If the world was balanced in it's behaviour, thinking and attitude Israeli's might be more receptive but under current conditions they don't give a damn and I support them accordingly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Douglas Murray, Col. Richard Kemp explain uphill battle for Israel
By Sarah Arnold
Douglas Murray and Col. Richard Kemp – two of Israel’s most beloved friends, indeed – answer some FAQs on the current war.
It might have been mistaken for a rock concert as hundreds of 20- and 30-somethings streamed into Tel Aviv’s Carlton Hotel last week. But these young adults weren’t there for any music. Instead, they were clamoring to hear the perspectives of two prominent advocates for Israel.
The featured speakers at the International Salon were the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Col. Richard Kemp; and author and political commentator Douglas Murray, who has become a social media star since Oct. 7 and whose book War on the West (2018) quickly became a New York Times bestseller.
Both Kemp and Murray have spent the past two and a half months in Israel covering the war. “I’ve almost made aliyah” quipped Kemp.
When the charismatic Murray entered the room a little late, for reasons that he would later share, the audience broke into applause. While Kemp has been known for years for endorsing the IDF as the “most moral army” in the world, Murray shot to fame at the opening of the current conflict with his acerbic response to an interviewer’s question as to whether Israel’s response to the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7 could be considered “proportionate.”
In a segment on Britain’s Talk TV, which went instantly viral, Murray responded: “There is some deep perversion in Britain whenever Israel is involved in a conflict, and it’s the word you just used – ‘proportion,’ ‘proportionate,’ ‘proportionality.’ Only Britain is really obsessed with this.
Col. Richard Kemp (credit: Richard Kemp)Enlarge ImageCol. Richard Kemp (credit: Richard Kemp)
“Proportionality in conflict rarely exists. But if we were to decide that we should have this fetish about proportionality, then that would mean that in retaliation for what Hamas did in Israel on Saturday [Oct. 7], then Israel should try and locate a music festival in Gaza, for instance (and good luck with that), and rape precisely the number of women that Hamas raped, kill precisely the number of young people that Hamas killed.
“They should find a town of exactly the same size of Sderot, and make sure they go door to door and kill precisely the correct number of babies that Hamas killed in Sderot and shoot in the head precisely the same number of old-age pensioners that Hamas shot in the head on Saturday.
“Proportionality in conflict is a joke,” spurned Murray. “It is only the Israelis that, when attacked, are expected to have precisely a proportionate response.”
Given both British gentlemen’s philosemitic reputations, the audience broke out with laughter and applause when they were introduced as the “two most beloved goyim” in all of Israel.
Nonplussed by the off-color moniker, Kemp stated proudly that “I am also an extremely talented ‘Shabbat goy, the result of residing in a hotel with many displaced persons from Kiryat Shmona who have used my services quite extensively.”
Asked by British moderator Deborah Danon what drew them to supporting Israel in a topsy-turvy world that was largely hostile toward the Jewish state, each had similar reasons for doing so.
“I was taught when I was very young to know right from wrong,” said Kemp, “and it’s my duty to support those who are right. There is no question who is in the right in this fight.”
Underscoring his 30 years fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, Kemp said that he feels duty-bound “to do what little I can do to help fight this fight with you because it’s not just your fight – it’s a fight for Western civilization. The same ideology that’s attacking you now has attacked us in the past and will intensify its attacks in the future.”
Apologizing for his late entrance, having been held up in an interview on [the TV talk show] Piers Morgan Uncensored (“It’s quite hard to get Piers to stop talking”), Murray offered another reason that drew him over to Israel’s side.
“Aside from my love for this country and its people,” he said, “I also see something that I think any writer or journalist should see and get very annoyed by, which is lies. When it’s lies about an entire nation and people, when I hear someone like this blowhard I heard earlier [on Piers Morgan Uncensored] accusing Israel of ‘genociding’ the Palestinians, I can’t sit here and not say something.
“I’m not going to allow these canards, smears, lies, and defamation to just go on. I don’t like lies being told, and Israel has been on the receiving end of some of the biggest, longest, deepest, and most wounding lies of our era,” Murray said. “So I believe in the simple cause of ‘moral hygiene’ that it’s necessary to try and clean some of that up.”
The moderator then asked: “In a world of TikTok, where Jesus is Palestinian... do you ever ask yourself ‘What’s the point?’”
“Never, actually,” Murray replied emphatically. “Even if it were the case, what option have you got?”
Despite the omnipresence of social media, where lies “rocket around the world,” Murray holds fast to a different view. “If you live in a world where 99 lies are being told and one person tells the truth, the truth will win,” he asserted. “The validity of a truth in an era of lies cannot be underestimated.”
ON THE topic of lies, it was an easy segue to Hamas’s battle figures. “I don’t know what the latest exaggerated figure is from Hamas about the number of people who have been killed in Gaza,” said Kemp. “I just know that [Hamas] has to be defeated. If it means that a very large number of people, whether military or civilian, have to die in that process, then unfortunately that’s the case.
“No sovereign, democratic state can exist under this threat. So [the threat] must be eliminated. It’s as simple as that.”
Kemp, who has been in Gaza several times, noted that he is deeply impressed by the IDF’s combat effectiveness. Regarding Hamas, he said: “They want the IDF to kill their civilians. They want as many civilians killed as possible because that then provokes the inevitable international demand for ceasefire, condemning Israel for war crimes.”
Asked about pressure from the United States, Murray said: “You should be courteous to your allies but not subservient to them,” earning him a hearty round of applause.
“The future of this state, of the Jewish people, must be in the hands of the Jewish people,” he continued. “It cannot be in the hands of anyone else. It cannot be in the hands of people who say the day after the massacre of Oct. 7 that this is why we need to double down on the two-state solution. It just can’t be in the hands of people going at that kind of slow speed.”
Had the events of Oct. 7 happened in the US, Murray pointed out, proportionately over 120,000 Americans would have been massacred on one day. “Nobody can tell me that the Americans would have listened to anyone then, nor should they,” he said.
The one potential outcome of the war that Murray absolutely rejects is that the situation might return to the status quo ante of October 6.
“Israel must be allowed to win,” he asserted. “It cannot simply always be encouraged to fight for a stalemate.”
Regarding Hezbollah, Murray poked fun at the thought that we would all have to relearn the map of the North and become experts again on the Litani River [in Lebanon].
“Since 2006, it’s just been a replay of the same thing. Anything other than actual victory by the Israelis in this conflict is unacceptable because all of these efforts to make Israel fight into a stalemate will simply prepare the groundwork for the next war, and this country deserves not to be forced into perpetual war,” he stressed.
Israel's lacking friends
RESPONDING TO the issue of the hostages, Murray said that he was genuinely shocked by “the lack of empathy for Israel internationally.”
A glaring example, he said, was the tearing down of posters of the hostages around the world. “If you put up a poster of a missing cat or dog in your neighborhood, you would not expect anyone to rip it down,” he asserted.
“And if anyone did rip it down, you would think that person was subhuman. This wasn’t dogs or cats. These were Jewish children. In city after city, sociopaths tore down these posters. This lack of empathy has been there since [Oct. 7].”
Addressing the tragic incident in which three hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops, Murray said: “The media treats it as more evidence of the brutality of the Israeli soldiers – ‘they even kill their own!’
“Imagine the lives of those soldiers who shot those three hostages, how they must have felt. And yet, instead of recognizing what a tragedy that is for everybody involved, they use it as a weapon against Israel! That really has slightly startled me.”
When asked by the moderator about “the day after,” Kemp said: “The IDF has no option whatsoever, apart from to stay in control of Gaza from now on. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks; it doesn’t matter what President Biden might want to happen.
