish community spokesman David Wilder told Arutz Sheva Thursday morning.An IDF spokesperson told Hebrew-language media the Jewish purchase and move was “irresponsible,” and a “dangerous provocation that could inflame passions, especially ahead of Land Day.”
MK Michael Ben-Air disagreed, referencing in his remarks the 1929 pogroms in which 67 long-time Jewish residents of Hevron were slaughtered by their Arab neighbors, and their homes stolen from them.Ben-Ari told reporters in a statement, “It's time to reclaim all of the homes seized by the enemies in the City of the Fathers. The rule of law must allow for the most basic thing – to let the Jews return to the dozens of Hevron homes that belong to the Jewish community.”
The far-left Peace Now organization has worked tirelessly to pry Jewish families out of Hevron, one of the four holy cities of Judaism mentioned in the Bible.Peace Now recently filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking the government to evict Jewish families from their apartments in Beit Ezra – a building that belongs to the Ezra family, the last to leave after the 1929 Hevron massacre.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
A group of Jews has moved into a house in Hevron near the Cave of the Machpela (Patriarchs), after buying it from an Arab owner.The Jews quietly moved into the building, renamed “Machpela House” overnight, hoping to avoid a confrontation with local Arab neighbors.
The new residents insist they possess all the necessary legal documentation to prove their purchase of the building. “It's very exciting,” said Shlomo Levinger, one of the new owners. “It's taken us years to buy a house near the Cave of the Patriarchs. Police are not allowing anyone to enter until higher-ranking officers make a decision on the property,” he added. “We have been told that anyone can leave, but no one can enter. Naturally, we're not going anywhere.”
A large contingent of IDF troops arrived to maintain security at the scene and declared the area a “restricted military zone” soon after the new residents moved in.
"The issue now is whether Defense Minister Ehud Barak will allow them to stay," Hevron Jewish community spokesman David Wilder told Arutz Sheva Thursday morning.An IDF spokesperson told Hebrew-language media the Jewish purchase and move was “irresponsible,” and a “dangerous provocation that could inflame passions, especially ahead of Land Day.”
MK Michael Ben-Air disagreed, referencing in his remarks the 1929 pogroms in which 67 long-time Jewish residents of Hevron were slaughtered by their Arab neighbors, and their homes stolen from them.Ben-Ari told reporters in a statement, “It's time to reclaim all of the homes seized by the enemies in the City of the Fathers. The rule of law must allow for the most basic thing – to let the Jews return to the dozens of Hevron homes that belong to the Jewish community.”
The far-left Peace Now organization has worked tirelessly to pry Jewish families out of Hevron, one of the four holy cities of Judaism mentioned in the Bible.Peace Now recently filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking the government to evict Jewish families from their apartments in Beit Ezra – a building that belongs to the Ezra family, the last to leave after the 1929 Hevron massacre.
More on this topic
-
MK Uri Ariel Calls on Gov't to Rescue Arab Seller in Hevron -
Rabbi Dov Lior: Beit HaMachpela in Hevron Legally Purchased
-
Meretz Gets Unexpected Lesson in Nationalism
-
Video: 500 Women Pray for Jonathan Pollard in Hevron
-
New Torah Scroll Placed in Cave of Patriarchs
-
Video of Pesach in Hevron: We Did not Leave Egypt for PA State
Comment on this story
2. Rabbi Dov Lior: Beit HaMachpela in Hevron Legally Purchased
by Chana Ya'ar
Although Jews moved quietly into their new home next to Hevron's Cave of the Patriarchs late last night, Thursday was anything but quiet.
IDF soldiers arrived shortly after the new residents entered their apartments. They immediately surrounded the building and effectively sealed it off, declaring the area a “restricted military zone.”
“They're not letting anyone in,” Hevron Jewish community spokesman David Wilder told Arutz Sheva late Thursday morning. “But I was told the purchase documents are all good. The question now is whether Defense Minister Ehud Barak will allow the residents to stay there, regardless of whether the purchase was legal.”
By midday, IDF soldiers were scuffling with media who wanted to cover events at the site. Reporters expressed anger at military officials for declaring the area a closed military zone.
