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1. Samaria Leaders meet MP over ‘Apartheid’ Claims
by Maayana Miskin
Jewish leaders from Samaria, British friends of Israel, and a Palestinian Authority Arab dissident sat down this week with a British MP who blamed Israel for attacks on British troops in Afghanistan, the rise to power of Muslim extremists in Egypt, the Iranian threat in the Straits of Hormuz, and more.
MP Julian Brazier spoke to the activists in a special meeting in Parliament.
The British Israel Coalition (BICPAC) arranged the meeting in an attempt at “a creative way to tackle [Brazier’s] libelous claims.”
Brazier insisted earlier in the month that Israeli life in Judea and Samaria stirs Muslim hate around the world, leading to extremism and terrorism, and is “playing a major role in inciting the anger felt in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” Afghan terrorists, for their part, have said their attacks are spurred by the British presence in Afghanistan.
Brazier had also said, “If, in the worst case scenario, we have to go to war to keep the Straits of Hormuz open, Israeli settlement activity will have made it much harder.”
The meeting Tuesday aimed to show the MP a different point of view. “A crucial part of challenging this falsenarrative is to provide an alternative,” the BICPAC explained.
Samaria regional head Gershon Mesika was among those who met with Brazier. Also present was Mudar Zahran, a Jordanian dissident in London who seeks to create a homeland of “Palestine” in Jordan.
Mesika told Brazier that accusations of "occupation" are unacceptable. Judea and Samaria are the heart of the Jewish homeland, he said. Israel's claim to Tel Aviv stems from the historical claim to Shechem and Hevron, he added.
He invited the MP to visit Samaria and see the situation for himself.
Brazier Sticks to his Claims
During the meeting Brazier repeatedly condemned Israel for building a wall in Judea and Samaria. The wall, built after years of suicide bombings, protects major Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as well as Israelis living west of the 1948 armistice line.
Brazier slammed Israel for building the wall east of the armistice line, saying the “I do believe that the effect of the wall is an apartheid wall.”
He stuck by his statements blaming Israel for Mideast violence as well. Brazier claimed a foreign diplomat had confirmed that young Muslims were radicalized by seeing reports of Israeli building in Judea and Samaria.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Jewish leaders from Samaria, British friends of Israel, and a Palestinian Authority Arab dissident sat down this week with a British MP who blamed Israel for attacks on British troops in Afghanistan, the rise to power of Muslim extremists in Egypt, the Iranian threat in the Straits of Hormuz, and more.
MP Julian Brazier spoke to the activists in a special meeting in Parliament.
The British Israel Coalition (BICPAC) arranged the meeting in an attempt at “a creative way to tackle [Brazier’s] libelous claims.”
Brazier insisted earlier in the month that Israeli life in Judea and Samaria stirs Muslim hate around the world, leading to extremism and terrorism, and is “playing a major role in inciting the anger felt in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” Afghan terrorists, for their part, have said their attacks are spurred by the British presence in Afghanistan.
Brazier had also said, “If, in the worst case scenario, we have to go to war to keep the Straits of Hormuz open, Israeli settlement activity will have made it much harder.”
The meeting Tuesday aimed to show the MP a different point of view. “A crucial part of challenging this falsenarrative is to provide an alternative,” the BICPAC explained.
Samaria regional head Gershon Mesika was among those who met with Brazier. Also present was Mudar Zahran, a Jordanian dissident in London who seeks to create a homeland of “Palestine” in Jordan.
Mesika told Brazier that accusations of "occupation" are unacceptable. Judea and Samaria are the heart of the Jewish homeland, he said. Israel's claim to Tel Aviv stems from the historical claim to Shechem and Hevron, he added.
He invited the MP to visit Samaria and see the situation for himself.
Brazier Sticks to his Claims
During the meeting Brazier repeatedly condemned Israel for building a wall in Judea and Samaria. The wall, built after years of suicide bombings, protects major Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as well as Israelis living west of the 1948 armistice line.
