"Is the life of a soldier worth less than a Hostage?"

 

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed

A difficult question faces the State of Israel – how to release the approximately 240 captives held by Hamas. Should an agreement be reached to release them in exchange for many terrorists and a ceasefire?

 Let us clarify this issue from the Jewish sources.

Redeeming Captives

Our Sages taught that the redemption of captives is a great mitzvah for which a person should donate charity, placing it at the top of the list of worthwhile causes because the captive suffers greatly from hunger, medical problems, psychological trauma, and often subhuman conditions whereby his life is often in danger (Baba Batra 8B) Therefore, it is not proper to spare means in rescuing captives (Rambam, and Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah252:1).

Nonetheless, Chazal postulated the halakha that it is forbidden to pay an over exorbitant amount for pidyon shivuim (redeeming hostages), as is stated in the Mishna: “They must not ransom captives for more than their value, for the sake of the public wellbeing” (Gittin 45A). The main reason given for this enactment, in both the Gemara and the Rambam, is to not create an incentive for highwaymen and kidnappers to seize more and more Jewish prisoners, since they know that we are willing to pay any price to set them free.

The Talmud mentions another explanation for this enactment – not to pressure the public to donate funds beyond their capability.

However, most of the Rishonim, including the Rif, Rosh, Rambam, and the Tur, say the principle reason is not to encourage our enemies to kidnap more Jews, and this is the ruling in the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 252:4).

Biden is the primary obstacle to Israeli victory

 

 The time has come to discuss the Biden administration’s relationship with Israel. With each passing day, two things become obvious. First, Israel cannot fight the war without U.S. resupply of the Israel Defense Forces. As a consequence, Israel is beholden to the administration’s directives. And second, if Israel follows the Biden administration’s directives, it will lose the war.

Israel’s dependence on the United States was stated bluntly by retired IDF Maj. General Yitzhak Brick in an interview earlier this week.

“All of our missiles, the ammunition, the precision-guided bombs, all the airplanes and bombs, it’s all from the U.S. The minute they turn off the tap, you can’t keep fighting. You have no capability. … Everyone understands that we can’t fight this war without the United States. Period.”

Brick went on to explain that President Joe Biden’s demand that Israel permit “humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza means that he is demanding that Israel keep Hamas fully supplied with food, water and fuel.

His demand that Israel minimize Palestinian Arab civilian casualties endangers IDF soldiers and renders the expansion of the ground offensive into central and southern Gaza, where the bulk of Hamas’s force is now located, almost impossible to carry out. Brick suggested various forms of long-term tunnel warfare and other suggestions for how the IDF may be able to defeat Hamas over time while operating within the constraints that Biden and his top advisors are dictating.

Hamas practiced for three years, 1 km from Israel

 

A BBC ​​​​report presents a worrying picture of how Hamas prepared for the October 7th massacre and hid their activities from Israeli intelligence services.

According to the report, compiled by the channel's specialized crew for verifying information, the first of four training sessions had been announced by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as early as December 29th 2020. The exercises were codenamed "Strong Pillar".

The training included 10 separate armed Palestinian factions, among them Hamas, who practiced invading Israeli territory and carried out war games that included creating a joint command center between all the factions. Haniyeh noted at the time that it was a powerful message and symbol of solidarity between the various factions in Gaza.

Captive Escaped For 4 Days, Recaptured By “Innocent” Gazans

 

Roni Krivoi, a 25-year-old Israeli with Russian citizenship, was released from Gaza on Sunday evening on the demand of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hamas issued a statement that it complied with Putin’s request due to his “support of Palestine.” Krivoi was released in addition to the 13 women and children and 3 foreign nationals released last night and is the first male captive to be released.

Krivoi was born and grew up in Israel, with Hebrew as his mother tongue, but his parents obtained Russian citizenship for him when he was a child. On October 7th, he was working as a sound technician at the music festival near Re’im and was abducted by Hamas.

On Monday morning, Krivoi’s aunt, Yelena Magid, recounted the amazing story her nephew told her to Kan News.

“Roni said that he was caught by terrorists who held him in a building that collapsed due to IDF airstrikes,” she said. “He managed to escape and hide for four days alone. He tried to reach the [Israeli-Gazan] border but he wasn’t familiar with the area and Gazans [those innocent civilians] caught him and returned him to Hamas.”

