Hanukkah Food Recipes |
 Torah-Tidbits-1352-chanuka Click to Download the CHANUKA REVIEW for 5780 | How to do Hanukkah |
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 Kichi and Hanukkah |
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 Hanukkah-Still Here
But the light of our menorahs will continue to shine. Always.  Living Lchaim-tweet-7December2023-We’ve had enemies before
You may recognise the famous picture of below of a Menorah on a window ledge against a backdrop of a building across the road decorated with Nazi flags. Here’s what many people don’t know: The Menorah’s owners, Rachel and Dr. Akiva Posner, saw the writing on the wall and escaped Germany in 1933, arriving in Eretz Yisrael (pre-state Israel) in 1934. Their iconic Menorah survived the war, and was subsequently donated to the Yav Vashem Holocaust museum. Each year, the Posner family make sure to take the Menorah and use it. Last night, the Menorah was lit in the heart of Gaza by one of the descendants of the Posner family. No longer shall Jews be powerless in the face of their tormentors. Wherever there is darkness, we will fight back with light. 🇮🇱 Am Yisrael Chai 🕎 emanumiller-tweet-11December2023-A bit more about the Posners A bit more about the Posners: Rabbi Dr. Akiva Posner, Doctor of Philosophy from Halle-Wittenberg University, served as the last Rabbi of the community of Kiel, Germany before the Holocaust. After Rabbi Posner publicized a protest letter in the local press expressing indignation at the posters that had appeared in the city: “Entrance to Jews Forbidden”, he was summoned by the chairman of the local branch of the Nazi party to participate in a public debate. The event took place under heavy police guard and was reported by the local press. When the tension and violence in the city intensified, the Rabbi responded to the pleas of his community to flee with his wife Rachel and their three children and make their way to Eretz Israel. Before their departure, Rabbi Posner was able to convince many of his congregants to leave as well and indeed most managed to leave for Eretz Israel or the United States. The Posner family left Germany in 1933 and arrived in Eretz Israel in 1934.  emanumiller-tweet-11December2023-Last night the Menorah was lit in the heart of Gaza
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For those that are not living in Israel, you have no idea how wonderful Hanukah is in Jerusalem. The wonderful taste of the “Classic Israeli Sufganiyot” with the “Red Jelly”. Praying at the Kotel. Seeing all the Giant Street Menorahs. |
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Caroline Glick The American Jewish Community’s Moment to Choose |
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According to Pew, August 29, 2018 (The Religious Typology – A new way to categorize Americans by religion) 42% of American Jews have completely abandoned their tradition. They have reject Judaism, God, ritual, prayer and religion, 25% called themselves Solidly Secular (What Israeli call Hiloni). |
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Sophia’s the pomeranian’s Bark Mitzvah w/Lee Day & Rabbi Otis on Nat Geo Wild Spoiled Rotten Pets
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Idgie’s Cat Mitzvah – Hava Nagila
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Our Holiday, Our LandHow do you describe the simple pleasure of celebrating Chanukah in a place where everyone is also rushing home to light their menorah? Our holiday, our land…Natalie Kovan | Posted on 09October2023 | https://breslev.com/366335/
 Our Holiday, Our Land by Natalie Kovan I can’t believe we’ve been here for a few years. Even so, when it comes to Chanukah, I still feel that same excitement I felt the first time we celebrated it as new olim (immigrants) in our homeland. I didn’t realize just how deep the disconnection with all things secular in America was until a recent conversation with my Mom. As she described my brother’s vacation on the 23rd and 24th of December, I asked her if it was a holiday or something.
Silence.
“It’s X-mas!” my mother piped up, in total disbelief. Like, only the entire world knows what holiday falls on those dates! What my mother forgets is that here in our Blessed Land we are not constantly bombarded or reminded since the end of October when the pumpkins are just being put away, and the Jack-o lanterns are beginning to rot. My mailbox is not overflowing with ‘holiday’ themed catalogs, and red and green trees are not to be seen. The flora and fauna around me don’t suddenly sprout colorful blinking lights. Reindeer (especially those sporting red noses) are basically extinct. In short—Gan Eden! And after five plus years of breathing in the kedusha (holiness) of Eretz Yisrael, the 23rd and 24th of December became just that—two regular days in the Gregorian calendar.
The first and most obvious pleasure of being in Israel this time of year is that the only men you see with long white beards are those who are wearing black coats. No man in the red suit in sight. No flashing-colored lights. No green and red plastered on any store fronts. Not a one. Here, we are absolutely oblivious on what day the ‘big day’ actually falls. Yes, there is actually a place on this earth where the big arm of the catalog behemoth does not reach, and we are blessed to be totally clueless about the latest twenty-eight-inch Bob Sponge whatever –his-name-is who dances and sings and twirls in a 360-degree pirouette with accompanying ukulele accoutrements—all for the low price of $28.99!
 Sufganiyot at Mahane Yehuda shuk Here we have been overdosing on suffganyot (fried doughnuts filled with jelly—or caramel as the case may be) since Simchat Torah. Supermarkets display an endless supply of menorahs, chocolate covered Chanukah gelt (“money”), candles, oil—you name it. The entire nation puts aside their differences for eight days, as they wish each other a Chanukah sameach (Happy Chanukah!). Everything shuts down early—so that everyone can light their menorahs with their loved ones. As you stand on the street after dark, you see menorah upon menorah—lights upon lights—lights belonging to us, bridging century upon century of Jews keeping the fires of Yiddishkeit burning, living—in our Land.
Even the dreidel—a simple dreidel brings home the knowledge that living in Israel is, well—miraculous. Our son, looking at an Israeli dreidel for the first time, suddenly burst out, “hey—there’s no ‘Shin’ on this dreidel!’. Upon closer inspection, we found a ‘Pey’ where the shin should have been. In the rest of the world, the letters ‘Nun, Gimmel, Hay, Shin’ (נ ג ה ש) for “a big miracle happened THERE’. But for us living in Eretz Israel, it’s “Nun, Gimmel, Hay, Pey’ (נ ג ה פ) “— a big miracle happened HERE’. Here. In our backyard (almost literally—Modiin is but a drive away). Here. Not there, but here. Jews all over the world light menorahs and celebrate a miracle that happened not too far away from our living room, in a place that is still seeing miracles to this very day.
How do you describe the simple pleasure of celebrating Chanukah in a place where everyone is also rushing home to light their menorah? It’s a communal event, where every single one of your neighbors is celebrating with you. Our holiday. Our land. Here we don’t take second place as ‘the consolation holiday ‘. Here, our holiday is THE holiday. Here everything stops for Chanukah. Everything revolves around lighting the menorah, not the other way around. No jingles in the supermarket overloading your subconscious. In their stead, Jewish children walk around singing Chanukah songs, filling the air with their pure words. How does one grasp it? Here it is a tangible. You are enveloped in it day and night, not just as you huddle with your family around the menorah. I can’t describe how wonderful it is not to have to endure another “Merry (insert name of holiday here)”, while internally screaming, “But I’m Jewish!” No generic “Happy holiday” greetings either. Here, your taxi driver wishes you a “Chanukah sameach,” and your soul responds, because it feels right. That’s the magic of living in Israel.
The other major difference is that Chanukah in Israel is not so much about the presents—it’s about the miracle. When you live in a country that exists because of one long continuous miracle sustained by Hashem—it’s the miracle that counts. When a sonic boom breaks the silence of the night sky, as army planes ‘do their job’ up North—and the realization that this little country with a spirit which is too big to fill its borders—is being guarded by Hashem and His emissaries because we have a right to be here—then the miracle that is Israel—that is Chanukah—takes on a whole new meaning.
As we read about the battles fought by Judah Maccabee and his army, the mind can’t help but marvel at the fact that not much has changed since those days, except for the fact that technologically, warfare has evolved drastically, to say the least. We are still the few against the many. A small nation surrounded by those who would love nothing more than to see our destruction. The story of Chanukah is not a quaint and inspiring story that we celebrate as part of our past—it is also the story of our present.
I remember two years ago, during Operation Cast Lead, as we lit our menorahs with the backdrop of a war going on at several of our borders. Stories of soldiers requesting tzitzit before they would go into battle streamed out to the public. And that is what Chanukah is about. Keeping our identity separate and whole from the rest of the nations as we do spiritual and physical battle with our adversaries. Looking at our uniqueness not as an impairment, but an asset to be celebrated and protected at all costs. For when we act like Jews, proud in ourselves, our Land and our Torah—then defeating our enemies becomes a reality, with the help of our Creator.
It is only by the benevolence of Hashem that Israel and the Jewish people exist. Without the Land of Israel, there is no nation, and vice versa. It is here that the plans for Am Israel took root, and it is here where they will culminate when Mashiach comes (may it be speedily in our days). Even though we wandered for centuries without a ‘home’, Hashem has gifted us in the last 60 years with concrete borders to come home to. A Kotel to pray at. Land to be populated and bring back to life. He is setting the stage for our ultimate return and Redemption (may it be His will). To be here and call this home—despite the hardships—is a miracle. As painful as it is to be so far from loved ones, friends and all things familiar—there is nothing like the miracle of finally coming home. Home where the soul and body are finally in alignment for the very first time. That is a miracle all its own.
Even as I write, it is impossible to describe in mere words the enormity of living here. Sometimes it’s a struggle, sometimes it’s a cultural shock, sometimes it’s just plain hard. And sometimes, while standing at the top of a hill, looking out at the valley, and at cities that were not here that long ago, brimming with Jews—and the eyes fill at the intensity of the knowledge that you are home—finally—then you say, “Thank You, Hashem, for the miracle that is Israel. Thank You for bringing me home.”
 Shiri_Sabra-tweet-23April2024-Passover Seder in Jerusalem 1919
Palestinians are Arabs who rebranded their “ethnicity” in 1964. “Palestinians” have ZERO historical, religious or anthropological ties to Israel, Gaza or the West Bank. #StandWithIsrael  The Persian Jewess-tweet-23April2024-Jews are Indigenous to Israel
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Excerpted from The Chanukah Scroll by Hagi Ben Artzi: [When Antiochus sent a demand for the return of captured ‘Greek cities’ in Eretz Yisrael] …Shimon rebuffed these demands…, and responded in resolute and firm terms: “We didn’t take a foreign land and we didn’t exist on the spoils of other nations, but on the lands of our fathers that through the years was illegally seized by our enemies. We, when we had the opportunity, restored our birthright.” – Shimon Maccabee to the Greek Antiochus 2158 year ago. 3626 -136BCE
Those Inspiring Maccabees!
1 Tevet 5784 12December2023 http://palmtreeofdeborah.blogspot.com/2023/12/those-inspiring-maccabees.html
Following is a sampling of inspiring speeches made by the Maccabean leaders which aroused the Jewish neshamahs of their followers to greatness in the Name of Hashem. Excerpted from The Chanukah Scroll by Hagi Ben Artzi:
[To the Greek officer who bid him come and sacrifice a pig on the altar to Zeus,]…Matityahu’s response was delivered in a loud and confident voice, and was clearly heard throughout the city square. Matityahu said: “Even if all the nations in the Kingdom of Antiochus hearken to him and abandon their traditions and customs and follow the paths of the Greeks, I, and my sons and my brothers will continue to walk in the ways of our Forefathers, and will not betray the covenant of our God. We dare not leave our Torah and our national tradition! We will not follow and will not hearken to the words of King Antiochus, for the God Who dwells in Heaven is our King.”
…”Jews, we are going out to war! Whoever is zealous for the Torah, whoever is loyal to the covenant with our God, follow me to fight for our faith and our Torah!”
[Even from his deathbed, Matityahu persevered]…”My sons, be zealous for the Torah; give your very souls for the sake of the covenant of your Forefathers. Remember the actions of your fathers, how they gave their lives and brought salvation to their nation. Remember Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov; remember Moshe and Pinchas; remember Yehoshua and Calev; remember David and Eliyahu; remember Daniel, Chanayah, Mishael and Azaryah.
Carefully reflect on the previous generations; learn from them that one need not fear an evil man, even if he is strong and threatening. Our fathers trusted in God, and He came to their salvation. You, as well: Believe in God, and become strong with Torah – for only this way will bring you pride. In your war with the enemies of our nation, Yehuda will be your Chief of Staff and commander, and Shimon will be your advisor and father. Gather to you all those who uphold the Torah, and avenge the honor of your people. Give the Gentiles what they deserve, and hold fast on to the Torah’s commandments.”
With these words, Matityahu passed away….
…when Yehuda’s few men saw the great Syrian army marching towards them, great fear fell upon them. They called to their commander Yehuda: “We are few and weak; how will we be able to fight this great camp?” Yehuda then gathered all the men together, and strengthened their spirit with words of faith.
Thus he said to them: “Nothing can prevent God from saving us, whether we are few or many. It is not great numbers of soldiers or heavy weaponry that brings victory in war. It is rather a spirit of valor, one that stems from true faith. We are fighting for our nation and our Torah, whereas they are coming upon us with haughtiness and evil, to destroy us, our wives and our children, and to take our property. The God of our fathers will not abandon us; He will smite them before us.
Arise, my brothers! Go out and fight without fear!”
When Yehuda finished speaking, a spirit of valor overtook his men, and they fell upon their enemies with great force.
[When the war had continued many years, Shimon, the last of the Maccabees] …gathered a large crowd in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem, and encouraged them and raised their spirits. He said to them: “You know that which we have done – I, my brothers, and my father’s house – on behalf of the Torah and the Temple. All my brothers died in the great war, in which they gave their lives for their people; I, alone, remain. Do not fear that their deaths have caused me to be afraid or to seek my own personal safety, for I know that I am no better than my brothers. Just as they did, I will continue to lead you in the way of the Torah and to fight the wars of God.”
[When Antiochus sent a demand for the return of captured ‘Greek cities’ in Eretz Yisrael] …Shimon rebuffed these demands…, and responded in resolute and firm terms: “Not foreign land did we take, and not over property of foreigners did we take control. We have returned to the inheritance of our forefathers, from which we were unjustly banished by our enemies. And now, with the help of our God, we have returned to the inheritance of our fathers.”
AMEN AND AMEN!!
And the Spirit of the Maccabees lives on…
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The “Progressive” Culture?Many in our society proclaim to be “progressive”, “modern”, and in favor of social justice. Yet, they are quick to justify murderers and terrorists! How can such a dichotomy exist within the same person? The Kalever Rebbe explainsKalever Rebbe | Posted on 24December2023 | https://breslev.com/4079445/  The Progressive Culture by Kalever Rebbe
There are many institutions, universities and charitable organizations that proclaim themselves to be “progressive” or “modern”. They assert that they vehemently believe in and epitomize a philosophy that unwaveringly supports the spreading of mercy and kindness throughout the world. And, yet, these same “champions of justice and equality” are quick to dismiss and justify the acts of murderers and terrorists. Worse, they defend and try to protect them.
The reason is simple: their desire to promote equality and social justice is self-serving and insincere. Their motivations are selfish. Their efforts are for self-gratification and glorification. For example, they may want to be celebrated by others, satisfying the drive of their egos. They want to receive accolades for their efforts. Or, they want to be respected as humanitarians. All they care about is their own self-promotion. Therefore, when they can gain even more respect and glory by abandoning the values of kindness and generosity, they are more than willing to do so even if it means supporting causes that logically are opposed to these values.
In these moments we see the truth; we see how the secular world values social justice and equal rights. Their morals are on full display.
The Yetzer Harah is powerful. It knows that Yidden are, by nature, generous, kind and merciful. And, it looks to feed and misdirect those emotions by convincing you that the non-Jews are seeking justice, are fighting for equal rights, and are also concerned about the welfare of others. The Yetzer Harah wants you to admire these organizations and universities. He wants the Yidden to get involved in these causes misdirecting their benevolence. Thereby, distracting the Yidden from studying Torah and keeping mitzvot. But, in the end, the truth will be shown. A Bloody HistoryRoughly 200 years ago, there was a period of rapid advances in science and technology. The world thought that these advances would usher in an era of world peace, democracy, and freedom; a time of global understanding and prosperity for all peoples in all places. Murder, conflict, and war would be eradicated permanently.
However, the exact opposite was true. The 20th century saw murder, destruction, societal collapse, and wars on an unparalleled level. And the Germans, who were one of the world’s most civilized and advanced societies, showed that they could behave just like the cruelest animals.
Hitler, may his name be erased, fashioned himself as trying to teach people how to behave properly. Stalin, may his name be erased, claimed that the spread of Communism would make the world a better place. Yet, their seemingly “altruistic” motivations lead to a war that wreaked havoc on the world and the slaughter of millions of people. The world had not yet witnessed such cruelty in all of its history.
During the Holocaust, the Hungarian Jewish community tried to raise funds for the Rescue Committee responsible for trying to save the Yidden in Poland, which had already fallen to the Germans. R’ Aharon of Belz, zt”l, issued the following Halachic ruling: Even though Chazal taught (Gittin 45a) captives are only redeemed for their value, that was when capacity was not so inhuman. However, in the 20th century, the treatment of captives and the mechanisms for mass slaughter have reached a level of cruelty never seen. Now, there is an obligation to redeem captives at all costs. True CompassionThe Yidden are never cruel. True mercy and compassion are naturally ingrained in their hearts. As Chazal taught (Yerushalmi Gitin 42b) that at Har Sinai Hashem provided the tremendous gifts that all of the Jews would always be compassionate.
The Klausenberger Rebbe, zt”l, who witnessed firsthand the brutality of the Germans, shared a beautiful insight. During the Al HaNisim prayer we say during Chanukah, it says, ואתה ברחמיך הרבים עמדת להם בעת צרתם- “You, with Your abundant mercy, stood by them in their time of distress“… When the Yidden rose to wage war against the Greeks, there was a tremendous accusation in the Heavenly Courts against the Yidden, claiming that they were not worthy of a victory. Many of the Jews had assimilated and adopted a Hellenistic lifestyle, forgetting Torah and mitzvot. However, Hashem saw the attribute of compassion that He has instilled in the Jews. And, this “stood by them in their time of distress.” This compassion stood as an undeniable and inescapable differentiator between the Jews and the Greeks.
No matter how distant the Jews had become from the righteous path, regardless of how they tried to live their lives like the Greeks, they were still compassionate people that were the offspring of a compassionate people. A true compassion that was a gift from Hashem. A compassion that ensured that no matter how much they assimilated, real Jews could never behave with even an iota of the Greeks’ cruelty. War According to Torah ValuesIf this is true of any random Jew, even more so, a Yid who studies Torah and learns what a truly refined character means. For, Torah is the source of understanding how to define and express good middot.
Even many benevolent laws of some non-Jewish nations trace their roots back to Torah values. Such laws did not exist prior to the receiving of the Torah.
This mercy even finds its expression in the way Yidden go to war. Typically, war brings rage and violence. The Ramban explains (Devarim 23:10) that this is why there is an added warning for soldiers to “guard yourself from anything evil.” However, as the Or HaChaim (Devarim 13:18) writes, when the Yidden go to war, they have the unique bracha of “and give yourself mercy.”