Brazier slammed Israel for building the wall east of the armistice line, saying the “I do believe that the effect of the wall is an apartheid wall.”
He stuck by his statements blaming Israel for Mideast violence as well. Brazier claimed a foreign diplomat had confirmed that young Muslims were radicalized by seeing reports of Israeli building in Judea and Samaria.
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Protest: Stop Temple Mount Discrimination, Desecration
Comment on this story
2. Government’s Fate Rests on Samaria Town
by Maayana Miskin
The government will stand or fall in the next two weeks depending on what happens in the Israeli community of Beit El, north of Jerusalem. Ministers have informed Netanyahu that if the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El is destroyed, his coalition will follow.
The warning came during a cabinet meeting in which the timetable for Judea and Samaria demolitions was revealed. Ulpana is scheduled to be demolished on May 1, the Givat Assaf community several weeks later, and Migron on August 1.
Ministers told Netanyahu that the timetable is irrelevant, because if the May 1 destruction of Ulpana were to go through, the government will not be around for the other two.
Pictures of the destruction will remind the public of the destruction of Gush Katif, they warned. The demolition of Jewish communities in Gaza has been generally recognized as a bad idea, particularly as thousands of residents of the towns have not yet been resettled nearly seven years later and the terrorist ocket barrages from the destroyed communities have been unrelenting.
Several ministers from Netanyahu’s own Likud party have warned that they will not wait for May 1, but rather, will force a stop to demolition plans through legislation. A law is in the works that would ensure that homeowners can remain on their property if a claim to the land is made several years after purchase. The law would provide claimants with monetary compensation in place of the original property, as is the practice in other countries.
It would affect thousands of Jewish families in Judea and Samaria who bought homes many years ago on abandoned land with government help, far from any Arab community, who are now facing sudden lawsuits by Palestinian Authority residents, claiming the land on which these homes are built. Some of the land was purchased and either the owner was afraid for his life and therefore did not go through legal channels or the owner was fraudulent, taking advantage of the similarity of Arab names and language barriers.
The Supreme Court has tended to side with PA plaintiffs in such cases even without proof of ownership.
MK Ya'akov “Ketzaleh” Katz praised the bill. “The government should immediately legislate laws to solve large-scale communal problems,” he said. “The courts are not above the people, and cannot cancel just laws that aim to save the nation from absurd decrees.”
On Sunday, members of the Likud Central Committee, along with MKs and ministers from the party, will hold an emergency meeting in the Ulpena neighborhood to discuss the issue and declare their strategy for the days ahead.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
The government will stand or fall in the next two weeks depending on what happens in the Israeli community of Beit El, north of Jerusalem. Ministers have informed Netanyahu that if the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El is destroyed, his coalition will follow.
The warning came during a cabinet meeting in which the timetable for Judea and Samaria demolitions was revealed. Ulpana is scheduled to be demolished on May 1, the Givat Assaf community several weeks later, and Migron on August 1.
Ministers told Netanyahu that the timetable is irrelevant, because if the May 1 destruction of Ulpana were to go through, the government will not be around for the other two.
Pictures of the destruction will remind the public of the destruction of Gush Katif, they warned. The demolition of Jewish communities in Gaza has been generally recognized as a bad idea, particularly as thousands of residents of the towns have not yet been resettled nearly seven years later and the terrorist ocket barrages from the destroyed communities have been unrelenting.
Several ministers from Netanyahu’s own Likud party have warned that they will not wait for May 1, but rather, will force a stop to demolition plans through legislation. A law is in the works that would ensure that homeowners can remain on their property if a claim to the land is made several years after purchase. The law would provide claimants with monetary compensation in place of the original property, as is the practice in other countries.