Yelena also spoke about what happened to her nephew on October 7th. When the terrorists arrived, Roni and his friend tried to flee the area. “At a certain point, Roni decided to stop running,” his aunt said. “His friend was in contact with him until 10:30 a.m. when Roni told him that he could hear the terrorists getting closer to him. Ten minutes later, his friend called him again and someone answered in Arabic. His friend yelled: ‘Roni, Roni’ – they laughed and hung up.

Regarding Roni’s condition, his aunt said: “I asked him if he has nightmares. He said yes, but that’s good because it means he’s dealing with it. He has a few head wounds because he was hit by a stone when the building collapsed but he fine, he’s being taken care of. ”

“Roni is always happy and smiling. What gave us hope from the first day is that we know what he’s like, and someone who’s always smiling can always manage, no matter what the conditions.”

6 Teens Go On Trial For Beheading Teacher Over Showing Caricatures Of Mohammad ...They face 2 1/2 Years if Convicted

 

Six teenagers go on trial Monday in Paris for their alleged roles in the beheading of a teacher who showed caricatures of the prophet of Islam to his class, a killing that led authorities to reaffirm France’s cherished rights of expression and secularism.

Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, was killed on Oct. 16, 2020, near his school in a northwest Paris suburb by an 18-year-old of Chechen origin who had become radicalized. The attacker was in turn shot dead by police.

Paty’s name was disclosed on social media after a class debate on free expression during which he showed caricatures published by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which triggered a newsroom massacre by extremists in January 2015.

All hearings at a Paris juvenile court are to be held behind closed doors in accordance with French law regarding minors.

Argentina’s President-Elect Pays Visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel

 

Rabbi YY Jacobson Answers "R" Schreiber's Rant Against Our Heros in Uniform

 

הרב ג'ייקובסון עונה לרב שרייבר: חיילי צה''ל הם עובדי השם! | פרשת וישלח

Message to Turkey From The New Holland Government "We don't need more Islam We need Less"

 

 

The Odyssey of Attending a Rally

By Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman

Part One- To Go or Not To Go

I wanted to go.

I felt it was important.

Numbers count.

We live in a country where we are allowed and expected to express our feelings.

I wanted to go.

Yet, there were many reasons not to go.

A friend who is somewhat older and much wiser and also a Rebbe advised me not to go.

“You are not as young as you once were and are not in the greatest health. It will be a long, tedious day with lots of walking and many unknowns.

The Event is very critical, and you must encourage the Shul to go; however, you should not feel personally obligated. It’s a very long trip.”

That was on Thursday night, November 16.

I realized the person advising me had my best interests at heart.

I had already booked an airline ticket and a hotel room.

However, after my older friend’s advice, I promptly canceled my airline ticket and hotel reservation.

I could drive.

However, driving seemed to me to be out of the question.

I could never imagine driving four-plus hours (each way).

(Full discretion, “even” driving to Lakewood is challenging and strenuous for me, and over the last few years, I rarely attend Chasunahs there. Please forgive me if you are one of those whose Chasuna, Vort, or other Simcha I missed in Lakewood. I have no driver and tend to fall asleep while driving.)

With a heavy heart, I decided not to go to Washington.

Part Two- What Changed?

Biden apologized to Muslim-American leaders for questioning death toll from Hamas Organization

 

President Biden apologized to some prominent Muslim-American leaders for publicly questioning the Palestinian death toll being reported by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, a new report says.

Biden huddled with five Muslim American leaders the day after his Oct. 25 comments about reported Gaza deaths roiled the Islamic community, vowing to “do better.”

During the meeting, which was initially planned for 30 minutes but lasted more than twice as long, Biden heard the leaders describe individuals they knew who were personally affected by the conflict.

“I’m sorry. I’m disappointed in myself,” Biden told the group, the Washington Post reported.

A day before, during a press conference, the president openly questioned the accuracy of the casualty figures from Gaza, given Hamas’ terror track record.

“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said. 

“I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s a price of waging war,” he added.

More than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have been killed in the conflict, according to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

Israel has suffered more than 1,200 fatalities — mostly also civilians, who were killed when the terror group launched a sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Jewish state.

The Muslim-American leaders who met with Biden urged him to show more empathy to the Palestinians. Biden reportedly hugged one of the participants at the end of the meeting.

Biden has affirmed US support for Israel following the bloody Oct. 7 attack.

But he also has increasingly pushed for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the beleaguered Gaza Strip and for hostages to get released.

“For weeks, I’ve been advocating to pause the fighting for two purposes: to increase the assistance getting into the Gaza civilians who need help and to facilitate [the] release of hostages,” Biden said Sunday.

“We know that innocent children in Gaza are suffering greatly as well,” the president said.