The Torah is teaching us, that even when you have to go to war, you cannot be cruel. For example, you must first offer a peaceful resolution. And, when you besiege a city, you need to surround it from only three sides, leaving an escape path for all those who want to flee. In Hands of Those Who StudyIn Al HaNisim we praise Hashem for the victory of the war with the Greeks saying, זדים ביד עוסקי תורתך- “and insolent [sinners] into the hands of diligent students of Your Torah”…
What is this adding to the miracle? The “advanced” Greeks were “insolent”. They enjoyed seeing bloodshed. They built stadiums and amphitheaters to watch captives fight for their lives against wild animals. They cheered as captives were slaughtered for sport. They didn’t really value human life. Therefore, they were merciless in war. They intentionally and indiscriminately murdered women and children.
The Chasmona’im, on the other hand, were “diligent students of Your Torah.” They were the Yidden who studied the Torah and were careful to preserve their attribute of compassion. They were cautious during war to only kill those who fought against them.
This was an aspect of the miracle. Even though the war was made more challenging because it was waged by those “engrossed in Torah study” who were more meticulous to exert mercy and compassion. They, nevertheless, were victorious.
Therefore, Al HaNisim continues and says, ולך עשית שם גדול וקדוש בעולמך- “And You made Yourself a great and sanctified name in Your world”… The war was a tremendous Kiddush Hashem in the world. The entire world witnessed the refined character, the attributes that truly differentiated the Jews who were students of the Torah, as distinctly different from the Greeks.
As a result, the Jews no longer admired Greek culture. They didn’t want to study in the Greek universities any more and be a part of Greek society. They recommitted themselves anew to Torah, so that they could acquire true good values that permeate and are reflected in their character, and brings a real good life in This World and in the World to Come. *** The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.
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Darkness of EnlightenmentIn the world of intellect, the natural draw to the Divine and life itself slowly becomes silenced. We are left with brilliant minds in a world where value can’t be proven…
Rabbi David Charlop | Posted on 29November2023 | https://breslev.com/434311/  Darkness of Enlightenment by Rabbi David Charlop
The intellect is a tool to be used but it can’t prove definitively if we do or don’t have free choice. The soul, on the other hand, knows that we have free choice. Because of this, we intuitively sense the reality of what the Torah teaches us, that undoubtedly we have free choice.
How does this relate to Chanukah?
There is a fascinating and fairly well known teaching of our Sages on the second verse in the Torah “And the earth was astonishingly empty with darkness on the surface of the deep, and the spirit of Hashem hovered upon the surface of the water.” This enigmatic verse hints to many profound teachings. One of them is the future history of the Jewish people. Without getting into the technicalities of the text, our Sages teach that this verse encompasses the four exiles the Jewish people would eventually experience and their final redemption and the coming of the Mashiach, speedily in our days.
What is relevant to our discussion is the verse’s description of the third exile. According to our Sages, the word “darkness” refers to our third exile, our oppression under the hands of the Greek Empire. On a simple level the reason the Greek occupation of Israel is referred to as darkness is due to the harsh decrees they imposed upon us during their occupation of the Holy Land. At that time, they forbade keeping Shabbat, circumcision, among many others commandments.
Even assuming this explanation, there are still two basic difficulties with the term “darkness” to refer to the Greeks. First, throughout our history, many nations made harsh decrees against us. Life under the Babylonians, Persians, Assyrians, and others was filled with hardship. So why were the Greeks and their decrees specified as “darkness”?
Secondly, and possibly more problematic, is the use of the term “darkness” for what was considered the most enlightened people of that time. Art, literature, and culture flourished during the years of Greek Empire. Greek philosophy and literature are still read and held to be sources of our worldview. Why did the Sages classify this exile as “darkness”, especially when we consider their contribution to world history as just the opposite?
There are numerous approaches to this question but I would like to suggest one that was an outgrowth of a recent discussion I had with one of our students. This particular discussion clarified this issue plus another question that has bothered me for quite some time.
During this particular talk the student raised an old question: Why do we keep the Torah? When we investigated further, he really was asking why do we do anything? His questions were somewhere between an existential crisis and being bored with the world. Before I share my response, please don’t think I’m about to reveal the secret to existence. I can tell you that I wasn’t really sure what to say him. (I think because I wasn’t really sure what to tell myself!)
Together, we came up with the following idea. If one considers, on a purely intellectual level, why life is worth living, it can be a pretty tricky maze to get through. Because at every turn, the mind can respond: “Who said?” or “That’s your opinion”. I usually find such discussions, internal or external, an act of frustration.
When we probed further, I asked him if he wants to love someone, if he wants to share in the joys of life, if he wants to have a warm and caring relationship with his family. On all of these questions the response was positive. It struck me that his soul (neshama) was talking, not his brain. The holy soul that Hashem put into each of us is drawn, like a magnet, to life. We can’t really explain or intellectualize the response, but we want life. It doesn’t need a philosophical clarification. The Source of Life breathed into mankind the love and desire for life. Sometimes, people become detached from that inner voice and aren’t pulled to life and living. But then it hurts inside because there’s a holy voice screaming to be released and embrace the universe and all its blessings.
How does this relate to Greece and Chanukah?
Greece was the source of intellectual greatness. In a world that, up to that point, was worshiping stars and bowing down to trees, their intellectual rigor was like a slap in the face to mankind. It woke idolatrous nations out of their foolishness and called upon man to investigate his world. But with all of their positive accomplishments, there was a hidden, negative reality, a real “darkness”.
No longer was the soul the compass to draw us to life. No longer was our inner voice and the Divine soul the measuring rod to value. The mind became the arbiter of society. And when the mind becomes king, the natural draw to the Divine and life itself slowly becomes silenced. We are left with brilliant minds in a world where value can’t be proven and, ultimately, is viewed as relative. And that, our Sages teach us, is darkness. The other exiles also issued harsh decrees but no other empire undermined the source of truth and value.
So this Chanukah we should reflect on Hashem’s gifts, the gift of Torah which gives the Jewish people and mankind a guiding light to truth and morality and the gift of a holy soul which has the ability to “see” this light.
This is what the light of the menorah represents; the simple precious light of our souls that can light up even the most terrible darkness. And soon that light will grow and ignite into the bright light of the knowledge and awareness of Hashem’s mastery of the universe. May we see it soon.
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Spiritual MurderersThe Zohar predicted that the darkness of Hellenism would return in the days before Mashiach. How clearly we can see the darkness of assimilation in our day! The Kalever Rebbe explains how to drive out our personal darkness.Kalever Rebbe | Posted on 27December2023 | https://breslev.com/4081192/  Spiritual Murderers by Kalever Rebbe Spiritual Threats Are More DangerousYou need to know your enemies. Understand them and never underestimate their drive to accomplish their mission.
In the physical world, for example, if a person is surrounded by murderers, he needs to keep his guard up, even during periods of relative peace and tranquility. For, these murderers have not changed their ways. They are just waiting for the right time to launch their attack.
This is even more critical in the realm of spirituality. A person must recognize and protect himself vigilantly from people who try to sway him away from Torah and mitzvot. These are “spiritual murderers”, and they are an even greater threat than the physical ones.
As Chazal taught (Sifri, Parshat Tzeitzei 42), that the Ammonites and Moabites who tried to make Bnei Yisroel sin, were worse than the people of Edom who waged a war against them. Our spiritual enemies are a greater threat and can do more damage than our physical enemies. When someone falls in battle, etc., he can still enjoy the eternal experience of the World to Come. However, if someone sins, his fate is worse than death, as he has destroyed the everlasting pleasure of the world to come for a temporary and empty experience in this world.
Napoleon was on a conquest to conquer the Russian nation and he found himself in a difficult and brutal war with the Russians who would not give up so easily. During this war, the Baal HaTanya, zt”l, said that the yidden should pray and do everything they can to help ensure Napoleon’s defeat. For, as the Rebbe explained, even though Czar Nicholas and the Russian presented a very real threat, it was merely physical. Napoleon, on the other hand, would try to destroy the Jews’ spirituality, which is far worse.
When a yid cannot recognize the magnitude of the damage a sin does to a person and this world, it is a sign that he has already fallen into the yetzer harah’s trap. He is held captive by the physical desires of this world, by the impurity of his sins, and his eyes been blinded from seeing the truth.
R’ Simcha Bunim of Pshischa said: “You need to imagine that the Yetzer Harah is like an executioner standing over you with his axe held high just waiting to decapitate you. If that imagery is hard for you, if you cannot see it, then your head has already been chopped off!” The Greek HolocaustDuring the time of the Greek occupation, assimilation was rampant. The impure and depraved Greek culture has seeped into Jewish life. The Greeks, more than anything else, wanted to eliminate the defining character traits that defined the Jews spiritually. They brought in their greatest philosophers and professors from Athens to help influence the Jews to abandon their connection to Torah and mitzvot on a spiritual level.
The Greeks had one motivation: the complete destruction of the Jews’ spiritual connection to Hashem. This was a spiritual Holocaust.
The Tanna Nitai, the Arbelite, who lived during the time of the Greeks, warned (Pirkei Avot 1:7): “Distance yourself from a bad neighbor, do not cleave to a wicked person, and do not abandon belief in retribution”.
His intention was clear: do not befriend the Greeks and those who would try to harm you spiritually through their impure influences. Even when it seems benign and harmless, know that in the end, there will inevitably be retribution.
The Greeks were a propaganda machine. They designed marketing campaigns to proliferate their culture and ideas, all aimed at driving evil indulgence and supporting the pursuit of physical pleasure. And it worked. The yidden became unable to recognize the destruction and damage being done to them spiritually. As Chazal taught (Bereishit Rabba 2:4), ” ‘Darkness’ refers to the Greek exile who darkened the eyes of Israel.”
The Zohar (Volume III 279) teaches that this darkness of the Greeks would return to the world in the days before Mashiach’s arrival.
We can see that that darkness has indeed returned. The DarknessThe Greeks invented a culture that was defined by promiscuity, living freely without consequence, and indulgence in every forbidden pleasure. To achieve this, they tried to eradicate the three things that would prevent someone from sinking into such a depraved lifestyle:
To eradicate these three ideas from the Jewish culture, they attempted to erase three mitzvot: Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Brit Milah. ShabbatShabbat declares that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Shabbat is an expression of one’s belief that Hashem created the world.
The Greeks did not prescribe to this idea. Instead, they conjured up all kinds of explanations for the world’s creation.
They ignored the fact that despite the efforts of their most brilliant minds, however, they were never able to understand and explain the very first cause, the action that led to every other reaction. They could never explain how such a beautiful and complex world came into existence by chance. Rosh ChodeshThe process of sanctifying the months is dependent on the Jewish judicial system. It is an expression of rabbinic authority.
The Greeks wanted people to think that they could act any way they wanted. They disregarded the authority and guidance of the rabbinate. Greek culture was completely dismissive of authority figures. They believed in a distorted democratization of the judicial process. There was even a period when they instituted a system of governance in Athens, where every civic question was brought before all the people. As a result, the masses who were mostly unaware of the complexities of the case and who lacked the competency would be making these decisions.
They ignored the importance of expertise. Therefore, they wanted the Jews to ignore and neglect the value of rabbinic guidance. The Greeks wanted the Jews to devalue the extensive knowledge of the leaders and rabbis, the “doctors for the soul”. Brit MilaThe Brit Milah weakens physical desires and lust.
The Greeks felt that no desire should be curtailed and suppressed. They were confident that everyone could indulge in their temptations responsibly without harming others. They also argued that these were just desires that a person was born with, and they could not be controlled or changed. A person could not master these desires. This was simply part of being human. Therefore, they encouraged people to pursue these pleasures, but not only in their homes. They wanted to be unashamed. They tried to make people fill the obscenest lusts with arrogance and pride – to do them publicly and without shame.
They denied that Hashem created each person with the power of free will to choose not to indulge in these illicit behaviors. The Greeks wanted people to forget that they can overpower these natural tendencies, to choose pure over impurity, good over evil. Today’s GreeksThis behavior and depraved culture would eventually be the Greeks’ undoing. It would lead to the destruction of their empire. And, over time, the world would reset and never again live as extremely as the Greeks.
However, their darkness has returned. We can see those same ideas and ideals trickling into today’s culture. There are countless organizations that try to uproot religious beliefs. They mislead rabbis and want the Jews to assimilate into a culture that is defined by spiritual starvation.
This is what Chazal taught (Sotah 49b) – that before Mashiach arrives, three things will happen: Firstly, governments will be overtaken by heretics. Secondly, the culture will be brazen. And finally, promiscuity will run rampant. Today’s HasmoneansAs we once again face the darkness of the Greeks, we need to learn the lessons taught to us by the Hasmoneans. They did not allow themselves to be influenced by the Greeks. They stood firm and proud as they distanced themselves from the Greek culture.
The Hasmoneans repaired the holes that the Greeks made in the latticed wall that was near the Beis HaMikdash. This wall stood as a reminder to everyone that the non-Jews were not allowed to enter beyond that point. The Greeks were trying to infiltrate the Jewish society; to corrupt them with friendship and to inspire them with new and impure ideas. The Hasmoneans rectified these “holes” in the fabric of the Jewish society.
Therefore, the holiday was called “Chanukah”, to remember the consecration of the Beis HaMikdash which was restored, as a reminder and differentiator between the Jewish and nations of the world.
This can also explain why the Greeks decreed that the Jews should write the words “We have no part in the God of Israel” precisely on the bull’s horn. We see that Yosef is represented by an ox (Devarim 33:17). Yosef was challenged beyond measure by Potiphar’s wife. She tried to convince Yosef to sin. Yet, Yosef withstood the temptation, literally fleeing from it. Every Jew must have this trait of Yosef to flee from the influences that are trying to pull him away from Torah and mitzvot. This Greek decree was an effort to separate the Jews from this lesson of Yosef.
Therefore, on Chanukah it is appropriate for everyone to strengthen themselves in this area. They need to distance themselves from evil influences, from associations with people who behave improperly and try to sway them away from Torah and mitzvot, and to make fences and caveats that will protect their soul from the spiritual murderers that are lurking throughout society, and most brazenly on the internet, and especially on social media.
In this merit, you will have an enlightened and blessed life. *** The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.
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The war against Amalek13December2022 https://rivkalevy.com/the-war-against-amalek/ Here’s part of a shiur about the war against Amalek, from the English Shuvu Banim group.Reprinted with permission. ==== Likkutei Halachot – Orach Chayyim – Halachot Shabbat 5Rabbi Nachman states that the war against Amalek is in every generation.
This is a spiritual war and it is happening now just as much as it has been happening in the past.
The main power we have to fight against Amalek and to destroy his name and his memory from the world is through the aspect of Shabbat; the Tzaddik. This war is against the name of Hashem and the True Tzaddik of the generation. ==== The True Tzaddik is the beauty, the wonder, and the true grace of the entire world.
He is from the aspect of the river coming out of Gan Eden. The Tzaddik is the Foundation (Yesod) of the world. And all the other rivers come out from him. All of the life force in the world comes from this Tzaddik.
Whoever is unified with the true name of this Tzaddik merits to do Teshuva. ==== When the Tzaddik is revealed in the whole world, and the world comes close to him; the whole world will be rectified.When they truly come close to him. He has the power to rectify the entire world, if they [the other side] wouldn’t be hiding him.
The goal of Amalek in this war is to hide and conceal the True Tzaddik; this is the aspect of the war of Amalek. ==== The whole war is against this True Tzaddik.Just this one person – that is all that Amalek cares about. They know that if they only fight against this one True Tzaddik, that all the spiritual sustenance in the world will be threatened.
Amalek is the Rosh, i.e. the head/leader of the other side (the Sitra Achra). The Tzaddik is the Rosh/Head of the world/Chief/Leader of the opposing force for good which is Hashem. Rosh Bayit…Head of the House.
Amalek is only interested in fighting against, and opposing the True Tzaddik of the generation. The True Tzaddik is the Head of the House and runs the world. ==== Amalek knows that the power of this Tzaddik is so strong, and that he cannot possibly win this war.There is no chance of winning, he has no power against the Tzaddik. In every generation the Tzaddik has destroyed him.
Amalek know that the True Tzaddik destroys all the bad character traits and lusts (Ta’avot). The True Tzaddik is able to remove all the poison (Zuhama) of the snake (Nachash), which is the cause of all evil and pain in the world and of the exile.
The true Tzaddik completely cancels in himself all the poison of the Nachash, and nullifies it (bitul).
The Tzaddik sacrifices his soul every day for Hashem, and takes upon himself suffering worse than death itself, he does all this for the Jewish people. ==== Amalek causes opposition and controversy around the Tzaddik, in order to distance the Jewish people from the Tzaddik so that they can not be saved and get back to Hashem.The aim of this evil Klipah, called Haman-Amalek with all of his very sly trickery, is only to conceal the True Tzaddik. This Klipa of Amalek, is very cunning, and knows that not all people will necessarily listen, if it says the Tzaddik is a bad person (a rasha).
So he encourages the Jewish people to come close to other Tzaddikim to distract them from the True Tzaddik, as long as they do not come close to the One True Tzaddik. This is the working of the snake.
This distracts them from the True Tzaddik who has the power to bring the Redemption. ==== Amalek promotes alternative Tzaddikim and Philosophers, and Epicorsus, as alternatives on the other side; making them appealing and attractive.In big, fancy synagogues, with comfortable cushioned seats, Amalek promotes these leaders who are heretics to mislead and confuse the world and uproot them from their source.
Even if the alternative Tzaddikim are great, they may still have a speck of impurity (evil); and they cannot take Israel out of the evil (Ra) to the good (Tov). This is because they have not completely perfected their own character traits (midot).
These Tzaddikim do not have the power to rectify the world, i.e. take it out of the (Ra) and into good (Tov). ==== The war of the Klipa of Amalek is to hide the name of the true leader and Tzaddik of the generation, who has no trace of evil impurity; the only one who can bring all of Israel to Hashem.Only the True Tzaddik, the “One in the Generation” can bring all of Israel to Hashem; to rectify the world.
Amalek is very smart and promotes and elevates alternative Tzaddikim in the world and on YouTube etc; great Torah scholars; they are pure and beautiful, but they are being promoted by the side of Tumah (impurity). ==== Amalek can take a genuine Tzaddik and put in his heart and motivate him to go against the True Tzaddik of the world.All Torah scholars would then listen to this Tzaddik.
He promotes other Tzaddikim, he will go that far and tricks people by promoting and raising up these other Tzaddkim. All the publicity and greatness of these tzaddikim are really coming from the side of impurity.
Amalek’s motive is to distance the Jewish people from the True Tzaddik who can rectify all of the souls of Israel, and all the worlds depend only on this one True Tzaddik. Amalek is happy to get people to follow any other Tzaddik, except for the One that counts. ==== This True Tzaddik is the Rosh, the leader and the other Tzaddikim are the aspect of the tail.It is better to be the tail of the true Tzaddik rather than the head of somewhere else. There will be much confusion in these end days. Amalek takes tails and turns them into heads to cause confusion.
Rav Succot said in this last Thursday’s chaburah that the greatest gift is the gift of failure, because then you realize that you can do nothing on your own and you need the Tzaddik. And the greatest punishment is to feel you are a great leader; that you are great by yourself and you do not need the True Tzaddik.
