Kotel - Jerusalem by AdlerGuido on Flickr.

Shavuot; finally a holiday for us!  —Insomniacs. (via jacobslinger)

The holiday begins at Sundown on Saturday night.

Happy Shavuot.

vshavubanim:

girlactionfigure:

24-May-12: Terrorism from up close: the past few days

The chronology below picks up where we left off this past Monday [“21-May-12: This is what war by terrorism feels like from up close”]. Like the earlier data, this is based on the Tayar Security Report, compiled by Yehudit Tayar.

Monday May 21, 2012

• Undisclosed location north of Hebron: Israeli vehicles (and their drivers and passengers) pelted with rocks
• Negohot Junction, in the southern Hebron Hills area: Israeli vehicles attacked by rock-throwing Palestinian Arabs 
• Hebron: An IDF checkpost attacked by rock-throwing Palestinian Arabs
• The villages of Turmos Aya and Sen’jal:  Israeli vehicles (and their drivers and passengers) pelted with rocks by Palestinian Arabs
• The Israeli  community of Eli in the Binyamin region: Palestinian Arab residents of the village of Krayot vandalized and destroyed some of Eli’s security equipment 
• Dir Abu Mishal: Two firebombs (Molotov cocktails) hurled at Israeli vehicles 
• Highway 446 near Shokba: Service personnel of the IDF apprehended a Palestinian Arab who placed rocks on the road to blockade it and to endangered Israeli travelers on the road.

Tuesday May 22, 2012

• The synagogue in the community of Tel-Zion in the Binyamin region is vandalized and violated, evidently by Palestinian Arabs. Religious items are stolen. A Torah scroll is destroyed.
• Near the Israeli community of Har Adar on Jerusalem’s northern edge: A fire bomb (Molotov cocktail) and rocks are hurled at a Border Police patrol. A serviceman suffers an injury to his leg.
• Near Tekoa, south of Jerusalem in the Gush Etzion area: Two rock-throwing attacks on Israeli vehicles by Palestinian Arabs.
• The Gush Etzion-to-Hebron road, a major highway, near El Arub: Palestinian Arabs carry out yet another in a long and damaging series of rock-throwing attacks directed at Israeli vehicles and the people inside them 
• Har Gilo, a southern suburb of Jerusalem: An IDF post is attacked by Palestinian Arabs armed with fire-bombs (Molotov cocktails)
• Giti Avisher Junction, near Ariel in the Shomron (Samaria district): Palestinian Arabs carried out a rock-throwing attack on Israeli vehicles. One person is moderately injured.
• Near Negahot in the southern Hebron Hills area: Palestinian Arabs carry out firebomb (Molotov cocktail) attacks on passing Israeli vehicles

Wednesday May 23, 2012

• The vicinity of the Kissufim crossing on Israel’s southern border with the Hams-controlled Gaza Strip: A shooting attack from the Hamas side of the fence results in an IDF officer and a soldier being wounded by fire. Their injuries are moderate to medium; they are evacuated to Soroka Hospital for emergency treatment.
• From the Shabak, the Israeli Secret Service, it is reported that a number of Palestinian Arabs resident in the Hebron area were arrested and investigated for belonging to terrorist cells active in and around Hebron [Haaretz covered it here]. One cell laid explosive devices on the road near Zif Junction. A second planned the abduction of an Israeli resident (any Israeli) of the nearby community of Kiryat Arba. The cells are believed to be responsible for many of proliferating rock attacks on Road 60, the Gush Etzion-to-Hebron highway. The alleged head of the cell, Ma’ataz Kawasma, is a veteran guest of the Israeli prison system.
• Hawara, south of Nablus (Shechem in Hebrew). Palestinian Arabs hurled massive rocks at a passing Israeli vehicle. This mode of deliberate and murderous attack is similar to the one that caused the deaths of Asher Palmer and his year-old infant son Yonatan a year ago. [See “27-Jan-12: Rocks of reality? A postscript”]
• Hawara, south of Nablus (Shechem) again: A unit of the IDF apprehended a Palestinian Arab in possession of a knife and 6 explosive devices.

Thursday May 24, 2012 (today)

• Near Har Harif on Israel’s border with Egypt: A Beduin Arab, apparently smuggling drugs across the border into Israel, was shot by an IDF patrol. He was evacuated to hospital for emergency treatment.

The day is far from over.

ThisOngoingWar

Unfortunately our people never have a break from the terrorism. Our thoughts and prayers are always with our people and our country.