Scattered violence was reported, but tempers soon calmed.
Rabbi Dov Lior, the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hevron, arrived shortly after, and spoke with Arutz Sheva about the transaction in which the Jews had purchased the new home.
“The building was purchased legally, with no property infringement,” said the rabbi. “We expect to retain full ownership and purchase rights,” he added.
Meanwhile, an IDF source slammed Jewish residents for having moved into the building so close to “Land Day” – the annual event 'celebrated' with violence by Palestinian Authority Arabs complaining about the presence of Israel in the Middle East.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Although Jews moved quietly into their new home next to Hevron's Cave of the Patriarchs late last night, Thursday was anything but quiet.
IDF soldiers arrived shortly after the new residents entered their apartments. They immediately surrounded the building and effectively sealed it off, declaring the area a “restricted military zone.”
“They're not letting anyone in,” Hevron Jewish community spokesman David Wilder told Arutz Sheva late Thursday morning. “But I was told the purchase documents are all good. The question now is whether Defense Minister Ehud Barak will allow the residents to stay there, regardless of whether the purchase was legal.”
By midday, IDF soldiers were scuffling with media who wanted to cover events at the site. Reporters expressed anger at military officials for declaring the area a closed military zone.
Scattered violence was reported, but tempers soon calmed.
Rabbi Dov Lior, the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hevron, arrived shortly after, and spoke with Arutz Sheva about the transaction in which the Jews had purchased the new home.
“The building was purchased legally, with no property infringement,” said the rabbi. “We expect to retain full ownership and purchase rights,” he added.
Meanwhile, an IDF source slammed Jewish residents for having moved into the building so close to “Land Day” – the annual event 'celebrated' with violence by Palestinian Authority Arabs complaining about the presence of Israel in the Middle East.
More on this topic
-
MK Uri Ariel Calls on Gov't to Rescue Arab Seller in Hevron
-
Jews Move Into House Near Cave of Patriarchs
-
Meretz Gets Unexpected Lesson in Nationalism
-
Video: 500 Women Pray for Jonathan Pollard in Hevron
-
New Torah Scroll Placed in Cave of Patriarchs
-
Video of Pesach in Hevron: We Did not Leave Egypt for PA State
Comment on this story
3. Haifa 'Lynch' Suspects Turn the Tables, Say They Were Provoked
by Elad Benari
Three days after five of the six Arab suspects in a brutal beating of two IDF soldiers in Haifa were released to house arrest, they turned the tables and claimed they were provoked by the soldiers they attacked.
The six are accused of beating the two soldiers with metal rods and stones while shouting anti-Jewish curses at them in an attack a second judge deemed reminiscent of the lynch of IDF soldiers in Ramallah.
The two soldiers both suffered several injuries in the attack. They were treated at Rambam hospital.
Both have testified to the anti-Semitic nature of the attack, and have stated that they believe they would have been murdered if not for the appearance of hospital security guards, who ended the assault.
Before assaulting the soldiers, the Arab attackers asked if they were Jewish. When they answered in the affirmative, several Arabs began beating them simultaneously.
However, in a conversation with Channel 2 News on Wednesday, the suspects claimed they had been attacked by a group of 20 Jews and were simply fighting back.
“A group of 20 soldiers threw rocks at our house, then my friends came out and that’s when it happened,” one of the suspects said. “I stayed inside the house with my brother but I was told there was a group of 20 people, and one of my friends hit them back. They almost killed us.”
Justice Ron Shapira, who ruled the suspects would be released to house arrest, declared that the attack was motivated not by anti-Israeli sentiment, but rather, by simple mistaken identity. The attackers’ use of the word “Jew” was part of the mistake, he said.
The suspect who spoke to Channel 2 dismissed as “nonsense” the allegations that the soldiers were beat because they are Jews and said, “There are Jews living in my building, I have Jewish friends, I play soccer with Jews. The whole thing was inflated.”
Another suspect added, “I have nothing against Jews, I have Jewish friends.”
A third suspect denied that he had even known the two were soldiers, saying they were not wearing uniforms at the time of the incident.
