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The annual Hanukkah reception on the White Home has change into par for the course because it was launched in 2001 by George W. Bush.
In nations aside from the US, the lighting of Hanukkah candles by public figures, particularly heads of state or authorities, is commonly depending on the relations between the federal government of that nation and its native Jewish group and the State of Israel.
The dramatic change in Argentina is however one instance.
In Germany, which has stood solidly with Israel and whose leaders have condemned antisemitism in each form and kind, Chancellor Olaf Scholz lit the candle on an enormous Chabad hanukkiah on the historic Brandenberg Gate on the primary night time of Hanukkah, saying that he wished the candle would shine far past the location and for for much longer than eight days.
His remarks have been delivered at a time when antisemitism is on the rise not solely in Germany, however all through Europe. Scholz was one in all a number of world leaders who got here to Israel in an illustration of solidarity following the Hamas bloodbath. After him got here German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, who went to Kibbutz Be’eri accompanied by a delegation that included German Ambassador Steffen Seibert. The ambassador was again on the kibbutz this week and tweeted that he was once more surprised by traces of the cruelest violence. It as soon as extra saddened him to consider the harmless individuals who have been killed or kidnapped, in addition to these nonetheless in captivity. “Germany will assist Beeri get well,” he promised.
One other world chief who got here on a go to of solidarity was French President Emmanuel Macron, who since then has been extremely crucial of Israel and appears to have yielded to Palestinian stress. Nonetheless, he has been very vocal with reference to antisemitism and demonstrated his respect for the Jewish group by inviting France’s Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia to gentle the primary Hanukkah candle on the Elysee Palace. A video of the candle-lighting ceremony, with Macron trying on, sparked political outrage on each the left and the precise, as France maintains a definite separation between faith and state. Even Jewish group leaders have been crucial of Macron’s making an exception to the rule.
Yitzhak Rabin’s youthful sister evacuated from Kibbutz Manara
■ AMONG THE senior residents evacuated from the north and the south was Rachel Rabin Yaakov, 98, the youthful sister of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Yaakov, a resident of Kibbutz Manara who every year attends the Ner Yitzhak ceremony on the President’s Residence marking the anniversary of Rabin’s demise, missed out this 12 months as a result of there was no ceremony as a result of conflict. Along with different senior residents, she was evacuated to Beit Hadar inside Kvutzat Kinneret, the place she was photographed on Sunday as she lit the fourth Hanukkah candle. By the way, she was not the oldest particular person current on the candle-lighting ceremony, in response to Yediot Aharonot reporter Israel Moskowitz and photographer Efi Sharir. Becoming a member of her have been fellow Western Galilee residents Avraham Gershon, 101, from Kibbutz Metzuba; Tirzah Michaeli, 101, from Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan; Sarah Rapoport, 99, Vered Banai, 93, and Hava Weinberg, 92, from Kibbutz Manara; and Hannah Ron, 85, from Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
“At our superior age, we’ve got lived by means of many difficulties,” Yaakov advised Moskowitz, “however to go away our houses for a brief dwelling will not be a pleasing feeling.” She can also be involved that if her house is hit by a Hezbollah missile, she may have no place to return. What she misses most is the safety that was however is not any extra.
For all that, she has little doubt that each one the evacuees from Manara will ultimately return.
Beit Hadar is a sheltered residing facility that was established nicely earlier than 1948 when the State of Israel was proclaimed. Its present supervisor, Yael Dromi, is thrilled to have the ability to host a number of the builders of the state whom she regards because the pioneers of the nation.
Canadian Jews uncover the truth of miracles
■ HANUKKAH IS one of many miracle festivals, and to cite founding Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion, “To be a realist, you must imagine in miracles.”
Canadian Jews have actually found how true that is. After the Sabbath morning service final Saturday, Marsha Wachsman, who chairs the Hazvi Yisrael congregation in Jerusalem, advised the next story, as imparted to her by her niece, who was there in Ottawa and took pictures, which she despatched to Jerusalem.
