DARING RESCUE! Inside one of the ‘most complicated hostage rescue missions in history’ that saved four captured Israelis

The four Israeli hostages saved from Hamas gained their freedom in one of the “most complicated hostage rescue missions in history,” officials said.

Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andri Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were saved during the “Summer Seeds” operation in Nuseirat, central Gaza, at 11 a.m. local time Saturday, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced.

In the days leading up to the raid, the elite Yaman unit drilled various means of extraction, which military officials compared to the 1976 Entebbe raid in Uganda, the Times of Israel reported.

The military also launched an operation to the east of Nuseirat in an apparent effort to reduce Hamas’ manpower in the city, the outlet explained.

When the order was given Saturday morning, Yamam officers simultaneously entered the two structures in the city, where the four hostages were being held above ground in three- to four-story buildings, the Times of Israel reported.

The decision was made to enter the buildings – which were about 650 feet apart – at the same time in the hopes of avoiding the possibility of the Hamas guards murdering the hostages after catching wind of a rescue operation nearby.

The soldiers were reportedly armed with weapons specifically designed for the operation,  Israeli writer Hen Mazzig said on X.

Argamani was found on the first floor of one structure, while the three men were discovered on the third floor of another building, he added.

Hamas supposedly pays Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip to keep the hostages in their homes, the Times of Israel said, citing the IDF.

The rescue of Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv resulted in a “major gun battle,” during which Yamam officer Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora was critically wounded.

Zamora later died of his wounds, and the operation was formally renamed “Operation Arnon” in his honor.

The Hamas guards at the second scene were also killed in the exchange, the Times of Israel reported.

The vehicle carrying the three male hostages came under fire a short time later. 

Footage shared by the IDF showed the heart-stopping moment a helicopter swooped down and extracted the men from a temporary helipad.

All four hostages were transferred to the Tel Hashomer Hospital in central Israel, where they reunited with their loved ones.

Over 200 Palestinian civilians were killed and over 400 others wounded in the operation, according to the Hamas-linked officials in Gaza, CNN said.

Aside from Zamora, several other Israeli officers were also wounded, mostly light injuries from shrapnel.

“The difference between success and failure in such an operation is a hair’s breadth, and we relied on exceptional technology from the Intelligence and Shin Bet. Without ground activity and maneuvering in the Gazan area, it would not have been possible to succeed in such operations,” the IDF statement read.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the public later on Saturday, saying that the operation was “very complex and dangerous.”

“But I approved it without hesitation because I trust the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, the fighting heroes of the Shin Bet and the National Counter-Terrorism Unit,” he insisted, according to Haaretz.

The White House also commended the Israel Defense Force’s “daring” rescue in a formal statement issued Saturday morning.

“The hostage release and ceasefire deal that is now on the table would secure the release of all the remaining hostages together with security assurances for Israel and relief for the innocent civilians in Gaza,” the write-up added.

Israeli commander fatally wounded in daring Gaza raid that brought four hostages home

The lone Israeli soldier killed in the daring raid to rescue four hostages in Gaza was a commander in the country’s élite Counter-Terrorism Unit, officials said.

Arnon Zamora’s unit played a pivotal role in the successful return of hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andri Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv who were being held captive at the Nuseirat refugee camp.

“Behind every rescue mission, are Israeli men and women who risk their lives. We are devastated to share that Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, commander and tactical operator in the Yamam (National Police Counter-Terrorism Unit), who was critically wounded in the operation to rescue hostages this morning, has succumbed to his wounds,” Israeli’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday on X, without providing more specifics.

Zamora lived in the village of Sde David, near the Israeli city of Sderot — less than 15 miles from the Gaza border.

He leaves behind a wife Michal, two children and his parents Reuven and Ruthi, Haaretz reported.

Zamora fought on Oct 7 at the Battle of Yad Mordechai, halting the advance of dozens of Hamas terrorists attempting to penetrate the country, officials said.

Other tributes to Zamora poured in Saturday.

““I salute Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, Commander in the elite Yamam Unit, who fell while leading a daring operation to rescue 4 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He lived and fell a hero,” Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement on X.

