Tag Archives: IDF

The Ballad for the Medic is one of the most powerful songs about the IDF. On Yom Hazikaron, IDF Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, the radio is full of songs that have to do with the army, bereavement, and memory. Many of these songs are very …

In brief, this crazy: On Monday, the IDF identified a tunnel from Gaza that had entered Israel. It was under active construction, and not simply left over from before 2014. Beginning in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, it extended “dozens of meters” into Israel – headed towards Kibbutz Kissufim two …

On April 24th Israelis will commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.  This is not the same date as the International Holocaust Memorial Day.  This date was chosen to emphasize the place of the Holocaust in the story of the Jewish people. We do this by first celebrating Passover.  One week later, we …

Were that I had only good news to report.  But painfully this is not the case.  And in a situation such as we are facing now, the good news, which does exist, must wait. There seems no end to this: In the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem today (Sunday) a …

Coming from the United States, I remember Memorial Day as the day we had to move our car to the side street if we didn’t want to get blocked in by the parade.  Old men in uniforms…I didn’t know the word veterans or what that meant…police, marching bands. Across the …

Towards a New Law of War  is the subject of a conference currently being held by Shurat Hadin, the Israeli Law Center, founded and run by the amazing Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. Current laws of warfare are outdated, she explained in her introductory remarks.  The Geneva Conventions never envisioned the asymmetrical warfare that …

 Israel Advocacy Update. Written by Emily Gian. Media and Advocacy Director, Zionist Federation of Australia.. The moment I heard about the devastating earthquake in Nepal, I knew that one of the first countries to put its hand up to offer assistance would be Israel. The IDF and other Israeli rescue …

In memory of the 67 brave soldiers who died before they could celebrate 67 years of Independence… One of my roles when I worked for the Zionist Council of Victoria was to put together the booklet for the Yom Hazikaron ceremony, which takes place every year the night before Yom …

All is quiet in the north now. There are those who think it’s just a matter of time until we are attacked again, and that we are certainly closer to major hostilities than we were before this most recent attack.  That something major is coming down the road, at some …

Yesterday, four rockets were launched from a Syrian-held position roughly seven kilometers inside of Syria; two of the rockets landed in the Israeli Golan Heights.  They landed in open areas and there were no casualties.  Military sources identified this as a joint effort of Hezbollah and Syrian forces; the IDF …

As usual there’s a great deal to read here from Arlene and some important information too regarding Hamas, so please click on links to read further. The Chanukah week, which is now closing, was a blessing.  Now, invigorated, I see that it is time to return to the serious and …

I used to cook in some pretty good restaurants back east when I was a tad younger. For a while I wore a toque and reduced veal stock into glace de viande and did things like eviscerate soft-shelled crabs for evening service. In my estimation, as a former professional cook, Anthony …

  Sukkot. “v’samachta bechagecha”: and you shall rejoice in your festival. This is it, Sukkot, our season of rejoicing.  My very favorite holiday.  The spirit is in the air, here in Jerusalem.  I look forward to meals in the Sukkah (much larger than the illustration here!), and sleeping in the …

Close readers of this blog may know that it has shamelessly claimed for itself credit for coining the phrase “dead baby strategy” to describe the standing plan of the ruling Gaza authorities of the day, whoever and wherever they may be on the day and that is by no means necessarily …

So, What Did We Win? Operation Protective Edge is apparently over. Terrific. In a recent piece for Israel Thrives and Jews Down Under entitled, Netanyahu and the West Doom Israel to Perpetual War, I argued that US and western pressure to let up on Hamas in Gaza inclined Netanyahu to accept …

Given the unflattering outcomes of “Protective Edge”, govt spokespersons & unofficial apologists tried to put a brave face on things, to assure us that what we got was the best we could get. Canard: false or unfounded report or story… a groundless rumor or belief – Merriam-Webster Dictionary Upon the …

A young soldier speaks of his experience in Gaza. He’s not a trained spokesman; not a propagandist. He’s simply one soldier who was called to fight and did what he had to do. You’d have to be blind to think he is not sincere – both in his determination to …

In spite of decidedly negative news I must address, below, I want to first share some very positive reports. We start with Ari Abramowitz – a host on Israel Inspired Radio and former co-host of Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem – who wrote a Tisha B’Av message from his unit, …

Written by Emily Gian. Media and Advocacy Director, Zionist Federation of Australia. Over the past four weeks since Operation Protective Edge began, we have been subjected to images shrouded by the fog of war. We hear stories of destruction in Gaza, plumes of fire, rockets and missiles, dead bodies. A cartoon from …

I begin with some very essential observations that go to the heart of Israel’s situation, observations that are broadly recognized among Jews here in Israel, but are not grasped by many – Jews and non-Jews alike – in the Western world: How heavy, then, is the burden on the shoulders …