There was a big rally in Ottawa final week, with Canadians coming collectively from all components of the nation in a present of solidarity with Israel. There have been busloads and personal vehicles, though 17 drivers of 1 explicit bus firm had referred to as in “sick.” Many individuals had traveled for hours to get to the venue after which stood for 2 and a half hours within the freezing chilly to exhibit their help for Israel. Because the rally was coming to an finish, snow started to fall, and the rally members couldn’t imagine their eyes. Lots of the flakes have been within the form of a Star of David. Within the nonetheless pictures and movies despatched by Wachsman’s niece, the Star of David snowflakes are clearly seen in girls’s hair.
A poignant quick on the tenth of Tevet
■ THE FAST of the tenth of Tevet commemorates the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuhadnezar of Babylon, which led to the destruction of the First Temple and the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah.
The tenth of Tevet additionally commemorates calamities in different intervals of Jewish historical past; because the Holocaust, it is usually a day of mourning and remembrance for family members whose place of burial is unknown.
The tenth of Tevet, which this 12 months falls on December 22, shall be way more poignant than lately as a result of not all these in Israel who misplaced their lives on October 7 have been recognized; it isn’t identified whether or not a number of the lacking are lifeless or alive, and the burial locations of a few of those that have been confirmed lifeless stay unknown. Presumably, Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef will conduct large-scale ceremonies to honor the reminiscences of these murdered within the Hamas bloodbath.
Former US ambassador calls PM Netanyahu “a transparent and current hazard”
■ IT COMES as no shock that Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel, ought to be negatively disposed towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he has criticized up to now. However to tweet that Netanyahu is “a transparent and current hazard to Israel and may resign earlier than he does any extra injury” is hitting beneath the belt.
Regardless of his experience on Center East affairs and his lengthy relationship with the Brookings Institute, in addition to the truth that he’s now a distinguished fellow on the Council of Overseas Relations, which is a suppose tank specializing in US overseas coverage and worldwide relations, Indyk doesn’t know all of the info. Many Israelis together with in Netanyahu’s personal Likud get together imagine that he ought to step down, however not earlier than the conflict in opposition to Hamas is over. Indyk ought to know the perils of fixing horses in midstream. Additionally, to maintain on harping about Netanyahu clinging to energy does a disservice to the prime minister and the conflict cupboard. No matter his faults, Netanyahu was and is an Israeli patriot. If Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot thought in a different way, they’d not be sitting on the similar desk with him.
Messages to Mother from the battlefield in Gaza
■ IN A pre-digital period, Military Radio ran a program referred to as Sprint LeIma (Regards to Mother), wherein troopers despatched greetings to their moms courtesy of the radio station. With the arrival of cellphones, troopers might ship greetings through social media platforms. Nevertheless, these stationed in Gaza are unable to take action as a result of transmission between Gaza and Israel has been suspended. KAN 11 and Reshet Guess broadcasters Man Cotev and Daniel Elazar, who occurred to be in Gaza final week, recorded greetings within the Sprint LeIma model and relayed them to anxious moms. The ethical of the story is: “Don’t throw out the child with the bathtub water. Some old style issues are price preserving for emergency conditions, when extra refined and up to date tools and providers are unable to operate.
A medical miracle at Hadassah Hospital
■ HADASSAH MEDICAL Heart in Jerusalem has a protracted report of treating wounded troopers and even performing medical miracles when it appeared that each one hope was misplaced. Such was the case with Roni, a 20-year-old soldier within the Nahal Brigade who had already been discharged when Sara Netanyahu, the spouse of the prime minister, visited Hadassah final week to gentle the primary Hanukkah candle with wounded troopers who’re nicely on the highway to restoration.
“Roni fought the battle, and we at Hadassah fought for his life and succeeded,” says the Hadassah director, Prof. Yoram Weil.