The lawyer for one of the suspects, Attorney Wisam Arraf, told Channel 2, “The Court's decision clearly indicates that the incident was not nationalistic in nature, and had returned the story to his proper dimensions. They didn’t even know the two were soldiers.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Three days after five of the six Arab suspects in a brutal beating of two IDF soldiers in Haifa were released to house arrest, they turned the tables and claimed they were provoked by the soldiers they attacked.
The six are accused of beating the two soldiers with metal rods and stones while shouting anti-Jewish curses at them in an attack a second judge deemed reminiscent of the lynch of IDF soldiers in Ramallah.
The two soldiers both suffered several injuries in the attack. They were treated at Rambam hospital.
Both have testified to the anti-Semitic nature of the attack, and have stated that they believe they would have been murdered if not for the appearance of hospital security guards, who ended the assault.
Before assaulting the soldiers, the Arab attackers asked if they were Jewish. When they answered in the affirmative, several Arabs began beating them simultaneously.
However, in a conversation with Channel 2 News on Wednesday, the suspects claimed they had been attacked by a group of 20 Jews and were simply fighting back.
“A group of 20 soldiers threw rocks at our house, then my friends came out and that’s when it happened,” one of the suspects said. “I stayed inside the house with my brother but I was told there was a group of 20 people, and one of my friends hit them back. They almost killed us.”
Justice Ron Shapira, who ruled the suspects would be released to house arrest, declared that the attack was motivated not by anti-Israeli sentiment, but rather, by simple mistaken identity. The attackers’ use of the word “Jew” was part of the mistake, he said.
The suspect who spoke to Channel 2 dismissed as “nonsense” the allegations that the soldiers were beat because they are Jews and said, “There are Jews living in my building, I have Jewish friends, I play soccer with Jews. The whole thing was inflated.”
Another suspect added, “I have nothing against Jews, I have Jewish friends.”
A third suspect denied that he had even known the two were soldiers, saying they were not wearing uniforms at the time of the incident.
The lawyer for one of the suspects, Attorney Wisam Arraf, told Channel 2, “The Court's decision clearly indicates that the incident was not nationalistic in nature, and had returned the story to his proper dimensions. They didn’t even know the two were soldiers.”
More on this topic
Comment on this story
4. Jewish Groom Attacked on Mount of Olives
by Elad Benari
The man who was hurt in a rock attack in the Mount of Olives cemetery on Wednesday, was a groom about to get married and who was visiting his grandmother's grave at the cemetery.
The groom said that a mob made up of young local Arabs threw stones at him and his friend who accompanied him and poured paint on their vehicle. The two managed to drive off and escaped with only minor injuries.
The two were lightly injured and were taken to the Shaare Tzedek in Jerusalem. Luckily, they were released in time so the groom could make his wedding. Police are investigating the incident.
Jews who visit the Mount of Olives have been regularly targeted by Arabs for quite some time now.
A group of U.S. law enforcement professionals were recently witnesses to a rock attack on two Jewish men who came to visit the cemetery. The two men had been attacked by dozens of Arab youths as they were driving up to the cemetery.
United States Democratic Congressmen Elliot Engel and Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents Malcolm Hoenlein were recently attacked by Arab rock throwers as they visited the cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
Last week over 150 people gathered at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center in Yonkers, New York, for an evening of discussions about the security threat on the Mount of Olives.
MK Aryeh Eldad criticized Jerusalem District Commander Niso Shaham on Wednesday for his failure to take action over the continued Arab violence on the Mount of Olives.
“Acts of lynching take place every day on the Mount of Olives,” said Eldad. “Today once again, a Jew on his wedding day was wounded by stones and his car was smashed. A few days ago torched a vehicle was torched, but the police fails to defend Jews on the Mount of Olives.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
The man who was hurt in a rock attack in the Mount of Olives cemetery on Wednesday, was a groom about to get married and who was visiting his grandmother's grave at the cemetery.
The groom said that a mob made up of young local Arabs threw stones at him and his friend who accompanied him and poured paint on their vehicle. The two managed to drive off and escaped with only minor injuries.
