The good news: "Zionism has already won!"

Hebrew article Loosely Translated into English

by Menachem Rahat

 1. "Zionism will not win." These words, in perfect Hebrew, was written by the Hamas beasts on the podium on which the official ceremony for the return of four Israeli abductees to the Red Cross was taking place, on their way home,.

 Hamas monsters sought to express the overarching goal of Hamas ideology – to wipe off the face of the earth the State of Israel, the product of Zionism, and to turn all of its territory into the State of Palestine (HILAT). There is no higher goal in Hamas' eyes than this.

And shockingly, this exact slogan, but with precise precision, .......stands – "lehavdil" between our own enemies and our stray brothers, between the impure and the pure – in its essence – of the ultra-Orthodox evasion. 

"Zionism will not win" is the engine that drives the ultra-Orthodox opposition to a series of disgusting behaviors:

 The lack of recognition of the miracle of miracles (which some compare to the miracle of the exodus from Egypt!) of the very establishment of the state, and the despicable refusal to take part in the festival:

 No praise and thanksgiving on the day of its founding; not standing still on Memorial Day (with the imaginary false claim that it is a non-Jewish custom – and it is not!); not to fly its flag 

 And there are even the "stringent" who scornfully trample on the flag and set it on fire, in order to express their disgust with the Zionist idea. 

Many still make sure to recite the Tachanun prayer on the day of the festival (and the zealots even fast when Independence Day falls on the days of the second day after Pesach). No recognition. Not even symbolic. Not even gratitude.

Pro-Hamas NYC councilwoman Shahana Hanif changes tune after primary challenge from Maya Kornberg

 

Far-left, pro-Hamas Councilmember Shahana Hanif is suddenly bending over backwards to show support for the Chosen People — now that she’s in a tight challenge against a Jewish primary opponent.

Until just four months ago, Hanif, 33, who reps the 39th district — which includes parts of Brownstone Brooklyn, including liberal bastion Park Slope, but also heavily Orthodox Jewish Borough Park — has almost never bashed Hamas or spoken up for Israel.

But when the Israeli restaurant Miriam was vandalized last week in Park Slope, the councilwoman fired off a statement to condemn the vandalism 

“This hateful act threatens the safety of our community,” she wrote on X.

On the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, Hanif released a statement of support calling out the terrorist bloodbath — something she rarely does.

Hanif was singing a far different tune before a primary threat emerged in August from Maya Kornberg, a Jewish Democrat who works at NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice.

In April 2023, Hanif was one of just two council members to vote against an ‘End Jew Hatred Day’ resolution — calling it a “far right” idea.

In the days after Hamas’ attack Hanif insisted in a since-deleted post on X “the root cause of this war is the illegal, immoral, and unjust occupation of the Palestinian people,” and that “no peace” should be expected.

At a “Cease Fire Now Rally for Gaza” in Bryant Park  where Hanif was arrested, hundreds of protestors shouted the anti-Israel chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Another since-deleted X post from Hanif demanded a “ceasefire” just five days after the slaughter in an effort to shut down any military response from Israel.

So far, Hanif, elected in 2022, has raised about $68,000 for the June 24 primary contest, while Kornberg is nipping at her heels with almost $63,000 in the bank, according to campaign finance data.

Rabbi Andy Bachman, a former senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, said Hanif called him to offer support in August after a bookstore in her district canceled a talk from him because he was a “Zionist” — but described her recent outreach “too little and too late.”

“My perspective is as a lifelong proud Democrat, any politician who is unwilling to . . . condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization is simply not fit to lead,” he said.

In a statement Team Hanif said she would “always work to keep all New Yorkers safe by addressing the root causes of violence” and insisted that she had “repeatedly and categorically condemned Hamas.”

They refused to send any past example of her doing so.

Helicopter in DC plane crash was flying twice as high as it should have, lacked new tech

 The military helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight over Washington, DC, was flying nearly twice as high as it should have been — but the Black Hawk was not equipped with a new technology that would have alerted air traffic control to its dangerously deviated path, The Post can reveal.

The revelations come as questions plague the Pentagon over why the Army would allow its pilots to train in an area home to the most densely trafficked air path convergences in the country — and as the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited most helicopter traffic in the area as the deadly midair collision continues to be investigated.

The Black Hawk chopper was flying more than 300 feet above the Potomac River Wednesday night when it smashed into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport-bound Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., as the plane was landing, killing 67 people aboard both aircraft.

Aviation guidelines require helicopters on that route to stay below 200 feet.

President Trump on Friday blasted critics for casting blame on his administration’s recent firing of aviation officials since taking office, pointing out that the issue clearly rested with the Army helicopter’s fatal deviation from the required altitude.

“The Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit,” an exasperated Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”

The collision may have been avoided if the Army had outfitted the Black Hawk with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast device, a relatively new technology that allows air traffic control operators to see an aircraft’s altitude, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Friday’s episode of his podcast, “The Verdict.”

Pentagon Boots NBC News, New York Times, and Politico from dedicated workstations and Replaces them with the New York Post and Breitbart

 

The Department of Defense announced Friday night that it will institute a new “annual media rotation program” for its in-house press corps, effectively removing several major news outlets, including NBC News, from their Pentagon office spaces in favor of other outlets. 