Docs within the Orthopedic Trauma Unit, had little doubt that they’d make each effort to avoid wasting Roni’s life. Severely wounded by a extreme gunshot in his leg, Roni had been evacuated to Hadassah by helicopter.
Within the early morning hours of October 7, Roni set out on patrol from the Sufa submit, the place he was serving. Whereas he and a workforce of troopers have been on the bottom, a protracted barrage of mortar shells was fired from Gaza towards Israeli territory. “The firing was incessant” he remembers. “We determined to drive to the outpost as quick as we might with missiles falling subsequent to us all alongside the best way. The automotive I used to be driving was shaking.”
Throughout that hectic drive, the three troopers within the automotive realized that along with the missile fireplace, there have been quite a few infiltrations by means of the border fence. “We shortly understood that we have been at conflict,” says Roni. They ultimately reached the Sufa outpost however the terrorists arrived within the space on the similar time to infiltrate the bottom.
“The terrorists have been in vehicles and on bikes in entrance of us. There have been many extra of them than us, so we determined to show round, take cowl, and combat them from there,” he continues. As they turned to discover a higher location, they observed an RPG missile heading of their course from the bushes. The missile hit the automotive, however the three troopers managed to get out and proceed combating.
“After a short while, Maj. Roy Chappel and Workers Sergeant Tomer Mizrahi, the 2 fighters who have been with me, have been hit and killed. I used to be left alone within the area going through dozens of terrorists,” Roni says.
He sought cowl after taking a bullet to his proper leg whereas combating alone. Realizing the magnitude of his damage, he tried to maintain stepping on it however couldn’t. “I hopped on one leg till I reached the bushes and hid there. I made myself a tourniquet till the bleeding stopped.”
Whereas he continued combating, some troopers reached him and succeeded in loading him onto a car. A army medic handled him whereas the others coated for him and continued the battle.
Eight hours later, Roni was evacuated by helicopter to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Prof. Meir Leibergal, director of Hadassah’s Musculoskeletal Division, operated on him instantly upon his arrival. “Roni arrived on the hospital with a multi-systemic damage the place the numerous damage was to his proper leg. After we eliminated the tourniquet, the muscle was in unhealthy form, and a variety of poisonous substances have been launched into the physique. He was in mortal hazard, and we determined to combat for his life and his leg,” says Leibergal.
Over the subsequent week, medical doctors tried to take away lifeless muscle tissues and protect what was potential from the leg, however Roni started to develop a life-threatening an infection. “We made a really tough determination. We understood that there was no escape, and we needed to amputate the leg with a purpose to save his life,” explains Prof. Weil.
“It was essential for us to insist that the amputation be beneath the knee in order that his future purposeful limitation can be as minimal as potential, and alternatively, the lifetime of this younger man was earlier than our eyes. We, in fact, didn’t surrender.”
Roni underwent 12 surgical procedures by orthopedic and cosmetic surgery groups, throughout which they managed to beat the infectious scenario and protect the knee, which can assist him afterward to deal with the brand new actuality. After the surgical procedures, Roni was hospitalized within the orthopedic division, the place he’s now being handled as an outpatient till he begins rehabilitation.
“Roni fought the battle and we fought for his life,” Weil reiterates. “He nonetheless has a protracted solution to go in rehabilitation, and I want him nice success. I’ve gotten to know a fight soldier who doesn’t surrender and who has taught us all what dedication is, and I’m certain that he’ll proceed to do the identical.”
After two months of remedy at Hadassah, Roni lastly went residence. “My life was saved. I acquired my life again and wish to thank Hadassah Ein Kerem and the complete workers, physicians, nurses, and social staff for his or her devoted care. I used to be hospitalized right here for a very long time and at all times felt that I used to be in the very best arms and that I used to be being handled in essentially the most skilled and humane approach. If you arrive in such a crucial situation, that’s what makes the distinction.”