“What is absolutely certain is that the IDF must maintain security control of Gaza. It means either a permanent IDF presence inside the whole of Gaza, or it means the creation of a one- or two-mile buffer zone on the inside of the Gaza border that no one is allowed to go into and that the IDF can police.”
About the general population of Gaza, Kemp said: ”The reality in Gaza is that the vast majority of allegedly innocent civilians support Hamas. Even when they see the horrors that Hamas has brought on them, they still support Hamas. And there will be efforts to have a Hamas 2.”
Murray concurred that it is a “very bleak necessity” for Israel to stay in Gaza. For how long? “Call me a pessimist,” Kemp said, “but I would say forever.”
Both Kemp and Murray spend time visiting the wounded in hospitals. On a recent visit, Murray met a farmer from a border kibbutz who had lost his wife, son, and both his legs in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. He told Murray: “I have been a leftist all my life. I now want to look out on nothing but potato fields from here to the Mediterranean.”
Commented Murray: “Who can risk living beside these people? Nobody else in the world would be expected to have to put up with that. I think you should have the right to live in peace and know that the border you have does not contain genocidal maniacs on the other side who want to kill you.”
A future in politics?
THE AUDIENCE also had an opportunity to question the speakers. What changes would Murray like to see in present-day Britain? “Obviously the first thing I’d do would be to make Richard Kemp minister of defense,” he suggested to uproarious laughter. “I assume you’ll be prime minister, will you?” Kemp shot back. Feigning humility, Murray demurred, saying, “If the nations calls…”
On a more serious note, Murray condemned the “appalling” pro-Hamas demonstrations that have taken place in London. “I think it’s been shameful,” he said. “I want no Hamas supporters in my country. And that’s quite easy to arrange,” he added. He was referring to Muhammud Sawalha, a key Hamas terrorist from the West Bank who subsequently obtained British citizenship.
“To get a British passport, you must sign a form that says you are a person of good character. I submit that he is not a person of good character,” said Murray, “and that he lied on his form when he said that he was. I would like to see his citizenship stripped, and I would like to see him deported and to try his luck in Gaza.”
Murray also cited the case of a young woman whose British passport was recalled when she returned from having joined ISIS. She tried to pretend that she didn’t know that they were actually a “murderous, head-hacking group” and besides, “we all make mistakes.”
Murray contended that she shouldn’t get her passport back. “If you’re with an Islamist death cult, you should not be allowed to be in Britain.”
He was also asked about the quality of Israel’s hasbara (public diplomacy) in the current war. “I believe they should be given some credit,” he said.
He cited Al-Shifa Hospital as an example, pointing out that Israel released closed-circuit TV footage of some hostages being dragged into the hospital, as well as showing the weapons cache discovered there. But at the same time, he underscored why not even the best PR may succeed.
“The minute they show that the hospital has an arms dump inside it, and has a load of Kalashnikovs and grenades, Jeremy Bowen of the BBC is asked about it and says, ‘Well, it is not inconceivable that the Kalashnikovs belonged to the hospital’s security department.’”
Murray said that the following day, he responded on television by saying sarcastically, “Yeah, and it’s possible the grenades were for the cardiology department.”
Murray’s point is well taken. No matter how strong the evidence is, it is not necessarily strong enough to overcome bias.
Kemp concurred, saying, “This extraordinary propaganda campaign against Israel – everything that Israel does is wrong. For the past 10 years, the BBC has not allowed me to speak on any program about Israel. Any other security issue, any other country I’m on all the time on the BBC. Just not about Israel.”
Murray stressed how moved he is about the young people of this country. “They will be an example not just to Israel, but to the people of the world.
“I think the country is still going through a trauma, trying to work out what was done to you in October,” he continued.
“You asked at the beginning why we do this. I would just say it is the honor of my life to be standing in alliance with you.”
When the evening concluded, the young adults in the audience rushed to the small stage to take selfies with both men. Douglas Murray and Col. Richard Kemp – two of Israel’s most beloved friends, indeed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Stories That Defined 2023 — and the Biggest Story Ignored by Most Media
The year 2023 is almost in the books. And for news media, there were no slow periods, no shortage of content on any level. War, chaos, viral crime, social division, and an already-ugly upcoming presidential election have made the year both riveting and depressing for news consumers to absorb.
So with that introduction, here are the good, the bad, the ugly, and the ignored via the bias of omission, as we look back on the past year in news, politics and the media:
Biggest U.S. story of the year: The unvarnished, unapologetic antisemitism unleashed following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre on Israel that left more 1,400 dead and more than 200 kidnapped, marking the most horrific attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
One would think that the reaction here in the U.S. would be not unlike 9/11, when the country came together as one. But the opposite has occurred, especially on college campuses and in major cities.
According to a recent survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), nearly three-quarters of Jewish college students in the U.S. say they have experienced or witnessed antisemitism on their campus since the start of the school year. Just 46% feel safe.
Meanwhile, a Harvard-Harris X survey finds that 51% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 believe the only long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian war is for “Israel to be ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians.”
This is 2023, right?
On the political front, Joe Biden's reelection hopes may hinge on young voters coming out as strongly as they did in 2020. Yet recent polling shows that, largely thanks to his staunch support of Israel, Biden is badly trailing Trump among voters under 30, an unthinkable prospect three years ago.
Runner-up for biggest story: The persecution of Donald Trump with the end goal made abundantly clear — to remove him from the ballot, ironically in the name of saving democracy, if the recent decision by Colorado’s state supreme court is any indicator.
For regular folks on the right, left or in the center, it's a simple argument: Let voters decide 11 months from now if Donald Trump should be president again, if he is the Republican nominee. If other states that matter greatly — swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona, all states that will decide the next election — are somehow successful in keeping Trump off the ballot, our government and the people's trust in it will be broken beyond repair.
Honorable mention: The gang that can't shoot straight, House Republicans, just concluded the most unproductive year of any congress since the Great Depression. Now-resigned congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who painstakingly went through 15 rounds of voting before finally becoming House Speaker, was ousted months later by a few rogue GOP members led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for compromising with Democrats. His eventual successor, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), may meet the same fate soon for the same reason.
Biggest media loser: One could easily make the argument that this was Disney's worst year yet. More than 8,000 employees were laid off. Multiple big-budget films bombed at the box office, from The Marvels to Indiana Jones 5. For the first time since 2014, no Disney movie broke the $1 billion threshold. Overall, the company is expected to lose an estimated$900 million due to its underperforming movies, even as its feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) continues.
Not-so-honorable mention loser: Elon Musk obviously overpaid to purchase Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion. But could anyone have predicted the company, renamed X, would lose $25 billion in value in just one year? The main driver: Advertising is down 60% when compared to one year earlier, while the outspoken Musk has become a lightning rod for controversy and the left's No. 2 villain behind Donald Trump.
Biggest media winner: Taylor Swift, the 34-year-old singer, songwriter and businesswoman, eclipsed $1 billion in sales during her recent Eras Tour which sold out stadiums around the globe. And for those who couldn't afford to dole out thousands of dollars for tickets, The Eras Tour movie took in more than $100 million on its opening weekend, making it the most successful concert film in history.
Swift also began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and attending games across the country. Result: Never has the sports world seen a non-athlete who isn't even on the field generate a ratings boon quite like her, as exemplified by her appearance at a Chiefs-Jets game in New Jersey in October that saw viewership among teenage girls jumping 53% when compared to other Sunday Night Football offerings. Overall, 27 million people tuned in, making it the highest-rated sports broadcast in 2023 since the Super Bowl. For its part, NBC cut away to show Swift's various reactions to the game that night no less than 17 times.