 
 

Watch footage from inside the helicopter in which Noa Argamani was rescued

 

Four hostages rescued from Gaza, A knock on the door: 'It's the IDF, we came to rescue you'

 

On Saturday morning, in a joint IDF, ISA and Israel Police (Yamam) complex, special, daytime operation in Nuseirat, four Israeli hostages were rescued.

Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), were kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organization from the 'Nova' music festival on October 7th.

The hostages were rescued by the IDF, ISA and Yamam counterterrorism forces from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat.

During the battle, Arnon Zamora, the Yamam (counterterrorism) officer who led the rescuing force was injured. He later died of his wounds.

They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the Sheba Tel-Hashomer Medical Center for further medical examinations.

"The security forces will continue to make every effort to bring the hostages home," the statement stressed.

Noa Argamani, who was rescued Saturday morning in a complex and daring operation from the Nuseirat "refugee camp" in Gaza, arrived Saturday evening at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, where her mother Liora, who is battling terminal cancer, is hospitalized.

Noa was held on the first floor of a building in Nuseirat, a few hundred meters from the building in which three other hostages - Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv - were held.

Speaking to her family, Noa said that on Saturday morning, she heard loud knocks on her door.

"She told me that 'out of nowhere' suddenly they told her that it's the IDF. 'We came to rescue you.' She was in shock," Argamani's relative Asaf Shahibi at Sheba Tel Hashomer, where the released hostages were originally taken.

After Noa was released, she was documented embracing her father, in tears. Speaking Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she said, "I am very emotional, I haven't spoken Hebrew in such a long time."

Zera Shimshon Parshas Bamidbar

 

 

Ok Guys, I've Seen it all now!

 

Totally Deranged Biden Now Forcing Israel to Stop War in the North and Allowing Hezbollah to Control the Entire North in Israel ..Time to tell Carzed Joe to "GO TO HELL!"

 

Iran’s multi-front war on Israel escalated this week as Tehran’s flagship terrorist proxy rained down missiles and drones on northern Israeli towns, killing an Israeli soldier, leaving more wounded and igniting massive wildfires.

While President Biden is squeezing Israel to surrender to Iran on all fronts, northern Israel is burning with the rest of the country in existential danger.

“Whoever thinks that they can harm us and we will sit idly by is making a big mistake,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.

“We are prepared for a very strong action in the north.”

Israel must fight back, and Americans should understand why. 

Iran activated Hezbollah to open a northern front against Israel within hours of Hamas launching the Oct. 7 massacre.

Israel evacuated 100,000 of its people from communities along the Lebanese border, justifiably fearing Hezbollah’s special forces might attempt a similar invasion.

An already tiny country the size of New Jersey has been effectively reduced in size, as a daily dose of rockets, missiles and drones target border towns, destroying buildings and occasionally inflicting casualties.  

Earlier this year, multiple Israeli sources assessed Hezbollah’s arsenal included 160,000 mortars with ranges up to six miles, 65,000 short-range rockets with ranges up to 50 miles and 10,000 medium- and longer-range rockets with ranges from 50 to more than 120 miles.

It also possesses thousands of armed drones, hundreds to thousands of precision guided munitions, anti-tank guided missiles, surface to air missiles and short-range ballistic missiles with ranges up to 186 miles or more.

Hezbollah is a threat to all of Israel, not just towns close to the Lebanese border. 

This threat did not materialize overnight.

Despite a UN Security Council resolution requiring Hezbollah to be disarmed south of the Litani River — some 18 miles north of the Israeli-Lebanese border — Iran spent the last 17 years flooding its flagship terrorist proxy with weapons.

Over that period, US taxpayers sent billions of dollars to UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army, purportedly to intercept those weapons — one of the worst returns on investment in American history. 

Chareidie Lady Esti Reiner Volunteers in the Israeli Police Force

 

 Esti Reiner's recruitment into the police

 Esti Reiner, resident of Ramat Dalet  in Beit Shemesh, wife of  municipality's spokesperson for the Chareidie sector, Yossi Reiner, in a fascinating and inspiring interview about the combination of life as an Chareidie and her new role as a police volunteer.

The video follows Rainer from the moment she left her house until the middle of her shift, and was broadcast last night on Khan 11 and seems to have gone viral on the networks.