ϟ Sefirat HaOmer

Tonight we count the 48th day of the Omer, the second last night. Jews all over the world have been counting down from Pesach, the time of Yetziat Mitzrayim, the time when the Jewish people became a nation until the 6th of Sivan, the date of Matan Torah, the revelation at Sinai, when the Jewish nation became G-d’s nation, an am kadosh.
This is an incredibly significant period in the Jewish calendar and we hope that we should all merit to fulfill the commandments that we will receive once again this year on Shavuot.
Good job to all our followers that have counted up until tonight and don’t forget to count tonight and tomorrow night :)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Wednesday, 23 May 2012), at his official residence, dedicated the Prime Minister’s Tanakh Study Circle in memory of Shmuel Ben-Artzi, the late father of Sara Netanyahu, who also participated in the circle. Mr. Ben-Artzi, who passed away last November, was a Tanakh teacher and researcher.

The Tanakh Study Circle renews a tradition started by Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and which was continued by its sixth, Menachem Begin.

At the start of the first lesson of the renewed Tanakh Study Circle, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Ben-Gurion and Begin believed that the Tanakh should be the heritage of the entire nation – secular and religious, young and old, men and women. The Tanakh is the foundation of our existence. It unites the Jewish People, as it has throughout the generations. It also serves not only as a foundation but also as a map and compass. The Tanakh is always relevant vis-à-vis today’s problems and challenges. It inspires, it is a source of life for our people and I think that it is important to expand Tanakh study and love of the Tanakh among all parts of the nation. This is also the goal of this circle. I am certain that thanks to the researchers, rabbis and learned men and women here, who know and love the Tanakh, we will enrich our common knowledge.”

Here at EY, we wholeheartedly support PM Netanyahu’s renewal of this beautiful tradition. We see the Torah as our primary and most important connection to the Land of Israel.

Yasher Koach Bibi! 

Today in History: 
1991 - Operation Solomon airlift of Ethiopian Jewry
Almost the entire Jewish Ethiopian community was repatriated to Israel in the largest air-train in the history of Israel. The top-secret operation saw 34 planes, going on 41 sorties to bring to Israel some 14,400 Ethiopian Jews.

“Operation ‘Shlomo’ truly represented what Zionism is, and demonstrated the purpose of the State of Israel: providing a house and a shelter to Jews from all around the world who suffered and were prosecuted merely for bearing the Jewish religion”, said the Air force commander of the time, Maj. Gen. Avihu Ben-Nun.

Photo: GPO

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

ϟ Day Of Distinction

On the first day of Sivan in the year 2448 (Jewish calendar), only seven weeks after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the Wilderness of Sinai. On the desert plain around the mountain, they set up camp and watched as Moses set off toward the mountain to hear God’s will.

Read More

(Source: jewishtreats.org)

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You could feel it coming. Everyone was waiting for the date to arrive.  The main festivities started with a march from Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, where 8 young bnei torah were horrifically murdered four years ago by a Palestinian terrorist over their yeshivah. Since the massacre, a tradition started to walk from the yeshivah to the Kotel. At the yeshiavh, hundreds of people packed in for the Tefilot Chagigit, and then the dancing started. A couple of people had bongo drums, the march was directed by men with megaphones leading the singing with the songs, leading the hundreds of people clad in Israeli and Jerusalem flags, waving them on poles. This scene sent a chill down my spine, realizing what we were celebrating.

In 1967, after six days of non stop fighting, Jerusalem was released from Jordanian rule to Israeli rule, marking the first time Jerusalem was under Jewish rule since biblical times. We were celebrating Freedom. Celebrating and exercising our right to pray at the Western Wall, to be able to do what so many before us were not able to do for so long. Marching and dancing through the streets of Jerusalem arm in arm with random people, all my brothers not physically, but spiritually. We marched to show that this is OUR city. We need to treasure what we have, understand the importance of it, and take advantage of this privilege.

After dancing and praying at the kotel all night, there was a large vatikin (sunrise) minyan for shacharit. It was incredible to be at the kotel praying as you can see the sun light up the Jerusalem stone buildings, turning it golden. I guess that’s where the name of the song ‘yerushalayim shel zahav’ (jerusalem of gold) came from.

At around 4.30 in the afternoon there was the main march to the Kotel, much larger than the night before, down King George street towards Damascus Gate, passing through the Arab quarter to get to the Wall. Thousands of Jews joined in the celebrations and even more joined along the way.  Different types of people.  Ashkenazim, Sephardim, even some members of the more Charedi community. All were there to celebrate our ownership and freedom to live in Jerusalem. Many were groups from their respective yeshivot, wearing t-shirts with the name and slogan of their school to show where they originated. As we passed the final bend and saw the kotel, in all its majestic beauty, we erupted in song with the words ‘Yibane Hamikdash, Ir Tzion Temaleh’ – (Build the Temple and the city of Zion) and it was magical. We arrived at sunset, so the golden effect was still going. There was a stage set up and a band so everyone started dancing. I wrote a prayer to G-d for many things, but primarily for success and good health for those whom I care about and to bring the final peace to the world. It was an incredible 24 hours and an amazing day, a whirlwind of emotion.

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