Our official pronouncements, videos, prayers and content related to the conflict against terrorist organization Hamas that have erupted in Israel in October 2023.

Israel at War

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We are heartbroken by the disturbing and devastating news about the recovered bodies of the six [brutally] murdered hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi; Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lubnov, and Carmel Gat z”l.

Israel at War | Statement on the recovery of the bodies of the murdered hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza

jppi-essential-guide-to-october-7th-and-its-aftermath.pdf

The war that was forced upon us on October 7 affects not only Israel and Israeli society but the Worldwide Jewish Community due to the rise in Antisemitism worldwide. We invite you to explore more aspects of Israel current situation and the events that have unfolded since October 7 in historical and ideological context.

The Essential Guide To October 7th And Its Aftermath

As we approach the 100th day since Hamas' brutal attack on Israel, Masorti and MERCAZ Olami reaffirm their commitment to help free the 136 hostages still held by the terrorist group and support their families, and appeal to the mitzvah of Pidion Shvuim (פִּדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִים - literally: redemption of captives), so that the situation remains the priority of the Government of Israel.

Israel at War | We call for the immediate release of the hostages

Israel at War | Statement on the Rocket Strike in Majdal Shams

Israel at War | Statement on the Israeli Security Forces' Hostage Rescue Operation

Dr. Micah Goodman — a distinguished author and research fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem — said, in mid-October 2023, “I’m asking the lovers of Israel to make a neder now. To make a neder, to make a vow that, weeks and months from now, you will stand with us. You will stand with us when we hit, and not only when we get hit.”

My wife and I were in Israel during the first three weeks of Israel’s war against Hamas, visiting with my son, daughter-in-law, and four Israeli grandchildren.

During those traumatic days, President Joe Biden visited Jerusalem. It was a powerful demonstration of support. The president joined with other Western leaders in expressing horror about Hamas’s ISIS-style massacre of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250 others.

Instinctively, the leaders knew that Jews “being hit” were worthy of universal support.

Article | Israel Needs Steadfast Diaspora Support Not Only When It Is Being Hit

Joe Biden and Anthony Blinken have accused Israel of “indiscriminate” bombing of Gazan cities, a violation of international law. Biden has condemned the Israeli self-defense war effort as “over the top,” unacceptable, Blinken insists that Israeli soldiers are illegally “humiliating” the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. Biden and Blinken have found willing allies in the media. As but one example, a front-page story in the January 2 issue of “The Wall Street Journal” was titled “Gaza’s Destruction Stands Out in Modern History.” It asserts that Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip “is generating destruction comparable in scale to the most devastating urban warfare in the modern record.” Is this true?

Article | Is Israel’s approach toward dismantling Hamas ‘over the top’?

Kfar Aza kibbutz after Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Article | Denialism of October 7 as a Hamas weapon

The ruins of Dresden in 1945. Facing south from the town hall ('Rathaus') tower. Photo some time between 17 September 1945 and 31 December 1945 (CC Deutsche Fotothek via Wikimedia)

My wife Robin and I returned this past week from a 5-day volunteer mission to Israel, organized and implemented by the JNF. We were part of a larger delegation of some 250 people from our region, including 12 from our synagogue, Bnai Shalom, in West Orange, New Jersey. The mission took place in the last week of January. Robin and I stayed on for a week afterwards to visit with close family and friends, and further experience the reality of what life in Israel is like right now, in the midst of a painful war.

Article | Why Visiting Israel Matters… Right Now

What, according to international law, is “occupation”? Land acquired as the result of an unjust warfare — a war of aggression — is characterized as “occupied territory.” This has been the case in China’s conquest and continued occupation of Tibet since 1950, Turkey’s conquest and occupation of one third of Cyprus since the early 1970s, and Russia’s conquest and occupation of Crimea in 2014, to name a few examples.

Article | Why Israeli ‘occupation’ of the West Bank and Gaza has lasted since 1967 

Thirty years ago, in his book “A Place Among the Nations,” Bibi Netanyahu observed that even beyond its army, its technological advances, and its service to global humanitarian causes, “Israel’s great shield…was its moral stature.” Natan Sharansky noted that Israel’s enemies have sought to erode its moral stature by demonizing and thus delegitimizing the existence of the one Jewish state.

Article | Is Zionism racism?

A popular canard leveled against Israel and Zionism is that of allegedly being rooted in “settler-colonialism.”

Rabbi Bradley Artson, dean and vice-president of Conservative Judaism’s Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies, posted a blog entry, in which he lamented:

“This week I have been inundated by hateful and violent antisemitic email and text messages telling me that I should go back to Germany (which I never came from). I should go back to Russia (which I was kicked out of). I should go back to wherever I should go back to, that we Jews have no rights to the Land of Israel, that we are ‘colonizers,’ even though there has been continuous Jewish living in the Land of Israel from 2,800 years ago.”

Article | Israel does not meet the definition of settler-colonialism

Anti-Defamation League executive director emeritus Abraham Foxman defines “apartheid” as “the system of racial segregation enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994….” The system featured “second-class enclaves where relatively powerless people were forced to live together, often in abject poverty.”

Article | Does Israel practice apartheid against its Arab and other non-Jewish citizens?

Day after day, news reports document Israeli air strikes against Hamas targets inside Gaza. Pro-Hamas demonstrators gain coverage by disrupting airports, Christmas tree lightings, Jewish institutional life. Anti-Israel politicians and civic leaders conduct headlining protests. To the consumer of current events, concern mounts that American citizens will turn against the Jewish state in its war of survival with Iran-sponsored terror groups.