Judging by the pleased smiles on their faces and people of their households and hospital workers, everybody at Hadassah was pleased to see Sara Netanyahu on the primary night time of Hanukkah and she or he was glad to see them, understanding how shut a brush they’d with demise. “You might be our heroes, the Maccabees of our time,” she advised them, including that she and the complete nation are praying for his or her speedy and full restoration. As they’ve executed throughout Israel and lots of locations overseas, Chabad offered the Hanukkiyah.
Sara Netanyahu visits rescued soldier
■ THIS WEEK, Sara Netanyahu went somewhat additional afield to Kiryat Gat to go to Ori Megidish, the IDF lookout soldier rescued from Gaza by Israeli forces.
Netanyahu embraced Megidish warmly and was happy to be taught that the soldier is in wonderful situation, mentally and bodily. Megidish advised Netanyahu that in the complete interval wherein she was a hostage, she stored telling herself – even when she was afraid – that she wouldn’t permit anybody or something to defeat her.
Reuven Rivlin, President and movie buff
■ FORMER PRESIDENT Reuven Rivlin is a film buff who usually attended the movie festivals hosted by the Jerusalem Cinematheque. His late spouse Nechama was additionally very eager on motion pictures, as is the present woman in his life, Sarit Tzemach, with whom he has been conserving firm for somewhat over two years. Rivlin and Tzemach have been among the many tons of of individuals milling on the Cinematheque final Saturday night time for the opening of the annual Jewish Movie Competition, and Rivlin joined Cinematheque supervisor Roni Mahadav Levin in lighting the Hanukkah candles. Hanukkah is arguably essentially the most broadly noticed of Jewish festivals as a result of the one prohibition is to not use the sunshine of the candles as a substitute of simply taking a look at them. All different Jewish festivals are cloaked in quite a few guidelines and rules.
The story of the rescued tefillin
■ ZAKA VOLUNTEER Haim Otmatzgin can’t cease telling the story of the rescued tefillin (phylacteries). Ariel Zohar was the only real survivor of his fast household. His dad and mom Yaniv and Yasmin, collectively together with his sisters Keshet and Tchelet, have been murdered in the course of the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Ariel was saved on that fateful morning of October 7 just because he had determined to go jogging.
As he jogged alongside, he noticed Hamas terrorists infiltrating the kibbutz, and in his fright, he ran to the closest home, which occurred to be that of the native safety officer, who instantly rushed him into the protected room. The officer went outdoors to defend the kibbutz and was fatally shot. In the meantime, a terrified Ariel, who was two weeks away from his thirteenth birthday, spent hours within the protected room earlier than he was rescued and brought to the house of his grandparents in Rishon Lezion.
Ariel’s residence on the kibbutz had been set on fireplace by Hamas however was not completely destroyed. When Zaka volunteers advised him that if there was something in the home that he significantly wished to maintain, they’d go and get it, he requested for just one factor. His grandfather, an Auschwitz survivor, had been given a set of tefillin by his personal father, who was murdered by the Nazis. One way or the other, the grandfather managed to maintain the tefillin and produce them to Israel. He gave them to his personal son, who in flip gave them to Ariel. He was planning to make use of them at his Bar Mitzvah.
Ariel knew precisely the place the tefillin have been. A ZAKA workforce, led by Otmatzgin and escorted by particular forces, went to what was left of the Zohar residence and used the couple of minutes out there to search out the tefillin. Luckily, they discovered them and managed to ship them to Ariel. The boy’s grandfather wept, saying that he was solely 14 when he witnessed the homicide of his personal dad and mom and that he by no means imagined in his worst nightmares that the identical destiny would befall his grandson.
Ariel celebrated his Bar Mitzvah somewhat later than scheduled – precisely two months after the October 7 bloodbath. His kin tried to make it as pleased an event as potential. The visitor of honor was former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who was even youthful than Ariel when his dad and mom have been murdered by the Nazis. Lau, who was liberated from a Nazi demise camp, advised Ariel that since then, he has had a great life and that he was certain that Ariel would even have a great life as a result of he’s surrounded by so many individuals who love him.