🎬 *החרדיות בבית שמש ממשיכות להעסיק את התקשורת הארצית ▪︎ התגייסות אסתי ריינר למשטרה* 📢

*חדשות העיר:* אסתי ריינר, תושבת רמה ד' בבית שמש ורעיית דובר העירייה למגזר החרדי יוסי ריינר, בראיון מרתק ומעורר השראה על השילוב בין החיים כחרדית לתפקידה החדש כמתנדבת במשטרה.

הכתבה שמלווה את ריינר מרגע צאתה את ביתה ועד לעיצומה של משמרת, שודרה הערב בכאן 11 ונראה שכבר הפכה לוויראלית ברשתו

IDF proves terrorists were killed in UN school, CNN and Media sides with Hamas version

 

The IDF has identified 9 terrorists of possibly dozens who were killed in a targeted overnight operation on Thursday at a UNRWA school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza.

The operation was launched to eliminate 20-30 terrorists, some of whom took part in the October 7th massacre.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari on Thursday night said the operation “stopped a ticking time bomb” since the army was acting on “concrete intelligence from multiple sources the terrorists inside the school were planning more attacks against Israelis.”

The nine terrorists who have been identified so far are Matzav Hafat Daryush, Rashid Bavli, Salim Afash, Abd al-ati Masmach, Ahmad Tzalach Mansour, Ali Hasin Bana, Mohammed Barham, Mahmoud Machtasav, and Ahmad Hatib.

The IDF said it would continue to identify the names of terrorists killed in the operation as more details come to light to demonstrate that those who were killed were terrorists and not civilians.

The IDF took measures to try to avoid civilian casualties, including putting off the operation twice to prevent the deaths of women and children and non-combatant civilians.

“The terrorists were operating from this UN school,” he added, “planning and conducting attacks from inside classrooms.”

Hagari noted that this was the fifth time the IDF has had to fight Hamas terrorists who embedded themselves in UNRWA facilities.

He criticized news outlets that merely reported that Israel attacked a school without describing how Hamas operates from schools and hospitals in clear violation of international law.

Initial reports from CNN focused heavily on accounts and figures of “civilian casualties” from Hamas-run media, which it referred to as “The Gaza government” in updates shortly after the incident.

According to UNRWA, 35-45 Palestinians were killed, and Hamas media claimed that 14 children and 9 women were killed and 74 others were wounded.

Although CNN interviewed Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, who said he “wasn’t aware of civilian casualties” and that Israel used a “precision and intelligence-based” strike to target terrorists, a skeptical disclaimer was added.

At the end of the article, the CNN journalist wrote of Lerner, “The spokesperson did not provide evidence for his claims.”

However, CNN reporting of unverified figures given by Hamas and terror-supporting UNRWA did not include any such disclaimer.

Black "Rolling Eyes" Reporter Fired After Interviewing Sister of Hostage and rolling her eyes!

 A political commentator was sacked from The Hill — days after rolling her eyes while interviewing the sister of an Israeli abducted on Oct. 7 victim.

“It finally happened. The Hill has fired me,” Briahna Joy Gray wrote on X Thursday. “There should be no doubt that @RisingTheHill has a clear pattern of suppressing speech — particularly when it’s critical of the state of Israel.”

An outlet spokesperson also confirmed to The Post she was no longer employed at The Hill.

In a follow-up tweet, Gray said her firing was “clearly part of a coordinated effort.”

Gray said she had no additional comment when reached by The Post Thursday evening.

Gray, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ former press secretary during the 2020 election, was slammed for her treatment of Yarden Gonen, the sister of Romi Gonen, who was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, during an interview on Tuesday.

When Yarden Gonen told Gray that she hopes she believes female victims who say they were sexually assaulted by Hamas terrorists, Gray rolled her eyes and abruptly ended the interview, video shows.

“I really hope that you, specifically, will believe women when they say that they got hurt,” Gonen said.

Gray lets out a sigh, appears to roll her eyes and says, “All right thanks for joining. Stick around,” as Gonen is still trying to get a word in.

Romi Gonen, 23, called her mother while she was in a car fleeing the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7 and ambushed by Hamas militants.

Her best friend Gaya Halifa, 24, lay dying in front of her.

