Tzvi Fishman interviews Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat.
What is the proper orientation a religious Jew should have toward the State of Israel?
Just as we thank Hashem in the morning for each new day, and over each breath we take, as King David says, ‘Let every breath praise Hashem,’ and over each drop of rain, so too we should express thanksgiving over every second the State of Israel exists and continues to flourish, for this is the greatest miracle that has transpired in the world since the beginning of Creation until today.
On several occasions, your father, a former Chief Rabbi of Israel, of blessed memory, said that the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut should focus more on Torah study and prayer, and less on half-day barbecues. Can you summary for us what his attitude was toward Medinat Yisrael?
Upon his appointment as Israel’s Chief Sefardi Rabbi, HaRav Eliahu, זצוק"ל, cited the Gemara which states that the surest sign of the revealed End of the Exile is when the Land of Israel gives forth her fruits in abundance, something which our generation has merited to witness. He often asserted that he only saw lights in Medinat Yisrael, not the shadows of doubt.
Each year on Yom HaAtzmaut, in his speech at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook would bemoan the fact that not everyone saw the Divine Hand in the establishment of the State of Israel, declaring that we only had to open our eyes to see ‘the return of Your Shechinah to Zion,’ as we say in our prayers. What is the source of this blindness?
The Rebbe of Chabad also said that for the Geulah to come, a Jew had only to open his eyes and proclaim, ‘Behold, the Mashiach is on the way.’ The blindness in not seeing the great events of our time as the workings of Hashem, this is the root of Amalek. When the Children of Israel went out from Mitzrayim, they asked, ‘Is Hashem with us or not?’ Immediately Amalek attacked.
Our Sages compared this to a father who carried his son on his shoulders and gave him everything he needed. With the passing of time, the father heard his son ask, ‘Where is my father?’ The father replied, ‘I am carrying you on my shoulders, yet you ask where I am?’ So he set his son down and a dog leapt forward and bit him.
In the same light, if an unthinking person were to witness the dividing of the Red Sea day after day, he would say that the wonder was the natural way of the world - not a miracle. In contrast, a person who contemplated the phenomenon would understand that its daily, repeated occurrence was a much greater miracle than a onetime event.
The same is true with the day-after-day miracles which have accompanied Israel’s restoration in Eretz Yisrael and our continuing development, including the tremendous ingathering of the exiles and the rebuilding of the Land and Jerusalem. Each of these things is a miracle, but they remain hidden when you forget that Hashem is the Grand Conductor of Jewish History.
The Torah informs us that the Children of Israel were compelled to wander in the Wilderness because they failed to see and acknowledge Hashem’s Providence and loving care. Only in the fortieth year did their eyes and ears open, and did their hearts comprehend. Because of this turnabout of understanding, they finally merited to enter the Land of Israel. In a similar light, our Sages teach us that King Hezkiyahu lost his chance to be the Mashiach because he didn’t sing Hashem’s praises over the great miracle granted to him.
Likewise today, what Heavenly Merit can we expect if we fail to thank Hashem for orchestrating our way back to Zion via the historical events of our time?
A credible Iranian assassination plot aimed at US President Donald Trump prompted an unprecedented covert operation last month in which he was secretly flown out of Turkey aboard an alternate military aircraft while the White House falsely maintained he was traveling on Air Force One, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
The covert relocation - which remained completely undisclosed until now - was executed without the knowledge of embedded reporters or several White House staffers who believed they were traveling on the same aircraft as the president, according to operational documentation reviewed by The Post, a US official familiar with the mission, and another source knowledgeable about presidential travel arrangements.
Publicly, administration officials maintained that Trump departed Turkey on July 8 aboard the legacy Air Force One. Trump previously stated on social media that he would utilize the "former Air Force One" rather than the Boeing 747-8 gifted to the US by Qatar, an aircraft whose security measures faced public scrutiny and which Trump indicated would undergo further defensive enhancements.
While in Ankara, Trump walked onto the legacy Air Force One jumbo jet in full view of news cameras. Minutes later, however, he was covertly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A transport plane using an airport catering truck normally reserved for loading inflight meals, according to the US official and supporting records reviewed by The Post. That maneuver effectively turned the primary Air Force One into a "decoy" carrying journalists and White House personnel, the official noted.
Trump had been attending a NATO summit in Ankara with international leaders. The operation transpired the night after American forces launched renewed airstrikes against Iranian targets on Trump's orders following a collapse in talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their months-long conflict.
The maneuver effectively masked Trump's true location from the public and numerous senior U.S. officials for hours. Weeks later, it remains unclear how widely the administration disclosed the security operation internally.
When presented with detailed reporting and questions, White House communications director Steven Cheung released a statement defending the Qatari-provided plane.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff," Cheung stated, adding, “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."
A Defense Department spokesperson referred all inquiries to the White House, while a Secret Service representative did not reply to requests for comment.
