Saturday, July 27, 2024
Watch IDF Soldier Completes Heartfelt Conversion to Judaism
Israel and the IDF represent a diverse and multi-ethnic country and army, home to a multitude of cultures, races, and religions. Israel, though, is predominantly Jewish because Israel is the biblical homeland and the vibrant heart of Jewish tradition.
In a world so vast and populous, the Jewish nation is minuscule, comprising just 0.2% of the global population, or around 14 million people. To put this in perspective, New York City alone is home to over 8 million residents, the same amount of Jews living in Israel.
Because of this, every Jew is sacred and valuable, and each new member added to the ranks is cherished. This sentiment is shown by the pure emotions exhibited on this IDF soldier’s face as she recites the Shema to complete her conversion.
Sick! Leftists activists are attacking a freed hostage
Anti-government activists are attacking former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani online, including saying that she should not have been rescued from captivity, because she agreed to accompany Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington for his speech in front of Congress.
Argamani, 26, became an internationally-known symbol of the October 7th atrocities after a viral video of her pleading for help while being whisked off to Gaza on a motorcycle was viewed millions of times.
In June, she was rescued in a daring rescue operation by Israel’s Yamam special forces unit, along with three other hostages: Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, who were being held in a separate location close to Argamani.
During the rescue operation, elite counterterror officer Arnon Zamora was killed by Hamas gunmen
While news of Argamani’s release was initially celebrated in Israel, some anti-government activists harshly criticized her for agreeing to be present during Netanyahu’s Congress speech.
“I would have preferred she remained in captivity and Zamora was alive. Why did he fall, why did he sacrifice his life, so her father, the Bibist [Netanyahu supporter], could lead Noa to the Netanyahu family’s lavish plane?” wrote prominent Israeli businessman Roni Mana wrote on social media platform X.
After intense backlash, Mana deleted his tweet and walked back his remarks.
“I want to apologize to Noa Argamani for the things I wrote about her,” he posted. “There is no place for that, and I ask for her forgiveness.”
But Mana was far from the only anti-government voice to slam Argamani for joining the Israeli delegation to Washington.
On X, retired left-wing journalist Dan Margalit called Argamani’s participation in the trip “a disgrace.”
Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav said that Argamani and her father “should be ashamed” of themselves for agreeing to join Netanyahu.
Speaking at an Evangelical Christian event in the U.S., Netanyahu said he was “shocked” by the level of vitriol directed at Argamani.
“Noa endured torment in Hamas captivity, longing to return to her mother before she died,” Netanyahu said.
“And now, as she stands with the prime minister in Israel’s official delegation for a crucial speech before Congress, she faces a campaign against her with messages like ‘shame you left captivity.’ Is there no limit to this madness? Enough is enough.”
Noa Argamani places the names of the hostages and their families at the Ohel Chabad Lubavitch in New York.
*An emotional closing of the circle: nine months after he petitioned the Rebbe's Zion in prayer for his daughter, Yaakov Argamani arrived this morning with his daughter Noa, who was freed from Hamas captivity, to pray in the Rebbe's Zion together with some of the families of the abductees.*
Noa Argamani, one of four hostages who were rescued from Gaza last month by IDF forces, on Friday morning arrived at the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to utter a prayer of gratitude to G-d and request the release of all the remaining hostages.
Alongside Argamani were relatives of other hostages, who were part of the delegation which joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his visit to Washington.
Argamani's visit took place nine months after her father prayed at the Rebbe's grave during a Tzerei Agudat Chabad trip for the hostages' relatives. During his visit, Yacov held a picture of his daughter, while praying for his daughter to be saved. Now, Yacov joined her in prayer at the gravesite.
During that trip, the nearly 200 families participating also held meetings with US government officials.
Alongside Noa Argamani and her father were representatives of the hostages' families: Attorney Talik Gueli, mother of Yassam officer Ran Gueli, whose body is held by Hamas; Eli Bibas, father of the captive Yarden Bibas and grandfather of the youngest hostages, Kfir and Ariel Bibas; Ayelet Samerano mother of Yonatan who was captured whom the Nova Festival and declared murdered after 59 days; Ofek Shaul, Brother of Oron Shaul who was killed and his body abducted during 2014's Operation Cast Lead, Shelly Shem Tov, mother of Omer Shem Tov who was kidnapped to Gaza from the Nova music festival; and Esther Yaheli, mother of hostage Ohad Yaholomi who is still held captive in Gaza, and grandmother of twelve-year-old Eitan who was released after 52 days.
Tzerei Agudat Chabad Chairman Rabbi Joseph Aharonov summarized: "Alongside the prayers of thanks for Noa Argamani's release, we all continue to pray for the return of all of the hostages."
Israel fears Harris could endanger hostage deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of Israel’s delegation to the United States were taken aback by comments made by Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday, following her meeting with Netanyahu in Washington D.C.
The vice president met with Netanyahu Thursday for about 40 minutes, the prime minister’s office said, a day after his address to a special joint session of Congress.