In "heiligeh" Skver Even the "Shabbos" Goy" Is a Jew !

 

Monsey Scoop reported on Wednesday morning that a long-serving Shabbos Goy and security guard working in New Square has been let go after a sudden and shocking discovery was made: he is Jewish.

The revelation came to light during a casual conversation with a resident, where the “Shabbos Goy” mentioned that his grandmother was Jewish and had lived in a village near Kiev, Ukraine.

The news spread like wildfire, and having been provided the information, the Skvere dayanim instructed local askanim to research and verify the facts before the next Shabbos.

Following a swift investigation into the man’s ancestry, askanim were able to confirm that the near 70-year-old man with over 15 years of service as a “Shabbos Goy” and previously with the NYPD, was indeed halachically Jewish – despite his insistence upon and identification as a Catholic.

As such, the Shabbos Goy has been let go. It was explained to him that he could no longer be employed in his position due to his Jewish heritage, which forbids them from hiring a fellow Jew for work on Shabbos.

The incident is reminiscent of a revelation made last summer that a “Shabbos Goy” who had worked for 30 years on a religious yishuv was actually a Jew. This only became know after the man’s death, when his family insisted he be buried in the Jewish cemetery, leading to an investigation into his ancestry.

A Tiny Taste of Life in Beit Shemesh ! Enjoy

Below is the area where DIN lives, just in case you are curious! This was filmed 5 years ago so it is more developed now!

What???? "51",count them "Fifty-One" “former intelligence officials” Out and Out Lied about Biden's Laptop!!

Wow! How can we ever believe former intelligence officials who appear nightly on all the news channels? Bunch of liars, not only that, but thet went out of their way to write a letter that Biden actually used in his debate with Trump!! 

FBI agent Erika Jensen confirmed Tuesday that Hunter Biden’s laptop was in fact real and authentic — meaning that every single one of the 51 “former intelligence officials” who called it Russian misinformation in 2020 should lose their security clearances.

Recall that Politico published their letter in October 2020, just days after the New York Post revealed the existence of the laptop — which in turn revealed evidence about the Biden family’s corruption and foreign deals.

The Biden campaign seized on the letter — with Joe Biden specifically citing it during the subsequent presidential debate — and the media and the Silicon Valley tech giants followed, censoring news about the laptop on that basis.

One of those 51 officials, former CIA director John Brennan, had already lost his security clearance in 2018, after abusing his “access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations,” the Trump White House said at the time. Still, despite his track record, the “Russian disinformation” hoax was widely believed.

It was only Tuesday, on the witness stand, that the FBI finally admitted what it knew all along to be true.

All of the other 50 signatories on the letter — including several former CIA directors and acting directors — should lose their security clearances, just as Brennan did. None of them can ever be trusted with access to secrets again.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News 

 

Smotrich: IDF Command Caused October 7

 Religious Zionism Chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has had it with Israel’s security establishment. 

After he and his political ally, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir played nice, consenting to two former IDF chiefs of staff who created the “conceptzia” joining Netanyahu’s government on the condition that Smotrich and Ben Gvir would be barred from the war cabinet – now both right-wing leaders are watching angrily as the security establishment and the army are dragging their feet and endangering the country on every front.

Since October 7 the IDF Rejected 3,120 out of 4,000 Haredim Asking to Enlist

 

According to a Knesset report based on data provided by the IDF Personnel Directorate, more than three-quarters of the 4,000 Haredim who showed up ready to enlist since October 7, 2023, were rejected.

It is highly unlikely that the IDF Personnel Directorate would have revealed these figures freely, but they were forced to offer the real numbers by MK Eli Dallal (Likud). Following MK Dallal’s request, the Knesset Research and Information Center issued a report on April 4, titled, “18-year-olds’ Conscription and Conscription Rates by Population Groups,” with the keywords “Bedouin, Druze, Haredim, and Israeli Arabs.”

Section 3.3 of the report, “The number of Haredim who enlisted after October 7, 2023,” states:

Emirati-Palestinian shouting match blew up Blinken meeting

 

"Ali Baba and the 40 thieves"

A meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a group of Arab officials about a month ago flew off the rails after an unusual shouting match between the UAE foreign minister and a senior adviser to the Palestinian president, according to five sources with knowledge of the incident.