The two were lightly injured and were taken to the Shaare Tzedek in Jerusalem. Luckily, they were released in time so the groom could make his wedding. Police are investigating the incident.
Jews who visit the Mount of Olives have been regularly targeted by Arabs for quite some time now.
A group of U.S. law enforcement professionals were recently witnesses to a rock attack on two Jewish men who came to visit the cemetery. The two men had been attacked by dozens of Arab youths as they were driving up to the cemetery.
United States Democratic Congressmen Elliot Engel and Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents Malcolm Hoenlein were recently attacked by Arab rock throwers as they visited the cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
Last week over 150 people gathered at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center in Yonkers, New York, for an evening of discussions about the security threat on the Mount of Olives.
MK Aryeh Eldad criticized Jerusalem District Commander Niso Shaham on Wednesday for his failure to take action over the continued Arab violence on the Mount of Olives.
“Acts of lynching take place every day on the Mount of Olives,” said Eldad. “Today once again, a Jew on his wedding day was wounded by stones and his car was smashed. A few days ago torched a vehicle was torched, but the police fails to defend Jews on the Mount of Olives.”
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. Baku: No Strike on Iran From Azeri Soil
by Gabe Kahn
Azeri president Ilham Aliyev dismissed speculation on Thursday that Israel would use four abandoned bases in his country to launch strikes on Iran's nuclear program.
"Azerbaijan's territory will never be used to launch an attack against its neighbor, Iran," Aliyev's office said in a statement.
U.S. officials say they believe Israel may use the site as a springboard for an attack on Iran's nuclear plants, or as a landing and refueling spot following one.
The site could also be used for aircraft needed for search, rescue and recovery in the wake of an attack.
“We're watching what Israel is doing in Azerbaijan. And we're not happy about it,” an official told the Foreign Policy writer.
Israel has a $1.6 billion deal with Azerbaijan to provide some 60 state-of-the-art UAVs and is Baku's second largest consumer of exportable crude oil.
“The Israelis have bought an airfield,” another U.S. official told the journalist, “and the airfield is called Azerbaijan.”
Azerbaijan is one of the few majority Muslim countries to develop bilateral strategic and economic relations with Israel.
Comment on this story
by Gabe Kahn
Azeri president Ilham Aliyev dismissed speculation on Thursday that Israel would use four abandoned bases in his country to launch strikes on Iran's nuclear program.
"Azerbaijan's territory will never be used to launch an attack against its neighbor, Iran," Aliyev's office said in a statement.
U.S. officials say they believe Israel may use the site as a springboard for an attack on Iran's nuclear plants, or as a landing and refueling spot following one.
The site could also be used for aircraft needed for search, rescue and recovery in the wake of an attack.
“We're watching what Israel is doing in Azerbaijan. And we're not happy about it,” an official told the Foreign Policy writer.
Israel has a $1.6 billion deal with Azerbaijan to provide some 60 state-of-the-art UAVs and is Baku's second largest consumer of exportable crude oil.
“The Israelis have bought an airfield,” another U.S. official told the journalist, “and the airfield is called Azerbaijan.”
Azerbaijan is one of the few majority Muslim countries to develop bilateral strategic and economic relations with Israel.
Tags: Azerbaijan ,Iran ,Iran Nuclear Program ,Ilham Aliyev
More on this topic
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Report: Israel Buys Azeri Air Field on Iran's Northern Border
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U.S. Sanctions Six Iranian Firms
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Report: Iran's Centrifuge Workshops Are Well Hidden
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Erdogan Rejects 'Outside Pressure' on Iran
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Turkish PM Arrives with Full State Delegation in Tehran
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'Prepare for Ops You Read About in Books' -- Paratroopers Told
Comment on this story
6. Report: Iran's Centrifuge Workshops Are Well Hidden
by Elad Benari
A new report prepared for the U.S. Congress indicates that neither the U.S. nor Israel knows exactly where all of Iran’s nuclear facilities are.
According to the report, parts of which were presented Wednesday by Bloomberg, this places in question the effect a military strike in Iran could have on its nuclear facilities.
