Israel News Today

Just two kilometers from Israel's border, the Engineering Corps found an operational tunnel leading to Kiryat Shmona; IDF blows up asset after a 36-hour battle   from ynet - News https://ift.tt/U2l5ZuO

( JTA ) — Zechariah Mehler wanted to see the swastika for himself. It was September, and Milwaukee was abuzz over a mural that had gone up on the side of a commercial building in the city’s sixth district. Painted on slabs of vinyl affixed to the brick, the mural — a large rectangle about the size of the building’s ground floor — featured a background that appeared to depict mass graves, weeping mothers, drones and other scenes of carnage in Gaza. At the center: a Jewish star with a swastika inside it, along with the words, “The irony of becoming what you once hated.” The city council had passed a resolution condemning the mural, and local Jewish leaders had called to remove it. But the building’s owner, a Palestinian real estate businessman named Ihsan Atta, said he was making a principled stand against Israel’s war in Gaza. When a local mother splashed black paint on the mural and confronted him on camera , yelling, “What are you promoting for our kids to see?” Atta yelled back an...

The Hind Rajab Foundation announced that it had filed a complaint in Sweden against a Nahal Brigade IDF soldier visiting the country for 'war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide' from ynet - News https://ift.tt/ct5urQ6

40 missiles, 320 drones: The IDF published data on Houthi launches since the beginning of the war; All but one of the  missiles and more than 100 of the drones were intercepted   from ynet - News https://ift.tt/KYVtEza

A spotlight-seeking rabbi perhaps best known for having been Michael Jackson’s spiritual adviser and an Orthodox New York politician who caused an uproar by wearing blackface for Purim in 2013 are among the unconventional contenders vying to replace Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt as the U.S. special envoy to combat antisemitism. Both men, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and former Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind , are close with the same member of President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is — controversially — Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Other names being floated for the role include Alan Dershowitz, the fiery Harvard law professor who has defended Trump during his impeachment trials and criminal cases; Ellie Cohanim, who was born in Iran and served as deputy antisemitism envoy in the first Trump administration; and Elizabeth Savetsky, an influencer who received an award from New York City Mayor Eric Adams for her work on an...

Elusive pop-culture figures make for appealing stories, but at the same time, their elusiveness and secrecy can make their stories hard to tell. This paradox is evident in The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & the Art of Survival , a new documentary from Julie Rubio, about the trailblazing – though oft-forgotten – artist during Paris’ interwar period. Born to Jewish parents who converted to Catholicism, Tamara Rosa Hurwitz married prominent Polish lawyer Tadeusz Łempicki and adopted the feminine version of his last name, Łempicka. They lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, until the Russian Revolution of 1917 forced them to flee the country. The couple moved to Paris, where Łempicka studied under painters Maurice Denis and André Lhote, both important figures in the emerging styles of cubism and fauvism. According to art historians, Łempicka was among the first artists to draw nude women through the female gaze . The provocative way she portrayed the female form was considered scandal...

Officials stress IDF operations in Lebanon hinge on adherence to cease-fire, warning of escalation if framework collapses; concerns raised over Lebanese Army’s ability to counter Hezbollah, which seeks to return to southern Lebanon unarmed from ynet - News https://ift.tt/jx3879V

The American Historical Association, the largest association of professional historians in the U.S., passed a resolution this week condemning what it called the “scholasticide” in Gaza — a term that might be unfamiliar to many. As The New York Times reported , the resolution “argued that the destruction of most of the enclave’s education infrastructure, along with many archives and libraries, amounted to “scholasticide.” “Scholasticide” isn’t a word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, or the Oxford English Dictionary, but it does appear in Wikipedia , which is run by volunteers and has nearly 50 million registered users. “Scholasticide,” according to Wikipedia , is “often used interchangeably with the terms educide and epistemicide, (and) refers to the intended mass destruction of education in a specific place.” “Schola” in Latin is “school,” or more precisely, an “ancient Roman school” as Merriam-Webster puts it.  “Cide” is also Latin; it means killing. The echo...

Danon, Israel's UN ambassador,  says he constantly reminds the international body that Israel is in Gaza because 'we have no choice' and 'We will do whatever we have to do to bring all of the hostages back to Israel' from ynet - News https://ift.tt/j6xMU9G

Decades of war have fractured Yemen, creating a dire humanitarian crisis and enabling the Houthis to assert themselves as a key regional force from ynet - News https://ift.tt/sX3tuOf

( JTA ) — A memorial to Jews deported from the Warsaw Ghetto was defaced with graffiti appearing to equate the Holocaust with the war in Gaza. The graffiti makes Warsaw’s Umschlagplatz memorial the latest of a string of Holocaust monuments to be vandalized with anti-Israel messages. The marble structure commemorates the spot where hundreds of thousands of Jews were assembled before being deported to concentration camps in 1942 and 1943. The red graffiti says “Warsaw 1943 = Gaza 2025,” and was written beneath a quote from the biblical book of Job in Hebrew, Yiddish and Polish reading, “Earth, do not cover my blood; let there be no resting place for my outcry.” The graffiti echoes the claim made by pro-Palestinian activists that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza constitutes a genocide, an accusation Israel vigorously denies. On Tuesday, Yacov Livne, Israel’s ambassador in Poland, decried the graffiti. “Shameful vandalism at Warsaw’s memorial for 300,000 (!) Jews deported to Treblink...