Biggest story ignored by most media: The numbers of those entering the country illegally are staggering. On Monday alone, there were 12,600 migrant encounters, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox. On Tuesday, there were more than 10,500 encounters, per an ABC News report. Overall, there were more than 2.4 million apprehensions in the 2023 fiscal year, which ended in September, marking an all-time high. The previous record was in 2022; the previous record before that was in 2021. Common thread: Those three years mark President Joe Biden's time in office.
As a result of this unprecedented influx, many state and city budgets are exhausted, as cities like New York are being forced to house and feed illegal migrants in city hotels and near public schools.
“Every community in this city is going to be impacted," New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced in September. "We have a $12 billion deficit that we are going to have to cut. Every service in this city is going to be impacted.”
Adams would go on to slash budgets for police, education, and sanitation, enraging legal citizens regardless of ideology. His approval in deep-blue New York stands at 28%.
There's also a national security element that should make the border crisis a nightly top or near-the-top story: In the past fiscal year alone, 172 individuals on the FBI's terror watchlist were apprehended. It's not known how many "gotaways" — those who cross without being detected or apprehended — have entered the country.
This should be alarming to anyone paying attention. But the story has largely been downplayed or ignored. As for the Biden administration, it believes it has made progress addressing the crisis, which it insists on describing as only a "challenge."
"We believe we've done a good job … to try to get at some of the root causes of illegal immigration," White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added: "We're at a time of the year where we're seeing more at the border and it's not unusual.”
The first step to solving any problem is acknowledging there is one. In May, the GOP-led House passed the Secure the Border Act. The bill calls for resuming border wall construction, increasing the number of Border Patrol Agents, tightening asylum standards, and requiring employers to e-verify job applicants. It has since stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate, while the president has called it "extreme" and “partisan."
Expect to see the situation only get worse in 2024. It could become a defining issue of the presidential election, especially if more of the media finally commits the time, space and resources this story deserves.
A 2020 Gallup poll, during the last presidential election year, showed that Americans feel "the media bears blame for political division in this country.” Don't expect that perception to change in 2024 — there is a president to elect, after all.
Joe Concha is a media critic, politics and sports commentator, and a contributor on Fox News.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Obviously the Hamas War has impacted Israel's economy as 400,000 citizens have been called up to serve in the IDF etc.
Also, over 200,000 Israeli citizens have been removed from their homes and relocated because of Hezbollah shelling from Lebanon.
However, the Palestinians have suffered the most because of their hatred. Over 100.000 Palestinians, who worked in Israel, earning decent salaries, have been barred and most of their homes in Gaza have been destroyed. As they continue to attack Israel from the West Bank they also have been met with destruction.
Palestinians seem never to learn they could have peace and good lives if they chose another course but they seem to prefer hatred and losing . Apparently, they enjoy suffering and watching the clueless parade on their behalf as they too disrupt the world.
+++
Ordman's Good News continues:
Ordman's Good News continues:
As 2023 comes to an end, I unashamedly write this introduction with much emotion. There are now definite signs Israel is winning the war against Hamas in Gaza. It cannot fail, thanks to a winning team of supporters in Israel and across the globe who, like the many thousands of readers of this newsletter, have been donating time, money, skills, accommodation, essential supplies, and more, to help the IDF fight against those wishing to destroy the Jewish State and civilization as a whole.
The remaining 50% of this week's newsletter celebrates winning teams of Israelis:
- developing medical innovations, therapies, and performing life-saving surgery.
- two award-winning scientists,
- winning the battle against bacteria, radiation, and environment-unfriendly gases
- increasing revenues in Israel's top 5 companies
It's also good to see:
- a winning Israeli gymnast auctioning off his gold medal to help war victims
- global IT companies, such as Intel, supporting the winning side
- record numbers making Aliyah from France, even during a war.
And what a way to end the year - with a new winning team of translators from Syracuse, New York who have translated my last newsletter issue into French, Spanish and Hebrew to add to the translation by my loyal German translator. We hope for more winning news in 2024.
The photo (TY Aubrey) is of a Hebrew sign that translates as "We will win in Gaza". The sign can also be translated as "We will win with God's help". Amen.
Please recommend www.verygoodnewsisrael.
In the 31 Dec 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
The remaining 50% of this week's newsletter celebrates winning teams of Israelis:
- developing medical innovations, therapies, and performing life-saving surgery.
- two award-winning scientists,
- winning the battle against bacteria, radiation, and environment-unfriendly gases
- increasing revenues in Israel's top 5 companies
It's also good to see:
- a winning Israeli gymnast auctioning off his gold medal to help war victims
- global IT companies, such as Intel, supporting the winning side
- record numbers making Aliyah from France, even during a war.
And what a way to end the year - with a new winning team of translators from Syracuse, New York who have translated my last newsletter issue into French, Spanish and Hebrew to add to the translation by my loyal German translator. We hope for more winning news in 2024.
The photo (TY Aubrey) is of a Hebrew sign that translates as "We will win in Gaza". The sign can also be translated as "We will win with God's help". Amen.
Please recommend www.verygoodnewsisrael.
In the 31 Dec 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- A 95-year-old reservist re-enlisted to fight for Israel.
- Volunteer overseas medics are rushing to help Israel.
- See who is being successfully treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
- Papua New Guinea has opened the first consulate in Judea & Samaria.
- Israeli scientists are fighting bad bacteria and utilizing good bacteria.
- Intel’s billion-dollar investment shows confidence in Israel’s economy.
- The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is “playing” its part in Israel’s war effort.
- Welcome to 1,200 new French Israelis.
Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.
POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR
2.6 million items of warm clothing. Friends of the IDF in the United States completed “Winter Clothing Operation,” a 5-week initiative to send 150 tons (over 2.5 million items) of essential winter clothing and gear to Israeli soldiers fighting on the front line in Gaza.
https://www.jns.org/friends-
Nvidia donates $15 million. Thousands of employees of IT giant Nvidia donated $5 million to support Israelis affected by the war. This was tripled by Nvidia itself, with an additional $10 million donation.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
You’re never too old. Ezra Yachin at 95 years young is the oldest active IDF reservist. Despite losing an eye in 1948, he was called up to active duty in the current war. The New York Post, Al Jazeera, etc., wrote about the elderly IDF soldier who put on a uniform again to defend Israel. And he says the enemy hasn’t changed tactics.
https://www.
https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/
Citizen’s Kitchen. (TY UWI) US immigrant to Israel, Aliya Fastman, launched Citizen’s Kitchen on Oct 9, converting her Citrus & Salt studio for cooking lessons into a community kitchen for meal distribution. It has since provided 20,000+ meals to soldiers, bereaved or displaced families, and synagogues hosting meals.
https://www.algemeiner.com/
https://www.