The report by U.S. congressional researchers says that Iran's “workshops” for making nuclear centrifuges and components for the devices are widely dispersed and hidden.
According to Bloomberg, analysts for the Congressional Research Service wrote in the report that neither Israel nor the U.S. is certain of the locations of all such facilities. The report is based on interviews with current and former U.S. government officials familiar with the issue who were not identified.
Israel's capability to halt or set back Iran's nuclear program through a military strike has been central to the debate over whether it should undertake such a mission alone.
The likelihood of dispersed facilities complicates any assessment of a potential raid's success and makes it “unclear what the ultimate effect of a strike would be on the likelihood of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons,” the report found.
The authors noted that one U.S. official said in April 2011 that there “could be lots of workshops in Iran.”
Last month, according to Bloomberg, a former U.S. government official with “direct experience” in the issue told the researchers that “Iran's centrifuge production is widely distributed and that the number of workshops has probably multiplied many times since 2005 because of an increase in Iranian contractors and subcontractors working on the program.”
Meanwhile, negotiations between Iran and the group of P5+1 – consisting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany – are expected to resume in April.
Tehran signaled ahead of the talks that it is willing to allow “permanent human monitoring” of its nuclear sites and “full transparency” if the West agrees to sell it enriched uranium and provide civilian nuclear assistance.
Iran did not specifically say it would suspend its uranium enrichment program – a key demand by Washington and Jerusalem to avert a potential military strike – but analysts say the condition of uranium sales implies the issue will be “on the table.”
Iran has also threatened to retaliate if it were to be attacked by either Israel or the U.S. A recent report on an Iranian website described how the Islamic Republic would repulse a ground attack against it.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
A new report prepared for the U.S. Congress indicates that neither the U.S. nor Israel knows exactly where all of Iran’s nuclear facilities are.
According to the report, parts of which were presented Wednesday by Bloomberg, this places in question the effect a military strike in Iran could have on its nuclear facilities.
The report by U.S. congressional researchers says that Iran's “workshops” for making nuclear centrifuges and components for the devices are widely dispersed and hidden.
According to Bloomberg, analysts for the Congressional Research Service wrote in the report that neither Israel nor the U.S. is certain of the locations of all such facilities. The report is based on interviews with current and former U.S. government officials familiar with the issue who were not identified.
Israel's capability to halt or set back Iran's nuclear program through a military strike has been central to the debate over whether it should undertake such a mission alone.
The likelihood of dispersed facilities complicates any assessment of a potential raid's success and makes it “unclear what the ultimate effect of a strike would be on the likelihood of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons,” the report found.
The authors noted that one U.S. official said in April 2011 that there “could be lots of workshops in Iran.”
Last month, according to Bloomberg, a former U.S. government official with “direct experience” in the issue told the researchers that “Iran's centrifuge production is widely distributed and that the number of workshops has probably multiplied many times since 2005 because of an increase in Iranian contractors and subcontractors working on the program.”
Meanwhile, negotiations between Iran and the group of P5+1 – consisting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany – are expected to resume in April.
Tehran signaled ahead of the talks that it is willing to allow “permanent human monitoring” of its nuclear sites and “full transparency” if the West agrees to sell it enriched uranium and provide civilian nuclear assistance.
Iran did not specifically say it would suspend its uranium enrichment program – a key demand by Washington and Jerusalem to avert a potential military strike – but analysts say the condition of uranium sales implies the issue will be “on the table.”
Iran has also threatened to retaliate if it were to be attacked by either Israel or the U.S. A recent report on an Iranian website described how the Islamic Republic would repulse a ground attack against it.
Tags: Iran ,Iran Nuclear threat ,Israel-Iran-US
More on this topic
Comment on this story
7. Algeria Rejects Body of Toulouse Terrorist
by Chana Ya'ar
Algiers has refused to allow the burial of the Toulouse Terrorist to take place on Algerian soil.The family of Mohammed Merah will instead be forced to hold the funeral of the 23-year-old terrorist in France.