Dutch Freedom Party Leader Says ‘Jordan Is Palestine’ Period!

 

Dutch leader Geert Wilders elicited sharp reactions after he made a radical proposal on Saturday, suggesting that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be resolved by relocating Palestinians to Jordan, denying their right to an independent sovereign state.

Wilders, who is trying to form a government after his party won the election last week,  tweeted that “Jordan is Palestine”, causing a firestorm of criticism and condemnation from Arab states and the international community. Wilders, a staunch Israel supporter who once spent time on a kibbutz, is known as the “Dutch Trump” both for his extravagant dyed hair and firebrand right-wing rhetoric, including a suggestion to prohibit Muslim citizens in Holland unless they reject Sharia law.

Wilders suggestion is in stark contrast to longstanding international consensus and United Nations resolutions that advocate for a two-state solution with east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, although former US government of Donald Trump had rejected the possibility of a Palestinian presence in Jerusalem.

Finally an "askan" Pushing Back Against Mayor Adams, Demands Arrests in School Riot

 

As reported on DIN News, a terrifying riot took place at a Queens public school, during which hundreds of crazed students “rampaged through the halls” for nearly two hours after they discovered that a teacher had participated in a pro-Israel event.

The teacher managed to barricade herself in a locked office, yet a mob of violent students stood outside, trying to break down the door.

Mayor Eric Adams shared the story on X, commenting: “The vile show of antisemitism at Hillcrest High School was motivated by ignorance-fueled hatred, plain and simple, and it will not be tolerated in any of our schools, let alone anywhere in our city,” adding, “We are better than this.” Adams said the city was conducting a full investigation, and that “teams will begin outreach with students at Hillcrest to ensure they understand why this behavior was unacceptable.”

However it is very unclear what consequences, if any, will be faced by the violent mob.

Chassidic commentator Yossi Gestetner pushed back on Adams, pointing out that when Jews commit acts that are far less dangerous against Muslims, they are arrested, and the punishment for antisemites should be comparable.

Gestetner tweeted “Last week, NYC charged someone with multiple counts after harassing a street vendor. There is video of this mass harassment and intimidation at the workplace. How many people will @NYPDnews arrest? Equal Justice Under the Law, sir.”

Brooklyn councilwoman InnaVernikov tweeted: “@NYCMayor we want to see CONSEQUENCES. Without that, this behavior will continue and will only get worse.”

Hillcrest High School in Jamaica is several blocks from a thriving Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. Antisemitic students created a group chat, according to a senior at the school. “Hundreds of kids” then “flooded into hallways,…chanting, jumping, shouting, and waving Palestinian flags or banners.”

The rioting was partially caught on video, as the students themselves filmed these events, and posted them on TikTok.

The NYPD sent about 25 officers to the scene, who rushed the teacher into an office and locked the door, at which point students tried to break their way in. The “riot,” as students called it, lasted about two hours.

“They found where [the teacher] lives,” one student told the NY Post. “Her address, her phone number, her family and everything.”

Last week, NYC charged someone with multiple counts after harassing a street vendor. There is video of this mass harassment and intimidation at the workplace. How many people will @NYPDnews arrest?

Equal Justice Under the Law, sir.

Giving it to @NYCSchools is a downgrade.

— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) November 26, 2023

How a Female IDF tank crew ran down dozens of Hamas terrorists on October 7

 

When a group of young Israeli women were woken up at 6:30 a.m. on October 7, they had no idea they would be making history as the first female armored crews in Israel, and perhaps the world, to participate in active battle.

In an interview with Channel 12 this week, the combat soldiers spoke of thundering along main roads to get to some of the 20 southern Israeli communities that came under massive assault that morning, running down terrorists, and securing breaches on the border with the Gaza Strip.

One of the officers in the unit, identified as Hagar, told Channel 12: “[My commander] comes into our room at 6:30 a.m., wakes me up and tells us that there’s a terrorist infiltration. We didn’t really understand the enormity of the event.”

13 Israeli hostages have returned to Israel

 

The release of the third group of Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity is underway.

The Prime Minister's office has confirmed that 13 Israeli citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th have returned to Israel.

According to the IDF, Red Cross representatives transferred 12 hostages over to IDF special forces and ISA forces adjacent to the border fence in the central Gaza Strip. From there, they made their way to the Hatzerim Base.

An additional released hostage who returned to Israel, 84-year-old Elma Avraham, is in serious condition and was evacuated via a helicopter directly to a hospital.