It would affect thousands of Jewish families in Judea and Samaria who bought homes many years ago on abandoned land with government help, far from any Arab community, who are now facing sudden lawsuits by Palestinian Authority residents, claiming the land on which these homes are built. Some of the land was purchased and either the owner was afraid for his life and therefore did not go through legal channels or the owner was fraudulent, taking advantage of the similarity of Arab names and language barriers.
The Supreme Court has tended to side with PA plaintiffs in such cases even without proof of ownership.
MK Ya'akov “Ketzaleh” Katz praised the bill. “The government should immediately legislate laws to solve large-scale communal problems,” he said. “The courts are not above the people, and cannot cancel just laws that aim to save the nation from absurd decrees.”
On Sunday, members of the Likud Central Committee, along with MKs and ministers from the party, will hold an emergency meeting in the Ulpena neighborhood to discuss the issue and declare their strategy for the days ahead.
More on this topic
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Netanyahu: I asked A-G to Approve Beit El Neighborhood
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State to Demolish Bereaved Family’s Farm
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Deputy A-G Visits Threatened Beit El Neighborhood
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State Asks to Delay Migron Razing Until 2015
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Police Arrest 2 During Mizpe Avichai 'Rebuilding'
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PM Appoints Panel to Write Definitive Report on 'Outpost' Status
Comment on this story
3. Barak Doesn't 'Buy' Khamenei's Anti-Nuke Fatwa
by Gabe Kahn
Defense Minister Ehud Barak – in Washington to meet with American officials ahead of the next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 – said Iranian supreme leader Ayatolla Ali Khamenei could not be trusted to halt Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
"I don't buy it so easily," Barak told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday when she asked about Khamenei's recent fatwa [religious decree] that Iran would not acquire or develop nuclear weapons.
"It -- it is the same Khamenei who said just a year ago he scorned Qadaffi for caving so easily to pressure, to give up his nuclear military program," Barak said "...and he [Khamenei] points to where he [Qadaffi] is now."
"And, have you heard the term Taqia, which means in Islam, especially in Shia Islam, a kind of permission from Heaven for the leader to lie and mislead others as long as it is to achiece the objectives of the movement, the group, the tribe, or the nation," Barak said.
"So I don't buy it," he said. "I follow the facts on the ground. Enrichment continues. They got a a pause of five months... five weeks until the next gathering in Baghdad ..everything is still working."
During the interview Barak also rejected the impact Khamenei's fatwa appears to have had on American pundits and decision makers, saying it is superfluous in terms practical action.
"Oh, there... there's no need for a fatwa if they stop enriching for 20%, if they start bringing it out of the country to a friendly mutually agreed state, the 20% enriched uranium, and 3.5% enriched uranium beyond a few hundred kilograms which is not enough for a single device..." Barak said.
"...and, decommission the installation in Qom, and put the whole activity under the tight inspection protocol of the IAEA And answer all the questions that have been raised by the IAEA over the last years about the military activities in regard to nuclear weapons.
"Once they do this, it means they gave up the military nuclear program," Barak explained.
He also rejected Amanpour's assertion that the Obama administration was not convinced Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons technology.
"I know. I'm talking to American intelligence. I talk to American leaders. There is no difference in the assessment of this danger," Barak said.
"It's true that probably Khamenei has not given orders to start building a [nuclear] weapon, but why he is doing this?" Barak asked rhetorically. "Because he understands that if he starts to break the IAEA [rules] and starts to actually build a weapon, he might find himself faced with an American response."
Or "an Israeli response... in a way that might damage him. But that's the only reason why he did not give the order. But they are clearly heading toward this objective.
Barak also responded sharply when Amanpour pressed him on the likelihood of an Israeli strike, and what form it might take.
"Look, Christiane, I assume you understand that I do not like the kind of flood of descriptions and speculations about Israeli attacks on Iran," Barak said.
"I think that it should be -- remain behind closed doors as a part of a -- a -- a vague understanding that there is a big stick in the background, and when we say, and the Americans say, all options are on the table we mean it. And that might suffice.
