ϟ Yom Yerushalayim
Today we celebrate one of the greatest miracles of recent years. After 2000 away from our eternal capital, the holy city of Jerusalem, our soldiers recaptured it in what can only be described as one of the most miraculous wars ever, the Six Day War.
Yom Yerushalayim is the day when we rejoice in our country, our capital city and appreciate the presents that Hashem gave to us. We are able to pray at the Kotel Hamaaravi, the Western Wall and we are once again able to live and learn in the city which is steeped in thousands of years of our people’s history.
It is a day of true celebrations and thanksgiving to Hashem.
Chag Sameach
Teen Beats Cancer, Joins IDF:
At the age of 14, Reut Bernard from Rishon Lezion was diagnosed with cancer. She survived her battle and volunteered to serve in the IDF. Today, she helps young cancer patients cope.Here’s the full story.
IDF soldiers thwart terrorist activity along Gaza Strip security fence
During routine security activity, IDF soldiers recognize terrorists approaching the fence and open fire, hits were not recognized though the terrorists dispersed
Date: 17/05/2012, 2:58 PM Author: IDF Website
IDF soldiers recognized terrorists that approached the Gaza Strip security fence earlier today, Thursday (May 17). The soldiers opened fire at the terrorists, a hit was not recognized though the terrorists dispersed. No injuries were reported.
Terrorists approach the security fence in order to place explosives, plan terror attacks, and attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers, endangering Israeli civilians and security forces stationed in the region.
In the beginning of the month IDF soldiers were fired at during routine operational activity along the Gaza Strip security fence. No injuries were reported, though damage was caused to two armored vehicles. The attackers most likely fired at the soldiers using a rocket propelled grenade (RPG). In response to the fire, IAF aircraft and armored forces fired at the suspicious areas.
IDF holds joint earthquake simulation drill with U.S. Army
The IDF’s National Rescue Unit and the Indiana National Guard held the joint exercise in order to share knowledge and prepare for natural disasters
Date: 16/05/2012, 3:17 PM Author: Daniel Temkin
The IDF’s National Rescue Unit (NRU) and the Indiana National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) held a joint exercise in Jerusalem on Tuesday night (May 15), simulating the rescue of civilians from rubble following an earthquake.
The exercise was designed to allow the Israeli and American militaries to share valuable information in order to increase their effectiveness in dealing with natural disasters and to prepare for such real-life scenarios in which they may need to cooperate.
“The goal of this exercise is to exchange practices, to understand how the NRU performs their search and rescue and how Indiana and their Search and Extraction Unit operate. And by doing a joint operation, we will be able to understand how each operates and gain knowledge of how you operate and how we operate,” Lt. Col. Eric Von Hoven, the commander of the Indiana National Guard’s CERFP, told the IDF Website. “We want to get that understanding so that if there’s ever a situation where we are in the same place, we can understand each other and work together on the scene, to help that situation, to help save lives and to reduce pain and suffering.”
“We’re working together to improve our skills. Certainly the Americans have a lot to learn from the Israelis, because they’re kind of the specialists. This is their expertise, and we’re trying to acquire that so that we can respond to these sorts of disasters and save lives,” Staff Sgt. James Bowie of the Indiana CERFP explained to the IDF Website.
The drill took place in the rubble of a three-story building, simulating an Israeli building destroyed by an earthquake. The leaders of both the American and Israeli units met and examined the floor plan of the destroyed building, planning the rescue operation so as to safely check every room of the building for casualties.
Meanwhile, the Israeli and American soldiers cooperated to rescue the “injured” - Israeli soldiers who pretended to be trapped in the rubble. Soldiers cleared away rubble and climbed through the building in search of casualties. The “injured” were brought out on stretchers, some of them lowered on ladders from what remained of the building’s upper floors.
“In terms of the medical part of this drill, we’re doing a few things,” said Maj. Dan Nemet, chief physician of the NRU. “First, we do a medical triage. We take all wounded people, we determine who should we treat first and who can be delayed, and then we start treating them by the order of emergency. Then, we take them out of the site and we make sure that they’re evacuated to hospitals.”
The IDF’s National Rescue Unit consists entirely of volunteers in the reserves. They train for rescue missions both in Israel and abroad, and they have taken part in saving lives following earthquakes in Turkey, Haiti, and Japan. This unit holds joint exercises with units from the U.S. military annually.
“The cooperation between the Americans and us has been ongoing for a number of years,” explained Brig. Gen. Shalom Ben-Aryeh, commander of the NRU. “It arose out of our desire and theirs to facilitate cooperation in this humanitarian activity. Our cooperation was strengthened three years ago following mutual visits. This year, we will visit the U.S. in order to see them in their normal work environment.