JNF-USA volunteers in action. (TY UWI) Volunteers from JNF-USA have heeded the cry of Israel in its time of need and offered whatever services they could help with. From cooking meals for soldiers on bases, crop picking and storing, to watching children; these volunteers are taking a huge burden off the shoulders of Israel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.jnf.org/travel/
Volunteers from UK & Germany. Lovely to hear the accents of British volunteers and their reasons for coming to help on farms on farms in southern Israel. Meanwhile (TY Hazel) staff from the German Embassy volunteered for a day in the orange harvest to help short-staffed Israeli farmers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.instagram.com/
Ways that Israelis are volunteering. Israelis are finding unusual ways to pitch in to aid those affected by the events of October 7 and the ongoing battle in Gaza. They include tailoring, matchmaking, folding laundry, giving haircuts, cleaning hospital rooms, rescuing vehicles, and a mobile restroom.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-
Thanks for the donation. IDF forces have uncovered millions of shekels in Gaza and PA cities that were intended to fund terrorism. Israel will make better use of the money.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.jpost.com/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Hospital launches innovation hub. Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center has partnered with international investment firm Arieli Capital to create SHAAR - a joint healthcare innovation hub, designed to be a center for medical research. Healthcare companies will be invited to the first global scale-up cohort by the end of 2023.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
Thousands of overseas volunteer doctors. Israel’s Health Ministry has received 7,500 requests from foreign physicians to volunteer in Israel. Nearly 5,000 are from North America and 1,000 from Europe. Many are not Jewish – they just want to help. 450 have Israeli licenses and the rest are being fast-tracked.
https://www.jns.org/the-
Physical therapy on the front lines. Many of Israel’s IDF reservists are in the thirties and forties and not as fit and subtle as they used to be. So UK-born Tasha Cohen launched Chayal’s Angels of volunteer yoga therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, physiotherapists and chiropractors who treat 50 to 200 soldiers every day.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Miracle survival from deadly wounds. Despite many tragic losses, two IDF soldiers survived gunshot wounds that are usually fatal. Major Itai was hit by a bullet that is still lodged in his brain and cannot be removed. Another bullet passed through Sgt Oren Dovid’s heart. Following surgery, both want to return to their units.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Hyperbaric oxygen to treat PTSD. Traumatized survivors of the Hamas Oct 7 terror attacks and IDF soldiers with PTSD are receiving HBOT therapy (see here) breathing pure oxygen in high pressure cabins. It is one of the treatments available to patients of the national clinic for PTSD, created by Tel Aviv University.
https://bnnbreaking.com/
HBOT for Mikey. (TY Avi Abelow) Mikey, a key member of the IDF Oketz search and rescue special forces unit, was severely wounded by a grenade thrown by a Hamas terrorist. She recovered most of her faculties in just a few weeks thanks to Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) at Israel’s Shamir hospital. Mikey is a dog!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
From death’s door to discharge. Menashe Eisner, 63, suffered a heart attack and was placed on life support. A complex bypass operation failed. Then surgeons at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Miraculously, 40 days later, Eisner was able to go home.
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Preventing severe lung diseases in diabetics. 35% of patients that died of Covid-19 were diabetics. This led scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute to discover that high blood sugar levels disrupted the immune system response to infection. They then developed experimental medication to reverse the sugar-induced dysfunction.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.
No big shakes. Lynette Hoffman-Elharar remembers a time when Essential tremor meant she could not hold a glass of water or draw a straight line. Now, after undergoing noninvasive MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRIgFUS) at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus, she is knitting woolen hats for IDF soldiers.
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Helping the helpers. Jerusalem’s Herzog Medical Center is supported by organizations in the USA, Canada, and the UK. The British Friends of the hospital have just launched a national campaign "Helping the Helpers"’ providing support for mental health professionals treating an increasing number of trauma patients.
http://www.herzoghospital.org/ https://www.youtube.com/
https://www.afherzoghospital.
96% of nurses at Rambam are graduates. Thanks to two international scholarship programs, 23 nurses at Israel’s Rambam Health Care Campus recently advanced their studies to specialize in various medical disciplines. 96% of Rambam nurses currently hold academic degrees. The target is 100%.
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Record year for liver transplants. In 2023 at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, a record 24 life-saving liver transplants were conducted in infants, children, and adolescents. Liver transplants in children are among the most medically complex. Two donations were from soldiers killed in the war in Gaza.
https://www.
Israeli doctor saves passenger on El Al flight. Dr. Nathan Ungar, a long-time United Hatzalah volunteer, saved a 70-year-old diabetic passenger who lost consciousness twice on an El Al flight from Bulgaria to Israel. Dr Ungar closely monitored the patient's condition until the plane made an emergency landing at Rhodes.
https://www.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Who is fighting for Israel? I thought it a positive sign when Uri Zaki, chairman of Israel’s left-wing Meretz party, said “it is impossible to ignore the large number of fallen soldiers who are religious Zionists. We need to salute this community that gives its life for the defense of Israel.” Then see the photo in the second link.
https://www.
https://twitter.com/
Druze restaurant goes kosher to serve IDF. (TY WIN) Noor, a restaurant located in the Druze village of Julis in northern Israel, has been providing thousands of free packaged meals to local evacuees and soldiers since the beginning of the war. Deputy Minister Uri Maklev helped the owner, Asma, make the restaurant kosher.
https://www.
Christian population rose 1.3% in 2022. About 190,000 Christians live in Israel, comprising about 2% of Israel’s population and reflecting a 1.3% increase in 2022. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where the Christian population is growing. Also, this article (TY UWI) about an Israeli Christian serving in the IDF.
https://www.jns.org/christian-
https://tps.co.il/articles/
A hotel of coexistence. The Magdala Hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee is hosting 200 war evacuees. Jewish kibbutzniks live alongside Catholic monks, the mostly Muslim hotel staff, and Druze workers, all holding prayers for the peace of the land. It’s an example of coexistence on the outskirts of Tiberias.
https://www.jns.org/the-
The first consulate in Samaria. (TY WIN) Papua New Guinea (PNG) is appointing an honorary consul in Judea and Samaria and opening an honorary consulate in the city of Ariel. This will be the first time in history that a foreign country has opened an official representation in Judea and Samaria. PNG’s embassy in Jerusalem.
https://www.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Seasoning that preserves meat. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed MeatCrust – a natural antioxidant for meat preservation. The seasoning forms a crust that prevents the fatty acids in meat react with oxygen to cause rancidity.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
https://www.yissum.co.il/
Bacteria to cut emissions from wheat crops. Israel’s Nitrousink has developed bacteria capable of decreasing nitrous oxide (N2O) that is emitted during the production of wheat. N2O is a greenhouse gas that is potentially far more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide. The tech was originally developed at the Volcani Institute.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
https://savefoods.co/save-
Israeli tech takes down Hamas drones. (TY IsraPundit) Israeli forces in Gaza eliminated a swarm of 7 attack drones using the SMASH smart fire control system of Israel’s Smart Shooter (see here previously). AI image processing detects a target’s direction and speed. The British army has bought 225 systems for £4.6 million.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Protection for manufacturers. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s NanoLock Security (see here previously) has teamed up with global security firm OTIFYD to protect industrial and manufacturing companies from the recent rise in external and internal cyber-attacks, including on critical infrastructure.
https://securitybrief.asia/
https://industrialcyber.co/
A hearing aid in your spectacles. Israel’s Nuance Hearing (see here previously) is working with a global eyewear giant to make efficient and economic hearing aids that fit invisibly into your glasses.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Tech Mission. In a gesture of solidarity and support for the Israeli tech sector, 65 senior executives from US technology, venture capital and private equity firms, joined an Israel Tech Mission in mid Dec. They visited Israel’s largest aid organization Brothers and Sisters for Israel; met soldiers, evacuees, and families of hostages.
https://www.israel21c.org/65-
https://www.