"I don't think that it will help in any -- any tangible manner to convince the Iranians by going into speculations about how such an American or Israeli strike might look like or when it might take place..."
Barak became even more incredulous when Amanpour tried to press him for details citing leaks to Israel's press.
"You don't -- you don't seriously expect me to…" Barak said, shaking his head.
Later in the interview Barak told Amanpour he would not speculate on whether Jerusalem would give Washington a heads up if Israel launched a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"You know, we don't -- we don't take a decision as of now, not because it -- it's something that we are contemplating. We have a very open kind of frank discussion of these issues with the Americans," he insisted.
Comment on this story
by Gabe Kahn
Defense Minister Ehud Barak – in Washington to meet with American officials ahead of the next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 – said Iranian supreme leader Ayatolla Ali Khamenei could not be trusted to halt Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
"I don't buy it so easily," Barak told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday when she asked about Khamenei's recent fatwa [religious decree] that Iran would not acquire or develop nuclear weapons.
"It -- it is the same Khamenei who said just a year ago he scorned Qadaffi for caving so easily to pressure, to give up his nuclear military program," Barak said "...and he [Khamenei] points to where he [Qadaffi] is now."
"And, have you heard the term Taqia, which means in Islam, especially in Shia Islam, a kind of permission from Heaven for the leader to lie and mislead others as long as it is to achiece the objectives of the movement, the group, the tribe, or the nation," Barak said.
"So I don't buy it," he said. "I follow the facts on the ground. Enrichment continues. They got a a pause of five months... five weeks until the next gathering in Baghdad ..everything is still working."
During the interview Barak also rejected the impact Khamenei's fatwa appears to have had on American pundits and decision makers, saying it is superfluous in terms practical action.
"Oh, there... there's no need for a fatwa if they stop enriching for 20%, if they start bringing it out of the country to a friendly mutually agreed state, the 20% enriched uranium, and 3.5% enriched uranium beyond a few hundred kilograms which is not enough for a single device..." Barak said.
"...and, decommission the installation in Qom, and put the whole activity under the tight inspection protocol of the IAEA And answer all the questions that have been raised by the IAEA over the last years about the military activities in regard to nuclear weapons.
"Once they do this, it means they gave up the military nuclear program," Barak explained.
He also rejected Amanpour's assertion that the Obama administration was not convinced Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons technology.
"I know. I'm talking to American intelligence. I talk to American leaders. There is no difference in the assessment of this danger," Barak said.
"It's true that probably Khamenei has not given orders to start building a [nuclear] weapon, but why he is doing this?" Barak asked rhetorically. "Because he understands that if he starts to break the IAEA [rules] and starts to actually build a weapon, he might find himself faced with an American response."
Or "an Israeli response... in a way that might damage him. But that's the only reason why he did not give the order. But they are clearly heading toward this objective.
Barak also responded sharply when Amanpour pressed him on the likelihood of an Israeli strike, and what form it might take.
"Look, Christiane, I assume you understand that I do not like the kind of flood of descriptions and speculations about Israeli attacks on Iran," Barak said.
"I think that it should be -- remain behind closed doors as a part of a -- a -- a vague understanding that there is a big stick in the background, and when we say, and the Americans say, all options are on the table we mean it. And that might suffice.
"I don't think that it will help in any -- any tangible manner to convince the Iranians by going into speculations about how such an American or Israeli strike might look like or when it might take place..."
Barak became even more incredulous when Amanpour tried to press him for details citing leaks to Israel's press.
"You don't -- you don't seriously expect me to…" Barak said, shaking his head.
Later in the interview Barak told Amanpour he would not speculate on whether Jerusalem would give Washington a heads up if Israel launched a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"You know, we don't -- we don't take a decision as of now, not because it -- it's something that we are contemplating. We have a very open kind of frank discussion of these issues with the Americans," he insisted.