Official White House accounts continued to state publicly that the president departed Turkey on the legacy blue-and-white Boeing 747 used as Air Force One prior to Trump utilizing the Qatari aircraft.
The account from The Washington Post follows a report from The New York Times last month confirming that a credible threat from Iranian proxy groups targeting Trump and his plane forced US officials to suddenly swap aircraft during his exit from Turkey.
During the plane switch, reports surfaced indicating Israeli intelligence had alerted US agencies regarding Iranian assassination plots targeting Trump. Some US officials received the Israeli intelligence cautiously, concerned it might represent an attempt to push Trump toward escalating military action against Tehran.
However, sources informed The New York Times that the specific security hazard in Turkey that forced the emergency plane switch was distinct from the intelligence shared by Israel.
During the summit, the US resumed military strikes on Iranian targets while Trump remained in Ankara, approximately 1,000 miles from Tehran. Addressing reporters regarding the aircraft change, Trump explicitly referenced Iranian efforts to target him.
“They want to take out the US leader - me," he stated, continuing, “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.
In a video, Hikind compared the defense of Mamdani to Jews marching alongside Hamas supporters and expressed dismay over the position.
Hikind also invoked the history of $atmar founder Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, noting that he was among the Jews rescued aboard the Kastner train during the Holocaust. The rescue effort was organized by a Jewish committee that included Zionist activists, although it also involved Orthodox Jewish leaders and others.
The comments followed Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum’s remarks at a gathering marking the 47th yahrzeit of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum. The Williamsburg Rebbe criticized attacks on Mamdani and warned that labeling him an antisemite could amount to what he called “provocation against the nations.”
He urged religious Jews in the United States to follow Torah principles and recognize their responsibilities while living in exile.
Both major $atmar factions — the Williamsburg-based Zalunim and the Kiryas Joel-based Aronim — have developed close relationships with Mamdani, a strategy that has drawn criticism and questions from other Jewish New Yorkers.
Mamdani, a Muslim progressive and outspoken critic of Israel, has faced criticism from Jewish organizations over his positions on Israel, the Gaza war and antisemitism.
The $atmar leadership has emphasized maintaining a working relationship with city officials and protecting the interests of its religious communities, even as critics argue that engagement with Mamdani risks legitimizing positions they consider hostile to Israel.
Hearing the Satmar Rebbe defend Mamdani is like seeing fellow Jews march with Hamas supporters.
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) August 10, 2026
With despair I say:
God, please forgive our people. pic.twitter.com/qF7Ygn69l3
On May 11, 2021, Zohran Mamdani participated in a virulently antisemitic 2-hour anti-Israel demonstration in NYC. Besides Mamdani, the rally featured some of the most notorious anti-Israel activists in the United States. Mamdani himself called for the effective destruction of the State of Israel contrary to the false impression of moderation that Mamdani has tried to cultivate
Officials from one country in the Middle East advised another regional state to pursue an agreement with Israel in order to "lull it to sleep" while preparing for war, according to a Monday report.
First reported by KAN News and cleared for publication by the IDF military censor, the report noted that officials from said country told their counterparts during talks in recent months that they should demonstrate tactical flexibility toward Israel and work toward reaching an agreement.
The proposal, however, was not intended as a path toward lasting reconciliation. Instead, the officials advised the other country to use the period created by an agreement to prepare for a future war against Israel, according to the sources cited in the report.
The officials reportedly suggested reaching an agreement with Israel with the intention of later violating it, while simultaneously preparing for a larger military confrontation.
The identities of either of the two countries involved have not been identified.
"Anyone who thought we could entrust the security of our sons to agreements and guarantees from those around us received a painful slap in the face this morning,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in response to the report.
“Behind all these agreements rooted in the failed conception lie lies and deception. These are agreements whose purpose is to lull us to sleep ahead of the next blow."
Israel has concluded its latest round of peace talks with Lebanon in Rome, where the two countries have worked on a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The talks center around the implementation of the June deal that links Israel's progressive withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of the terrorist organization.
Additionally, Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa recently told Al Jazeera that Syria and Israel are working to reach a security agreement with the aid of several countries, adding that he hoped for an agreement that could serve as a gateway to comprehensive peace without undermining Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights.
Those concerns carry particular weight following the intelligence failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. Internal Hamas documents published in June detailed a deliberate effort by the terrorist organization to convince Israel that it sought stability while secretly preparing for a surprise attack.
The documents described a multidimensional deception strategy designed to foster Israeli complacency. Hamas sought to project restraint and an interest in economic and diplomatic arrangements, including by remaining on the sidelines during some previous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Additionally, the report did not address whether the country that allegedly received the proposal accepted the advice or acted on it. It also does not establish that any agreement currently under discussion with Israel is part of such a strategy.
Angel showed up every day with the same dedication, kindness, and work ethic, refusing to let her circumstances define her.