Article | Are Americans abandoning Israel?

We are living in a historic moment. Undoubtedly, October 7 marks an important milestone in Israel's history. The impact of the events of the so-called “Black Shabbat” generated a deep trauma in Israeli society, not comparable to other tragic events in the history of our country. It is essential to see the changes that this trauma generates in the life of Israel. Israel is redesigning itself; Israel is not the same as it was on October 6; Israel must rehabilitate itself and include these changes in its renewed identity. I want to share with you 10 points of change that, in my opinion, will influence the construction of a different State of Israel.

Article | On the Way to a New Israel?

The Israeli motto of the moment is #BringThemHomeNow, translated to or from the Hebrew, “Machzirim otam ha-bye’tah akhshav.” But the Hebrew and English are not exactly the same, and the difference is instructive.

The English, perhaps a call to the world, is a demand of others: do whatever you – diverse government, civic, and faith leaders, influencers – can do to bring the hostages home. But the Hebrew is more profound – it actually means, “We are bringing them home now.”

It is a Zionist message. We are not delegating this sacred task to others. We are asking and are grateful for the help of others, but we are not relying upon others. We hope the world has learned the lessons of the past, in which the abandonment of the Jews was considered politically correct, but if we are, God forbid, reverting to being a “people that dwells alone” (Numbers 29:3), then we will do what we need to do.

This is the promise of Israel, Zionism, and the IDF: the Jewish people will never again be powerless. 

Article | Back from Israel: A love letter of worry, mourning, pride, and resolve

Hamas supporters have accused Israel of genocide.

(...) In contrast, the number of Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza has grown since 1967 — when Israel assumed administrative control — from fewer than two million to 5.5 million today.

For example, there were 350,000 Arabs living in Gaza in 1967; in 2023 there are more than 2.3 million.

Article | Has Israel been committing genocide against the Palestinian people?

When I discuss the war pitting Israel against Hamas — and the worldwide reaction to it — people often ask: “Why is there so much antisemitism/anti-Zionism on American campuses?”

Here are few points to consider gleaned from a variety of podcasts and essays:

Campus antisemitism is the culmination of a 25-year process, says journalist Gary Wexler. Wexler has documented the birth of what has become “the brilliant Palestinian plan to capture the pliable minds of American college students.”

Article | The evolution of campus antisemitism

The latest extensive national poll in November, conducted by NBC, led to headlines reporting a decline in support for Joe Biden in a head-to-head presidential face-off with Donald Trump.

This fall-off is attributed by “Progressive” analysts to 70 percent of folks ages 18-34 “disapproving” of Biden’s handling of the war in the Middle East.

Are Americans-at-large turning against the Jewish state? Are they in favor of Hamas?

Article | Is public support eroding for Israel in its battle with Hamas?

The rise in antisemitism and impact on our worldwide Masorti/Conservative communities

Since October 7, our communities have been glued to media outlets, trying to understand what is happening in Israel and how they could help. When the IDF started attacking the Gaza Strip, there was a shift in public opinion, and the number of antisemitic incidents increased dramatically. Hear more about the impact on our communities from: 

• Shuly Rubin Schwartz, JTS Chancellor (New York, USA)
• Rabbi Fabián Skornik (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
• Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg (London, UK)
• Rabbi Gesa Ederberg (Berlin, Germany)

→ Facilitated by Dr. Yizhar Hess, WZO Vice Chairman

-- Monday, November 27, at 7 pm (Israel time) --

Israel at War

Our official pronouncements, videos, prayers and content related to the conflict against terrorist organization Hamas that have erupted in Israel in October 2023.

Israel at War | Statement on the recovery of the bodies of the murdered hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza

September 1st, 2024

The Essential Guide To October 7th And Its Aftermath

August 4th, 2024

Israel at War | Statement on the Rocket Strike in Majdal Shams

July 28th, 2024

Israel at War | Statement on the Israeli Security Forces' Hostage Rescue Operation

June 9th, 2024

Article | Israel Needs Steadfast Diaspora Support Not Only When It Is Being Hit

April 16th, 2024

Article | Denialism of October 7 as a Hamas weapon

March 13th, 2024

Article | Is Israel’s approach toward dismantling Hamas ‘over the top’?

March 1st, 2024

Article | Why Visiting Israel Matters… Right Now

February 11th, 2024

Article | Why Israeli ‘occupation’ of the West Bank and Gaza has lasted since 1967

February 7th, 2024

Article | Is Zionism racism?

January 31st, 2024

Article | Israel does not meet the definition of settler-colonialism

January 25th, 2024

Article | Does Israel practice apartheid against its Arab and other non-Jewish citizens?

January 21st, 2024

Article | Are Americans abandoning Israel?

January 14th, 2024

Israel at War | We call for the immediate release of the hostages

January 11th, 2024

Article | On the Way to a New Israel?

January 2nd, 2024

Article | Back from Israel: A love letter of worry, mourning, pride, and resolve

December 31st, 2023

Article | Has Israel been committing genocide against the Palestinian people?

December 21st, 2023

Article | The evolution of campus antisemitism

December 14th, 2023

Article | Is public support eroding for Israel in its battle with Hamas?

November 30th, 2023

Special Briefing: The rise in antisemitism and impact on our worldwide Masorti/ Conservative communities

November 27th, 2023

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Article | Why Israeli ‘occupation’ of the West Bank and Gaza has lasted since 1967 