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Iran Arrests 15 for Links with Israeli 'Assassination Group'
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Barak Joins Criticism of Eisner, Claims Blow was Unnecessary
Comment on this story
4. Arabs Stone Jewish Family Driving Near Tekoa
by Gabe Kahn
A group of some 20 Arabs attacked a Jewish family as they drove to their home in Tekoa on Thursday afternoon.
Akiva Ami-El, his wife Keterya, and their two-year old son Benaiya were coming home from a shopping trip in the Gush Etzion city of Efrata when a gang of Arab students began pelting their car with stones and bricks.
"We were coming home from shopping at Rami Levi [discount supermarket chain, ed.]," Ami-El related. "We were driving past Tekua – Arab Tekoa – a little before 1PM, when school let out. The kids came out to the road like they do every day."
"I saw an Arab kid pick up a large stone on one side of the road, while kids on the other side of the road picked up bricks," Ami-El related. "And then they just started smashing us, like they do. I just kept going."
“Thankfully, we made it home okay,” Ami-El added.
Arab ambushes of passing cars driven by Jews in Judea and Samaria is a daily and potentially life threatening occurrence.
Last September, Asher Palmer and his infant son Yonatan were killed when Arabs hurled a massive stone through his windshield near Hevron. The stone smashed through the glass and struck Palmer's head, causing him to lose control of the car and go off the road.
Both father and son were later declared to be Victims of Terror by Israel's government.
Ami-El's Smashed Windshield Akiva Ami-El, with permission
Comment on this story
by Gabe Kahn
A group of some 20 Arabs attacked a Jewish family as they drove to their home in Tekoa on Thursday afternoon.
Akiva Ami-El, his wife Keterya, and their two-year old son Benaiya were coming home from a shopping trip in the Gush Etzion city of Efrata when a gang of Arab students began pelting their car with stones and bricks.
"We were coming home from shopping at Rami Levi [discount supermarket chain, ed.]," Ami-El related. "We were driving past Tekua – Arab Tekoa – a little before 1PM, when school let out. The kids came out to the road like they do every day."
"I saw an Arab kid pick up a large stone on one side of the road, while kids on the other side of the road picked up bricks," Ami-El related. "And then they just started smashing us, like they do. I just kept going."
“Thankfully, we made it home okay,” Ami-El added.
Arab ambushes of passing cars driven by Jews in Judea and Samaria is a daily and potentially life threatening occurrence.
Last September, Asher Palmer and his infant son Yonatan were killed when Arabs hurled a massive stone through his windshield near Hevron. The stone smashed through the glass and struck Palmer's head, causing him to lose control of the car and go off the road.
Both father and son were later declared to be Victims of Terror by Israel's government.
Ami-El's Smashed Windshield Akiva Ami-El, with permission
Tags: Teloa ,rock attacks ,Judea and Samaria
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. ‘PA Terrorists Continue Nazis’ Work’
by Maayana Miskin
“There is no difference between the Nazis and those who stabbed and try to kill a Jew tonight near the Tomb of Simon the Righteous,” Yoni Yosef told Arutz Sheva. Yosef’s comments followed an attack in which a young Jewish man was stabbed after evening prayers at the tomb. Two Arab men have been arrested in connection to the assault.
The attack took place as Holocaust Memorial Day was ending.
Yosef, spokesman for the Jewish community in the Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood (known in Arabic as Sheikh Jarrah), said PA terrorists are like Nazis because they target all Jews simply because they are Jewish.
“The attack will not deter us from visiting the tomb, just as Jews were not deterred from coming here for 2,000 years,” he declared. In fact, he said, the solution is more Jewish presence not less, “This neighborhood will be safe again only when many Jewish residents and visitors come here.”
“I hope police will take a heavy hand against those thugs who continue the path of the Nazis, with the common ground being that both try to destroy the Jewish people,” he added.
The Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood was purchased by Jews living in Israel more than 140 years ago. It was conquered by Jordan during the War of Independence, and the Jewish-owned homes in the neighborhood were given to Arabs in the 19 years that followed.
Since the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 several Jewish families have purchased homes in the neighborhood, creating a new Jewish community around the ancient Shimon Hatzaddik tomb.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
“There is no difference between the Nazis and those who stabbed and try to kill a Jew tonight near the Tomb of Simon the Righteous,” Yoni Yosef told Arutz Sheva. Yosef’s comments followed an attack in which a young Jewish man was stabbed after evening prayers at the tomb. Two Arab men have been arrested in connection to the assault.
The attack took place as Holocaust Memorial Day was ending.
Yosef, spokesman for the Jewish community in the Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood (known in Arabic as Sheikh Jarrah), said PA terrorists are like Nazis because they target all Jews simply because they are Jewish.
“The attack will not deter us from visiting the tomb, just as Jews were not deterred from coming here for 2,000 years,” he declared. In fact, he said, the solution is more Jewish presence not less, “This neighborhood will be safe again only when many Jewish residents and visitors come here.”
“I hope police will take a heavy hand against those thugs who continue the path of the Nazis, with the common ground being that both try to destroy the Jewish people,” he added.
The Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood was purchased by Jews living in Israel more than 140 years ago. It was conquered by Jordan during the War of Independence, and the Jewish-owned homes in the neighborhood were given to Arabs in the 19 years that followed.
Since the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 several Jewish families have purchased homes in the neighborhood, creating a new Jewish community around the ancient Shimon Hatzaddik tomb.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
6. U.S. Ruling: PA, PLO Can’t be Charged in Torture Death
by Maayana Miskin
The Palestinian Authority and PLO cannot be sued for the death by torture of a man killed in PA custody, the United States Supreme Court has ruled. The court found that the Torture Victim Protection Act allows for civil suits against individuals only, and not against organizations.
The family of PA resident Azzam Rahim, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had sought to sue the PA and PLO for Rahim’s death in 1995.
The family alleges that Rahim was tortured to death in PA custody. The PA and PLO have denied the charges.
In a unanimous ruling, justices upheld a lower court’s ruling that the Protection Act does not apply. “We hold that the term ‘individual’ as used in the act encompasses only natural persons,” the court stated. “Consequently, the act does not impose liability against organizations.”
Lawyers for the plaintiffs had argued that failing to hold organizations liable would leave many victims of torture and their families with no legal recourse. The court said Congress had been aware of the law’s limitations when it was passed.
Senior PA officials have admitted that PA forces torture prisoners. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been accused of turning a blind eye to - or even facilitating - the torture, which has been carried out by US-trained troops.
In a recent case, the PA allegedly tortured a former PA intelligence agent for selling a home to Jews. The former agent has been sentenced to death.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
The Palestinian Authority and PLO cannot be sued for the death by torture of a man killed in PA custody, the United States Supreme Court has ruled. The court found that the Torture Victim Protection Act allows for civil suits against individuals only, and not against organizations.
The family of PA resident Azzam Rahim, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had sought to sue the PA and PLO for Rahim’s death in 1995.
The family alleges that Rahim was tortured to death in PA custody. The PA and PLO have denied the charges.
In a unanimous ruling, justices upheld a lower court’s ruling that the Protection Act does not apply. “We hold that the term ‘individual’ as used in the act encompasses only natural persons,” the court stated. “Consequently, the act does not impose liability against organizations.”
Lawyers for the plaintiffs had argued that failing to hold organizations liable would leave many victims of torture and their families with no legal recourse. The court said Congress had been aware of the law’s limitations when it was passed.
Senior PA officials have admitted that PA forces torture prisoners. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been accused of turning a blind eye to - or even facilitating - the torture, which has been carried out by US-trained troops.