PhD student on Gaza front line. Major Daniel Widerker is commander of Company C, 749th Engineering Battalion in Gaza. He continues his Technion doctorate studies during his spare time, finishing a scientific paper on 3D printing, without a computer. He also works in a team developing optical devices for outer space.
https://ats.org/our-impact/
Award-winning Physics professor. Professor Shlomo Havlin of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University Physics dept, won the 2023 Bakhuis Roozeboom Medal, awarded by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences once in four years for researchers who have made innovative contributions to the phase behavior of matter.
https://www.biu.ac.il/en/
One of 2023’s top 10 scientific breakthroughs. The magazine Physics World has announced its list of 10 leading breakthroughs of 2023. They included Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Prof. Fineberg who discovered that cracks in certain materials can spread faster than the speed of sound – previously thought to be impossible.
https://physicsworld.com/a/
https://physicsworld.com/a/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Protecting US troops from radiation. Israel’s StemRad (see here previously) has secured a $4.5 million contract with the US Department of Defense for the acquisition of its radiation protection shields for the US National Guard. will provide 630 of its protective 360 Gamma belts to help respond to radiation incidents.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Financial support for reservist business owners. The Israeli non-profit Ogen “Reserves for Reservists – Officer Loan Fund” aims to raise up to $10 million to provide interim fiscal support to senior officers who also own businesses. The fund aims to prevent the entrepreneurs from worrying so they can focus on their duties.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
https://www.ogen.org/en/
Intel confirms multi-billion-dollar deal. US chipmaker Intel has inked an agreement with Israel’s government for a $3.2 billion grant to expand its chip manufacturing facilities in Kiryat Gat at a total investment of $25 billion. Intel will also spend NIS 60 billion with Israeli suppliers over 10 years and create thousands of jobs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Tech giants weather the storm. The five top Israeli tech companies all rose in value during 2023. Mobileye (up 35%), Check Point (+18%), Nice Systems (+7%), monday.com (+88%), and CyberArk (+88%) now have a total value of $83.5 billion. https://www.calcalistech.com/
Turkish coffee renamed to support Israel. Israel’s Strauss Group has rebranded its ground coffee in response to complaints as to why it should be named after a country whose leader supports Hamas. Special war editions are now “Am Israel Chai”, “Generation of Victory,”, “We Have No Other Country”, & “Strong Together.”
https://www.jns.org/popular-
Exits, takeovers, and mergers – to 31/12/23: Israeli cybersecurity Mend.io has acquired Israel’s Atom Security, which specializes in cyber risk assessment.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Valmadonna at the National Library. This article is a recent interview of Margaret Lunzer Rottem about the legacy of her father Jack Lunzer whose Valmadonna Book Collection is now at Israel’s National Library. Its emphasis is on Italy where Hebrew printing originated and includes some of the earliest Hebrew printed books.
https://www.
Andrea Bocelli sends concert invite to freed hostage. 85-year-old Yaffa Adar is a fan of opera singer Andrea Bocelli and hummed his music throughout the 49 days she was held hostage by Hamas. Her story reached the Italian tenor who wrote to her of his admiration and offered to fly her to one of his shows.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Instruments for healing. Musicians in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra have formed trios and quartets, performing around the country for evacuees and wounded citizens. IPO Music Director Lahav Shani led the orchestra in recording a series of free musical programs for Israeli children.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Songs from the Gaza war. Each Israeli war has its own anthems. In the six-day war it was Jerusalem of Gold. These are what Israelis are listening to now, to provide relief or to uplift their spirits.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-
https://www.israel21c.org/7-
Gold medalist auctions medal for evacuees. Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat won gold for the floor exercises at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium on Oct 7. He is now auctioning off the medal to raise money for the residents evacuated from the devastated Gaza border communities.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-
THE JEWISH STATE
Huge increase in French Aliyah. There has been a 450% increase in the number of French Jews applying to immigrate to Israel since Oct 7. Nearly 70,000 Jews out of a community of approximately 500,000 have made Aliyah from France since 2000. So, it’s very timely that this newsletter is currently available in French!
https://worldisraelnews.com/
From radical Gaza mosque to IDF soldier. Yaron Avraham was featured in this newsletter in Oct 2020 (see here). In this recent interview, he shares his story from growing up as an Arab Israeli being sent to Gaza for extremist indoctrination, only to leave, convert to Judaism and join the IDF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Rockets will not stop us praying. A rocket fired by Hamas caused significant damage to the roof and interior of a synagogue in the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Sa'ad. Following the impact, a group of Jewish worshippers gathered outside the damaged building to continue their afternoon prayers.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Israel is the solution. Avi Abelow founder of Pulse of Israel has been touring the USA. In this video he inspires youth in Phoenix Arizona about their Jewish identity. All Jews should hear this, especially to counter the antisemitism in the universities. Am Yisrael Chai!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
How to help Israel. Here are some sites where newsletter readers can donate to Israeli organizations that provide vital help to Israelis at this difficult time. Many thanks to those who have already contributed and to those who are helping by donating their own valuable time and resources.
Friends of the IDF (US donors): https://www.fidf.org/
or IDF Soldiers Fund in Israel: https://www.ufis.org.il/en/
American Friends of Magen David Adom (US donors): https://afmda.org/
or Magen David Adom (Israel): https://www.mdais.org/en/
Zaka (US donors): https://donate.zakatelaviv.
or (Canadian donors): https://www.canadahelps.org/
United Hatzalah: https://israelrescue.org/
Leket Food Israel: https://www.leket.org/en/
JNF USA - https://my.jnf.org/gaza-
Orthodox Union - https://www.charidy.com/
Schneider Children’s Hospital: https://www.fos.org.il/en/
https://system.smartgiving.
https://chaischneider.org/
Hadassah Hospital Israel: https://www.hadassah.org/
Laniado Hospital (Netanya) https://my.israelgives.org/en/
And many more charities here:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Buy Israel Bonds to support the Jewish State. (TY Larry B)
https://www.
USA - https://www.israelbonds.com/
Europe - https://israelbondsintl.com/
Canada - https://www.israelbonds.ca/
POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR
2.6 million items of warm clothing. Friends of the IDF in the United States completed “Winter Clothing Operation,” a 5-week initiative to send 150 tons (over 2.5 million items) of essential winter clothing and gear to Israeli soldiers fighting on the front line in Gaza.
https://www.jns.org/friends-
Nvidia donates $15 million. Thousands of employees of IT giant Nvidia donated $5 million to support Israelis affected by the war. This was tripled by Nvidia itself, with an additional $10 million donation.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
You’re never too old. Ezra Yachin at 95 years young is the oldest active IDF reservist. Despite losing an eye in 1948, he was called up to active duty in the current war. The New York Post, Al Jazeera, etc., wrote about the elderly IDF soldier who put on a uniform again to defend Israel. And he says the enemy hasn’t changed tactics.
https://www.
https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/
Citizen’s Kitchen. (TY UWI) US immigrant to Israel, Aliya Fastman, launched Citizen’s Kitchen on Oct 9, converting her Citrus & Salt studio for cooking lessons into a community kitchen for meal distribution. It has since provided 20,000+ meals to soldiers, bereaved or displaced families, and synagogues hosting meals.
https://www.algemeiner.com/
https://www.
JNF-USA volunteers in action. (TY UWI) Volunteers from JNF-USA have heeded the cry of Israel in its time of need and offered whatever services they could help with. From cooking meals for soldiers on bases, crop picking and storing, to watching children; these volunteers are taking a huge burden off the shoulders of Israel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.jnf.org/travel/
Volunteers from UK & Germany. Lovely to hear the accents of British volunteers and their reasons for coming to help on farms on farms in southern Israel. Meanwhile (TY Hazel) staff from the German Embassy volunteered for a day in the orange harvest to help short-staffed Israeli farmers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.instagram.com/
Ways that Israelis are volunteering. Israelis are finding unusual ways to pitch in to aid those affected by the events of October 7 and the ongoing battle in Gaza. They include tailoring, matchmaking, folding laundry, giving haircuts, cleaning hospital rooms, rescuing vehicles, and a mobile restroom.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-
Thanks for the donation. IDF forces have uncovered millions of shekels in Gaza and PA cities that were intended to fund terrorism. Israel will make better use of the money.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.jpost.com/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Hospital launches innovation hub. Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center has partnered with international investment firm Arieli Capital to create SHAAR - a joint healthcare innovation hub, designed to be a center for medical research. Healthcare companies will be invited to the first global scale-up cohort by the end of 2023.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
Thousands of overseas volunteer doctors. Israel’s Health Ministry has received 7,500 requests from foreign physicians to volunteer in Israel. Nearly 5,000 are from North America and 1,000 from Europe. Many are not Jewish – they just want to help. 450 have Israeli licenses and the rest are being fast-tracked.