In addition to NBC News, The New York Times, National Public Radio and Politico must vacate their dedicated workspaces. The news organizations found out in a memo sent to the press corps without being individually notified, and an accompanying email included a message that read, in part, “no additional information will be provided at this time.” 

“For over a half-century, the Pentagon Press Corps has benefited from working out of individual office spaces that provide coveted and open access to some of the Department’s top military and civilian leaders,” read the memo Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot sent to the Pentagon Press Association. 

Hostages Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, and Ofer Calderon were released Shabbos from Hamas captivity.

 Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas were transferred Saturday morning by the Hamas terror organization to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, and joined up with IDF forces, who brought them to a reception point in Re'im, where Yarden Bibas met his father and sister.

Two hours later, Keith Siegel was released from Gaza Port. He ascended a stage for a short time, wearing a hat and waving to the crowd. At the transfer point, Hamas gave him two bags. Reports said that one of them was for his wife, Avivah, who was freed in a November 2023 prisoner swap deal.

He was later transferred to the IDF and crossed into Israel, where he met his wife.

Ofer Calderon landed on a helipad at Sheba Medical Center, and when he noticed his friends, he ran to them and waved, to the sound of applause.

The Prime Minister's Office said: "The Government of Israel embraces the returnee Keith Siegel. His family has been updated by the responsible authorities that he is with our forces. The Government, together with all of the security officials, will accompany him and his family. The Government of Israel is committed to returning all of the hostages and the missing."

Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing in the Prime Minister's Office, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch said, "Today, three of our hostages were returned to Israel: Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel. We welcome them with a big embrace. We have made arrangements for receiving them and will assist in their rehabilitation after a long period of captivity."

In exchange for the three civilians, Israel will release nine terrorists with life sentences, and 81 other terrorists who are serving lengthy sentences. However, Hamas' Prisoners Office published a list of 183 names, 18 of whom are serving life sentences, 54 of whom are serving extended sentences, and 111 Gaza residents who were arrested following the October 7 massacre.

Agam Berger and the Eternal Jewish Spirit

 By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

In the darkest moments of Jewish history, Hashem sends beacons of light that illuminate the path forward for all of Klal Yisroel. Agam Berger has emerged as such a beacon – a young woman whose story transcends our modern understanding of faith and devotion, embodying the deepest truths of Jewish survival and divine providence.

Raised in secular Israeli society, Agam discovered within herself what Judaism has always known: that the burning flame of Torah lies dormant in every Jewish Neshama. When faced with unimaginable terror, surrounded by resha’im gmurim who sought to destroy not just her guf but her neshama, she made an extraordinary choice. Without any formal Torah education, without the warmth of Shabbos candles in her childhood home, she chose to observe Shabbos in captivity.

This choice reflects the fundamental Jewish understanding that the Borei Olam is not merely the Creator, but the source of all goodness and ethical behavior. When Agam wrote “דרך אמונה בחרתי” (“I have chosen the path of faith”), she wasn’t just making a personal statement – she was connecting to an unbroken chain of Jewish conviction stretching back to Har Sinai itself.

Klal Yisroel’s survival defies historical precedent. While mighty civilizations like the Carthaginians, Incas, and Aztecs have vanished into the melting pot of history, the Jewish people have maintained their distinct identity through two millennia of exile. Agam’s story provides a living testament to this miraculous survival.

Just as the land of Israel lay uncultivated until its people returned – a historical anomaly that points to divine providence – so too did the seed of faith lie dormant in Agam’s soul until the moment of greatest need. The divine synchronicity of her mother simultaneously being drawn to Shabbos observance, miles away and unaware, echoes the words of our Sages: “More than the Jews have kept Shabbos, Shabbos has kept the Jews.”

When Agam’s mother declared she would wait until after Shabbos to reunite with her daughter, she stood in the tradition of countless mothers throughout history who understood that our covenant with Hashem supersedes even the strongest human bonds. Her decision recalls a previous Prime Minister, Menachem Begin’s passionate defense of Shabbos observance: “Shabbos is one of the loftiest values in all of humanity, it originated with us. It is all ours.”

Together with her fellow captives, Agam maintained Jewish dignity through faith under the most trying circumstances. They fasted on Yom Kippur despite their weakness. They refused non-kosher food despite their hunger. In doing so, they joined the ranks of Jewish women throughout history – from Sarah Imeinu to the heroines of the Holocaust – who maintained their faith in the face of overwhelming adversity.

The power of their message lies not just in the acts themselves, but in their source. Here were no scholars or rabbis, but young women who discovered within themselves the eternal truth that Judaism has always taught: that ethical monotheism isn’t just a philosophical concept, but a living reality that demands action. Through their choices, they transformed private suffering into public kiddush Hashem.

 Agam’s story reminds us that Judaism’s mission – to declare the concept of God and the obligation to emulate Him in all we do – continues in every generation. In an age of confusion and spiritual darkness, her crystal-clear choice of faith over fear, tradition over trauma, serves as a modern-day illustration of an ancient truth: that within every Jewish soul, no matter how distant they may seem from tradition, lies a divine spark waiting to illuminate the world.

When mother and daughter finally reunited, their first words were not of personal relief but of gratitude to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. In that moment, they exemplified Judaism’s eternal understanding that concepts and ideas are not enough – they must be accompanied by action. Their story has become a living mussar sefer, teaching us that even in our modern world, the path of faith remains as vibrant and relevant as ever.