“Rabbis and liturgists are trying to find ways to honor personal loss and communal grief during Yizkor, the traditional memorial service”

Posted on October 7, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JTA
One year after Oct. 7, a Yom Kippur ritual of communal mourning takes on fresh meaning
Andrew Silow-Carroll
October 6, 2024

…Yom Kippur begins this year on Oct. 11, four days after the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and once again rabbis and liturgists are trying to find ways to ritualize raw communal grief on the holy day. A number of groups have put out supplements to the High Holiday prayer book, known as the mahzor, containing reflections, prayers and whole services addressing the mourning and anguish around the day and subsequent 12 months of a crisis that shows few signs of fading. The entire cycle of this year’s High Holidays is haunted by Oct. 7, especially Simchat Torah, the season’s climax: Hamas breached Israel’s southern fence on the holiday last year, and congregations have been struggling with how to celebrate what is supposed to be a joyous holiday on what is essentially the yahrtzeit, or death anniversary, of some 1,200 victims of the attacks and the kidnapping of hundreds more. READ MORE

ETTINGER REPORT Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Guide for the Perplexed, 2024 Asking forgiveness of fellow human-beings is a major feature of Yom Kippur, transferring human behavior from acrimony and vindictiveness to forgiveness and peaceful coexistence. It is consistent with the philosophy of Hillel the Elder, a leading 1st century BCE Jewish Sage: “The essence of the Torah is: do not do unto your fellow person that which is hateful to you; the rest [of the Torah] is commentary.” Yom Kippur highlights faith, magnanimity, humility, genuine-repentance, compassion, consideration, forgiveness, responsibility and optimism. It recognizes one’s fallibilities, emphasizes learning from one’s mistakes, minimizing future missteps, elevating morality and enhancing family and community cohesion.

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“Israel faces a dilemma: How much of their plans should they share with the US?”

Posted on October 7, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Netanyahu’s critical choice: Iran, the US, and Israel’s next move
Herb Keinon
October 9, 2024

…On one hand, withholding information could benefit the US by providing plausible deniability, allowing them to convincingly claim ignorance and potentially avoid reprisal attacks. On the other hand, if they do share the plans and the US says “No,” what should their next step be? Various media reports indicate that the White House is increasingly upset with Israel’s lack of transparency and was angered when it only heard afterward about the assassinations of Hezbollah Chief of Staff Fuad Shukr in Beirut, Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and later Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. According to these reports, Washington is concerned that such actions could trigger a spiraling regional war, drawing the US in, and that Iran’s proxies might respond by targeting US assets in the region. READ MORE

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Oren: “Israel will retaliate against Iran and its venal proxies because defending our people from those who seek to massacre us is much of what our state is all about. Israel, at the risk of aggravating our allies, will survive”

Posted on October 6, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

CLARITY
The View from Israel’s Universe
Michael Oren
October 5, 2024

…A truly proportionate response—hitting Tehran with the same 25,000 rockets and missives that Iran and its proxies have fired at us since October 7—would not, however, be acceptable to the West. Israel, American and European leaders state, has every right to defend itself but must exercise that right prudently. In practice this means that there is no effective counteroffensive action that Israel can legitimately take. Israelis can only sit and be pummeled by enemy barrages until our interceptors run out. Israelis can only legitimately die. Israelis, of course, see things differently. We are already engaged in a regional war and have been, on multiple fronts, since October 7. For us, this is a total war for our national survival, a thoroughly just war against enemies dedicated to our annihilation. READ MORE

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“Israel has never had a genocidal policy towards its Arab populations which have grown exponentially in Israel and in Judea and Samaria”

Posted on October 6, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

FRONT PAGE MAG
Why Israel is Innocent of the Accusation of Genocide in Gaza. And where the moral responsibility for Palestinian suffering really lies.
Jason D. Hill
October 10, 2024