Abdallah Zekri, representing the head of the Great Mosque of Paris, told French media Thursday he was “instructed by the family to conduct the funeral within 24 hours in France in accordance with the authorities, because Algeria has refused to receive the body of Mohammed Merah, citing security reasons.”One who claims to be the author of the killings of Toulouse and Montauban should be buried near Toulouse in the Muslim section of the cemetery Cornebarrieu according to Zekri. The spokesman added that the funeral would take place “in the strictest confidence.”
Merah's body was to depart France Thursday from Toulouse for burial in Algiers, his mother's birthplace, but the response from the Algerian consulate was negative.“Mayor Bezzaz has given an unfavorable response,” Zekri told France TV, noting that the body would be buried within 24 hours, probably in the Toulouse area.
While his family was working to find a place willing to accept his body for burial, Merah's father was making arrangements to sue French police for having put an end to his murderous shooting spree.
Mohammed Benalal Merah hired Algerian attorney Zahia Mokhtari to file charges against French police for shooting his son when he tried to escape capture at the end of a 32-hour siege. The 23-year-old terrorist was killed in an an exchange of gunfire when he jumped out a window as police stormed the apartment in which he had been trapped. His brother, Abdelkader Merah, is currently being held on suspicion of being an accessory to the murders.
The younger Merah slaughtered a rabbi and three young Jewish children, and critically wounded a 17-year-old rabbinic student at the Otzar HaTorah Jewish day school last week in Toulouse. A few days earlier, he had shot to death three French Muslim paratroopers, all of North African descent. During the time he was trapped in his apartment, Merah told French media he had murdered the French soldiers in revenge for French participation in NATO operations against terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He had murdered the rabbi and Jewish children to "avenge the deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza." His only regret, he said, was in not having had the time to kill more.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Algiers has refused to allow the burial of the Toulouse Terrorist to take place on Algerian soil.The family of Mohammed Merah will instead be forced to hold the funeral of the 23-year-old terrorist in France.
Abdallah Zekri, representing the head of the Great Mosque of Paris, told French media Thursday he was “instructed by the family to conduct the funeral within 24 hours in France in accordance with the authorities, because Algeria has refused to receive the body of Mohammed Merah, citing security reasons.”One who claims to be the author of the killings of Toulouse and Montauban should be buried near Toulouse in the Muslim section of the cemetery Cornebarrieu according to Zekri. The spokesman added that the funeral would take place “in the strictest confidence.”
Merah's body was to depart France Thursday from Toulouse for burial in Algiers, his mother's birthplace, but the response from the Algerian consulate was negative.“Mayor Bezzaz has given an unfavorable response,” Zekri told France TV, noting that the body would be buried within 24 hours, probably in the Toulouse area.
While his family was working to find a place willing to accept his body for burial, Merah's father was making arrangements to sue French police for having put an end to his murderous shooting spree.
Mohammed Benalal Merah hired Algerian attorney Zahia Mokhtari to file charges against French police for shooting his son when he tried to escape capture at the end of a 32-hour siege. The 23-year-old terrorist was killed in an an exchange of gunfire when he jumped out a window as police stormed the apartment in which he had been trapped. His brother, Abdelkader Merah, is currently being held on suspicion of being an accessory to the murders.
The younger Merah slaughtered a rabbi and three young Jewish children, and critically wounded a 17-year-old rabbinic student at the Otzar HaTorah Jewish day school last week in Toulouse. A few days earlier, he had shot to death three French Muslim paratroopers, all of North African descent. During the time he was trapped in his apartment, Merah told French media he had murdered the French soldiers in revenge for French participation in NATO operations against terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He had murdered the rabbi and Jewish children to "avenge the deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza." His only regret, he said, was in not having had the time to kill more.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
8. Toulouse Widow Comforts Rehovot Widow
by Elad Benari
Eva Sandler, who lost her husband and two sons in the shooting attack in Toulouse last week, came on Wednesday to comfort Avivit Shaer, who lost her husband and five children in a fatal fire in Rehovot earlier this week.
Channel 2 News reported that the meeting between the two was emotional and that no eye was left dry.
“I really believe that the Almighty really loves us,” Shaer told Sandler. “Everything he does is ultimately good. We cannot understand what this good is because we are limited in our intellect and knowledge. G-d gave and G-d took away.”