Shortly after their meeting, Harris tweeted a brief summary of their conversation, saying the two discussed Israel’s security, the “humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip, and a possible ceasefire deal.
“Today, I had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu about a wide range of issues, including my commitment to Israel’s security, the importance of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the urgent need to get the ceasefire and hostage deal done,” Harris wrote.
Harris also gave a press briefing following her meeting with Netanyahu, emphasizing what she called the “dire” humanitarian situation in Gaza in an apparent criticism of Israel’s handling of the war.
“I will not be silent,” Harris vowed. “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time.”
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.”
The vice president called for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and said that she had prodded Netanyahu to finalize a deal with Hamas.
“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.”
A senior Israeli official told multiple media outlets that Harris’ comments surprised Netanyahu and sparked concern among delegation members that the vice president’s rhetoric could be interpreted by Hamas as signs of an intensifying rift between Jerusalem and Washington.
“Hopefully the things the vice president said in a press conference would not be interpreted by Hamas as a rift developing between Israel and the United States, which would delay a deal,” the official said, according to Yedioth Aharanoth.
“Her tone surprised us,” he continued. “The question now is what would Hamas’s answer to the Israeli proposal be. One thing that was raised in the talks with both U.S. President Joe Biden and Harris was that there should not be daylight between the Israeli and American positions because that would cause Hamas to reject the deal. What should the terror group think when it hears Harris? We can only hope this does not there is no backing down from the deal because we have made much progress.”
Netanyahu is slated to meet with former president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Friday in Florida, a day after he met with President Joe Biden in the White House.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Belzer Rebbe "'Soldiers are sacrificing their lives and we go on vacation?'
The Rebbe of the Belz Hasidic court made an out-of-the-ordinary statement this week regarding the behavior of many of the court's members during vacation.
During the summer break, many haredi families fly to Europe while others vacation in Israel.
For years the Belz Rebbe would spend the summer in a vacation home in Telz-Stone, a small town outside of Jerusalem. This year, the Rebbe chose not to leave Jerusalem, to stay in his residence, and to even accept more visitors than in past years.
When asked why, he answered that one can not go to rest when the soldiers are risking their lives on the front lines.
"How can I travel for rest and vacation when we are fighting a battle on all fronts and soldiers are sacrificing their lives, they're working hard for us and we're going on vacation?" the Rebbe was quoted saying by haredi news site Behadrei Haredim.
The Rebbe of the Sanz group also chose to forgo his vacation this year, which he usually spends in the coastal city of Caesaria, according to a source in the group, due to the war.
Unbelievable! It Was a Hamas Terrorist that Led IDF And Shin Bet Into Khan Younis Tunnel To Recover Hostages
The Shin Bet security service shared footage from the operation in Khan Younis that resulted in the recovery of the bodies of 5 hostages. What went unnoticed by most is that one of those photos shows a Shin Bet officer seated next to a handcuffed terrorist dressed in IDF uniform with blue shoes.
Sources tell YWN that the unidentified terrorist told Israeli interrogators that he knew where Hamas was holding the bodies of some hostages. However, he said, he was unable to provide them with enough details to find the bodies without showing them himself. As such, the IDF brought the terrorist into Khan Younis to show Shin Bet officers the precise location of the tunnel where the bodies of five kidnapped individuals were recovered.
The bodies were buried in a grave dug into one of the tunnel walls and covered with soil. Hamas had hidden the bodies in such a way that without precise intelligence, they would not be found by the IDF during searches within the tunnel.
The recovered bodies were those of Mia Goren, 56, from Nir Oz; Ravid Katz, 51, from Nir Oz; Oren Goldin, 33, from Nir Yitzhak; Sergeant First Class Tomer Achimas, 20, from Lehavim; and Sergeant Kirill Brodsky, 19, from Ramat Gan. These individuals were found in Khan Yunis and have been returned to Israel.
The bodies were discovered in black bags during a raid by Division 98. The IDF has conducted similar operations in the past, which sometimes resulted in the discovery of Palestinian bodies instead.
Former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk a Far-Leftist Stooge for Obama Passes Away at 73
Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel, passed away at the age of 73, according to an announcement by The Washington Institute.
Indyk was the founding executive director of the institute. He served as the US envoy to Israel from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2000 to 2001.
In addition to his ambassadorship, Indyk was the Obama administration’s special Middle East envoy, playing a key role in efforts to revive the peace process in 2013-2014, although these efforts did not succeed.
Dennis Ross, another experienced Middle East diplomat, revealed that Indyk succumbed to cancer, facing the illness with the same determination and spirit that characterized his life.
Recently, Indyk had been openly critical of the current Netanyahu government on social media, particularly regarding its management of the Gaza conflict and its relationship with the US. His last tweet was on June 20.
Robert Satloff, the current executive director of The Washington Institute, described Indyk as “a true American success story” who significantly influenced American Middle East policy. Satloff praised Indyk as a pioneering scholar, insightful analyst, and highly effective policy entrepreneur, noting that his vision and contributions to both the institute and US Middle East policy were legendary and immeasurable.
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