https://www.jns.org/the-
Physical therapy on the front lines. Many of Israel’s IDF reservists are in the thirties and forties and not as fit and subtle as they used to be. So UK-born Tasha Cohen launched Chayal’s Angels of volunteer yoga therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, physiotherapists and chiropractors who treat 50 to 200 soldiers every day.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Miracle survival from deadly wounds. Despite many tragic losses, two IDF soldiers survived gunshot wounds that are usually fatal. Major Itai was hit by a bullet that is still lodged in his brain and cannot be removed. Another bullet passed through Sgt Oren Dovid’s heart. Following surgery, both want to return to their units.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Hyperbaric oxygen to treat PTSD. Traumatized survivors of the Hamas Oct 7 terror attacks and IDF soldiers with PTSD are receiving HBOT therapy (see here) breathing pure oxygen in high pressure cabins. It is one of the treatments available to patients of the national clinic for PTSD, created by Tel Aviv University.
https://bnnbreaking.com/
HBOT for Mikey. (TY Avi Abelow) Mikey, a key member of the IDF Oketz search and rescue special forces unit, was severely wounded by a grenade thrown by a Hamas terrorist. She recovered most of her faculties in just a few weeks thanks to Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) at Israel’s Shamir hospital. Mikey is a dog!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
From death’s door to discharge. Menashe Eisner, 63, suffered a heart attack and was placed on life support. A complex bypass operation failed. Then surgeons at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Miraculously, 40 days later, Eisner was able to go home.
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Preventing severe lung diseases in diabetics. 35% of patients that died of Covid-19 were diabetics. This led scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute to discover that high blood sugar levels disrupted the immune system response to infection. They then developed experimental medication to reverse the sugar-induced dysfunction.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.
No big shakes. Lynette Hoffman-Elharar remembers a time when Essential tremor meant she could not hold a glass of water or draw a straight line. Now, after undergoing noninvasive MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRIgFUS) at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus, she is knitting woolen hats for IDF soldiers.
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Helping the helpers. Jerusalem’s Herzog Medical Center is supported by organizations in the USA, Canada, and the UK. The British Friends of the hospital have just launched a national campaign "Helping the Helpers"’ providing support for mental health professionals treating an increasing number of trauma patients.
http://www.herzoghospital.org/ https://www.youtube.com/
https://www.afherzoghospital.
96% of nurses at Rambam are graduates. Thanks to two international scholarship programs, 23 nurses at Israel’s Rambam Health Care Campus recently advanced their studies to specialize in various medical disciplines. 96% of Rambam nurses currently hold academic degrees. The target is 100%.
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/
Record year for liver transplants. In 2023 at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, a record 24 life-saving liver transplants were conducted in infants, children, and adolescents. Liver transplants in children are among the most medically complex. Two donations were from soldiers killed in the war in Gaza.
https://www.
Israeli doctor saves passenger on El Al flight. Dr. Nathan Ungar, a long-time United Hatzalah volunteer, saved a 70-year-old diabetic passenger who lost consciousness twice on an El Al flight from Bulgaria to Israel. Dr Ungar closely monitored the patient's condition until the plane made an emergency landing at Rhodes.
https://www.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Who is fighting for Israel? I thought it a positive sign when Uri Zaki, chairman of Israel’s left-wing Meretz party, said “it is impossible to ignore the large number of fallen soldiers who are religious Zionists. We need to salute this community that gives its life for the defense of Israel.” Then see the photo in the second link.
https://www.
https://twitter.com/
Druze restaurant goes kosher to serve IDF. (TY WIN) Noor, a restaurant located in the Druze village of Julis in northern Israel, has been providing thousands of free packaged meals to local evacuees and soldiers since the beginning of the war. Deputy Minister Uri Maklev helped the owner, Asma, make the restaurant kosher.
https://www.
Christian population rose 1.3% in 2022. About 190,000 Christians live in Israel, comprising about 2% of Israel’s population and reflecting a 1.3% increase in 2022. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where the Christian population is growing. Also, this article (TY UWI) about an Israeli Christian serving in the IDF.
https://www.jns.org/christian-
https://tps.co.il/articles/
A hotel of coexistence. The Magdala Hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee is hosting 200 war evacuees. Jewish kibbutzniks live alongside Catholic monks, the mostly Muslim hotel staff, and Druze workers, all holding prayers for the peace of the land. It’s an example of coexistence on the outskirts of Tiberias.
https://www.jns.org/the-
The first consulate in Samaria. (TY WIN) Papua New Guinea (PNG) is appointing an honorary consul in Judea and Samaria and opening an honorary consulate in the city of Ariel. This will be the first time in history that a foreign country has opened an official representation in Judea and Samaria. PNG’s embassy in Jerusalem.
https://www.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Seasoning that preserves meat. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed MeatCrust – a natural antioxidant for meat preservation. The seasoning forms a crust that prevents the fatty acids in meat react with oxygen to cause rancidity.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
https://www.yissum.co.il/
Bacteria to cut emissions from wheat crops. Israel’s Nitrousink has developed bacteria capable of decreasing nitrous oxide (N2O) that is emitted during the production of wheat. N2O is a greenhouse gas that is potentially far more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide. The tech was originally developed at the Volcani Institute.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
https://savefoods.co/save-
Israeli tech takes down Hamas drones. (TY IsraPundit) Israeli forces in Gaza eliminated a swarm of 7 attack drones using the SMASH smart fire control system of Israel’s Smart Shooter (see here previously). AI image processing detects a target’s direction and speed. The British army has bought 225 systems for £4.6 million.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Protection for manufacturers. (TY OurCrowd) Israel’s NanoLock Security (see here previously) has teamed up with global security firm OTIFYD to protect industrial and manufacturing companies from the recent rise in external and internal cyber-attacks, including on critical infrastructure.
https://securitybrief.asia/
https://industrialcyber.co/
A hearing aid in your spectacles. Israel’s Nuance Hearing (see here previously) is working with a global eyewear giant to make efficient and economic hearing aids that fit invisibly into your glasses.
https://www.israel21c.org/
Tech Mission. In a gesture of solidarity and support for the Israeli tech sector, 65 senior executives from US technology, venture capital and private equity firms, joined an Israel Tech Mission in mid Dec. They visited Israel’s largest aid organization Brothers and Sisters for Israel; met soldiers, evacuees, and families of hostages.
https://www.israel21c.org/65-
https://www.