In parallel, four released hostages were transferred over to Egypt through the Rafah Crossing, from which they will make their way to the meeting point with IDF soldiers in Israeli territory.

The families of the hostages are being updated by IDF representatives with the latest available information.

The hostages are:

"Wake Up.. the West is Next" From a Muslim

 

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A post shared by Hag Shaf (@hagshaf)

Good Morning London!

 

DF Intelligence Director Aharon Haliva was warned of attack

Aharon Haliva

New details have emerged about the failures of the security forces to prevent the Oct. 7th massacre.

Channel 12 News reports that the attack was originally planned for last Passover Eve, but the IDF detected signs of the attack and raised its alert level to the point that Hamas cancelled the attack.

Hamas was concerned that the IDF had succeeded in infiltrating the command structure and ranks of their organization and worried about the plan leaking out.

Two days ago, it was reported that a senior officer of the IDF's SIGINT unit 8200 had warned that Hamas was planning a large-scale invasion of Israel. The officer discovered Hamas's operational plan, which was eventually the one used, and shared the information with senior officials in 8200 and the Southern Command.

The officer warned her direct superior, who cancelled her vacation to warn the head of the Intelligence Directorate, Aharon Haliva, when he visited the unit's base. Haliva disregarded the report and did not pass the information to the head of the ISA or the Chief of Staff.

According to journalist Nir Dvori, an additional junior officer in Unit 8200 also strongly cautioned that Hamas was training for an attack, and that the attack was indeed planned and not simply a training exercise. The two specified planned points of entry through Israel's border wall, the different communications being sent, and the conclusion that a massive attack was planned. They presented the findings to a senior officer from outside their unit, who dismissed it as "fantasy."

Hate Crimes Target THREE Frum Jews in Flatbush on Shabbos Afternoon [VIDEOS]

 

Three Orthodox Jews were the victims of hate crimes in separate incidents that occurred in the Flatbush neighborhood on Shabbos afternoon. The incidents took place at around 4:00PM on East 17th Street between Avenues J and Ave K, on East 18th Street between Avenues K and L, and a third incident on Avenue L and East 17th (near Edward R Murrow High School).

In the first incident, captured on an attached video, three suspects yelled “free Palestine” before physically assaulting the Jewish victim, marking it as a hate-driven attack.

The second incident occurred just minutes later, where another victim was assaulted without any verbal exchange.

The third incident occurred near Edward R Murrow High School on Avenue L and East 17 Street. This victim was punched and kicked and verbally abused by “Free Palestine” terrorists.

Local authorities have taken these incidents seriously, with Flatbush Shomrim actively assisting the NYPD in collecting evidence. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has also launched an investigation into these troubling incidents, aiming to identify and apprehend the suspects responsible.

Palestinian Terrorists Kill two of their own while thousands of "innocent" Palestinians Drag Bodies Through Camp Alleys

 

Palestinian militants in a West Bank refugee camp shot and killed two alleged collaborators with Israel early Saturday, Palestinian officials said. Mobs then kicked the bloodied corpses and dragged them through alleys before trying to tie them to an electrical tower.

The scenes, widely shared on social media, were reminiscent of the chaos in the occupied West Bank during two Palestinian uprisings against Israeli rule that erupted in 1987 and in 2000, respectively, each lasting several years. During these periods of heightened conflict, there were frequent killings of alleged informers, at times with bodies displayed in public.

Hostages Describe Ordeal: ‘We Subsisted On Rice For 2 Weeks, Nearly Lynched In Rafah’

 

The hostages released Friday evening have started speaking to members of their communities, recounting their experiences while in Hamas captivity in Gaza.

Contrary to reports, not all of the hostages released on Friday were held captive together, so each of them has a different story.

Channel 12 News reported that the hostages stated that during the trip to Rafah Crossing, rocks and other objects were thrown at them. They feared they would be subjected to a lynching, and feared for their lives as they were taken to freedom, and this explains their frightened expressions as they were released from captivity.

The Monder family related that they had not been tortured but on many occasions had to wait up to two hours to use the bathroom facilities.

The hostages also said that in the past two weeks in captivity, all of the food was used up, other than the rice, and so they lost weight. Chana Katzir, who Islamic Jihad claimed had died in captivity, was released Friday, and discovered only upon her return to Israel that her husband, Rami, had been killed and her son kidnapped.

Ruth Monder, 78, who was released Friday night, said that when she returned to Israel she was informed that her husband Avraham was kidnapped and held by Hamas, and that her son, Ro’ee, had been murdered. “I don’t know how they murdered him, what they did to him,” she said.