…Israel’s moral purpose in winning the war is to vanquish Hamas—and further: given the Charter of Hamas which aims (again) to eliminate Jewry from the region and the world, to destroy Israel and, further, to establish a Global Caliphate, Israel must inflict generational damage as part of its winning strategy. This means it has to ensure that subsequent generations are rendered impotent in ever waging a destructive and annihilative war against Israel. There can be no mercy in this part of the execution of the war. Hamas was duly elected by an electorate that placed it in power. In January 2006 when the terrorist organization was elevated to power, the victory was hailed as an achievement in the democratic process in the Middle East. There is, then, no clear distinction between Hamas and the people who elected its leaders to power. READ MORE

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“Betrayed by the United States, Israel will have to maneuver as best it can in a world of diminishing American influence”

Posted on October 5, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

BLAZE MEDIA
One year after 10/7: Israel’s alliance with a weakened America brings dangerous consequences
David Goldman
October 7, 2024

…After Qatar’s Hamas client attacked Israel, Qatar exacted no penalties from Hamas, which continued to operate out of luxury hotel suites in Doha as it did before. The United States, which treats Qatar as an ally on par with Israel, exacted no penalties from Qatar. On the contrary, it elevated Qatar’s status as the mediator between Hamas and Israel. Meanwhile, the Biden administration granted Iran access to $6 billion in frozen accounts in South Korea in 2023 and released an additional $10 billion in frozen assets in March 2024. While China, Russia, North Korea, and others can bypass U.S. sanctions, the administration’s generosity toward a nation that supports Hezbollah and other terrorist groups is reprehensible. READ MORE

FUTURE OF JEWISH Joshua Hoffman: Dear America, Israel is not your puppet U.S. President Joe Biden did not speak to Netanyahu after Iran’s latest attack, and reportedly, the two had not spoken since August. The reason behind the disconnect is not a secret; it is a result of their hemorrhaging relationship. Since the beginning of the year-long war, the Americans have been communicating mostly through Gallant as their primary channel instead of dealing directly with Netanyahu. According to the upcoming book, “War,” written by renowned journalist Bob Woodward, Biden called Netanyahu a “f*cking liar” after IDF troops went into the consequential Gazan city of Rafah, and yelled at the premier after an Israeli strike took out a top Hezbollah commander.

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EVENT Join me at The #StandWithUs Midwest Campus Champions Gala Sunday November 3, 2024

Posted on October 4, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

StandWithUs Midwest invites you to their
Campus Champions Gala
Sunday, November 3, 2024,  5:30 pm CST
Lincolnshire Marriott Resort
Ten Marriott Drive,
Lincolnshire, Illinois, 60069

Honoring Diane & Andrew Lappin, featuring Keynote Speaker Shabbos Kestenbaum and Emcee Olga Meshoe Washington, Student Honorees Lauren Weizer and Rebecca Badzin

Click here to become a Campus Champion or purchase tickets
Click here for information
Click here to learn more about the vital work that StandWithUs performs

StandWithUs, also known as the Israel Emergency Alliance, is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your gift to StandWithUs is fully tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

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Israel said closely coordinating with US on response to Iranian missile attack, expected in coming days; oil prices jump, Gulf states wary Iran will retaliate on their oil sites

Posted on October 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Biden says holding ‘discussions’ on possible Israeli strike on Iran’s oil facilities
Staff and Agencies
October 3, 2024

US President Joe Biden on Thursday told reporters in Washington that the idea of Israel striking Iran’s oil in retaliation for Tuesday’s ballistic missile attack was “in discussion,” as reports indicated that Israel was determined to strongly respond, but had not yet decided on the scope and timing. Speaking to reporters as he headed to his Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House, Biden was asked if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities. “We’re in discussion of that. I think — I think that would be a little — anyway,” Biden responded, adding that Israel would ultimately make its own decisions on how to respond to Iran’s massive missile strike. READ MORE

JPOST Nasrallah’s reported successor, Hashem Safieddine, targeted in IAF strike in Beirut Israel allegedly tried to eliminate former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah’s successor, Hashem Safieddine, in the Dahieh suburb in Beirut, Israeli media reported early on Friday, citing Lebanese reports. These reports could not be verified.  The strikes targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah leaders, including Safieddine, three Israeli officials told The New York Times. Safieddine, as head of Hezbollah’s executive council, oversees the group’s political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group’s military operations…