3 gunmen open fire on cars and buses near Kedumim, killing police officer Elad Winkelstein, Rachel Cohen and Aliza Reiss; PM Netanyahu and IDF chief Halevi vow swift action from ynet - News https://ift.tt/lFvjGIK

This is the story of a respected, beloved janitor who proved his mettle and was promoted to the role of chief custodian at a top public high school in the Chicago suburbs. This is also the story of a volunteer member of the Nazi SS who proved his mettle and was promoted twice during his service as a guard at the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. And it is the story of a well-off suburb — recognized on a national stage for its diversity and integration efforts — faced with the discovery that these men were one and the same. For over two decades, Reinhold Kulle made sure classrooms were spotless and faculty had all the supplies they needed. He kept hallways quiet during play rehearsals and made sure students had a safe ride home. But he had also once worn the insignia of the SS-Totenkopf, or Death’s Head, division and guarded a slave labor camp where tens of thousands of prisoners perished . In a marriage application that had to be approved by the Reich, he highlighted his membership in...

Military opens new Hahashmonaim Brigade designed to be suited to ultra-Orthodox lifestyle and religious standards; Some were accompanied by family members, while others arrived alone. from ynet - News https://ift.tt/wC05FTG

Israel intensifies its war on Hamas in Gaza, targeting terrorist while negotiating a cease-fire and hostage release deal; With heavy losses on both sides, the conflict remains unresolved, and Gaza's future remains uncertain from ynet - News https://ift.tt/TMJg7QX

What’s the best thing to say to someone when visiting them during shiva, the week of Jewish mourning following a death in the family? It may sound odd, but the answer to this question was revealed to me in the middle of the night while holding my two-week-old granddaughter. As my daughter and son-in-law convalesced in our home, my wife and I volunteered to have the baby sleep in our room to give our daughter some rest while she recuperates from the birth. I was exhausted in the early morning hours and my wife said to me, “Do not think about how tired you are right now. Think about what the baby needs.” Those words shifted my perspective from being self-centered to other-centered. At that moment, my granddaughter needed my full attention. The perspective on being fully present for another and being mindful of their needs is the secret to a meaningful shiva visit and in enriching all of our relationships. All too often, when we enter a house of mourning, the discomfort or knowing what...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged in an interview posted Saturday that “public daylight” between Israel and the U.S. over the war in Gaza hardened Hamas’ positions in talks on a ceasefire-hostage deal. But the outgoing U.S. top diplomat insisted that the unresolved Middle East war won’t define his legacy. “Whenever there has been public daylight between the U.S. and Israel and the perception that pressure was growing on Israel,” Blinken said in a wide-ranging podcast interview with The New York Times , “Hamas has pulled back from agreeing to a ceasefire and the release of hostages.” Talks are ongoing in Doha, Qatar to finalize an agreement between Israel and Hamas before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump said that he supports the efforts and issued an ultimatum to Hamas, threatening that there will be “hell to pay” if all hostages are not released before he returns to the White House on Jan. 20. Reuters reported on Sunday that Hamas approve...

Officials stress talks are still ongoing despite sounding skepticism amid widening gaps and release of video showing hostage Liri Albag in captivity from ynet - News https://ift.tt/aU80kze

Terror group's Secretary-General Naim Qassem warns in speech organization is ready to resume hostilities if cease-fire conditions aren't upheld including IDF withdrawal from Lebanon from ynet - News https://ift.tt/PoF6bVO

( JTA ) — A frontrunner on the latest season of “Rising Star,” the Israeli talent show, has advanced on the basis of her renditions of an iconic Israeli song that includes words from the Shema, one of Judaism’s central prayers, and “Hurricane,” the country’s post-Oct. 7 anthem that she performed alongside a survivor of the Hamas massacre that day. Those might be unsurprising selections in a Jewish country that has lately been defined by its response to Oct. 7. But it’s not just her voice that sets Valerie Hamaty apart: She’s also an Arab Christian, the only such contestant on a show whose winner becomes Israel’s entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest. And her success is sparking debate at a time when Israel’s war in Gaza has tested relations between Jewish and Arab Israelis. “That an Arab should represent Israel on an international stage is a huge source of pride,” said Zohurha Abonar. “And the fact that she’s from right here? That makes it even more special.” Abonar is a Muslim r...