The truth is that even if you are attached to the True Tzaddik by just the aspect of a tail, then you ARE attached and you will be made pure. When people think they are great they oppose the True Tzaddik.
The Gemara Says: Be a tail to Lions and do not be the head of the fox. ==== The war against Amalek is in every generation, and the controversy is against the Tzaddik who has the soul of Mashiach.In every generation the Geulah is possible through the soul of Mashiach who is only in one Tzaddik.
Sometimes we get impatient with our lacking and may ask a different Tzaddik for a blessing (Beracha) or advice (Atzah).
The alternative Tzaddik may even perform miracles – Be careful, as that may be Amalek! That miracle may come from Amalek who is trying to entice you to forget about the True Tzaddik.
Even if you feel that you are not receiving your desired rectification when staying with the True Tzaddik, that is only for your benefit. And if you stick with it, eventually you will receive your ultimate rectification. Everything will be fixed.==== |
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Hanukkah: A Celebration of Civil War?28 Kislev 5784 11December2023 http://palmtreeofdeborah.blogspot.com/2020/12/hanukkah-celebration-of-civil-war.html
And this battle is still going on today. The Torah-true Jews who cherish their uniqueness and guard against foreign intrusion are an extreme minority. It is also very noteworthy that every trouble we have ever had with foreign rulers was due to reshaim who wanted to assimilate.
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Zot ChanukahZot Chanukah – the 8th Chanukah light. When compared to the “ohr ein sof” that burns in the Chanukah candles, the so-called “light” of enlightenment and modern philosophy is utter darkness…Pinney Wolman | Posted on 13December2023 | https://breslev.com/457840/  Zot Chanukah by Pinney Wolman
Zot Chanukah is a funny day. It gets me every year. Besides the few hours that the Chanukah menorah actually burns with the flames of all 8 lit candles, for most of the day – the holiest, strongest day of Chanukah – it sits in silence. It’s still Chanukah, but where is the light? I struggle to remember that it is still Chanukah, even with no presents to look forward to, no candle lighting tonight, no more doughnuts, more dreidel, and no more “Chanukah gelt”.
I was thinking about this today and suddenly it hit me – the light that burns in the Chanukah candles is the ohr ein sof – the unending light of Creation. Using it you can see from one end of the world to the other. The day of Zot Chanukah, the lights burn brightest because it is the connection between the first 7 days when they burn physically and the rest of the year, when they burn only spiritually. And how can we spread this light to the rest of the year?
LIGHT OF TORAH WISDOMThe Torah is also the ohr ein sof – using the Torah it is possible to see all of Creation, to know everything, if only one knows how to mine the Torah for that information. Rabbi Lazer Brody told a story about how the Chazon Ish spoke with a neurosurgeon who came to him not knowing how to approach a patient’s life-threatening brain tumor without killing the patient. The Chazon Ish, using information from tractate Chulin in the Gomorrah, suggested a surgical approach that was much safer. Many such stories abound in fact. Rabbi Brody loves reminding people that you can learn all of geometry through the laws of Sukkah in the Gemara. It is possible to know everything through the Torah.
This comes with an important aside. We must recognize the principle importance of the Torah!!! I hear from people all the time, and even used to believe myself, that the Torah is “added to by the wisdom of the world around us” and the like. Why, we should be worldly Jews, right? NO!!! That is what Chanukah is all about. It gets me every year that as a child in public school I learned all about Greek culture and its likes. The “beautiful democratic” society we were taught to love and admire – THAT society is exactly the society that is against the Jews and Judaism. That is the society whom we fought in the Chanukah story, and whose victory over that same society we celebrate every year. That is the society that tried to make us deny the Torah and forbid us from keeping some of its most important commandments, such as Rosh Chodesh, Shabbat, and brit milah (circumcision).
And that’s what Chanukah comes to remind us about, year after year. Sure the wisdom of the non-Jews, Greek philosophy, and everything else, looks great. It’s all diamonds – looks nice and shiny but on the inside it is empty – really it is DARKNESS. Compared to the light of the Torah, which is the Truth of Hashem and which contains the ohr ein sof, the wisdom of the non-Jews is utter darkness and confusion. Their wisdom is borne out of their own lusts, their desire to fulfill them, and their philosophies that enable them to do that. Consequently, every single nation refused to accept the Torah – each nation wanted their lust and desire, their sin, and didn’t want to keep a Torah that told them to change. It is also the primary reason why accepting the Torah upon ourselves is so difficult according to Rebbe Nachman as he explains in Likutei Moharan. The Torah tells us to curb some lust or desire that we have (for instance, our innate desire to please and act like the non-Jews around us) and we don’t want to listen, we don’t want to be challenged to change, we don’t want to give up that forbidden thing. So we deny the Torah, or we change the Torah (really they are the same thing) in order to keep our lusts and desires.
LIGHT OF THE TZADDIKEven more, Chanukah is all about belief in the tzaddik. We aren’t celebrating the Jews who became Hellenists and acted like Greeks. We celebrate “Matityahu Kohen Gadol and his sons” – the tzaddik of the generation – who recognized that for Judaism to survive, he had to stand against Greek culture and its subversion. And Hashem helped him. Similarly, our survival at Purim was in the merit of Mordechai, the tzaddik of that generation. So BOTH of the holidays of “exile” are celebrations of the Tzaddik of the generation, and the Jews who followed him.
OUR LIGHT TODAYSo what about us in this generation?! Can we survive without following the tzaddik? To celebrate Chanukah and Purim IS to recognize that the only way to make it through exile is to follow everything they say, even if they say fight the mighty Greek empire! Fight the mighty Persian empire! Don’t go to the feast of the non-Jews, even if it’s 100% glatt kosher! Whose side do we want to be on today? Whose side do you think Jews of the future are going to celebrate – those who followed the tzaddik and had true emunat tzaddikim (belief in the true tzaddikim), or those who didn’t?!
Don’t worry that it’s dark outside now and Chanukah is over. We still have the light of the Torah, and the light of the true Tzaddikim, lighting up the way for us – IF ONLY WE CONNECT TO THEM, BELIEVE IN THEM, AND FOLLOW THEM NO MATTER WHAT – even and especially when that means leaving behind the ways, dress, jobs, lands, and opinions of the non-Jews.
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Unconditional ResistanceThe words of the true tzaddikim are relevant and timely always, as we see in the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s amazing Chanuka message from over 50 years ago…By: the Lubavitcher Rebbe Update date: 2 December 2018 https://breslev.com/389373/ Chanuka, 5716 (1955) Chanuka recalls the rededication of the Holy Temple which had been defiled by the heathen rulers of the Holy Land and their assimilationist collaborators.
The miracle of Chanuka was brought about by the self-sacrificing resistance begun by the Hasmoneans despite the overwhelming odds against them.
In applying the lessons of Chanuka to today, insofar as the daily life of the Jewish individual and community is concerned — and this, after all, is the purpose of all of our festivals — several aspects are especially noteworthy.
Firstly, that even so holy a place as the Holy Temple can be defiled under certain circumstances, though outwardly remaining intact.
Secondly, that in such a case, as the events of Chanuka clearly emphasize, cleansing and rededication of the Sanctuary can only be attained through mesirat nefesh, that is, a self-sacrificing determination to resist the forces of darkness without entering into any calculations whatsoever as to what the odds are in the struggle.
For, since there can be no compromise with an enemy bent on defiling that which is most sacred in Jewish life, the only Jewish answer can be “unconditional resistance,” leaving the final outcome to the Divine Will.
Where such an attitude of mesirat nefesh exists, the outcome cannot really be in doubt, for such is the perennial lesson of Jewish history.
Furthermore, as is always the case in Jewish life, material welfare is likened to the spiritual. Thus in the case of Chanuka, too, although the persecution started in those days with an effort “to make them forget your Torah and transgress Your statutes,” it was followed by a policy of robbing the Jews also of their material wealth, and of their children.
However, when under the leadership of the handful of Hasmoneans the Jews resisted assimilation with steadfast faith, the Almighty helped them to completely vanquish the enemy, thus saving not only their souls, but also their wealth and their children.
Nowadays, as often before, Jews who want to remain loyal to the heritage of their fathers find themselves outnumbered and endangered by the forces of darkness that threaten to engulf the world, and the Jewish world in particular.
The Jewish home, yeshiva and synagogue are the Sanctuaries of G-d which are not immune from defilement, G-d forbid; it still requires the same kind of Hasmonean determination to preserve their purity and holiness.
But although the odds may seem overwhelming, the reward is more than commensurate, for with G-d’s help, the outcome is certain to be miraculous and the victory complete, spiritually as well as materially, as in those days at this season. * * * |
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Rabbi Lazer’s Chanukah Message: Mattatyahu’s Courage07 December 2018 https://www.lazerbrody.net/lazer_beams/2018/12/mattatyahus-courage.html
Mattatyahu Cohen HaGadol, whom we remember every time we say the “Al HaNissim” prayer during Chanuka, is buried in a cave in a forest, about a kilometer north of Highway 443 near Mevo Modiin, which Hashem enabled me to visit yesterday.
Mattatyahu and his sons fought a double war – not only against the Syrian Greeks, but against the 95% of the Jewish people who had become assimilated Hellenists. But because of his steadfast, unwavering and uncompromising commitment to Hashem, to his emuna, to the Torah and to his homeland, he was able to overcome all obstacles and instill the fire of emuna and total dedication in the hearts of his brave sons and daughter.
Where did he get his strength and courage from? Nothing gives a person strength like clarification of the truth. A person who knows the truth and who lives according to the truth is as fierce as a lion. He is not willing to live a lie; so, if you take the truth away from him, he’ll no longer regard his life as worth living. That’s why our ancestors in every generation all the way back to our forefather Abraham were willing to sacrifice their last breath and heartbeat for our faith in Hashem and our Torah.
Mattatyahu and his sons Yehuda, Elazar, Shimon, Yochanan and Yonatan knew the truth. For a servant of Hashem, life is worthless without Torah, emuna, and holiness. The Hellenists fooled themselves while trying to dilute the truth and appease the Syrian Greeks, but the latter wanted to destroy it altogether and to substitute it with a life of pursuing bodily amenities.
Did Hashem send our souls down to this lowly earth just for another piece of steak, another fling with the opposite sex, or another NBA game? Those who waste their lives in the pursuit of material appetites are neither happy nor fulfilled. What’s worse, they haven’t devoted a single minute to clarifying the truth.
21″ biceps won’t give you courage. Truth and emuna will. If the Prime Minister of Israel would clarify the truth, no foreign pressure in the world would sway him a single millimeter. If a teenager would clarify the truth, then he’d say no to the stupid things that his peers are doing. If a woman knew the truth, she wouldn’t care if her neighbors called her “nebby” or “yachna” for dressing the way Hashem wants her to dress. If a man would be honest with himself, he’d realize how contemptible it would be to sacrifice one’s entire family for a few moments of illicit thrills.
Mattatyahu and his sons were masters at truth clarification. They weren’t willing to live for two minutes without the truth. That’s where they derived the courage to fight a virtually impossible war. And that’s why they won.
While we’re basking in the holy light of the Chanuka candles, let’s ponder the real meaning of this beautiful festival that commemorates the miracle of the few prevailing over many, the pure prevailing over the impure, and the light prevailing over darkness. Let’s remember the dedication and commitment of Mattatyahu and his sons. Let’s strengthen ourselves and carry their torch of Torah and truth, no matter what the odds. We can do it. All we need is emuna. Blessings for a wonderful Shabbat Chanuka!
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Classic Kahane: “Down With Chanukah”
27 Kislev 5784 10December2023 http://palmtreeofdeborah.blogspot.com/2023/12/classic-kahane-down-with-chanukah.html DOWN WITH CHANUKAHby Rabbi Meir Kahane
If I were a Reform rabbi; if I were a leader of the Establishment whose money and prestige have succeeded in capturing for him the leadership and voice of American Jewry; if I were one of the members of the Israeli Government’s ruling group; if I were an enlightened sophisticated, modern Jewish intellectual, I would climb the barricades and join in battle against the most dangerous of all Jewish holidays – Chanukah.
It is a measure of the total ignorance of the world Jewish community that there is no holiday that is more universally celebrated than the “Feast of Lights”, and it is an equal measure of the intellectual dishonesty and of Jewish leadership that it plays along with the lie. For if ever there was a holiday that stands for everything that the mass of world Jewry and their leadership has rejected – it is this one. If one would find an event that is truly rooted in everything that Jews of our times and their leaders have rejected and, indeed, attacked – it is this one. If there is any holiday that is more “unJewish” in the sense of our modern beliefs and practices – I do not know of it.
The Chanukah that has erupted unto the world Jewish scene in all its childishness, asininity, shallowness, ignorance and fraud – is not the Chanukah of reality. The Chanukah that came into vogue because of Jewish parents – in their vapidness – needed something to counteract Christmas; that exploded in a show of “we-can-have-lights-just-as-our-goyish-neighbors” and in an effort to reward our spoiled children with eight gifts instead of the poor Christian one; the Chanukah that the Temple, under its captive rabbi, turned into a school pageant so that the beaming parents might think that the Religious School is really successful instead of the tragic joke and waste that it really is; the Chanukah that speaks of Jewish Patrick Henrys giving-me-liberty-or death and the pictures of Maccabees as great liberal saviors who fought so that the kibbutzim might continue to be free to preach their Marx and eat their ham, that the split-level dwellers of suburbia might be allowed to violate their Sabbath in perfect freedom and the Reform and Conservative Temples continue the fight for civil rights for Blacks, Puerto Ricans and Jane Fonda, is not remotely connected with reality.
This is NOT the Chanukah of our ancestors, of the generations of Jews of Eastern Europe and Yemen and Morocco and the crusades and Spain and Babylon. It is surely not the Chanukah for which the Maccabees themselves died. Truly, could those whom we honor so munificently, return and see what Chanukah has become, they might very well begin a second Maccabean revolt. For the life that we Jews lead today was the very cause, the REAL reason for the revolt of the Jews “in those days in our times.”
What happened in that era more than 2000 years ago? What led a handful of Jews to rise up in violence against the enemy? And precisely who WAS the enemy? What were they fighting FOR and who were they fighting AGAINST?
For years, the people of Judea had been the vassals of Greece. True independence as a state had been unknown for all those decades and, yet, the Jews did not rise up in revolt. It was only when the Greek policy shifted from mere political control to one that attempted to suppress the Jewish religion that the revolt erupted in all its bloodiness. It was not mere liberty that led to the Maccabean uprising that we so passionately applaud. What we are really cheering is a brave group of Jews who fought and plunged Judea into a bloodbath for the right to observe the Sabbath, to follow the laws of kashruth, to obey the laws of the Torah. IN A WORD EVERYTHING ABOUT CHANUKAH THAT WE COMMEMORATE AND TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO COMMEMORATE ARE THINGS WE CONSIDER TO BE OUTMODED, MEDIEVAL AND CHILDISH!
At best, then, those who fought and died for Chanukah were naïve and obscurantist. Had we lived in those days we would certainly not have done what they did for everyone knows that the laws of the Torah are not really Divine but only the products of evolution and men (do not the Reform, Reconstructionist and large parts of the Conservative movements write this daily?) Surely we would not have fought for that which we violate every day of our lives! No, at best Chanukah emerges as a needless holiday if not a foolish one. Poor Hannah and her seven children; poor Mattathias and Judah; poor well meaning chaps all but hopelessly backward and utterly unnecessary sacrifices.
But there is more. Not only is Chanukah really a foolish and unnecessary holiday, it is also one that is dangerously fanatical and illiberal. The first act of rebellion, the first enemy who fell at the hands of the brave Jewish heroes whom our delightful children portray so cleverly in their Sunday and religious school pageants, was NOT a Greek. He was a Jew.
When the enemy sent its troops into the town of Modiin to set up an idol and demand its worship, it was a Jew who decided to exercise his freedom of pagan worship and who approached the altar to worship Zeus (after all, what business was it of anyone what this fellow worshipped?) And it was this Jew, this apostate, this religious traitor who was struck down by the brave, glorious, courageous (are these not the words all our Sunday schools use to describe him?) Mattathias, as he shouted: “Whoever is for G-d, follow me!”
What have we here? What kind of religious intolerance and bigotry? What kind of a man is this for the anti-religious of Hashomer Hatzair, the graceful temples of suburbia, the sophisticated intellectuals, the liberal open-minded Jews and all the drones who have wearied us unto death with the concept of Judaism as a humanistic, open-minded, undogmatic, liberal, universalistic (if not Marxist) religion, to honor? What kind of nationalism is this for David-Ben-Gurion (he who rejects the Galut and speaks of the proud, free Jew of ancient Judea and Israel)?
And to crush us even more (we who know that Judaism is a faith of peace which deplores violence), what kind of Jews were these who reacted to oppression with FORCE? Surely we who so properly have deplored Jewish violence as fascistic, immoral and (above all!) UN-JEWISH, stand in horror as we contemplate Jews who declined to picket the Syrian Greeks to death and who rejected quiet diplomacy for the sword, spear and arrow (had there been bombs in those days, who can tell what they might have done?) and “descended to the level of evil,” thus rejecting the ethical and moral concepts of Judaism.
Is this the kind of a holiday we wish to propagate? Are these the kinds of men we want our moral and humanistic children to honor? Is this the kind of Judaism that we wish to observe and pass on to our children?
Where shall we find the man of courage the one voice, in the wilderness to cry out against Chanukah and the Judaism that it represents-the Judaism of our grandparents and ancestors? Where shall we find the man of honesty and integrity to attack the Judaism of Medievalism and outdated foolishness; the Judaism of bigotry that strikes down Jews who refuse to observe the law; the Judaism of violence that calls for Jewish force and might against the enemy? When shall we find the courage to proudly eat our Chinese food and violate our Sabbaths and reject all the separateness, nationalism and religious maximalism that Chanukah so ignobly represents? …Down with Chanukah! It is a regressive holiday that merely symbolizes the Judaism that always was; the Judaism that was handed down to us from Sinai; the Judaism that made our ancestors ready to give their lives for the L-rd; the Judaism that young people instinctively know is true and great and real. Such Judaism is dangerous for us and our leaders. We must do all in our power to bury it.
~ HAPPY HANUKKAH ~
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Yehudit And The Miracle Of ChanukahBy Prof. Livia Bitton-Jackson- 1 Tevet 5775 – December 22, 2014 http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/jewess-press/impact-women-history/yehudit-and-the-miracle-of-chanukah/2014/12/22/
Do you know why women are obligated to participate in kindling the Chanukah lights while they are freed from all other time-bound mitzvot? In the words of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, its because “the miracle of Chanukah was accomplished by a woman.”
Who was that woman and what is her place in Jewish history?
According to one version, Yehudit was the daughter of Yochanan Kohen Gadol, and a young, virtuous widow of great beauty and wisdom. She lived alone in Bet-Aliah on the northern tip of the Hills of Shomron. The Greco-Syrian forces led by Antiochus’ general, Holofernes, in their victorious sweep towards Yerushalayim, found Bet-Aliah to be an obstacle to their ferocious advance. They decided to place the town under siege and cut off the town’s water supply.
