Stand for Israel

Another terror plot averted

Four Jordanians arrested in Jordan in April had planned to perpetrate terror attacks in Israel in retaliation for Operation Cast Lead, DPA reported on Wednesday.

Read More...

Netanyahu cancels France visit

In response to inflammatory remarks about Israel by a spokesman from France's Foreign Ministry, the Israeli Prime Minister has changed his travel plans:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cancelled a meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy scheduled for next week, reportedly amid anger at France for its position on the final status of Jerusalem.

Additionally, sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu wanted to distance his recent - and highly publicized - meeting with US President Barack Obama from his relations with European countries.

Israel's compromise

(CBS/AP)  Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank in the next few weeks if the U.S. drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements, officials said.

Read More... 

Another tragedy averted

Yesterday, on the anniversary of Jerusalem Day, we heard about the foiled plot to bomb a Jewish community center and a synagogue in the Bronx.  Today, the JPost reported on a plot to bomb two synagogues in Brazil:

Police seized Nazi literature, knives and three homemade explosive devices earlier this week they said were to have been set off at least two synagogues in the city of Porto Alegre, according to police Inspector Paulo Cesar Jardim.

"I have no doubt that we have aborted a major tragedy," he said.

Thank G-d for protecting these Jewish communities.

A Message from the Rabbi

A message from Rabbi Eckstein about Jerusalem Day:

Every year Israel marks Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day - the commemoration of the Holy City's miraculous liberation during 1967's Six Day War. This year's celebrations will begin tonight at sundown, which corresponds to the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyyar.

In the months prior to the '67 War, Israel's neighbors peppered her with extreme threats and provocations. In May, Egypt blocked the straits of Tiran, putting a stranglehold on shipping in and out of Israel's crucially important port in the southern city of Eilat. The combined armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon were poised for attack on the borders of the tiny Jewish state (which was then only 9 miles wide at its narrowest point). "The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified," Iraqi President Abdel Rahman announced, making their intentions clear in no uncertain terms: "This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy that has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear — to wipe Israel off the map."

Israel's choices were plain: She could wait for the armies that vastly outnumbered her own to invade or to fight back in self-defense. Knowing that her very existence was in peril, she chose the latter course. The resulting battle, now known as the Six Day War, ended in a stunning victory for Israel that led to the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule.

Read more...

Terror attacks foiled in NY

Police and the FBI have foiled a plot to bomb a Jewish Center and synagogue in New York:

"We are Jews and we have a strong connection with Israel; we know what terrorism is; we experienced terror up-close on September 11, but we never imagined that it would end up on our doorstep," he [David Winter, Exec. Director of the Riverdale Jewish Center] said.

The four men had planned to detonate a car with plastic explosives outside the Jewish Center and to shoot military planes at the New York Air National Guard base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles, authorities said.

 

Iran testing the limits

Iran claims its Sajjl-2 missile has a range of 1,200 miles, meaning that it would be able to reach Israel and even southeastern Europe:

"Defense Minister (MostafaMohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target," state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran's space program is centered."

...Most Western analysts believe Iran does not yet have the technology to produce nuclear weapons, including warheads for long-range missiles. A group of U.S. and Russian scientists said in a report issued Tuesday that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that.

We can only hope Iran's bark is worse than its bite. There is always the chance that it is using missile tests and open talk of its nuclear ambitions to create fear and doubt among its neighbors and establish itself as a regional power. 

But the world -- and Israel in particular -- cannot afford to underestimate Iran's capabilities. With Iran testing missiles, and the Israeli Air Force practicing MIG-29/F-16 dogfights, we can only pray for the best and have faith in G-d's plan. 

Something Rotten in Austria

I had previously posted about the hotel in Austria that refused to accept Jewish guests. It seems that Austria has had a few other anti-Semitic incidents:

Survivors of the concentration camp Ebensee were shot at and abused as they gathered to remember their liberation on May 10th. Masked neo-Nazi thugs screamed ‘Heil Hitler!’ and ‘This way for the gas!’ at ten elderly Italian men and women, who returned to the site of the concentration camp in Austria. The gang also fired air guns at a group of 15 French survivors, many dressed in the striped pajama-style uniforms they wore as inmates. One suffered a head wound while another was injured by a shot in the neck. Some of the young neo-Nazi perpetrators are now in custody awaiting trial.

 

From the White House

Want to know what was said between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu?

Read here

The Mystery of Menachem

A jug inscribed with the name "Menachem" was found in East Jerusalem.

The discovery was made at the footprint of a new girls' school being constructed in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood in the eastern part of the capital. The handle is estimated to originate somewhere between the Canaanite era (2200 - 1900 B.C.E.) and the end of the first Temple period (the 7th - 8th centuries B.C.E.).

Scientists at the Israel Antiquities Authority are now trying to decipher the identity of the "Menachem," whose name is inscribed in ancient Hebrew.

Scientists are trying to determine if the jug’s "Menachem" was a historical figure. The name means "Comfort" and remains in use today. It is a particularly popular name among Chabad Chassidim, who frequently name children after the late Lubavitsch Rebbe Menachem Mendl Schneerson.