PhD student on Gaza front line. Major Daniel Widerker is commander of Company C, 749th Engineering Battalion in Gaza. He continues his Technion doctorate studies during his spare time, finishing a scientific paper on 3D printing, without a computer. He also works in a team developing optical devices for outer space.
https://ats.org/our-impact/
Award-winning Physics professor. Professor Shlomo Havlin of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University Physics dept, won the 2023 Bakhuis Roozeboom Medal, awarded by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences once in four years for researchers who have made innovative contributions to the phase behavior of matter.
https://www.biu.ac.il/en/
One of 2023’s top 10 scientific breakthroughs. The magazine Physics World has announced its list of 10 leading breakthroughs of 2023. They included Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Prof. Fineberg who discovered that cracks in certain materials can spread faster than the speed of sound – previously thought to be impossible.
https://physicsworld.com/a/
https://physicsworld.com/a/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Protecting US troops from radiation. Israel’s StemRad (see here previously) has secured a $4.5 million contract with the US Department of Defense for the acquisition of its radiation protection shields for the US National Guard. will provide 630 of its protective 360 Gamma belts to help respond to radiation incidents.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Financial support for reservist business owners. The Israeli non-profit Ogen “Reserves for Reservists – Officer Loan Fund” aims to raise up to $10 million to provide interim fiscal support to senior officers who also own businesses. The fund aims to prevent the entrepreneurs from worrying so they can focus on their duties.
https://nocamels.com/2023/12/
https://www.ogen.org/en/
Intel confirms multi-billion-dollar deal. US chipmaker Intel has inked an agreement with Israel’s government for a $3.2 billion grant to expand its chip manufacturing facilities in Kiryat Gat at a total investment of $25 billion. Intel will also spend NIS 60 billion with Israeli suppliers over 10 years and create thousands of jobs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Tech giants weather the storm. The five top Israeli tech companies all rose in value during 2023. Mobileye (up 35%), Check Point (+18%), Nice Systems (+7%), monday.com (+88%), and CyberArk (+88%) now have a total value of $83.5 billion. https://www.calcalistech.com/
Turkish coffee renamed to support Israel. Israel’s Strauss Group has rebranded its ground coffee in response to complaints as to why it should be named after a country whose leader supports Hamas. Special war editions are now “Am Israel Chai”, “Generation of Victory,”, “We Have No Other Country”, & “Strong Together.”
https://www.jns.org/popular-
Exits, takeovers, and mergers – to 31/12/23: Israeli cybersecurity Mend.io has acquired Israel’s Atom Security, which specializes in cyber risk assessment.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Valmadonna at the National Library. This article is a recent interview of Margaret Lunzer Rottem about the legacy of her father Jack Lunzer whose Valmadonna Book Collection is now at Israel’s National Library. Its emphasis is on Italy where Hebrew printing originated and includes some of the earliest Hebrew printed books.
https://www.
Andrea Bocelli sends concert invite to freed hostage. 85-year-old Yaffa Adar is a fan of opera singer Andrea Bocelli and hummed his music throughout the 49 days she was held hostage by Hamas. Her story reached the Italian tenor who wrote to her of his admiration and offered to fly her to one of his shows.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Instruments for healing. Musicians in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra have formed trios and quartets, performing around the country for evacuees and wounded citizens. IPO Music Director Lahav Shani led the orchestra in recording a series of free musical programs for Israeli children.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Songs from the Gaza war. Each Israeli war has its own anthems. In the six-day war it was Jerusalem of Gold. These are what Israelis are listening to now, to provide relief or to uplift their spirits.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-
https://www.israel21c.org/7-
Gold medalist auctions medal for evacuees. Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat won gold for the floor exercises at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium on Oct 7. He is now auctioning off the medal to raise money for the residents evacuated from the devastated Gaza border communities.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-
THE JEWISH STATE
Huge increase in French Aliyah. There has been a 450% increase in the number of French Jews applying to immigrate to Israel since Oct 7. Nearly 70,000 Jews out of a community of approximately 500,000 have made Aliyah from France since 2000. So, it’s very timely that this newsletter is currently available in French!
https://worldisraelnews.com/
From radical Gaza mosque to IDF soldier. Yaron Avraham was featured in this newsletter in Oct 2020 (see here). In this recent interview, he shares his story from growing up as an Arab Israeli being sent to Gaza for extremist indoctrination, only to leave, convert to Judaism and join the IDF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Rockets will not stop us praying. A rocket fired by Hamas caused significant damage to the roof and interior of a synagogue in the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Sa'ad. Following the impact, a group of Jewish worshippers gathered outside the damaged building to continue their afternoon prayers.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Israel is the solution. Avi Abelow founder of Pulse of Israel has been touring the USA. In this video he inspires youth in Phoenix Arizona about their Jewish identity. All Jews should hear this, especially to counter the antisemitism in the universities. Am Yisrael Chai!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
How to help Israel. Here are some sites where newsletter readers can donate to Israeli organizations that provide vital help to Israelis at this difficult time. Many thanks to those who have already contributed and to those who are helping by donating their own valuable time and resources.
Friends of the IDF (US donors): https://www.fidf.org/
or IDF Soldiers Fund in Israel: https://www.ufis.org.il/en/
American Friends of Magen David Adom (US donors): https://afmda.org/
or Magen David Adom (Israel): https://www.mdais.org/en/
Zaka (US donors): https://donate.zakatelaviv.
or (Canadian donors): https://www.canadahelps.org/
United Hatzalah: https://israelrescue.org/
Leket Food Israel: https://www.leket.org/en/
JNF USA - https://my.jnf.org/gaza-
Orthodox Union - https://www.charidy.com/
Schneider Children’s Hospital: https://www.fos.org.il/en/
https://system.smartgiving.
https://chaischneider.org/
Hadassah Hospital Israel: https://www.hadassah.org/
Laniado Hospital (Netanya) https://my.israelgives.org/en/
And many more charities here:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Buy Israel Bonds to support the Jewish State. (TY Larry B)
https://www.
USA - https://www.israelbonds.com/
Europe - https://israelbondsintl.com/
Canada - https://www.israelbonds.ca/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If the IVIE's modeled themselves after Hillsdale College, America would be stronger, America would be safer and Americans would be better off, happier and more prosperous.
However, Americans seem to want to follow the Palestinian model and embrace hate, stupidity and now we too are turning socialist just as brainless Marxists want for America.
+++
Dear Friend,
I am writing to you today because we are in the midst of a great crisis. And fortunately, you understand this …
You understand that the anti-American Left is working every day to undermine intelligent patriotism and radically transform our free system of government and our American way of life.
You understand the urgency of the situation as we approach 2024—a critical year for America…
We must engage the anti-American Left on the battlefield of education to defend liberty and constitutional government.
Hillsdale College has been deeply engaged in this battle for decades.
Your generosity helps us to counter an anti-American education agenda that includes promoting radical gender ideology to young schoolchildren and encouraging college students to celebrate terrorism.
That's why we're asking for your year-end support to continue and expand our Project to Defend Liberty Nationwide by Reaching and Teaching Millions.
We must do more.
With the help of friends like you, who support Hillsdale's educational mission, we are determined to redouble our efforts at this critical time for our nation.
That's why we've set a goal to raise $6,000,000 online by MIDNIGHT TONIGHT to expand our Project to Defend Liberty Nationwide by Reaching and Teaching Millions in 2024.
Your generous donation will help us to …
Reach an additional 600,000 American households and businesses with Imprimis, our monthly digest of liberty. With your support, we plan to increase the circulation of Imprimis to more than 7,000,000 households and businesses in 2024.
Teach citizens nationwide, especially younger Americans, through our FREE online courses. Your donation will help us to create new online courses and add 900,000 new students in 2024.
Restore excellence to American K-12 education. Your faithful generosity will help us to launch and guide classical K-12 charter schools nationwide.
We cannot do this work without you …
Hillsdale needs your support for its work on behalf of liberty because the forces arrayed against it on the battleground of education are many and powerful.
They are also incredibly well-funded, with Hollywood, Big Tech, mega-corporations, and liberal billionaires like George Soros on their side.
Hillsdale College relies on the support of citizens like you—citizens who understand the importance of education to liberty and want their children and grandchildren to enjoy the blessings of liberty and the American way of life.
To do our work on behalf of liberty, we need your help.
As I've explained in the past, Hillsdale College conducts its educational outreach efforts—as it does all of its work—while refusing to accept one penny of government funding, not even indirectly in the form of federal or state student grants or loans.
To meet our ambitious year-end funding goal, we will need thousands of gifts between $25 and $100. Most of our supporters' contributions are in this range.
We will also need a significant number of $500 to $1,000 donations. But contributions of any size are appreciated.