Under the deleterious impact of a severe water shortage the town elders resolved to surrender to the enemy. Yehudit approached them and asked that they hold off for one more day.
Later that evening, dressed in her finery, Yehudit approached the enemy camp and asked to see the general. Holofernes was so bedazzled by her beauty that he honored her with an invitation to a feast in his tent.
According to the Midrash, during the banquet Yehudit served him and his attendants salted cheese which caused them to be excessively thirsty. They promptly made use of the heavily intoxicating beverages she offered them. Having succeeded in luring Holofernes and his attendants into a drunken stupor, Yehudit assassinated her people’s enemy. She approached Holofernes and, with a sword concealed under her robe, severed his head. Then she departed swiftly from the camp, carrying the severed head of Israel’s archenemy back to her own people.
On the ramparts of Bet-Aliah, Yehudit and her trophy were greeted with great jubilance.
The following dawn when Holofernes’ forces beheld the severed head of their general triumphantly displayed above the gate of the Jewish city, they fled in panic. Bet-Aliah, the Shomron and the Judean approaches to Yerushalayim were safe, and Yehudit, whose extraordinary wisdom and sheer courage accomplished this, entered the pages of not only Jewish history but world literature and art as a role model in heroism.
There is a custom widespread among Jewish communities the world over to eat dairy dishes on Chanukah to commemorate Yehudit’s act of feeding cheese to the enemy and thereby reminding us of her incredible daring and self-sacrifice. |
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And now something for an American Hanukkah. Just a reminder: You DO NOT give presents on Hanukkah or have a Hanukkah bush. Cookbook:Deep Fried Mars BarA deep-fried Mars bar is an ordinary Mars bar normally fried in a type of batter commonly used for deep-frying fish, sausages, and other battered products. The chocolate bar is typically chilled before battering to prevent it from melting into the frying fat, though a cold Mars bar can fracture when heated. The dish originated at chip shops in Scotland as a novelty item, but was never mainstream. Since various mass media have reported on the practice since the mid-1990s, in part as a commentary on urban Scotland’s notoriously unhealthy diet,[1] the popularity of the dish has spread. The product has not received support from Mars, Inc who said “deep-frying one of our products would go against our commitment to promoting healthy, active lifestyles.”[2] This recipe for the deep fried Mars bar illustrates a typical procedure. The ingredients in the dish’s variations may vary indefinitely, but the procedure will remain more or less the same. For authentic flavor, fry the treat in beef drippings rather than vegetable oil (it is worth noting the high saturated fat content this method of cooking involves). |
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Ingredients
1 UK or Canadian Mars Bar or 1 US Milky Way Bar ProcedureChill, but do not freeze, the Mars bar by leaving it in a fridge, or freezer, for a short while. |
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How to celebrate and understand Hanukkah: Chabad, Breslov
A Healthy HanukkahTradition is not supposed to harm good health. Isn’t there an alternative to deep-fried white-flour donuts doused in powdered white sugar and filled with sugary jam? By: Rabbi Lazer Brody Update date: 26November 2018, https://breslev.com/486029/
Some people roll their eyes in delight as they bite into their bakery or store-bought Hanukkah-delicacy deep-fried donut. Sure, it’s a tradition to eat foods during the eight days of Hanukkah that contain or have been prepared with oil. Today, the two most popular ones are potato pancakes (latkes), fried in lots of oil, and those notorious deep-fried jelly-filled donuts (sufganiyot), smothered in powdered sugar.
Tradition is not supposed to harm good health, much less make a person sick. The Rambam, whose health and nutritional advice are uncontested to this day, outlasting all the diet and nutritional fads that come and go, would undoubtedly shudder at the thought of a deep-fried donut doused in powdered white sugar and filled with sugary jam. Why?
White sugar is poison for the body. So is white flour. Both are empty carbohydrates with no nutritional value other than calories that overwork the pancreas and liver by increasing blood sugar and demanding more insulin from the body. These two culprits are not only the key to the obesity epidemic but to Type 2 diabetes as well.
Traditionally, at many synagogues, the donuts are served with Cola and sugary liqueurs. What a nightmare…  healthy oil Do you know what’s in that jelly-filled donut?
An average sized jelly-filled, powder-sugared donut contains between 320-350 calories and between 20-25 grams of sugar. It’ll zap your body with 35-45 grams of carbohydrates, empty ones at that, which will send your blood sugar through the roof and simply make you hunger for more donuts. And, if the oil used is commercial and the bakery or the home has fried repeated batches in the same oil, the free radicals will also wreak havoc on your whole body.
Look what the body must do to burn the calories of one average-sized donut: if you’re a person of average height and weight, you’ll need to do 75 minutes of brisk walking at 3mph or 30 minutes of no-nonsense jogging at 6mph. Yes, that’s for one donut. Worth it? So what about tradition? Tradition doesn’t tell you to deep fry in commercial oils. It doesn’t tell you to ingest sugar, either.
The type of oils that most people fry in are soy, corn and canola, all of which have high Omega-6 contents and low or no Omega 3. Even if you do fry, why use them, especially during Hanukkah?
Olive oil was the star performer in the miracle of Hanukkah. It’s one of the three healthiest oils and therefore should be the oil of choice for Hanukkah.
Oddly, the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch) doesn’t even mention eating oil and/or oil-fried foods during Hanukkah, but it does mention eating cheese and dairy, since the heroic Yehudit fed the despotic Greek Seleucid King salty cheese and a lot of wine before killing him with his own sword.[1]
In Judaism, we don’t argue with tradition, but we do argue with things that destroy our health. Try this for a healthy Hanukkah alternative and a complete fulfillment of tradition, even commemorating our victory over the Greeks: Eat a Greek Salad that includes
No Fry Baked Potato Latkes Ingredients 8 grated potatoes For a Hanukkah to be a really happy one, it has to be healthy too. Just ask Judah Maccabee and his brothers. |
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From: The Neighborly CookbookCooking with the Supernatural World |
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 Greek style feta and spinach salad Greek Salad
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Authored by Suzanne Schulman/ButterfieldISBN/EAN13: 1495436284 / 9781495436284 Get it at Amazon Great for a Hanukkah gift.The Neighborly Cookbook, Cooking with the Supernatural World combines a real life useful cookbook with excellent recipes and tips while juxtaposed fantasy characters, the supernatural world and your Fairy godmother. Trolls, Halflings, Elves, Mermaids, Centaurs and Fairies: a real blast! Suzanne exceeds herself in creating a compilation of world wide favorite recipes to choose from much enjoyed by her family and friends alongside superb paintings and ink drawings.  Buy from Amazon.com |
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Vegan Tofu Feta Cheese
This vegan tofu feta cheese has almost no fat and is cholesterol-free. I love to use it in salads. It’s fresh and really easy to make. Ingredients
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Instructions
If the cheese is not salty enough for you, feel free to add some salt to taste. |
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If you want a real Hanukkah come home to your Homeland, Israel and see what Hanukkah is really about.Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH | UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 | Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH |
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Strawberry Mango Sufganiyothttp://www.leahcookskosher.com/show_recipe.php?id_recipe=21  Strawberry Mango Sufganiyot *I’m adding this comment on November 25, 2013 – I decided to shoot a ‘how-to’ video for this recipe. Apparently, I’ve simplified things a bit over the years and put the dough together as I do my challah and yeasted sweet dough. Dry ingredients in the bowl and then add the liquids. Since I make these without dairy, I don’t heat the soy milk on the stove thinking soy milk probably doesn’t need to be scalded. (NOTE: in the video, I say “milk” and I should have said “soy milk”) So, I melt the margarine in the microwave, add the soy milk to cool it to an appropriate temperature (125′ for rapid dry yeast) and just mix it into the dry ingredients. Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean!) Sufganiyot are the coveted sweet for Chanukah. We never made them commercially at the bakery as I feared how many sufganiyot would be ordered….and, feared my staff’s reaction if I asked them to make thousands. Another reason we didn’t make them is that I’m a purest. I love these fresh out of the oil. I usually have my fill eating the duds; the blobs of dough dropped into the oil to test the temperature. As with many things I make, my pleasure is in watching others eat something I know they can’t get anywhere else. Program director and students at Cafe Levine, Hillel UW. In my recipe steps, I’ve inserted many pictures to demystify the process; don’t be frightened! Ultimately, these are easy to make. Have the kids help knead and roll the dough, and cut them out. You do the frying. Offer an assortment of fillings; I’ve used a gourmet jam here. But, a chocolate hazelnut spread or whipped marshmallow filling sound great to me! That is a perfect Chanukah party.
How To Make Chanukah Donuts – SufganiyotIngredients:
Steps:
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Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH | UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 | Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH UK 0800 075 7200 Come home to the Land of Emuna |
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Sephardic Hanukkah foodsby Katherine Martinelli Dec 11, 2012 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/978717/sephardic-hanukkah-food-recipes Beyond latkes In the U.S., Ashkenazic Jewish foods (like gefilte fish, matzo ball soup and latkes) are the most well known. This Hanukkah, look to Sephardic Jewish traditions to revitalize your holiday menu. Sephardic foods differ greatly from their Ashkenazic cousins, reflecting their Mediterranean heritage. For Hanukkah, Sephardic Jews also celebrate with menorahs and fried foods, but the recipes differ. Here are a few favorites to inspire you this Hanukkah. Sephardic keftes de prasas (leek patties) recipeKeftes de prasasWhereas kofte, popular in Turkey and the Middle East, are meatballs, Sephardic keftes (also known as keftikes) are more like patties and very often do not contain meat. Keftes de prasas, or leek patties, are one of the most popular varieties and are eaten at Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah and Passover (for Passover substitute matzo meal for the breadcrumbs). Recipe below. Serves 6 Ingredients:
Directions:
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Exotic Hanukkah FoodsTry something a little different – and very yummy! by Carol Ungar http://www.aish.com/h/c/r/Exotic-Hanukkah-Foods.html Sephardic Latkes or SvingeSvinge is the Sephardic answer to latkes, light and crunchy eaten sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar. Rabbi Maimon the son of Yosef, the father of the Rambam (Maimonides) says that eating svinge is integral to the Hanukkah celebration. For a small batch – enough for six people combine
Mix these into a batter. Let the batter sit for three hours until it has doubled or tripled in size. Then heat oil in a frying pan – this is another deep fry dish. Wet your hands. Tear off plum-sized pieces of the dough. Stretch them a bit and form a hole in the middle and fry on both sides. Drain on paper towels, Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and eat right away. Fried Fish BallsFried foods to recall the miracle of the flask of oil and fish is a traditional Shabbat food – so it’s a perfect Shabbat Hanukkah dish. In the UK, these fish balls are featured at all Jewish celebrations and for good reason – they are absolutely delicious and easy to make. Defrost one roll of gefilte fish. Add matzah meal one handful at a time, just enough to form the fish into walnut-sized balls. Deep fry about six minutes until browned on all sides. (optional: add 1/4 t black pepper to the fish mix for a spicier fish ball) Eat hot or cold. Yum! Kuku SabziThis is a Persian frittata traditionally eaten on Hanukkah. Very healthy and very yummy.
Chop all the vegies fine. Lightly grease a ceramic nonstick frying pan (2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or ghee). Lightly beat the eggs. Add spices, salt, pepper, turmeric to taste. Chop the herbs and onions or scallions are finely as you can – use fresh or frozen, never dried. You can also substitute fresh spinach leaves for the herbs. Combine the herbs with eggs. Pour the mixture into a heated greased frying pan. Fry until lightly browned, then flip over. Cut the kuku into wedges and served with yogurt and rice or crusty bread and feta cheese too. Serves three. You can freeze this! LasagnaWe eat dairy foods on Hanukkah to remember the bravery of Judith, the valiant Maccabee woman who slew the wicked Syrian Greek general Holofernes by first feeding him cheese to stimulate thirst and then wine to get him drunk. After that she beheaded him. The sight of his skull rolling through his tent frightened the Syrian Greeks so much that they ran away and the Maccabees won the war. I love this recipe. You don’t precook the noodles or the sauce. You just layer everything and it all bakes together until a tinfoil blanket. Easy and delicious.
Thin the sauce with a little bit of water. Don’t cook this, just mix ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine 16 oz or 750 grams of cottage cheese, ricotta cheese or white cheese (or any combination of the three – three Israeli cottage cheese packages are okay) with one egg. Layer sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, two big handfuls of grated cheese (I use low fat mozzarella). REPEAT. Last layer is noodles and sauce. Bake in a 9×12 inch pan covered well with tin foil for one hour at medium heat (350F or 180C). For the last 10 minutes of baking, uncover and add two handfuls of grated cheese to the top so the cheese can melt and look pretty. LatkesHere’s a cooking lesson cast in rhyme Latkes are a part of our history Of how to make them crisp and light Rule #1 – don’t skimp on oil Rule #2 – make your latkes of equal dimension Rule #3 – when they’re brown then flip Rule #4 – eat right away Rule #5 – don’t forget to smile My Latkes Recipe Using the grating attachment on your food processor, grate together
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Make sure the entire skillet is covered with oil 1/4 inch or more deep. Drop in a tiny bit of batter. If it browns then you’re ready to fry. Spoon in latkes. Don’t crowd. Fry three minutes on each side. Remove, place on paper towel to drain excess oil and serve ASAP!! You can reheat in a low oven and serve later ,or if you really have to freeze, but nothing tastes as good as fresh. Safety note: turn frying pan handles inward and never leave a frying pan full of hot oil alone even for a minute. Also don’t let the oil smoke because that will spoil your latkes. BimuelosProbably the most traditional Sephardic Hanukkah food, bimuelos are fried dough puffs. As Claudia Roden writes in The Book of Jewish Food, “Bimuelos is the Judeo-Spanish name for the little flour-and-yeast fritters. In Egypt, where they were sold on the street, they were called ‘zalabia,’ and in Iraq, Persia and India they were ‘zengoula.’ All over the Middle East they were eaten at Hanukkah.” Whatever you want to call them, these sweet dumplings will steal the show at any meal. DoughnutsDough:
For frying: For dusting: OR For syrup:
Directions 1. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside. 2. Put the water, butter, sugar and salt (and orange zest, if using) into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, just until the ingredients are blended and the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot, then STOP! Set the pot aside for two minutes. 3. Pour oil to a depth of three inches into a heavy gauge saucepan. Heat the oil to 375°F. Unless you have a deep fryer, I strongly advise using a candy thermometer to monitor the oil temperature, which will fluctuate rapidly and wildly as you cook. Too hot and the oil will burn, burning the bimuelos with it. Too cold – anything lower than 350°F – and they won’t expand properly or cook thoroughly inside without overbrowning. 4. Add the eggs to the still-warm dough one at a time, blending each in thoroughly with a wooden spoon before adding the next. The dough will be very shiny and sticky, but there should be no runny egg left. 5. Dip two soupspoons into the hot oil. Scoop up a tablespoon of dough with one, use the other to nudge the dough into a globe shape, and slip it into the hot oil. Cook no more bimuelos at one time than can float freely without crowding, in a single layer in the oil. At first they’ll sink like a stone, then float up to the surface. Leave them to cook on one side, until medium golden. When they’re cooked on one side, bimuelos usually roll over by themselves, but might not if the pot is crowded. If they don’t, coax them with tongs, and finish browning on the other side. 6. Remove them with tongs as they are done. They will not need draining on paper. If you’re not filling them, roll immediately in a bowl of sugar, or sugar and cinnamon. If you’re going to fill them, set them aside to cool slightly, then gently prod open like a clamshell, spoon in the filling and shut them again. 7. To make the syrup, bring the water to a boil, add the sugar, and reduce until slightly thick but still runny. Blend in the honey off the stove, if using, without letting it boil. Serve the bimuelos soaked in syrup, or pour the syrup in small bowls for dipping. Fried ZucchiniRecipe created by SheKnows on May 30, 2011 Prep: 10 min A tasty parmesan breaded zucchini patty side dish.
Directions Combine the ingredients in a bowl and season with the salt and pepper. PrecipiziIn addition to pollo fritto, Italian Jews also celebrate Hanukkah with precipizi. These lightly sweetened dough balls are fried and dipped in honey that hardens to create a satisfying and sticky exterior. Get the recipe below! Makes 20-24 dough balls
Instructions: In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, flour, sugar, olive oil and rum. Knead until you get a smooth, soft dough. |
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Cheese BourekasRecipe by: GCBENEZRA
Add all ingredients to list |
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From the OU
Fried Macaroni & CheeseAndrea Reynaldo | Dairy https://oukosher.org/recipes/fried-macaroni-cheese-dairy/ A totally over the top recipe but my friend swears it’s amazing
InstructionsGrease a 9×13-inch pan. |
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Hanukkah – In Those Days, at This Time. |
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‘You All Come from Israel,’ Netanyahu Tells Olim |
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Nefesh B’Nefesh | A Family Makes Aliyah | NBN |
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IMTI (Im Tirtzu) Who We Are |
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The Modern-Day Miracle of Hanukkah |
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. It is the bible of cookbooks in my family. My mother, four sisters, BFF (Best Friends Forever), daughter and niece all have this book. Vintage early 1960’s is the best. I have multiple copies; each successive find at Goodwill as thrilling as I imagine winning the lottery would be. Of course, sufganiyot are “Jelly Filled Donuts” or even “Bismarks” in the index. 
by Gil Marks has a similar recipe with good tips. This is another must have cookbook I frequently reference.
Hoshana Rabbah 5786 13October2025 – 20 Hostages freed
Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah – Now We Dance!
To get 20 Hostages back Israel surrenders
Now the result:
Israel left Gaza on Tisha B’Av 5765! What did the Jews of Israel get with the “Disengagement”? Gush Katif and Hurricane Katrina
7 Hostages Released
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-7 Hostages Released
After 738 days in captivity in Gaza, Matan, Gali, Ziv, Alon, Eitan, Omri and Guy are coming home. 🇮🇱
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-7 Hostages Released
13 Hostages Released
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-13 Hostages Released
It’s official: There are no more living Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-13 Hostages Released
28October2025-Lift the IDF restrictions in the Israeli communities near Gaza
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-28October2025-lift the IDF restrictions in the Israeli communities near Gaza
Following a situational assessment and the approval of the Minister of Defense Israel Katz, it was decided to lift the IDF restrictions in the Israeli communities near Gaza as of today.
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-28October2025-lift the IDF restrictions in the Israeli communities near Gaza
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To get 20 Hostages back Israel surrenders
The Sovereignty Movement responds to the signing of the agreement
https://www.israpundit.org/the-sovereignty-movement-responds-to-the-signing-of-the-agreement/
By Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar
The Sovereignty Movement responds to the signing of the agreement Alongside the joy — together with all the P????? of Israel — at the return of all the hostages, we must clarify that although the full details of the agreement are not yet known, if the agreement indeed includes those same 21 points that were published previously, then this is a defeat and a humiliation for the honor of Israel. The only response that would have been appropriate toward Gaza after the October 7 massacre was its erasure from the face of the earth, just as the Almighty taught us by overturning Sodom and Gomorrah. That is true justice; that is the necessary rectification.