Otmatzgin was tremendously impressed by the truth that the one possession that Ariel had requested was the set of tefillin. It was uncommon for such a younger, traumatized boy to consider fusing the previous with the longer term. In asking for the tefillin, which might be integral to his passage into manhood, he had chosen life.
Bar-Ilan College marks 2 months since hostages have been taken into captivity
■ WHILE SO many individuals have been lighting Hanukkah candles and speaking in symbolic phrases about how the sunshine banishes the darkness, the administration, college, and workers at Bar-Ilan College determined to mark two months because the Hamas bloodbath by planting 237 flowers in a newly established campus backyard to be referred to as the Backyard of the Returning Hostages. The variety of flowers represents the variety of hostages taken captive to Gaza on October 7.
“We’re cultivating this backyard as an emblem of our hope for the speedy and protected return of the hostages in Gaza. The 237 flowers we’re planting at the moment, one for every hostage, will bloom till they return,” mentioned Bar-Ilan College President Prof. Arie Zaban. Chrysanthemums and yellow snapdragons, which bloom year-round, have been planted. A number of the flowers have been bought from nurseries in southern Israel.
In recognition of Hanukkah, a college occasion previous the planting centered on the journey from darkness to gentle. Prof. Eitan Okun, a researcher at Bar-Ilan’s Goodman School of Life Sciences and Gonda Mind Heart and a member of the emergency squad of Kibbutz Alumim within the Gaza Envelope, spoke concerning the nightmare he skilled on October 7.
Independently, and later with the IDF, the Alumim squad fought off dozens of terrorists, stopping their entry into the residential part of the kibbutz. Okun is presently on reserve obligation and persevering with his analysis into the remedy of Alzheimer’s illness.
In accordance with information collected by BIU, roughly 5,000 folks from the Bar-Ilan group at the moment are within the reserves or have been evacuated from their houses. The college’s emergency fund, which stands at NIS 12 million, will help them with tuition and subsistence scholarships after they return from army obligation.
“Whether or not they’re reservists or their relations or college students evacuated from their houses, we’ve got been standing by their sides over the previous two months. We won’t go away anybody behind,” mentioned Zaban.
Minister Gantz visits evacuees at Dan Panorama
■ SOME OF the inns wherein evacuees are being accommodated will not be precisely hospitable, however the inns within the Dan chain are doing no matter they will to make them really feel welcome and cozy. On the fourth night time of Hanukkah this week, conflict cupboard member Benny Gantz was the visitor of honor at a candle-lighting ceremony on the Dan Panorama Tel Aviv, which has change into the short-term residence of 1,100 evacuees from Sderot, Kiryat Shmona and Kfar Aza. Additionally current have been MK Orit Farkash-Cohen, President of the Israel Lodge Affiliation Eli Cohen, and Lior Haimovitz, common supervisor of the Dan Panorama.
Deborah Lisptadt to handle Ministry of Overseas Affairs occasion
■ PEOPLE WHO want to get their political and safety info in English reasonably than in Hebrew may have an extra alternative on Thursday, December 14, at 1.30 p.m. Israel time, when the Ministry of Overseas Affairs and the Institute for Nationwide Safety Research be part of forces in a particular occasion commemorating the expulsion of Jews from Arab nations. Following greetings by Overseas Minister Eli Cohen, the keynote addresses shall be given by Deborah Lipstadt, US Particular Envoy to Monitor and Fight Antisemitism, and Katharina von Schnurbein, European Fee Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and fostering Jewish Life. There may even be a panel dialogue that includes INSS researchers with concluding remarks by Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s Particular Envoy for Combating Antisemitism. Titled Past the Battlefield: Contested Narratives within the Arab World, the occasion shall be broadcast on the INSS web site and social media platforms.
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