Why it matters: The heated spat reflects skepticism over the Palestinian Authority's planned reforms and disputes among Arab leaders, both of which could challenge the Biden administration's efforts to forge a post-war strategy for Gaza.

Ben Gvir seen at Shaar Schchem in Jerusalem amidst the flag march.

 

See more of Flag Day!!

Wow!! What Talent????

 

So How Many Rockets Would You Tolerate on Your Home until you Said "Enough is Enough?"

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eitan Levi (@eitanlevi)

Hochul ditches hated congestion pricing plan in stunning reversal

Gov. Kathy Hochul ditched the MTA congestion pricing plan indefinitely Wednesday — saying it’s not the right time as New Yorkers face a cost-of-living crisis.

Hochul announced plans to delay the $15 toll’s June 30 start date, citing the “undue strain on already stressed New Yorkers” grappling with inflation.

“Let’s be real: a $15 charge may not mean a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a working- or middle-class household,” she said in a pre-taped video announcement. “It puts the squeeze on the very people who make this city go.

“I cannot add another burden to working middle class New Yorkers or create another obstacle to our continued economic recovery” from the COVID pandemic, she added.

The Democrat, who is likely to run for reelection in two years, had faced mounting public pressure over the dreaded toll, which would have charged drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street.

“I think the Post spotlighting the real concerns of working New Yorkers definitely impacted the conversation. It’s tone-deaf to charge New Yorkers $3,600 every year when they can’t afford to put food on the table,” a source familiar with the governor’s thinking said.

“She just doesn’t think we can ask New Yorkers to pay a new fee at a time when the cost of living has gone up so dramatically.”

Another source close to Hochul’s office added: “The governor is concerned about the economic recovery in Manhattan and the cost of living. New Yorkers are struggling. It’s not the right time to do it.”

A delay in the congestion pricing plan start date does not require legislative approval. But the state Senate and Assembly would have to approve legislation to make up for the subsequent revenue loss to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which had been slated to receive roughly $1 billion in revenue a year from the congestion plan.

Hochul’s office didn’t say how it intends to replace the funds, but sources told The Post it potentially could entail increasing taxes on Big Apple businesses by adjusting the state’s payroll mobility tax.

Such a change would require action by state lawmakers, who would have to move extremely quickly to pass legislation before they hightail it out of Albany for the year at the end of this week.

Another option could be to tap into the state’s reserves, sources said.

Aleksander Janik "Personal Shopper for The Stars" Beats the crap out of Rav Chesky Wolff

 

The man who bashed a New York City rabbi and knocked his yarmulke off his head outside the Chelsea Hotel is a personal shopper to the stars who has hobnobbed with the likes of Celine Dion, Rhianna, Brooke Shields and Mayor Eric Adams.

Aleksander Janik freely admitted to The Post on Wednesday that he thumped Rabbi Chezky Wolff outside the Chelsea Hotel, “Yes, I pushed him. I pushed him with my bag.”

But, video of the incident from Tuesday night reveals it was much more than a push — it show Janik swinging his heavy bag and smacking the rabbi.

The force knocks his glasses off his face and sends his yarmulke sailing into the nearby bushes.

But, Janik claimed he was defending himself after being harassed. And said he isn’t an antisemite — saying that he’s “half Jewish.”

He denied Wolff’s claim that Janik shouted “dirty Jews” during the dispute — which started when his off-leash dog Hudson approached the door of Chelsea Shul.

“I didn’t say that. Absolutely not. I never used this word. That’s not my nature. I support the Jewish community. I’m a very huge fan of every religion,” Janik said.

Janik said that after the pair exchanged words about the dog, Wolff started following him and recording.

“I protect my dog and myself. A stranger man who’s following me with their phone in my face, I ought to protect myself. I don’t know him,” Janik said.

“When he opened the door, he was very angry, upset. I don’t know why. It’s just a dog. It’s not like you can be upset at a dog.”

He said he lashed out and hit the rabbi to send a message: “Please go away. Don’t harass me. He was just constantly behind me and it was just inappropriate to follow me with his phone.”