Shaer also reportedly told Sandler, who is considering making aliyah immediately after the holidays but has not yet made a final decision, “There is no place like the Holy Land, come to Israel.”
After the meeting with Shaer, Sandler went on to the airport and flew to France where she will celebrate Passover with her parents.
On Monday, Avivit’s husband 38-year-old Guy Shaer and their five children - Eliav, 11, Evyatar, 8, Amitai, 7, Shira, 3, and one-year-old Itamar – were killed in the fire that broke out in their home.
Avivit, the wife and mother, just last week lost her brother to cancer. Since the tragedy, the city of Rehovot and particularly the Najara neighborhood where the Shaers live, has expressed its shock and devastation over the deaths.
Rabbi Eitan Eizman, Head of Noam and Tzvia Educational Institutions, told Arutz Sheva, "We are now in hard times. A whole family died in a fire. Only the mother survived. We must have great faith to be comforted in these difficult times."
"We pray to the Holy One Blessed Be He that he comfort all of the students and the parents who have bad times. We talk about the verse '...and Your faithfulness in the night.' And even in these difficult times, the Holy One Blessed Be He he will help us ad give us great strength and seal us for good," he said.
“It’s hard to digest,” Moshe Tam, head of the Najara neighborhood council, told Arutz Sheva. “The Najara neighborhood isn’t digesting the tragedy. All the residents of the neighborhood are in shock. All of Rehovot, the entire country I think, have been hit by this. I still don’t understand what happened here. Let’s hope we can overcome this.”
Tam promised that the neighborhood’s residents will help the widow and bereaved mother, Avivit.
“She lost everything. She’s been left with nothing. No children, no husband. We’ll help her,” he said. “The people in this neighborhood have lived together for 60 years. In cases like this people know how to help.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Eva Sandler, who lost her husband and two sons in the shooting attack in Toulouse last week, came on Wednesday to comfort Avivit Shaer, who lost her husband and five children in a fatal fire in Rehovot earlier this week.
Channel 2 News reported that the meeting between the two was emotional and that no eye was left dry.
“I really believe that the Almighty really loves us,” Shaer told Sandler. “Everything he does is ultimately good. We cannot understand what this good is because we are limited in our intellect and knowledge. G-d gave and G-d took away.”
Shaer also reportedly told Sandler, who is considering making aliyah immediately after the holidays but has not yet made a final decision, “There is no place like the Holy Land, come to Israel.”
After the meeting with Shaer, Sandler went on to the airport and flew to France where she will celebrate Passover with her parents.
On Monday, Avivit’s husband 38-year-old Guy Shaer and their five children - Eliav, 11, Evyatar, 8, Amitai, 7, Shira, 3, and one-year-old Itamar – were killed in the fire that broke out in their home.
Avivit, the wife and mother, just last week lost her brother to cancer. Since the tragedy, the city of Rehovot and particularly the Najara neighborhood where the Shaers live, has expressed its shock and devastation over the deaths.
Rabbi Eitan Eizman, Head of Noam and Tzvia Educational Institutions, told Arutz Sheva, "We are now in hard times. A whole family died in a fire. Only the mother survived. We must have great faith to be comforted in these difficult times."
"We pray to the Holy One Blessed Be He that he comfort all of the students and the parents who have bad times. We talk about the verse '...and Your faithfulness in the night.' And even in these difficult times, the Holy One Blessed Be He he will help us ad give us great strength and seal us for good," he said.
“It’s hard to digest,” Moshe Tam, head of the Najara neighborhood council, told Arutz Sheva. “The Najara neighborhood isn’t digesting the tragedy. All the residents of the neighborhood are in shock. All of Rehovot, the entire country I think, have been hit by this. I still don’t understand what happened here. Let’s hope we can overcome this.”
Tam promised that the neighborhood’s residents will help the widow and bereaved mother, Avivit.
“She lost everything. She’s been left with nothing. No children, no husband. We’ll help her,” he said. “The people in this neighborhood have lived together for 60 years. In cases like this people know how to help.”
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