Since we have one day remaining to fund this project for 2024, we urgently need your help.
You can safely and securely renew your support using this link: https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/cye-2023
In the coming year, the anti-American Left will pull out all the stops to keep its stranglehold on government and on education alike.
It will continue in its efforts to undermine intelligent patriotism in our schools and to radically transform our free system of government.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the future of American liberty hangs in the balance.
That's why I hope you'll make your most generous year-end gift before MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
Every dollar you give will get us closer to our $6,000,000 online fundraising goal, enabling us to expand our Project to Defend Liberty Nationwide by Reaching and Teaching Millions in 2024.
Thank you for your generosity. We are grateful for friends like you who understand what is at stake at this critical time for our nation.
Warm regards,
Larry P. Arnn
President, Hillsdale College
Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty Since 1844
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Good gezucht!
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From David Friedman
Ladies and Gentlemen!
As you can see, eighty years ago, Europe, led by Germany, carried out an ethnic cleansing: it destroyed almost all the Jews living there. The French, Belgians, Dutch, Norwegians, Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians - all helped the Nazis.
You killed at least six million Jews along with their newborn babies.
Each of them could give the world children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so you can safely multiply the number of those killed four or five times...
And now, when we are again robbed, beaten and killed in all your countries, and your courts set the murderers free, you tell us that we have no right to defense? Don't we have the right to warn our enemies that we will respond to a new ethnic cleansing with an even more powerful blow? Maybe you can name another nation that your new international community led by Iran is so fanatically striving to destroy? And for what? For two thousand years we lived among you, giving you our knowledge, discoveries and inventions.We have given you the alphabet, the Bible, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, the twelve apostles, Spinoza, Disraeli, Columbus[?], Newton, Nostradamus, Heine, Mendelssohn, Einstein, Singer, Eisenstein, Freud, Landau, Gershwin, Offenbach, Rubinstein, Sen -Sans[?], Kafka, Lombroso, Montaigne, Mahler, Marcel Marceau, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Yehudi Menuhin, Stefan Zweig, Arthur Miller, Maya Plisetskaya, Stanley Kubrick, Irving Berlin, Edward Teller, Lyon Feuchtwanger, Paul Newman, Robert Oppenheimer, Benny Goodman, Eugene Ionesco, Imre Kalman, Marcel Proust, Charlie Chaplin[?], Marc Chagall, Barbra Streisand, Claude Lelouch, Steven Spielberg, Anouk Aimee, Leonard Bernstein, Norbert Wiener, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Andrew Lloyd Webber and thousands of other scientists and educators. Just imagine how many of the same geniuses the millions of Jews you killed, and then their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, could give birth to the world!
But these unborn geniuses disappeared forever in the ovens of crematoria, burned synagogues and mass graves.
So do you really think that with your resolutions, boycotts and sanctions we can be driven into gas chambers again? No, gentlemen! Having lived among you for two thousand years, we had to adapt to you and learn not only your languages, but also something of your psychology. Otherwise, how would we have survived in Persia without Persian treachery? In Spain without Spanish cruelty? In Germany without German obedience to discipline?In France without French stinginess? In Poland, without Polish swagger, and in Russia, without swearing and the Russian habit of using yard toilets, where you need to sit like an eagle and talk about your spiritual greatness? - (Laughter in the hall.) “And that’s why I’ll tell you frankly: yes, we are not angels.” Among us were international swindlers and gangsters, Lanskys, Medovs and Epsteins, swindlers, thieves, robbers, adventurers and even pedophiles. But throughout our and your history there was no Jewish Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. There was no Jewish Josef Mengele and Eric Koch, Adolf Eichmann and Idi Amin, Andrei Chikatilo and Li Zicheng, Jeffrey Dahmer and Jean Bokassa, Fritz Haarmann and Ted Bundy, Nikolai Dzhumagaliev and Albert Fish.
We did not make necklaces from human ears, we did not take scalps, we did not eat human flesh, we did not make soap from human fat, we did not sew lampshades from human skin, we did not make mattresses from women’s hair, we did not burn people in religious temples and we did not kill children in gas chambers. cameras.
Instead, we created things that changed the world for the better.
Drip irrigation, seawater desalination, Intel processors and the Centrino and Core Duo platforms, the world's smallest DNA computer and the world's first USB flash drive, nanowire and tablet video camera, a cure for multiple sclerosis and an exoskeleton, Google Glass for the blind and a baby breathing monitor, a radar that can see through walls, an AI holographic reality synthesizer and hundreds of other wonderful things.
>>>> With just 0.2 percent of the world's population, we have produced 32 percent of the world's Nobel laureates. Yes, I forgot to tell you: we have never used and do not use the blood of Christian babies when making matzo. Back in 1913, three Orthodox experts on Judaism proved this in the famous Kiev trial of the Beiliss case.
In 1962, the Second Vatican Council absolved us of blame for the crucifixion of Christ, and in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI said that “a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite, we have the same roots.” IN In 2019, his successor Pope Francis I said that “there is a Jew inside every Christian” and “one cannot be a true Christian without recognizing one’s Jewish roots.”
Moreover, the head of the World Catholic Church stated that “the covenant between God and the Jews continues to operate” and “anti-Semitism is not only attacks on Jews, but also speeches against Israel.”
And finally, in June 2020, Pastor John Hagee, the leader of American evangelical Christians, published his “Message to the World” in which he said simply and clearly: “Why do we, eight million Christian patriots of America, support Israel? Because G-d is on Israel's side! If a Christian says that he does not like Jews, then his false Christianity is very much in doubt. G-d says: “I bless those who bless Israel! I will curse those who curse Israel!” And now I want to ask the European delegates sitting in this room: who do you think you are? Are you Christians or not Christians? When you pray to Jesus Christ, Our Lady and the Holy Apostles, aren't you praying to the Jews? And when you say that you carry the image of Christ in your heart, then don’t you thereby admit that you carry a Jew in your soul?
Even if you are an ardent atheist, your ancestors were still Christians for two thousand years and, therefore, Jewishness is in your blood - whether you like it or not!
So, ladies and gentlemen. If you insist on an international boycott of Israel because you continue to hate Jews and want the complete destruction of Jewry on earth, then be consistent - start with yourself, do hara-kiri! This will be an honest ethnic cleansing.
And now, as they say here in America, I have news for you, I have news for you. Now, following the Christians, it is the turn of Muslims to part with anti-Semitism. Yes, it will not be easy, but just as the Almighty helped humanity get rid of the bubonic plague, anthrax, cholera and coronavirus, so He will help you get rid of anti-Semitism. You may ask: for what? Why did the Almighty return us to Israel and force you to give up your desire to destroy us? After all, He must have some purpose, right?
I'll tell you my personal opinion. Because, according to His plan, every nation should give to humanity what it does best.
The French are cooks and perfumers.
The British and Russians are writers and poets.
Italians are artists and musicians.
The Germans are soldiers and philosophers.
And we Jews are geniuses.
Geniuses who, in all areas, are moving humanity from savagery and idolatry to culture, humanism and technological progress. This is our mission, which we have been fulfilling for two thousand years, no matter what!
Therefore, whether we have genetic, torsion, nuclear, tectonic, cosmic or some other self-defense weapons or not is none of your business! Whether you allow us to have weapons of defense or not, it doesn’t matter to us.
As one of the founders of our state, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, once said:
“Whether you like us or not, it doesn’t matter to us, we came before you and will leave later.”
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'Wolf of Wall Street' Explains How Pelosi, Corrupt Politicians Get Rich In 'Rigged' Stock MarketBy Sarah Arnold
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New Year, New Laws: Here Are the LGBTQ+ Laws Impacting Children Scheduled to Take Effect
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