If the agreement is indeed subject to those 21 points and limitations, then its implementation will increase and strengthen the evil in the world and the confusion between good and evil.
Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, and by our withdrawing from it again, for the second time, we inflict a blow to our national honor, and conversely we return to the Arab enemy the hope — G-d forbid — of taking the whole Land of Israel into his hands.
In order to restore our national honor, to cut off the enemy’s hopes, to deliver a decisive crushing blow to our enemies and to return to true justice and morality, we must choose the path of sovereignty and apply it over all of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
Here we must add and emphasize that there is no difference between the Arabs of Gaza and the Arabs of Judea and Samaria. The same ideology, vision and hopes drive both groups, and now they are receiving validation for the success of their way and encouragement to continue that cruel and murderous path in the future in order to reach the goal they declare again and again: the destruction of the State of Israel.
The people of Israel were given a role and a destiny that fill it with meaning — to distinguish between light and darkness, between life and death, between meaning and morality and distortion and trampling of justice — yet we repeatedly betray our mission and adopt distorted, illogical moral rules.
In two years of war the people of Israel have taken significant steps toward clarifying their identity and their connection to it, but the completion of the task remains.
We are confident that the destiny of the people of Israel will be fulfilled in the future, for that is why we were created as a people.
Our hope is that the next opportunity to return to our selfhood and our identity will not include much more painful and heavy prices.
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar
The Sovereignty Movement
https://linktr.ee/sovereignty.il
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Hoshana Rabbah – The captives return
Lyon Of Judah-tweet-13October2025-Hoshana Rabbah-the captives return
Absolutely
Lyon Of Judah-tweet-13October2025-Hoshana Rabbah-the captives return
Hoshana Rabbah-the captives return
7 Hostages Released
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-7 Hostages Released
After 738 days in captivity in Gaza, Matan, Gali, Ziv, Alon, Eitan, Omri and Guy are coming home. 🇮🇱
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-7 Hostages Released
13 Hostages Released
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-13 Hostages Released
It’s official: There are no more living Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-13October2025-13 Hostages Released
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Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah – Now We Dance!
Simchat Torah at the Nova Festival venue
Eli Afriat-tweet-14October2025-Simchat Torah at the Nova Festival venue
Simchat Torah at the Nova Festival venue.🇮🇱
We’re dancing again.💛
Eli Afriat-tweet-14October2025-Simchat Torah at the Nova Festival venue
Simchat Torah Tel Aviv
Melissa Chen-tweet-13October2025-Simchat Torah Tel Aviv
It’s hard to capture the pure joy and jubilation on the streets of Tel Aviv tonight.
We were having a late al fresco dinner when throngs of people would come by at regular intervals, singing and chanting merrily.
They carried Torah scrolls like they were Stanley Cup trophies, hoisting them into the air and dancing around it. They have many reasons to celebrate today.
The hostages are home, war is over, and it’s Simchat Torah – the happiest day of the Jewish holiday season where they celebrate and honor God’s Word.
Melissa Chen-tweet-13October2025-Simchat Torah Tel Aviv
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Survey: War spurs religious, political shift among young Israelis
New data reveals Israeli youth are adopting more religious practices, increasing prayer and belief in God, as right-wing political identification also rises.
JNS Staff
https://www.jns.org/survey-war-spurs-religious-political-shift-among-young-israelis/
(19November2025 / JNS) Israel’s war has significantly strengthened religious observance and conservative political views among young Israelis, according to a new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute.
The study found 33% of Jewish Israelis ages 25 and under report observing more religious traditions since the war began, compared to 27% of the general Jewish population. Among young Jews who identify as “traditional, somewhat religious,” 51% said they’ve increased religious practices.
Prayer has risen most notably, with 38% of Jewish youth reporting they pray more frequently. Other increases include Bible reading (26%), synagogue attendance (14%) and Shabbat candle lighting (14%).
Jewish men gather at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray, in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 10, 2021, as Israel marks “Jerusalem Day.” Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images.
Faith has also strengthened, with 35% of young Jews saying they believe in God more than before the war, compared to 28% of Jewish adults overall.
Politically, the war has pushed Israelis rightward. The share of Jews identifying as “hard right” jumped from 11% to 19%, while those identifying as “right” increased from 24% to 28%. The shift spans the political spectrum, with even half of self-identified leftists reporting a rightward move.
The JPPI survey found an opposite pattern among secular Jews compared to the general trend in Jewish Israeli society. While many young and traditional Jews reported increased religious observance and belief since the war, secular Jews actually showed a decline in both religious practices and faith.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldiers from the Hasmonean Brigade take part in a beret march after completing seven months of basic and advanced training, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old city on Aug. 6, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
The survey also included Israel’s Arab population and found notable, though somewhat less pronounced, increases in religious practice since the outbreak of the war. About 23% of Arab respondents reported strengthenings in their observance of traditional customs during the conflict. Specific increases were recorded in prayer (32%), more modest dress (12%) and participation in religious services at churches or mosques (10%), while 37% of Arabs reported a strengthened faith in God—higher than the increase seen among Jewish respondents.
JPPI CEO Shuki Friedman noted it remains unclear whether these changes represent a temporary wartime phenomenon or a lasting transformation.
“The data reflects what we sensed on the ground: many in Israel — especially among the young — feel that the war has connected them more deeply to tradition and to Jewish identity. Not necessarily in a halachic way, but in ways that are more salient in their lives and across the public sphere,” said Friedman.
“Israel after the war is more traditional and more right-leaning. At this stage, it is impossible to know whether this is a passing trend, or a deeper and longer-term change,” he added.
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Trump’s Gaza Deal: A Win for Islamic Jihad
Posted 10October2025 Avi Abelow:
Trump’s Gaza Deal may look like a diplomatic victory on paper for Israel with the hopeful return of all the remaining hostages, but in reality, it hands the Sunni and Shia jihadis exactly what they want – legitimacy, survival, and time. Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt agreed to sacrifice Hamas to regroup and attack Israel in the future in some other constellation.
Instead of a deal that deals a crushing blow to the Qatari-led jihad that financed the Oct. 7th massacre, it rewards it, signaling to every Islamist movement that terror and kidnapping Israelis pays.
It is about time that the Western world understands the Islamic jihad enemy we are up against and what motivates them, not their lives or their homes or cities.
With it all, this is the best agreement Netanyahu was able to achieve under the circumstances.
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SOVEREIGNTY-logo https://www.ribonut.co.il/
Jerusalem Humiliated
The Sovereignty Movement to the Prime Minister: Your role is to protect the dignity of the people of Israel, even when facing a friendly American president. There is no place for threats, condescension, or disrespect between allies. Sovereignty is a necessity.
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar
23October2025 https://ribonut.co.il/BlogPostID.aspx?BlogPostId=993&lang=2
J.D. Vance feels “offended” and it’s really not clear about what or why. The ones who are truly offended are actually us, in light of the blunt and threatening tone of the American president toward the government of Israel, toward the Israeli parliament, toward the people of Israel, toward the Jewish people as a whole, when he tells us that if Israel applies sovereignty to the heart of our land it will lose all American support.
The ear hears his words and the heart contracts. Is this the friendly, sympathetic and supportive president? He is the one who speaks about us with such contempt?
With all due respect to the President of the United States, and with all gratitude for his contribution and assistance, we cannot accept such a tone and remain silent. American aid in wartime is not meant to be m golden handcuffs on Israel’s hands. Israel is not a star on the American flag. The assistance we received from the Trump administration helped the U.S. in its efforts to show it stands on the moral, good and just side of history. Israel granted the United States the privilege to take part in the defeat of evil. Israel and the U.S. are partners and as such they assist one another in different ways. There is no place for a condescending discourse full of arrogance and lordliness between partners.
We did not hear President Trump or any of his people speak in such a way toward the Arabs, despite violations of agreements.
A purely democratic process took place in the Knesset of Israel. The prime minister was supposed to defend the Knesset. As the leader of the greatest democratic power in the world, the American president ought to understand the meaning of democratic discourse, understand the right to express a position — even one he does not agree with — and act in a parliamentary democratic manner to promote a principled, ideological worldview. In a democracy there is no place for threats and intimidation.
The one who should and is obliged to respond to this blunt style is the prime minister of Israel as the representative of the Jewish people, yet to our regret and shame he apologizes and chooses to reprimand the coalitionembers who acted according to the dictates of their conscience and values.
Mr. Prime Minister, by your response you weaken us in the eyes of the nations. They detect weakness and smell slackness. The October massacre was such a moment when weakness and slackness were detected in Israel. The results were disastrous.
The issue of sovereignty is an existential necessity for Israel. Regional normalization can and should occur, but not at the price of harming the sovereignty, security and future of the State of Israel. Stability will come to Israel only when Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Bashan are officially defined as an integral part of the State of Israel. Only then will these areas not become nests of terror.
Mr. Prime Minister, we recall the rabbinic ruling: a king who relinquishes his honor has no honor. His honor is the honor of the people.
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Muslims Murdering Jews since 628 CE
Elder of Ziyon-tweet-6December2024-Muslims are right-It started in 628 CE
Muslims are right. It didn’t start October 7 2023.
It started in 628 CE.
What do you think they mean when they chant “Khaybar Khaybar Ya Yahud?”
Mitzi-tweet-6December2024-Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud
“Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud” is the first verse of an antisemitic chant used to massacre the Jewish population in the Khaybar Oasis of modern-day Saudi Arabia in 628 CE. The full verse is: “Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, jaish Muhammad soufa ya’oud.” It translates to “Khaybar Khaybar oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.”
Elder of Ziyon-tweet-6December2024-Muslims Murdering Jews since 628 CE
“Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud” is the first verse of an antisemitic chant used to massacre the Jewish population in the Khaybar Oasis of modern-day Saudi Arabia in 628 CE. The full verse is: “Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, jaish Muhammad soufa ya’oud.” It translates to “Khaybar Khaybar oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.”
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The Bomber was a Muslim
Alexander Duncan-tweet-1September2025-The Bomber was a Muslim
Truth is not subject to opinion polls.
Alexander Duncan-tweet-1September2025-The Bomber was a Muslim
9/11 Twin tower attack
7 July 2005, four British Islamist men detonated four bombs—three in quick succession aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. As well as the four bombers, 52 civilians were killed and over 700 more were injured in the attacks, the United Kingdom’s worst terrorist incident since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing as well as the country’s first ever suicide attack.
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You’re average Palestinian family
Ncole-tweet-23October2025-You’re average Palestinian family
You’re average 🇵🇸 family
Ncole-tweet-23October2025-You’re average Palestinian family
You’re average Palestinian family
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October 7, Only full sovereignty will prevent the next massacre
“The Next October 7 — Even More Horrific — Is Closer Than We Think”
Kobi Gideon, GPO
https://www.ribonut.co.il/BlogPostID.aspx?BlogPostId=984&lang=2
of Israel Once someone who believed that if only Arabs had a better future and economy they wouldn’t want to kill us, Aviyad Bachar, a resident of Be’eri, has become convinced that only full sovereignty over the entire Land, cleansed of the enemy, will prevent the next massacre — which, he warns, could be far worse.
2October2025
The interview first appeared in Issue 19 of Ribonut (Sovereignty).
The name Aviyad Bachar, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who lost his wife Dana and son Carmel in the October 7th massacre, has become a symbol of the painful and rapid awakening that many in Israel have experienced. Since witnessing the murder of his wife and son before his and his daughter’s eyes, he has taken it upon himself to share his story and the insights it burned into him — insights that, in truth, have been seared into the heart of an entire nation.
On a visit to Samaria hosted by Yossi Dagan, head of the regional council, Bechar declared: “There must be full sovereignty here. If that doesn’t happen, another October 7 is just a matter of time. Sovereignty is what will give us maximum security.”
In an interview with Sovereignty, he expands on his message, sharpens it — and makes it even more severe.
“I Don’t Believe Anyone — Another October 7 Is Coming”
Bachar flatly rejects the common reassurances that a massacre like October 7 won’t happen again, because the security establishment is now better prepared and experienced: “I don’t believe anyone. There’s no such thing as ‘it won’t happen again.’ The next October 7 is coming, and we don’t know how soon — but it’s coming, and it’ll be much worse. It will come simultaneously from Metula, from Jenin toward Afula, and toward Kfar Saba. There will be between 100,000 and 200,000 dead.”
This apocalyptic scenario comes not from fearmongering, but from a cold, rational analysis based on what he and his family experienced.
“I realize we were actually lucky on October 7… If they had been a bit more coordinated, and attacked from four or five fronts at once, we wouldn’t have had 1,200 dead — we’d have had 200,000, and we wouldn’t have regained control in 36 hours — it would’ve taken two weeks. I understand that the day will come again when we’re not prepared. I don’t know exactly when it will happen, but I do know it will happen. That’s why, if we want to prevent it, the enemy in Judea and Samaria and Gaza must disappear. As long as they’re there, they’re motivated to kill me.”
“I No Longer Believe They’ll Protect Me”
To those who try to reassure the public by claiming that Hamas has “learned a lesson” after the IDF’s blow to Gaza, Bechar reminds them that even the so-called experts — military, political, and civilian — admit that it could happen again. “They say, ‘we’ll do everything to make sure it doesn’t,’ but I no longer believe they’ll protect me.”
“What’s holding them back is a mindset — they tell themselves, ‘we can’t act.’ They understand the solution and agree with me, but then they add three words: ‘I can’t do it.’ And that paralyzes them. I, on the other hand, say I can do anything. Whatever we choose, we can carry out. The choice won’t always be easy — but I can do it. So removing them is an option I can implement — and it’s necessary if we want a future for the Jewish people for generations to come.”
“The Only Border Is the Jordan River”
“When natural disasters kill people, we bow to nature and say it’s stronger than us — a decree of fate. But when people destroy you, that’s not fate — it’s a choice. You’re choosing to let them slaughter you,” says Bachar, who believes fears of global reactions are exaggerated and baseless. “We give too much importance to other nations. They don’t care what happens in Israel. They won’t care if the enemy kills 10 million Israelis. So if we do what needs to be done, no one will really care.”
“Our only option for survival in Israel — for generations — is if they’re no longer here. What should we do with them? I would send them to sovereign states like Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. And when we present the world with the other option — that they die — we’ll see how quickly the world prepares to receive them.”
He adds: “When I used to tell Carmel, my son, not to play on his phone, he could tell by my tone whether I was serious or not. We need to speak with the world firmly and seriously. Tell them: ‘If by tomorrow the hostages aren’t in Israel, we’re annexing the territory and destroying everything there.’ And then we’ll see that the hostages come back faster than we think. But instead, we keep saying, ‘We can’t do that. Who knows what the world will do to us?’These are fictional stories we invent in our own heads — and we believe them.”
“Take Down the Fence — This Is the Whole Land of Israel”
As for the future of Judea and Samaria, Bechar’s stance is firm and clear: “Tear down the fence. The fence is the Jordan River. There are no more fences. This is the whole Land of Israel, and there are no longer any non-citizens here.”
When asked to reflect on his views from two and a half years ago, before the personal and national tragedy, he replies: “Back then, I thought that if I just loved and embraced the Palestinians, if I gave them money and a future — they wouldn’t want to kill me. But I’ve come to understand that they want to kill me because I’m sitting on land they think is theirs. That’s what the war is about — and once we take the land, it will be resolved.”
“This Realization Came Later — Through Rational Thought”
Bachar explains that this transformation of consciousness didn’t happen in the bomb shelter surrounded by dozens of terrorists trying to kill him and his family — it happened later, when he rationally processed the events and data. “Some people go through trauma and crash. Others rise. Those who can take their feelings and translate them into simple words — to make sense of what happened — can move forward in life. But those who remain stuck in emotion will collapse.”
“So I began analyzing everything: What is bereavement? Suddenly you’re a widower. Your son is listed as ‘of blessed memory’ in your ID card. You begin to understand why you were killed, what the solution is, and what love means after losing your wife.” “I also ask: What is victory? And what is total victory?” “To e, total victory is when Israel is a sovereign state, bordered by four other sovereign countries who are responsible for their own citizens. Any entity that is not sovereign — has no responsibilities. It’s a terror organization with only one goal: to kill you because of the land. That’s my understanding.”
“There’s No Such Thing as ‘I Can’t’”
Bechar says that this shift — both ideological and political — has been shared by many of his acquaintances. “But they say, ‘I can’t.’ Everyone’s stuck on those words. They tell me: ‘Aviyad, if there were a button to press to implement your solution, we’d do it — but we can’t.’That’s the problem. They give too much weight to the world, to liberalism, to human rights.” “My true life mission is to say: There’s no such thing as ‘I can’t.’
Anything we choose — we can do. And ultimately, I understand that if I want to survive, I have no choice. With any other option, I’m not sure Israel will even reach 100 years old — and I want to talk about generations upon generations of a future for the Jewish people.”
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https://www.fdd.org/
Hamas Attacks Israeli Positions Amid Ceasefire Announcement, IDF Concerned About Kidnapping Attempts
9October2025 https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/10/09/hamas-attacks-israeli-positions-amid-ceasefire-announcement-idf-concerned-about-kidnapping-attempts/
Latest Developments
FDD Expert Response
“It should surprise no one that Hamas may be attempting a last-ditch effort to earn a battlefield victory by either exacting additional IDF casualties or abducting a soldier. Israel learned a valuable lesson following Hamas’s abduction of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin during a ceasefire period in the 2014 war. Furthermore, renewed rocket fire toward Israeli communities remains a distinct possibility, as Hamas and its allies might seek to prove that — despite the damage inflicted by the IDF — they continue to have operational capacity to strike the Jewish state.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal
“This is not the first time Hamas has tried to abduct Israeli soldiers during ceasefire negotiations. They attempted the same tactic in July to shape the narrative in their favor and have the last word. This serves as a testament that, despite the positive news that the hostages will return home, allowing Hamas to operate as it did before October 7, 2023, would mean that it will remain a threat to Israel in the future. That is why Hamas must be disarmed and prevented from ruling the Gaza Strip.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst
FDD Background and Analysis
“Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief
“Hamasniks in fox holes,” by Clifford D. May
“How Israel Can Defend Itself in the Future,” by Jonathan Schanzer
“Releasing All Hostages at Once Essential to Success of U.S. Peace Plan,” by Aaron Goren
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https://www.fdd.org/
To Preserve the Gaza Deal, Keep Qatar at Arm’s Length
Natalie Ecanow
Senior Research Analyst
22October2025 https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/10/22/to-preserve-the-gaza-deal-keep-qatar-at-arms-length/
Qatar is already backsliding just days after pressuring Hamas to clinch a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. During his annual address to Qatar’s legislative body on October 21, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accused Israel of “continued breaches of the ceasefire in Gaza” without blaming Hamas for provoking Israeli action. At no point did Al-Thani mention Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people, which dragged Israel into war two years ago. Rather than working with the United States to facilitate Hamas’s disarmament, Doha appears to be signaling a return to obstruction, with the apparent goal of securing Hamas’s position in Gaza.