In a recent case, the PA allegedly tortured a former PA intelligence agent for selling a home to Jews. The former agent has been sentenced to death.
More on this topic
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7. Rabbi Sinai Julian of Arad Passed Away: In Memoriam
by Elad Benari
Rabbi Sinai Julian, husband of longtime Arutz Sheva news and feature writer, journalist Hana Levi Julian, passed away on Wednesday evening following heart surgery.
Hana and Sinai's aliya is a tale worth retelling.
When Hana and Sinai Julian left Brooklyn and made aliyah to Israel with Nefesh B'Nefesh in 2003, they were welcomed to Israel in a most unusual way - they were invited and chose to spend their first three weeks to the Bedouin village of Dragot (Drijag in Arabic), located in the Negev desert!
The Julians came to Israel as part of a project by Nefesh B’Nefesh to bring at least a thousand North American Jews to Israel by the end of July of 2003. During that time period, immigration to the Jewish state had been on the decline because of the Second Intifada, also known as the Oslo War, which began in September 2000.
While most American Jews, upon their arrival in Israel, have trouble adjusting to the changes in lifestyle and culture - such as they are - and choose to stay with relatives, go to an absorption center or a rented apartment to ease their way into Israeli society, the Julians and the four children who came with them, went directly from the airport to live with the 800 members of the Abu Hamad tribe in the Negev.
The reason? Sinai and Hana actually came to Israel after Abu Hamad, who met the Julians during a trip to Israel a year and a half before their aliyah, asked them what they were doing in New York, saying that as Jews, Israel is supposed to be their home country. That was all the convincing the Julians needed.
The Julians met and married in New York in 1990. Sinai was born into a secular Zionist family in Los Angeles. He had spent time at Kibbutz Gezer in the 1970s, but had returned to the U.S., became observant and received rabbinic ordination from the prestigious Chaim Berlin Yeshiva in New York. The Julians have four children together, and three from prior marriages.
After their three-week stay with the Bedouins, the family moved to the nearby city of Arad, where they were active members of the Chabad community there. It was there that Rabbi Sinai Julian was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral, including residents of Arad and of the Bedouin village of Dragot. A busload of people came from Jerusalem, and a number of those aboard the bus shared their memories and perspectives on Rabbi Julian's passing while en route.
People described him as a "tsaddik", a righteous man - and we, at Arutz Sheva, who tried to keep Hana's spirits up during the debilitating period of his illness when she was so dedicated to his welfare, , know that she would have written this article much better than we -employing her knowledge, verve and writing talents to bring Sinai special z"l's personality to life.
In accordance with Jewish law for the month of Nissan, there was no formal eulogy at the funeral. The family is sitting shiva, the traditional seven-day mourning period, at 21 Hasaifan in Arad until Wednesday morning.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Rabbi Sinai Julian, husband of longtime Arutz Sheva news and feature writer, journalist Hana Levi Julian, passed away on Wednesday evening following heart surgery.
Hana and Sinai's aliya is a tale worth retelling.
When Hana and Sinai Julian left Brooklyn and made aliyah to Israel with Nefesh B'Nefesh in 2003, they were welcomed to Israel in a most unusual way - they were invited and chose to spend their first three weeks to the Bedouin village of Dragot (Drijag in Arabic), located in the Negev desert!
The Julians came to Israel as part of a project by Nefesh B’Nefesh to bring at least a thousand North American Jews to Israel by the end of July of 2003. During that time period, immigration to the Jewish state had been on the decline because of the Second Intifada, also known as the Oslo War, which began in September 2000.
While most American Jews, upon their arrival in Israel, have trouble adjusting to the changes in lifestyle and culture - such as they are - and choose to stay with relatives, go to an absorption center or a rented apartment to ease their way into Israeli society, the Julians and the four children who came with them, went directly from the airport to live with the 800 members of the Abu Hamad tribe in the Negev.