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Israel shows America how to win wars

Posted on October 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Killing Nasrallah
Lee Smith
September 27, 2024

By ordering the strike on Nasrallah while attending the U.N. General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the Jewish state’s independence from the global consensus that has resolved not to confront terrorists but rather to appease them, whether they’re plotting in the Middle East or living among the local populations of Western nations, including the United States. Israel’s attack also shows that almost everything U.S. and other Western civilian and military leaders have believed about the Middle East for the last 20 years was simply a collection of excuses for losing wars. READ MORE

FUTURE OF JEWISH Joshua Hoffman: A historic opportunity for Israel and the Middle East is emerging Tuesday’s launch of 181 ballistic missiles by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel should not have come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention the Middle East of late. Since October 7th, Israel has been thoroughly and embarrassingly thrashing the Iranian regime — defanging its proxies across the Middle East, degrading its reputation among said proxies, and proving to the world just how flimsy of a spiderweb is its Islamist dictatorship. READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM Nasrallah’s seismic death cracked the Iranian axis Friday’s brilliant strike led Syrian rebels to fight for Assad’s ouster, Iranian dissidents pushed for Khamenei’s demise, and Saudi social media lit up with calls against Houthi leaders. Now Israel can use this momentum to strike a hostage deal.

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Heard from an imam at a Syrian mosque: “Thank Allah for the death of the oppressor Hassan Nasrallah”

Posted on October 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

GATESTONE
Why Arabs Are Celebrating the Death of Hassan Nasrallah
Bassam Tawil
October 2, 2024

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, was often described by many in the West as a “formidable enemy” of Israel. Nasrallah’s death, however, has shown that many Arabs, including some of his fellow Lebanese citizens, also considered him an enemy and arch-terrorist. The Hezbollah chief was responsible for killing not only a large number of Israelis over the past three decades, but also many Arabs, especially in Lebanon and Syria. That is probably why the news of Nasrallah’s elimination was greeted with jubilation by many Israelis and Arabs…Images and videos circulating on social media featured Syrian children holding banners expressing gratitude to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for authorizing the assassination of Nasrallah. One banner reads: “Thank you, Netanyahu. We want you to take out the criminal Bashar Assad.” READ MORE

CAMERA BLOG What the Nasrallah Obits Omit The Associated Press said nothing about Hezbollah’s devastating attack on the Jewish center in Buenos Aires. Nothing about its attack on Israel’s embassy in that country. Nothing about its attack on the U.S. embassy in Beirut. Nothing about its attack on the Marine barracks there. Nothing about Nasrallah’s antisemitism, or his repeated demands that Jews ethnically cleanse themselves from Israel. 

ARUTZ SHEVA Khamenei urged Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before elimination Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly urged Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon just days before he was eliminated in an Israeli air strike in Beirut, three Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Now, Khamenei is deeply concerned about Israeli infiltration within Tehran’s senior government ranks, the sources said. 

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“Joe Biden has hoped to deter Iran by restraining Israel. Time to take off the handcuffs”

Posted on October 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

FREE PRESS
Let Israel Win the War Iran Started
Eli Lake
October 1, 2024

…Since October 7, we’ve seen a consistent story: The Biden administration views its support for Israel in purely defensive terms, and feels a duty to restrain Israel’s offense. The American hug comes with handcuffs.  And the handcuffs often come with stern admonitions. So Biden arms the Jewish state and professes his support for Israel’s right to defend itself, but there is always a “but.” Israel has a right to self-defense, but it must do more to protect the Palestinian civilians Hamas uses as human shields. Israel has a right to self-defense, but it should not escalate its war against Hezbollah—even as the terror group fires rockets and missiles over Lebanon’s southern border. Israel has a right to self-defense, but it must participate in ceasefire talks that Hamas has boycotted. Israel has a right to self-defense, but there is no way it can enter its enemy’s last stronghold in Gaza without unacceptable casualties. Put another way, Israel has a right to fight its enemies to a tie. READ MORE

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