Qatar’s Ongoing Relationship With Hamas
Qatar’s relationship with Hamas predates the current war and even Hamas’s reign over Gaza. Qatar offered sanctuary to Hamas leaders in 1999, when Jordan expelled the group from its soil. At that point, Hamas chose to relocate to Syria, but the relationship between Hamas and Doha continued and intensified after the terrorist group seized control of Gaza in 2007. In 2012, former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was the first world leader to visit Gaza under Hamas rule. He pledged $400 million in assistance to the enclave. The same year, Hamas opened a political office in Doha.
Qatar has since pumped approximately $1.8 billion into Gaza as Hamas leaders amassed personal fortunes in Doha. Additionally, Israeli troops have uncovered documents in Gaza indicating that a “discreet” funding channel existed between Qatar and Hamas. One of them, a 2021 communique between Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar, suggests that Qatar’s emir had “agreed in principle” to fund Hamas’s military operations and that $11 million had already “been raised from the emir.”
A Deal Gets Done
In the lead-up to the October 10 ceasefire deal, there were indications that Qatar was prepared to take a step back from Hamas, its longtime client. In July, Qatar did an about-face and signed a declaration condemning Hamas’s October 7 massacre and calling for Hamas to disarm and “end its rule in Gaza.” Previously, Qatar’s prime minister told Israeli media in January 2025 that Doha would support Hamas returning to power in Gaza so long as that was the “decision” of the Palestinian people. After Israel’s September 9 strike on Hamas operatives in Doha, Qatar appeared to pick up the pace, turning the screws on Hamas, and ultimately helping push a deal across the finish line.
Moving forward, Qatar is expected to play a role in ensuring that Donald Trump’s 20-point plan is implemented, beginning with the release of the remaining hostages’ bodies, the disarmament of Hamas, and the end of the group’s Gaza reign.
Beware of Qatar’s Role in Postwar Gaza
Qatar may have compelled Hamas to accept Trump’s plan, but, if Al-Thani’s October 21 speech is any indication, the emirate is slumping back into its old, unproductive ways. Israeli and Arab officials are now warning against a serious Qatari role in postwar Gaza, and Washington should take heed. On October 20, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for involving “Qatar and Turkey, who now influence Gaza.” Earlier, a Saudi diplomat told Israel Hayom that, “Excessive Qatari involvement in the next stages of the plan and Gaza’s reconstruction will cause Trump’s plan to collapse” because Qatar “will undermine deradicalization efforts and try to ensure that Hamas remains in the picture and returns to power in the not-so-distant future.”
Trump said on October 21 that, “There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right,” but, “If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL.” Allowing Qatar into Gaza is more likely to lead to Hamas’s survival than its destruction. To see his Gaza peace plan through, Trump should keep Qatar at arm’s length from the enclave.
Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.
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BARRY’s Newsletter
The New Trump-Blair Gaza is Frightening.
Read this, and then the GITA Summary.
BARRY SHAW
11October2025 https://barryshaw.substack.com/p/the-new-trump-blair-gaza-is-frightening
I have read the Confidential Summary of the proposed Gaza Transitional Authority (GITA) Institutional Structure.
This is the body to be led by Tony Blair and is a gift to a Palestinian leadership that has proven its Ramallah-based authoritarian corrupt violent anti-Israel record since 2007, unless, of coure, Hamas does a Hezbollah by gradually exerting its administrative power in Gaza.
Nowhere in this report does it ban Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad from participating in this new Trump-Blair Gaza.
To say the 21 page summary is an eye opener to the dangerous shallowness of the intent of this future governance of Gaza is to put it mildly.
It designates that “all mayors and senior municipal administrators are nominated by the Palestinian Executive Authority.” What could possibly go wrong with that? Well, which unelected people will sit on this nominating PEA?
Obviously, there is no democratic elections by the people to decide who rules over them.
Then we come to a strange section on Page 14 that talks about “gender inclusion” in its public health promotion, but a serious and dangerous omission in that there is zero mention of the necessity to cancel indoctrination in the GITA’s educational system. In other words, unless this section is amended, the new Palestinian flagship of a future Gaza can continue to indoctrinate its children and its youth in its education system to a world without Israel and the holy order to kill all Jews where ever you find them.
This then is the proposed Palestinian Gaza entity that Tony Blair will govern with his central Middle East partners – Qatar and Turkey.
What possibly could go wrong?
For Israel, an awful lot.
Barry Shaw,
Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.
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New York, New Jersey Declare State of Emergency as Region Braces for Nor’easter
High winds and flooding are expected for the region.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/new-jersey-declares-state-of-emergency-as-region-braces-for-noreaster-5928316
Sam Dorman
Washington Correspondent & Joseph Lord
12October2025 | Updated: 12October2025
New York and New Jersey have both declared a state of emergency as the region braces for a nor’easter bringing high winds and heavy flooding.
Earlier, New Jersey declared a state of emergency to be in effect until Oct. 13.
After initially urging residents to “stay alert,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul followed suit on Oct. 12.
The declaration, which affects Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York, includes a coastal flooding advisory until 8 p.m. on Monday, and a high wind warning lasting until 6 p.m. on Monday.
Wind gusts exceeded 30 mph on Oct. 12 and were expected to pick up further as the storm hits the East Coast. The National Weather Service (NWS) has also issued a coastal flood warning and wind advisory, with winds potentially reaching 50 mph. Water is projected to reach two to three feet of inundation above ground level in areas near shorelines and waterways.
“At this level, flooding may become severe enough to cause structural damage along with widespread roadway flooding in coastal and bayside communities, and near inland tidal waterways,” the NWS stated in an Oct. 12 advisory.
“At this level, widespread roadway flooding occurs in coastal and bayside communities and along inland tidal waterways. Many roads become impassable.”
In a statement, Hochul’s office said it expected between 1 1/2 inches and three inches of rainfall downstate, with beach erosion likely.
New York City Emergency Management stated in an X post that New York City was under a flood warning and wind advisory through the afternoon of Oct. 13.
“Stay safe: secure outdoor items, avoid flooded areas, and check on neighbors,” it posted on Oct. 12.
In a statement, the New Jersey governor’s office said the state could face sustained winds of up to 60 mph and localized precipitation of up to five inches.
“In preparation for this storm, I am issuing a State of Emergency for all 21 counties out of an abundance of caution, authorizing our state’s emergency services personnel to activate as necessary,” said New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, serving in the capacity of acting governor in Gov. Phil Murphy’s absence.
“I urge all New Jerseyans to exercise caution, monitor local weather forecasts and warnings, stay informed on evacuation protocols, and remain off the roads unless absolutely necessary.”
In her executive order, Way said that “serious weather conditions could make it difficult or impossible for residents to obtain the necessities of life, as well as essential services such as police, fire, and first aid.”
The order authorizes multiple offices within the state government to respond to the storm. It also permits the state director of emergency management to use facilities as shelter for residents.
The storm is working its way up the coast after hitting the mid-Atlantic region with flooding. NWS meteorologist Bob Oravec said, “The greatest effects are going to be the coastal flooding potential, especially for areas from northeastern North Carolina northward to much of the New Jersey coast.”
Flight delays have been issued in airports from Washington to Boston. High winds have prompted New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to prohibit empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks from using certain bridges on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13.
The Associated Press and T.J. Muscaro contributed to this report.
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Hamas won’t give up arms or Gaza control — despite agreeing to Trump deal, spokesman says
By Ronny Reyes
Published 14October2025 Updated 14October2025, 12:18 p.m. ET https://nypost.com/2025/10/14/world-news/hamas-wont-give-up-arms-gaza-control-despite-agreeing-to-trump-deal-spokesman-says/
Hamas appeared to renege on key demands of President Trump’s cease-fire deal just hours after the world celebrated the end of the Gaza war — with a top official saying the terror group will not give up its arms or control over the Gaza Strip.
Spokesman Hazem Qassem claimed Monday that Hamas has no need to abide by every word of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, including calls for the terror group to lay down its arms.
“We do not need to limit ourselves to the Israeli terms and definitions related to weapons,” Qassem told the Al-Arabiya news channel.
“We will not be captives to Israeli terms or demands,” he added. “This is one of the focal points of the struggle in the next stage, after the cessation of aggression in the Gaza Strip.”
Qassem echoed Hamas’ long-standing position that it will neither give up its weapons nor cede governance over the Gaza Strip until a path is laid out for Palestinian statehood.
Trump’s plan, which saw all 20 living hostages freed on Monday, provides for how Gaza should be governed after Hamas cedes control.
However, the details of how and when that will happen have not yet been agreed upon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected any and all deals that would see a Palestinian state form.
Netanyahu’s administration has also made it clear that Hamas must disarm for the cease-fire to go through, warning that the military will not allow the terror group to continue posing a threat to the Jewish state.
One of the stated aims of Hamas is the destruction of Israel.
Qassem also appeared to suggest that Hamas would not completely abandon its role as the de facto governors of the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas spokesman claimed Hamas should remain as part of the “administrative arrangements” in the Strip, but he did not specify to what extent.
Qassem claimed that Hamas was open to allowing Palestinian technocrats to lead the management of the enclave, as laid out in Trump’s cease-fire deal.
Hamas was also open to allowing the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank to play an active role in governance despite accusing the group of standing by and doing nothing during the two years of war.
“Despite all our criticism, we do believe that it (the PA) is one of the national addresses, and we are ready to open a new page with it or for it to open a new page with the residents of Gaza and with the political forces and to be truly sincere in its intention to reach shared political understandings,” Qassem said.
Along with laying out his stance, Qassem also accused Israel of violating the cease-fire on Tuesday after five Palestinians were shot and killed in Gaza City.
The IDF claimed the suspects were the ones violating the deal after they allegedly crossed a “yellow line” and approached IDF troops operating in the Strip.
“After multiple attempts to distance them, the suspects refused to comply, prompting troops to open fire to remove the threat,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
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Hamas executes Gazans amid fierce clashes with local clans
The terrorist group reportedly killed 32 “gang” members in Gaza City.
JNS Staff
https://www.jns.org/hamas-executes-gazans-amid-fierce-clashes-with-local-clans/
( 15October2025 / JNS) Hamas terrorists have executed 32 Palestinians amid fierce clashes in recent days with militia groups opposed to the Islamist group, Reuters reported on Monday.
The news agency cited a “Palestinian security source” as saying that they belonged to a Gaza City “gang.” The official also said that six Hamas terrorists were killed in the violence, claiming it was a targeted operation against members of a “dangerous gang affiliated with a family in Gaza City.” Twenty-four people were arrested and 30 others were wounded, the official said.
Video circulating on social media Tuesday appeared to show masked Hamas gunmen publicly executing men in what CNN reported was the Sabra neighborhood in western Gaza City, in an incident that likely took place after the ceasefire with Israel entered into force last Friday.
Radaa, a Hamas-affiliated security force, said in a statement that it carried out a “precise operation” in central Gaza City that killed several wanted men and suspected criminals.
Palestinian NGO the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights termed it the “extrajudicial execution of citizens,” CNN reported, calling for an investigation into the incident and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The office of Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killings as “heinous crimes” and “a blatant violation of human rights,” according to the official P.A. news agency Wafa.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry tweeted the execution video Tuesday, writing: “The ceasefire isn’t 100 hours old yet. Hamas is killing Palestinians. The terror group rules through fear—executing civilians, torturing dissenters, shooting those who dare protest. Palestinians seeking food or freedom are met with bullets, not compassion. It’s not resistance—It’s tyranny. Hamas must go.”
Asked about his message for Hamas after the reports that the terrorist group is rearming and reinstituting itself as a police force and shooting rival clans, Trump said Monday on Air Force One that “they do want to stop the problems and they’ve been open about it. We gave them approval for a period of time. You have to understand. They’ve lost probably 60,000 people. That’s a lot of retribution …, and the ones that are living right now were in many cases very young when this all started, and we are having them watch that there’s not going to be big crime, some of the problems that you have.
“When you have areas like this that have been literally demolished. You have two million people, probably it will be less than that, but you have two million people going back to buildings that have been demolished, and a lot of bad things can happen. We want it to be safe. I think it’s going to be fine. Who knows for sure, Katie [the reporter who asked the question], but I think it’s going to be fine.”
Trump later said he will hold Hamas to its pledge to disarm and accused the terrorist group of misrepresenting the number of dead hostages it holds.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, the president said his “people” were told by Hamas that it would disarm, as is called for in the Israel-Hamas peace plan that Trump put together with mediation from key Arab leaders.
Israel and Hamas both agreed to the plan, setting into motion the ceasefire and the subsequent exchange of hostages and Palestinian security prisoners.
“I spoke to Hamas, and I said, ‘You’re going to disarm, right?’ ‘Yes, sir. We’re going to disarm.’ That’s what they told me,” Trump told reporters, initially describing it as a direct conversation.
“We have told them we want them to disarm, and they will disarm. And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently, but they will disarm,” Trump said.
He later explained that Hamas’s affirmed pledge to disarm was delivered to him not by the terrorist group directly, but by “people,” likely referring to U.S. peace deal negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
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Terrified Gazans fear Hamas won’t disarm as terrorists massacre Palestinians: ‘Punishing families’
By Caitlin Doornbos
Published 14october2025 Updated 14october2025, 6:40 p.m. ET https://nypost.com/2025/10/14/world-news/terrified-gazans-fear-hamas-wont-disarm-as-terrorists-massacre-palestinians/
The war in Gaza has stopped — but the killing hasn’t.
Palestinians are scared for their lives as many fear Hamas has no plans to saddle up for “phase two” of President Trump’s peace deal and will continue to slaughter civilians who stand up against the terror group.
“From the first moment the Israeli planes disappeared from the sky, Hamas began punishing the families,” one Gazan activist in the war-torn land told The Post.
“They accused people of collaborating with Israel — but that’s not true. They just opposed Hamas during the war.”
The resident described grisly scenes of men dragged from homes and shot in the street without trials.
“Hamas executed civilians in front of people’s eyes,” said the activist, who asked not to be named for security reasons. “No names, no confessions — nothing. Just death.”
Activist Amin Abed — who fled Gaza after Hamas tortured and nearly beat him to death over his opposition to the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel — said the terror group was using the executions as a show of force and has no intentions of relinquishing power or giving up its weapons.
“Hamas is much stronger than any family or civilian group,” Abed said. “They can crush anyone who stands against them. What we’re seeing now is Hamas waging a war against its own people.
He added that most Gazans oppose Hamas and long for peace — but feel powerless.
“We couldn’t stop Oct. 7, and we can’t stop Hamas now,” he said. “The world needs to understand that Gazans are not Hamas. We want peace, not war. But every time we speak out, Hamas kills us first.
“We see Hamas restoring its full strength. They’re everywhere again — as police, as militia, as security,” he said. “We are deeply concerned about the return of Hamas to power and the continuation of the violence under Hamas in Gaza and exposing us again to the same injustice that we experienced for the last 17 years.”
If Hamas remains in power, Abed warned that the “cycle of violence between Israel and Hamas will emerge again sometime soon.”
“We are afraid that the bloody war would be back and Hamas will wage another Oct. 7 attack,” he said. “We believe the world will forget about us, and Hamas will rule us with an iron fist for many more years.”
The source in Gaza predicted Hamas would next try to convince Trump and his allies that only the group can maintain “security and stability” in Gaza as a strategy to stay in power.
“Trump and Netanyahu must pressure Hamas and its backers — Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey — to truly implement the terms of the peace deal,” the activist said. “If Hamas keeps even some weapons, it means they keep everything. They’ll never leave Gaza.”
While some analysts have speculated that a civil war could break out among the factions in Gaza, the activist in Gaza said it would not be possible — because Hamas is simply too powerful.
Risking his life by speaking to The Post from Gaza, his over-arching message to the world was simple — and desperate.
“Don’t leave us to Hamas again.”
The domestic bloodshed comes as Trump on Tuesday said phase two of the peace agreement — which calls for the disarmament of Hamas and establishment of a new governing body — had begun.
“… A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday, referencing the return of the living Israelis Hamas took hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Hamas is secretly working to circumvent Trump’s peace plan
Israel War Room-tweet-21October2025-Hamas is secretly working to circumvent Trump’s peace plan
‼️BREAKING: Hamas is secretly working to circumvent @POTUS
Trump’s peace plan by embedding loyalists in Gaza’s future technocratic government, @eliorlevy
reports.
🚨KEY DETAILS:
1. Despite U.S. conditions requiring Hamas have no role—“directly, indirectly, or in any form”—in Gaza’s governance, the terror group is participating in secret in forming the next governing body, with full knowledge of Arab mediators.
2. Hamas reportedly selected half of the proposed technocratic cabinet—individuals who back Hamas’s ideology, even if not openly affiliated.
3. Egyptian mediators presented the full list to Hamas for approval, to “reassure” the group.
4. The other half of the cabinet was chosen by the Palestinian Authority, which is reportedly turning a blind eye to Hamas’s involvement.
5. This maneuver effectively grants Hamas continued control over Gaza through the back door—a direct violation of the peace framework.
Hamas is once again trying to preserve power and influence in Gaza—despite the bloodshed it caused—by manipulating postwar arrangements in violation of international understandings.
Israel War Room-tweet-21October2025-Hamas is secretly working to circumvent Trump’s peace plan
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HAMAS DOUBLES DOWN, GIVE TRUMP THE FINGER
Mossad Commentary-tweet-23October2025-HAMAS DOUBLES DOWN-GIVE TRUMP THE FINGER
🚨 HAMAS DOUBLES DOWN, GIVE TRUMP THE FINGER 🚨
In an interview tonight, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said:
“Hamas’ weapons are legitimate weapons for the defense of the Palestinian people… The main problem is the weapons in the hands of the occupation (Israel)… Raising the issue of Hamas’ weapons is intended to cover up the crimes of the Israeli enemy, supported by the USA.”
Let that sink in.
While Western diplomats talk about “reconstruction,” “technocratic governments,” and “postwar governance,” Hamas is openly declaring, again, that it will never disarm.
• Trump reminds everyone daily that disarmament was supposed to be the first step.
• Hamas reminds everyone daily that it never will be.
Hamas seeks to HUMILIATE the Trump administration.
Stay connected, follow @MOSSADil.
Mossad Commentary-tweet-23October2025-HAMAS DOUBLES DOWN-GIVE TRUMP THE FINGER
Hamas gunmen took over the headquarters of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome-tweet-22October2025-Hamas gunmen took over the headquarters of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
Last week Hamas gunmen took over the headquarters of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme — a Palestinian NGO partnered with the UN’s WHO and UNICEF — and evicted its staff. Hamas operatives and their families have been living there ever since.
It took them a week just to find the courage to make this announcement.
The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome-tweet-22October2025-
Source
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1238984114925925&id=100064430452060&rdid=lEmnN6acxq9BGaYT
The Mossad Satirical and Awesome-tweet-22October2025-Hamas gunmen took over the headquarters of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
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Hamas terrorists barricaded inside Rafah’s tunnel network are defying the ceasefire
Israel War Room-tweet-17November2025-Hamas terrorists barricaded inside tunnel network are defying the ceasefire
🚨BREAKING: Hamas terrorists barricaded inside Rafah’s tunnel network are defying the ceasefire and refusing to surrender, a Palestinian source tells @kann_news — even though the agreement requires every tunnel destroyed and Hamas disarmed.