The reason? Sinai and Hana actually came to Israel after Abu Hamad, who met the Julians during a trip to Israel a year and a half before their aliyah, asked them what they were doing in New York, saying that as Jews, Israel is supposed to be their home country. That was all the convincing the Julians needed.
The Julians met and married in New York in 1990. Sinai was born into a secular Zionist family in Los Angeles. He had spent time at Kibbutz Gezer in the 1970s, but had returned to the U.S., became observant and received rabbinic ordination from the prestigious Chaim Berlin Yeshiva in New York. The Julians have four children together, and three from prior marriages.
After their three-week stay with the Bedouins, the family moved to the nearby city of Arad, where they were active members of the Chabad community there. It was there that Rabbi Sinai Julian was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral, including residents of Arad and of the Bedouin village of Dragot. A busload of people came from Jerusalem, and a number of those aboard the bus shared their memories and perspectives on Rabbi Julian's passing while en route.
People described him as a "tsaddik", a righteous man - and we, at Arutz Sheva, who tried to keep Hana's spirits up during the debilitating period of his illness when she was so dedicated to his welfare, , know that she would have written this article much better than we -employing her knowledge, verve and writing talents to bring Sinai special z"l's personality to life.
In accordance with Jewish law for the month of Nissan, there was no formal eulogy at the funeral. The family is sitting shiva, the traditional seven-day mourning period, at 21 Hasaifan in Arad until Wednesday morning.
Tags: Rabbi Sinai Julian
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8. Arabs Stab Young Jew in Jerusalem
by Gil Ronen
An apparent nationalistic terror crime was perpetrated in Jerusalem Thursday evening. Assailants believed to be Arabs stabbed a haredi-religious Jew, aged around 20, at the "hotels junction" near the Tomb Shimon HaTzaddik. The victim was reportedly in moderate condition and conscious before he was evacuated to a hospital.
The victim and a friend were walking back from the evening prayer at the Tomb of Rabbi Shimon HaTzaddik toward Me'ah She'arim when two Arabs aged around 18 accosted them.
According to the friend, the Arabs stabbed the victim in the leg several times.
Yehuda Amitai, a medic for Ichud Hatzalah, told Arutz Sheva that the event was reported at around 9:00 p.m.. "When we arrived at the scene we saw the victim near the Etz HaZayit Hotel. He had been stabbed several times in the area of the leg, and after initial treatment he was evacuated to Hadassah Hospital."
"Following the attack, the Arabs in the neighborhood began getting rowdy, there were fisticuffs between the Arabs and police, including rock throwing and rioting. Large police forces are still pouring in and trying to restore order and catch the terrorists."
The stabbers escaped. Police have arrested two suspects who match the descriptions given by the victim and the eyewitness.
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by Gil Ronen
An apparent nationalistic terror crime was perpetrated in Jerusalem Thursday evening. Assailants believed to be Arabs stabbed a haredi-religious Jew, aged around 20, at the "hotels junction" near the Tomb Shimon HaTzaddik. The victim was reportedly in moderate condition and conscious before he was evacuated to a hospital.
The victim and a friend were walking back from the evening prayer at the Tomb of Rabbi Shimon HaTzaddik toward Me'ah She'arim when two Arabs aged around 18 accosted them.
According to the friend, the Arabs stabbed the victim in the leg several times.
Yehuda Amitai, a medic for Ichud Hatzalah, told Arutz Sheva that the event was reported at around 9:00 p.m.. "When we arrived at the scene we saw the victim near the Etz HaZayit Hotel. He had been stabbed several times in the area of the leg, and after initial treatment he was evacuated to Hadassah Hospital."
"Following the attack, the Arabs in the neighborhood began getting rowdy, there were fisticuffs between the Arabs and police, including rock throwing and rioting. Large police forces are still pouring in and trying to restore order and catch the terrorists."
The stabbers escaped. Police have arrested two suspects who match the descriptions given by the victim and the eyewitness.
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