Surveillance footage exclusively obtained by The Post shows Janik first slap a phone out of Wolff’s hand before slugging Wolff in the head with his tote bag as dumbfounded diners watch on.

Janik, with his unleashed dog at his heels, walks off seemingly unbothered, leaving Wolff grabbing at his head and picking his belongings off the sidewalk.

Janik’s social media accounts are littered with pictures of him with famous faces. He posts photos of glitzy events and art galleries.

His Instagram account opens with the message: “‘Ubuntu’ is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others.'”

Janik told The Post out that his mother was Jewish, though he himself doesn’t practice any Judaic traditions.

Wolff’s lawyer, Carey London, scoffed at the deflection: “We have no response to an antisemite’s lies. Again – the Jewish people just want peace.”

Wolff was left with a small mark on his head, but no serious injuries

Cops and paramedics responded, but no arrests in the case had been made as of Wednesday evening.

Faroud on June 1-2, 1941 when Jews were murdered for no other reason than being Jews

 

This article below that just went viral hits me with such sadness, and not because of the incident itself, which in itself was horrific, but because of the Satmar propaganda machine that denies it and keeps pushing the idea that Arabs lived good with the Jews prior to the State. Just this week Der Goy wrote an extensive article on how Jews and Arabs lived great together, the Neturei Karta Branch of Satmar is now pushing this lie more than ever!

One of the readers of DIN believes the Satmar BS, though he himself is not Satmar and lived as a teenager on the West Coast and made aliya to Israel over 50 years ago! He actually comes from a Modern Orthodox Home and his family are scholars.  A while ago he argued that if it wasn't for the establishment of the "medina" Jews would have lived great with the Arabs!

That argument is flawed on so many levels, one just has to google and read about the murder and rape of Jews by Arabs going back over a thousand years. 

But let's for a minute take his side that Arabs expelled the Jews from their countries because of the establishment of the State in 1948. If they in fact "lived good together," why would a country like Iraq which is situated 867 kilometers from Israel care that a Jewish State was established? What is it to them? 

Keep in mind that "they lived good together" Would they have cared that another country, say, Jordan. was established? 

In fact, it was established at the same time, in 1948, so did Iraq expel its Jordanians? Of course not, it doesn't even make any sense! What does make sense is the truth and nothing but the truth, that the Arabs hated the Jews living amongst them all the time and were just looking for an excuse to expel them! 

Why did England expel their Jews in 1290? Because of the Zionists? Why did Spain expel Jews in 1492, why did Portugal expel its Jews in 1497? Sicily in 1492? Because of the Zionists? 

Why don't you read world history and you will see that "they lived good together?" 

What does "living good together even mean?" The answer is that it means nothing that it's a lie! The Jews in Germany also "lived good together" prior to Hitler's getting elected! 

Satmar and its supporters use this "living good together" lie to besmirch the only Jewish State. 

And I am going to go out on a limb and say the following: 

Should the Democrats, G-d Forbid, remain in the White House in 2024, Satmar will say in 2026, "you know, we lived good together" but not before they are expelled from their "safe" enclave in KJ and Williamsburg! 

A vast Jewish Diaspora underwent a process of communal annihilation prior to Israel’s establishment, one that continued during Israel’s formative years, yet we Israelis rarely talk about or commemorate these historic events. On the eve of the establishment of the State of Israel, at least 800,000 Jews lived in Arab countries. Today, those ancient Jewish Diasporas number only a few thousand at best. These numbers alone should give us pause:

Emigration of more than 99 percent of the Jewish population in such a short time is unparalleled in modern Jewish history. Even the Jewish communities of Europe, which experienced the most extreme suffering of anti-Semitic violence, did not vanish entirely, or so abruptly.

The story of the Jews from Arab lands is a saga that extends over a thousand years and over a vast geographic region.

More than 800,000 Jews lived in the countries of the Arab world at the time of Israel’s founding. Virtually all of them fled or were forced out of their homes and communities after Israel’s establishment with more than three-quarters of these Jewish refugees moving to Israel. The once-thriving communities they had established in places such as Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Tunisia shrunk and, in some cases, virtually disappeared. The Jews of these Arab nations were forced to leave behind most if not all of their property and businesses with no compensation other than being allowed to remain alive to flee.