Hamas’s defiance lays bare yet another calculated violation of the @POTUS
peace plan: a genocidal terror army clinging to its weapons, determined to survive underground so it can repeat the October 7 massacre.
The source says around 100 Hamas terrorists are holed up in the tunnel system, a mix of veteran fighters and new recruits. Their commander — a Hamas battalion or deputy-battalion officer — has ordered them to reject any plan that forces them out unless it lets them “leave with honor.”
Israel cannot allow Hamas to rebuild or rearm under the guise of a ceasefire. A return to a pre–Oct. 7 reality is impossible — and leaving Hamas armed guarantees another massacre.
Every tunnel must be eliminated. Every terrorist unit must be dismantled.
Israel War Room-tweet-17November2025-Hamas terrorists barricaded inside tunnel network are defying the ceasefire
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Israel left Gaza on Tisha B’Av 5765! What did the Jews of Israel get with the “Disengagement”? Gush Katif and Hurricane Katrina
Hamas Rise to Power: Short History of Hamas in Gaza
25January2018
IDF Editorial Team https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/hamas/hamas-rise-to-power-short-history-of-hamas-in-gaza/
In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, uprooting all communities and military installations within Gaza. This allowed the PA (Palestinian Authority) full control of the area and the Rafah land crossing to Egypt.
In January 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian Parliamentary election (although it did not win the presidential election in 2005).
Following the election, the International Quartet (United States, Russia, the United Nations, and the European Union) declared that in order for the then Hamas-run Palestinian government to continue to receive foreign aid, it must recognize the State of Israel, end terrorist activities, and adhere to all previous agreements. Hamas rejected these terms, and international aid was halted.
Over the years, Hamas has challenged the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, causing conflicts between the sides, culminating in June 2007 with Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the suppression of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority members. Ever since, the rift between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has grown.
The Hamas terrorist organization and their leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It has both a political and a military organization. Hamas refuses to recognize the State of Israel and vows to fight until Israel is destroyed. The Hamas charter calls for the death of all Jews. The US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Israel all recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.
In June 2007, Hamas violently took power over the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, Hamas executed dozens of its opponents and went as far as pushing them out of building windows.
Hamas’s fight against its enemy, Fatah, has cost the lives of 600 Palestinians, killed 188 people in one week in June 2007. Numerous Palestinians threatened with death, took refuge in Israel.
Hamas puts its political interests above those of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, of which they are responsible. Hamas’ actions deprive Gazans of their rights and basic needs.
Since then, the Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and imposes its totalitarian ideology. Hamas controls what Gazan civilians say, what their children learn, and spreads propaganda and hatred through TV, especially on children’s programs.
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Diaspora Affairs Minister draws a direct line from 2005 Gaza pullout to Oct. 7
“We betrayed the land of Israel when we withdrew from Gaza, and the land of Israel did not forget,” Amichai Chikli, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, said at a conference on Judea and Samaria.
Etgar Lefkovits
https://www.jns.org/diaspora-affairs-minister-draws-a-direct-line-from-2005-gaza-pullout-to-oct-7/
(29October2025 / JNS) The Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, can be traced back to Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005, Amichai Chikli, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, stated on Wednesday evening.
“There is a direct line between the withdrawal from Gaza to the disaster of Oct. 7,” Chikli said in remarks at “The Future of Judea and Samaria” conference at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem, sponsored by the American Friends of Judea & Samaria and the Jewish News Syndicate.
He noted that because of the dismantling of Israeli communities within the Palestinian enclave as part of the Gaza disengagement plan under Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a buffer zone was lost. The southern Israeli border communities that were overrun two years ago were practically a sitting duck for terror.
“We betrayed the land of Israel when we withdrew from Gaza, and the land of Israel did not forget,” he said.
The hawkish minister stated that the international “demonization” of Israeli residents of the biblical heartland, spearheaded by “so-called” Israeli entities such as B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence—primarily foreign-funded, he noted—is part of an attempt to replicate an “irrational and delusional” withdrawal, this time from Judea and Samaria.
Still, Chikli said he is optimistic that in the aftermath of Oct. 7, more people now understand that Judaism and Zionism are synonymous.
“Being a proud Jew is being a proud Zionist,” he said. “The greatest threat is when Jews walk away from their identity.”
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The EXTREME DANGER of social media
Rabbi Shalom Arush – Breslev English-tweet-20October2025-the-extreme-danger-of-social-media
This post is a perfect example of the EXTREME DANGER of social media
The Evil Inclination often tries to dress up a sin as a “mitzvah” a good thing
Rabbi Natan of Breslev said – “I don’t want any of these “mitzvot”
SIMPLE RULE:
I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW, HEAR OR SPEAK ABOUT ANY JEW!
Social media creates terrible opportunities to spread lashon hara – evil speech which is true – against Jews. If there is no specific “toelet” purpose, which has a number of requirements, even spreading true bad speech about Jews is FORBIDDEN
But even worse is OUTRIGHT SLANDER. So much of what is said – and spread – is lies. If even a small detail is added or embellished, the entire story is now labeled SLANDER – LIES AGAINST JEWS.
The Gemara says the punishment for lashon hara is WORSE than the punishment for murder, sexual immorality and idol worship – COMBINED!!!
https://x.com/i/grok/share/AvmTIGaIHCs6TkQCrvdRLwRqk
This is a very big conflagration – one no one wants to get anywhere close to. And this is true if it is said about ONE SINGLE JEW
Now, spread a lie about a group of Jews? Oy oy oy. A separate sin against each and every one. That’s more than 500,000 sins in this post
https://x.com/i/grok/share/TBEmNJQeChb5uvuBRl8DD5TWU
NOW add on spreading Chillul Hashem – desecrating God’s Name – which is called on the Jewish people. Saying His people are doing terrible things also desecrates God’s name. This also has a terrible punishment.
AND you are helping our enemies by saying that this is real – while they scream that they need a “State” in order to “protect themselves from the Jews”!!!
DELETE THE POST NOW!
And everyone be warned – think twice and three times before posting or commenting on social media!!!
Hen Mazzig-tweet-19October2025
There’s no excuse for this sort of violence. It doesn’t matter who the perpetrators are.
I have zero tolerance to any kind of extremism and it must be condemned because it’s not who we are.
Rabbi Shalom Arush – Breslev English-tweet-20October2025-the extreme danger of social media
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The 24th of Tishrei will be observed in Israel as the national remembrance day for the events of the October 7 Disaster and the Swords of Iron War.
the Jewish Virtual Library. logo https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
Remembrance Day for the October 7 Disaster and the Swords of Iron War
Or Shaked, May 9, 2024
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/remembrance-day-for-the-october-7-disaster-and-the-swords-of-iron-war
Establishment of the Holiday
The Remembrance Day for the October 7 Disaster and the Swords of Iron War (Heb. יום זיכרון לאומי במדינת ישראל לאירועי ה-7 באוקטובר 2023 ומלחמת חרבות ברזל) is the day Israel commemorates the tragic events and the victims of October 7th, 2023, and its aftermath, including those who fell in the war and civilians who were murdered in acts of terrorism.
The Knesset adopted a resolution on March 17, 2024, to remember the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. Although such a tragic event would normally be commemorated on the day it occurred on the Gregorian calendar (even the name of the memorial day refers to October 7, 2023), the Knesset decided the Remembrance Day should be observed on the 24th of Tishrei (כ”ד בתשרי), consistent with Israel’s usual practice of marking holidays on Hebrew dates. In this case, because the attacks occurred during the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which fall on the 22nd and 23rd (abroad) of Tishrei, the next day on the calendar was chosen for the memorial day.
The decision was controversial because October 7 is the date most people remember and therefore was considered more appropriate.
In addition to the annual national remembrance day marked on the Hebrew date, a state ceremony will also be held, but only on the first anniversary, on October 7, 2024. In subsequent years, the 24th of Tishrei will be observed in Israel as the national remembrance day for the events of the October 7 Disaster and the Swords of Iron War.
Sources: “Government Unanimously Approves National Remembrance Day for October 7 Disaster and the Swords of Iron War,“ Israel Prime Minister’s Office, (March 17, 2024).
“Establishing the annual national memorial events to commemorate the Swords of Iron War (provisional name) and amending a government decision,“ Israel Prime Minister’s Office, (March 17, 2024) [Hebrew].
Ben Sales, “Israel establishes an annual commemoration of the Oct. 7 attack — but not on Oct. 7,“ The Jerusalem Post, (March 18, 2024).
16October2025-Today marks the National Remembrance Day for the October 7 massacre
Israel-tweet-16October2025-Today marks the National Remembrance Day for the October 7 massacre
Today marks the National Remembrance Day for the October 7 massacre.
We remember and honor the fallen.
We continue to wait for the hostages whose bodies remain in captivity — to be brought home and laid to rest with dignity. 🇮🇱🕯️
Israel-tweet-16October2025-Today marks the National Remembrance Day for the October 7 massacre
Knesset marks National Memorial Day for the October 7 Disaster and Swords of Iron War
The Knesset-tweet-16October2025-Knesset marks National Memorial Day for the October 7 Disaster and Swords of Iron War
Knesset marks National Memorial Day for the October 7 Disaster and Swords of Iron War:
Knesset Speaker MK Ohana lights memorial candle and lays wreath, flags in Knesset Plaza lowered to half-mast
The Knesset-tweet-16October2025-Knesset marks National Memorial Day for the October 7 Disaster and Swords of Iron War
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October 7, 2023 – a day that changed us forever.
Israel-tweet-7October2025-7October2023-a day that changed us forever
October 7, 2023 – a day that changed us forever.
Palestinian Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 people and took 251 hostages into Gaza.
We remember how it began – and we will never stop bearing witness.
But Israel stands tall – for life, for freedom, against terror.
#RememberOctober7 🕯️🎗️
Israel-tweet-7October2025-7October2023-a day that changed us forever
Israel faced the darkest day in its history
Israel Foreign Ministry-tweet-7October2025-Israel faced the darkest day in its history
🕯️ At this very moment, two years ago, Israel faced the darkest day in its history.
On October 7th, Palestinian Hamas jihadists invaded our land — murdering, burning, and kidnapping innocent men, women, and children.
Two years later, we remember October 7th — we remember the victims, we pray for the return of the hostages still held in Gaza, and we stand united against terror. Hamas must be dismantled to end this war.
We remain committed to our values, now more than ever.
Light will rise over darkness.
Israel Foreign Ministry-tweet-7October2025-Israel faced the darkest day in its history
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Israel is arming at least 4 anti Hamas militias in Gaza
Open Source Intel-tweet-19October2025-Israel is arming at least 4 anti Hamas militias in Gaza
Israel is arming at least 4 anti Hamas militias in Gaza.
They are all protected behind the Israel held yellow line in Gaza.
Open Source Intel-tweet-19October2025-Israel is arming at least 4 anti Hamas militias in Gaza
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19October2025-Hamas fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire at IDF
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-19October2025-Hamas fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire at IDF
⭕️ Earlier today, terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward IDF troops operating to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area, in southern Gaza, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
In response, the IDF has begun striking in the area to eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activity.
These terrorist actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond firmly.
Matthew Bell-tweet-19October2025
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-19October2025-Hamas fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire at IDF
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19October2025-Hamas violates ceasefire
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-19October2025-Hamas violates ceasefire
⭕️In response to Hamas’ blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement this morning, the IDF struck dozens of Hamas terror targets across Gaza.
The strikes targeted weapons storage facilities, firing posts, terrorist cells and additional Hamas terror infrastructure.
In addition, the IDF struck and dismantled ~6 km of underground terrorist infrastructure, used to advance attacks against Israel, using over 120 munitions.
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-19October2025-Hamas violates ceasefire
Hamas approaching IDF forces
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-19October2025-Hamas approaching IDF forces
🎥WATCH: Several armed terrorists identified approaching IDF forces operating in the Beit Lahia area behind the yellow line, posing an immediate threat to the troops.
In accordance with the ceasefire agreement, the terrorists were struck after crossing the yellow line.
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-19October2025-Hamas approaching IDF forces
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28October2025-Hamas are lying about our hostages
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-28October2025-Hamas are lying about our hostages
Hamas are lying about our hostages and here’s the proof:
Yesterday, Hamas terrorists were filmed removing body remains from a prepared structure and re-burying them nearby, before summoning Red Cross representatives to stage a false “discovery” for photographers.
Despite claiming difficulty locating the bodies of deceased hostages, Hamas continues to hold and manipulate the remains it refuses to release under the agreement.
Hamas’ claims of lacking engineering equipment are baseless, such tools are unnecessary for the transfer of remains and do not prevent the return of the deceased hostages.
Israel Defense Forces-tweet-28October2025-Hamas are lying about our hostages
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What do you call 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in a tunnel?
The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome-tweet-10November2025-What do you call 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in a tunnel
What do you call 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in a tunnel?
NP-tweet-10November2025-And Now-We Wait
And Now. We Wait…..
The Mossad Satirical and Awesomes-tweet-10November2025-What do you call 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in a tunnel
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The IDF’s K-9 Unit-Oketz Unit
Robin-tweet-20June2024-trained Israeli dog finds Hamas terrorists
The moment a trained Israeli dog finds Hamas terrorists in an underground tunnel, Hamas terrorists are like rats
Robin-tweet-20June2024-trained Israeli dog finds Hamas terrorists
The IDF Oketz Unit
Finn McCool-tweet-11June2024-Oketz Unit
Oketz Unit
These beautiful animals are wonderful
COMRADES in the IDF
Finn McCool-tweet-11June2024-Oketz Unit
More Pictures
Magic Flower-tweet-11November2025-IDF and the K9 Unit
I will leave this post for 48 hours.
Make a sign if you support the IDF & The K9 Unit.
Like , Reply & Share !
Show some Love & Respect ❤️
Magic Flower-tweet-11November2025-IDF and the K9 Unit
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‘Fake News’: US Confirms Aid Is Flowing Into Gaza, Contradicting Hamas Propaganda
US officials told the Free Beacon that Hamas’s claims of Israel blocking food and medical supplies are an attempt to distract from the terror group looting aid trucks
A truck loaded with humanitarian aid moves into the Gaza Strip (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Adam Kredo
9November2025
The United States and Israel are moving an average of 674 humanitarian aid trucks through Gaza each day, delivering more than 15,000 loads of commercial goods and medicine since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center, the multinational body running the operations, and shared with the Washington Free Beacon. They contradict Hamas claims that Israel has hampered aid distribution in Gaza—and reports from anti-Israel media outlets relying on the terror outfit to make the same argument.
According to U.S. officials on the ground in Gaza, more than one million Gazans have received food parcels since Oct. 10, while meal production in the strip has increased by 82 percent since late September. Access to clean drinking water and medical services has also increased since the ceasefire. Gazans received 143,000 medical consultations, 900 emergency surgeries, and more than 45 trauma referrals between the date of the ceasefire and Oct. 31. Aid workers are delivering approximately 17,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day, increasing the supply of potable water in Gaza by 130 percent in October alone.
Specific products that had been absent from Gaza for months are now available in the territory, as well. Eggs arrived on Gazan shelves last week for the first time since February, according to U.S. government information on aid efforts reviewed by the Free Beacon. More than 840 pallets of medical supplies—which include maternal and neonatal health equipment—have entered Gaza in recent weeks.
The figures paint a different picture than those alleged by Hamas. The terror group said this week that “only 4,453 trucks have entered Gaza out of 15,600 that should have entered since the start of the ceasefire,” which comes out to 171 trucks per day. The terror group’s media office said on Thursday that Israel has “continue[d] to pursue a policy of suffocation, starvation, and political blackmail against more than 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza,” stating that Israel has kept products like eggs—which are available in Gaza—out of Palestinians’ hands.
The discrepancy between U.S. statistics and those Hamas has produced suggests the terror group is attempting to undermine the ceasefire and distract from its rampant looting of humanitarian aid convoys. The U.S. numbers also contradict claims from anti-Israel outlets like Drop Site News that the Jewish state has not held up its end of the aid bargain.
“The reality is that Hamas leadership has no control over its followers, and looting of humanitarian aid trucks continues to be a problem,” said one senior administration official, who described the Gazan media office’s figures as “fake news.”
Federal investigators are looking into evidence that Hamas systematically steals U.N. aid in Gaza, including instances in which the terror group “commandeered U.N. aid trucks” and ensured humanitarian goods were “directly delivered to Hamas officials.”
U.S. Central Command lent credence to these reports in late October when it announced that one of its drones had captured Hamas members looting an aid convoy on camera.
Another administration official, White House spokesman Dylan Johnson, told the Free Beacon that the U.S.-compiled numbers show the aid effort is working.
“These figures show that the Trump administration is serious about treating the people of Gaza with dignity and respect,” Johnson said. “The United States is leading a historic effort to address the critical needs of Gazans right now.”
Hamas has employed a similar playbook since igniting its war with Israel two years ago with its Oct. 7 terror spree. Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health authorities have routinely published exaggerated claims about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, prompting both the United Nations and Biden administration to accuse Israel of stirring a famine that never materialized. It has also inflated the number of women and children killed during the war to create the appearance of Israel targeting civilians.
“Hamas continues to spread lies through false stats to paint a false picture of starvation to undermine the ceasefire and peace efforts,” a U.S. official who works on Middle Eastern issues told the Free Beacon. “Sadly, many in the media remain useful idiots by publishing these Hamas talking points.”
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Regev: Transportation Ministry implementing ‘de facto sovereignty’ in Judea and Samaria
“If you walk around there, you’ll see the number of roads, bypass roads and lighting that we are installing and constructing,” said Transportation Minister Miri Regev.
JNS Staff
https://www.jns.org/regev-transportation-ministry-implementing-de-facto-sovereignty-in-judea-and-samaria/
(9November2025 / JNS) Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety is implementing a plan for “de facto sovereignty” in Judea and Samaria, Transportation Minister Miri Regev revealed in an interview with Channel 12 News on Friday.
“If you walk around there, you’ll see the number of roads, bypass roads and lighting that we are installing and constructing,” she said.
However, Regev stressed, Jerusalem should formally declare full legal sovereignty over the territories captured during the 1967 Six-Day War.
“I believe that in the end, there will be [sovereignty],” the senior minister told Channel 12. Even the U.S. administration understands that there is no other way,” she added. “Unfortunately, it’s not time yet, but there will be sovereignty.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led an unprecedented drive to expand control of Judea and Samaria, approving some 50,00 housing units and over 50 new Jewish communities since late 2022.
However, last month, the premier blasted opposition parties, as well as a fellow member of his ruling Likud faction, after the Knesset voted to advance two bills to apply formal sovereignty to Judea and Samaria.
The Oct. 22 Knesset votes were “a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord” during U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s three-day visit to the Jewish state, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The votes, which came on the second day of Vance’s visit to Israel, were condemned by the vice president and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“That’s not something we can be supportive of right now,” Rubio told reporters before leaving for Israel as part of Washington’s efforts to promote the ceasefire with Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Vance told reporters as he concluded his visit, “If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt and I personally take some insult.”
“The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel,” he declared at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport.
Previously, in an Oct. 15 interview with Time magazine, President Donald Trump also expressed his opposition to Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, saying “I gave my word to the Arab countries. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.”
On Feb. 21, 2024, the Knesset voted 99-11 to reject unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. All coalition lawmakers and most Knesset members from Zionist opposition parties voted against “international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians.”
Nearly 70% of Israelis want Jerusalem to extend full legal sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, according to a poll conducted on Jan. 29.
Meanwhile, 58% of Israeli Jews believe that the civilian communities in Judea and Samaria contribute to national security, according to a poll the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) published on March 11.
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0% TAX FOR NEW IMMIGRANTS
Hillel Fuld-tweet-6November2025-0 tax for new immigrants
That’s it. Game over. You’re coming home!
BREAKING NEWS!!
0% TAX FOR NEW IMMIGRANTS 🇮🇱
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer just unveiled a revolutionary plan:
New olim and returning residents will pay 0% income tax through 2027.
Gradual rise: 10% in 2028, 20% in 2029, 30% in 2030.
Applies to income up to ₪1 million per year, plus the existing 10-year exemption on foreign income.
It’s the biggest incentive for Aliyah in decades, signaling a national push to bring Jews home.
“This is a data-based process that aims to ensure optimal integration for new immigrants, create a real opportunity for them to integrate into Israeli society, and at the same time contribute to the growth of the Israeli economy,” Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer said.
I could not possibly love this more.
Hillel Fuld-tweet-6November2025-0 tax for new immigrants
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The Yevsektsiya, the “Jewish Section” of the Soviet Communist Party
Matthew Feinberg-tweet-19October2025-The Yevsektsiya the Jewish Section of the Soviet Communist Party
Few people today know the story of the Yevsektsiya, the “Jewish Section” of the Soviet Communist Party.
Formed in 1918, it was made up almost entirely of Jews whose mission was to eradicate Judaism, Zionism, and Jewish identity from within.
The Yevsektsiya saw Jewish religion and nationhood as “bourgeois relics.”
They shut down synagogues, banned Hebrew, outlawed Zionist groups, and persecuted rabbis.
They infiltrated Jewish communities, dismantled Jewish schools, and replaced them with Soviet Yiddish institutions stripped of any connection to Jewish faith or Israel.
These weren’t outsiders attacking us. They were Jews who believed loyalty to ideology came before loyalty to their people.
They thought they were modernizing Judaism, making it fit into a new political order.
In truth, they were dismantling 3,000 years of Jewish continuity to please a regime that despised them.
By the 1930s, Stalin had no more use for them.
The Yevsektsiya was disbanded, its members imprisoned or executed.
They helped destroy their own heritage and were destroyed by the very system they served.
History has a way of repeating itself in different costumes.
Today, there are Jews who distance themselves from Israel, believing that rejecting Zionism aligns them with justice or progress.
But like the Yevsektsiya, they risk confusing moral virtue with self-erasure.
When Jews deny the right of our own people to self-determination, they aren’t breaking new ground. They are walking an old and tragic path.
The lesson of the Yevsektsiya is not about blame, but about memory.
Every time Jews try to cut themselves off from their people to gain acceptance from powerful movements, it ends the same way.
The movements move on. The Jewish people endure.
Am Yisrael lives. Ideologies fade.
We survive because we remember who we are, and we refuse to let others define us.
Gary Goldstein-tweet-20October2025-
At least the Odessa Council of Rabbis in 1918 excommunicated Leon Trotsky, Gregory Zinoviev and other Jewish Bolsheviks.
Matthew Feinberg-tweet-19October2025-The Yevsektsiya the Jewish Section of the Soviet Communist Party
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Katz nixes reserve duty of protest leader who urged refusal to serve over judicial overhaul
Defense minister says Eyal Naveh, a leader of Brothers in Arms and reservist commander in elite unit, is not fit to train soldiers; opposition MKs pan move as politicization of IDF
By Stuart Winer
2December2024, 10:04 am https://www.timesofisrael.com/katz-nixes-reserve-duty-of-protest-leader-who-urged-refusal-to-serve-over-judicial-overhaul/
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that he was suspending the army reserve service of a leader of a prominent protest group who had called for reservists not to show up for their military duty in 2023 as the government advanced its controversial judicial overhaul.
Eyal Naveh, a former member of the Sayeret Matkal commando unit, is a leader of the Brothers in Arms movement, which arose to protest the government’s plans for far-reaching changes to the judiciary that critics said would erode the democratic nature of the country.
Brothers in Arms called on army reservists to refuse to volunteer for service if the required legislation was advanced, with Naveh saying in July 2023 that “we’ve tried everything, This is where we draw the line. We pledged to serve the kingdom and not the king. We are determined, we are fighters, we love this country and we will not give up on it.”
At one point the group claimed that 10,000 reservists had committed to not showing up, among them pilots and others in key military roles.
In a statement Katz said: “Anyone who calls for mass absences and refusal to serve is not suitable to train the next generation of IDF fighters.”
“The same law must be applied to all,” he added in an apparent reference to the pausing of reserve duty last month of another Brother in Arms leader, Ron Sharaf, who also served in Sayeret Matkal.
Sharaf was serving in the reserves as commander of the selection test to join elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal and after his suspension, Naveh was installed as his replacement, Channel 12 reported.
Sources told Haaretz that Naveh does not currently have an active call-up for reserve duty, and that the selection tests for the unit were held last week.
Naveh responded in a statement that Katz is a “malleable and cowardly defense minister” and urged that the minister issue call-up orders to tens of thousands of members of the ultra-Orthodox community who do not serve in the army, calling them “the real service refusers.”
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of the Likud party congratulated Katz on “stopping the impertinence, the audaciousness, and the contempt of a group that tried to destroy the army and nearly managed to.”
MK Almog Cohen of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party claimed that Naveh “traded in the safety of our children” and that his views “seriously harmed the cohesion and security of the country, and were a catalyst for the events of October 7,” when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Head of the opposition Democrats political party Yair Golan slammed Katz’s move, also referring to legislation in the works to preserve the exemptions Haredi men receive from military service.
“Anyone who was appointed to be defense minister to pass the ‘evasion law’ should not preach to those who really serve, and to those who saved the country when the failed government wasn’t functioning,” he said, referring to the action taken by Brothers in Arms on October 7 to save people in the south, and the massive civil society operation it built in the following months.
MK Gilad Kariv, also of the Democrats party, accused Katz of “grossly interfering” in military matters that are not his responsibility.
“This is a dangerous campaign to cleanse and politicize the army,” he said.
The judicial overhaul plan provoked mass demonstrations for months in 2023. It was eventually put on hold, and then dropped from the agenda after the Hamas attack, though coalition members have recently talked of restarting the process.
Katz was recently appointed defense minister after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his predecessor Yoav Gallant amid differences over handling the war and the ultra-Orthodox draft bill. Netanyahu had previously fired Gallant in 2023 when the latter called to freeze the judicial overhaul but was forced to reinstate him amid public outcry.
In the wake of the Hamas attack, Brothers in Arms diverted its resources to become a civilian relief and support organization, though its leaders have also participated in protests calling on the government to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages who were abducted during the October 7 assault.
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Katz signed order banning Red Cross visits to terrorists
Open Source Intel-tweet-29October2025-Katz signed order banning Red Cross visits to terrorists
BREAKING 🔴
Israeli Defense Minister Katz signed an order banning visits by Red Cross to terrorists imprisoned in Israel
“Based on the information presented to me, it is clear without a doubt that Red Cross visits to terrorists will seriously harm national security.”
Open Source Intel-tweet-29October2025-Katz signed order banning Red Cross visits to terrorists
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Terrorists who murder Jews get lethal injection. Executions within 90 days
Mossad Commentary-tweet-18November2025-Israel terrorist death penalty law
🚨 JUST IN — NEW PRINCIPLES OF ISRAEL’S TERRORIST DEATH PENALTY LAW 🚨
According to the published framework, the law will apply exclusively to terrorists who murder Jews — and the sentence will be non-appealable.
Executions would be carried out within 90 days, by lethal injection.
A major shift in Israel’s counter-terror policy and one that will disrupt future plans for hostage exchanges.
Stay connected, follow @MOSSADil.
Mossad Commentary-tweet-18November2025-Israel terrorist death penalty law
JerusalemCats Comments: A guillotine is even faster, easier and very permanent.
A guillotine is even faster. Just in case lethal injection does not work just have next to the lethal injection bed, or have it as Step 2 just to be sure.
Why does the US government need 30,000 Guillotines and over 600 Million rounds of hollow point bullets?
Naila Ayad🇵🇸-tweet-7December2025-IV of Pepsi
“Can you boycott this from now on?”
JerusalemCats-tweet-8December2025-Death by Pepsi
Death by Pepsi. Better then Lethal Injection. Who needs Live Embalming with Formaldehyde when you have Pepsi. Same results.
JerusalemCats-tweet-8December2025-Death by Pepsi
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From clinics to command centers: When doctors and professors lead terror
They heal patients and teach students to gain legitimacy – then send other people’s children to die. They are the ultimate professional hypocrites. They do not need welfare, they need defeat. Like the Nazi doctors. Opinion.
Stephen M. Flatow / Published: 24November2025, 3:07 PM (GMT+2) https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/418275
Nazi Doctors From Hell
Stephen M. Flatow is President of the Religious Zionists of America (RZA) He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995 and the author of A Father’s Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror. Note: The RZA is not affiliated with any American or Israeli political party.
Israelis have long noticed something disturbing about the men who mastermind jihad against us: many are not the poor and uneducated villagers that Western analysts love to imagine. Some of the most violent figures in Palestinian Arab terrorism – and beyond – are not only highly educated, but they are also doctors, professors, and university scientists. They were trained to save lives and educate in their fields. Instead, they devoted themselves to ending lives.
Take Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Look beyond the masks and rifles, and you find a surprising concentration of white-collar professionals.
Dr. Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, a pediatric specialist and university lecturer, served as Hamas’s de facto leader in Gaza. He could diagnose childhood diseases – and then calmly justify the murder of Israeli children.
Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, another Gaza physician and surgeon, co-founded Hamas. He performed surgery in the morning and helped direct suicide bombings at night.
Dr. Fathi Shaqaqi, founder of PIJ, was also an MD. A man who treated infants created an organization dedicated to blowing up buses in Israel including the one in which my daughter Alisa was riding.
Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, a Cairo-educated surgeon, became the successor to Osama bin Laden, treating global jihad like a clinical procedure.
And the movement has its American academic wing:
Professor Sami Al-Arian, a PhD in computer engineering, tenured at the University of South Florida, founded the think-tank WISE, and later pled guilty to conspiring to provide services to PIJ. Today he is still quoted as a respected “speaker on Palestinian rights” in anti-Israel media – a case study in how academia launders extremist legitimacy.
Nor was Al-Arian just a fringe academic.
His think-tank recruited Ramadan Shallah, a PhD in economics from the University of Durham in the U.K. Shallah taught economics in Florida – and then took over PIJ after Shaqaqi’s assassination, directing suicide bombings and thousands of rocket attacks while claiming to be a “scholar of resistance.” From the faculty lounge to terror leadership, his transition stunned Americans – but not Israelis.
These men were not driven by desperation or lack of opportunity. They were educated enough to earn degrees, practice professions, gain status, and live comfortable lives. Instead, they chose to weaponize their intellect and prestige to lead others to kill.
The idea that terrorism grows out of poverty has always been a comforting Western fiction. It absolves ideology and implies that “more aid” is the solution. Yet Hamas and PIJ leadership show the opposite reality: terrorism thrives in universities, not refugee camps.
Hamas’s founders did not radicalize in Gaza’s alleyways. They graduated from medical schools in Cairo, Alexandria, and Beirut. They collected credentials, not bread rations. Universities confer leadership, networks, confidence, and technical skills. They train organizers, not merely fighters. That is why Hamas builds tunnels with engineering precision and designs rockets in underground labs. Terror needs brains before it needs fists.
Why do doctors and professors appear so often among terror leaders?
Because their calling gives them credibility. In much of the Arab world, doctors and academics carry social authority, a presumption of moral seriousness. When a respected professor or physician preaches jihad, his title becomes a weapon. People assume that someone trained to heal and someone trained to teach must “know what they’re talking about.”
They weaponize trust. They heal patients and teach students to gain legitimacy – then send other people’s children to die. They are the ultimate professional hypocrites.
This profile matters today more than ever, especially in universities and medical associations abroad where polite professors and activists quietly excuse terrorist ideology and call it “resistance.”
The soft-spoken academic who justifies violence is far more dangerous than the masked rioter. One recruits; the other merely riots.
Israel has warned the world for decades: this is not a struggle of poverty. It is not a misunderstanding. It is not a cry of the oppressed. It is an ideological movement led by educated elites who could have cured disease, educated children, or built economies – but chose to spread death.
The world keeps treating terrorism like a social illness. Israel and every world leader not wearing blinders knows better. It is a moral illness – one deliberately cultivated by brilliant men who chose darkness. Until the world recognizes that terrorists do not need jobs or houses, but defeat, it will keep being fooled by men in white coats with blood on their hands.
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Lawfare: The Benjamin Netanyahu trial
Benjamin Netanyahu-tweet-22October2025-Lawfare-The Benjamin Netanyahu trial
פוסט חשוב שכתב אלי ציפורי. תקראו:
הדרמה היום במשפט נתניהו:
🔴החוקר דובי שרצר חשף את שם החוקר שפנה למח”ש בזמן אמת כדי להתלונן על מעשים פסולים בחקירות תיקי נתניהו – מדובר בסגן ניצב בדימוס צחי חבקין שהיה מעורב בתיק 1000, 2000 ו-4000. תלונתו של חבקין מעולם לא נבדקה כיוון שקרן בר מנחם, ראשת מח”ש, דרשה שיכתוב את שמו ואת דרגתו ואילו חבקין רצה לשמור על אנונימיות. חבקין החל להעיד היום, למרות שהפרקליטות ניסתה לדחות את עדותו, ומנה שורה ארוכה של אירועים שמצביעים לשיטתו על התנהלות “לא תקינה” או “חריגה” בתיקי נתניהו.
🔴החוקרים חרגו מאישור מנדלבליט בתחילת החקירה בתיק 1000: חבקין הודה שמנדלבליט תחם את האישור רק לשימוש בדירת ג’יימס פאקר במלון רויאל ביץ’ אך צוות החקירה התעלם מכך, חרג מהאישור ושאל על מתנות לבני הזוג נתניהו – “אמרתי רגע, זה משהו שחרגנו. שאלנו שאלות רחבות בשלבים מוקדמים”.
🔴מנדלבליט לא איפשר לחקור את יוסי כהן, לשעבר ראש מוסד, על שימוש בדירת פאקר במלון רויאל ביץ’, אבל אישר לחקור את יאיר נתניהו למרות שאינו עובד ציבור: חבקין הודה שראה בשימוש של יוסי כהן בדירה כעבירה – “חשבתי שנכון וצריך לפתוח בחקירה, או לכל הפחות בבדיקה. מנדלבליט הנחה שנעשה הפרדה מלאה של החומרים והאירוע של יוסי כהן ייחקר בהמשך בנפרד. עד שאני עזבתי הוא לא נחקר”.
🔴 החוקרים ידעו בזמן אמת שגרסת פילבר על פגישת ההנחייה, עליה התבסס כתב האישום בתיק 4000, אינה מתיישבת עם הראיות: חבקין הודה שכבר בזמן אמת ידע צוות החקירה שמועד תאריך פגישת ההנחייה על פי עדות פילבר אינו תואם את האיכונים ושאר הראיות – “זה נושא שדובר ביחידה”.
🔴 אילן ישועה לא נחקר באזהרה למרות שהיה שותף לשיטתו לעבירות: חבקין הודה שלא הבין למה אילן ישועה אינו נחקר באזהרה למרות שסיפר בעדותו שהוא בפועל שותף לעבירות כביכול – “ישועה סיפר מרצונו שהוא חלק מהעבירה. שאלתי למה לא נחקר באזהרה, אמרו זה מה שהיועץ מנדלבליט הנחה וזה מה שעשו”.
🔴 מוטיבציית שיא בחקירות תיקי נתניהו: חבקין הודה שהייתה מוטיבציית שיא אצל היחידות החוקרות בתיקי נתניהו – “עשינו מאמצי על, יחידות החקירה יעשו הכל כדי להצליח”.
Translated from Hebrew
An important post written by Eli Tzipori. Read it:
The drama today in the Netanyahu trial:
🔴 Investigator Dubi Shertzer revealed the name of the investigator who approached the Department of Investigation of Police Officers (Machash) in real time to complain about improper conduct in the investigations of the Netanyahu cases – it is retired Deputy Superintendent Tsahi Havkin, who was involved in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000. Havkin’s complaint was never investigated because Karen Bar Menachem, head of Machash, demanded that he provide his name and rank, while Havkin wanted to remain anonymous.
Havkin began testifying today, despite the prosecution’s attempts to delay his testimony, and listed a long series of events that, in his view, indicate “improper” or “irregular” conduct in the Netanyahu cases.
🔴 The investigators exceeded Mandelblit’s authorization at the start of the Case 1000 investigation: Havkin admitted that Mandelblit had limited the authorization to only the use of James Packer’s apartment at the Royal Beach Hotel, but the investigation team ignored this, exceeded the authorization, and asked about gifts to the Netanyahu couple – “I said, wait a minute, this is something we went beyond. We asked broad questions in the early stages.”
🔴 Mandelblit did not allow the investigation of Yossi Cohen, former Mossad chief, regarding the use of Packer’s apartment at the Royal Beach Hotel, but permitted the investigation of Yair Netanyahu despite him not being a public official: Havkin admitted that he viewed Yossi Cohen’s use of the apartment as an offense – “I thought it was right and necessary to open an investigation, or at the very least a review. Mandelblit instructed that the materials be completely separated, and the Yossi Cohen incident would be investigated separately later. Until I left, it was not investigated.”
🔴 The investigators knew in real time that Filber’s version of the guidance meeting, on which the indictment in Case 4000 was based, did not align with the evidence: Havkin admitted that the investigation team already knew in real time that the date of the guidance meeting according to Filber’s testimony did not match the location data and other evidence – “This was a matter discussed in the unit.”
🔴 Ilan Yeshua was not investigated under caution despite being a partner, according to him, in the offenses: Havkin admitted that he did not understand why Ilan Yeshua was not investigated under caution despite testifying that he was actually a partner in the alleged offenses – “Yeshua voluntarily said he was part of the offense. I asked why he wasn’t investigated under caution, and they said that’s what the Attorney General Mandelblit instructed, and that’s what was done.”
🔴 Peak motivation in the investigations of the Netanyahu cases: Havkin admitted that there was peak motivation among the investigating units in the Netanyahu cases – “We made extraordinary efforts, the investigation units would do everything to succeed.”
Benjamin Netanyahu-tweet-22October2025-Lawfare-The Benjamin Netanyahu trial
Benjamin Netanyahu-tweet-22October2025-Lawfare-The Benjamin Netanyahu trial
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