Three Months of War
Israelis are Reacting with Resilience
Over the weekend, I finished reading a collection of essays, poems and words of Torah written by people in response to the unfathomable injury of October 7. Edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor, “Am Yisrael Chai, Volume 2”, contains raw and immediate reactions to the trauma of the attack on our people and the profoundly disappointing reaction of much of the world, much of which is silent or siding with our enemies.
The book includes two excellent pieces by Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, who was serving as interim rabbi at my synagogue, Kehillat Beth Israel of Ottawa when the book was published. One section of the book is devoted to testimonies by members of a solidarity delegation who visited Israel from the New York Metro region in the weeks immediately after the start of the war.
I know that we are all still processing what happened and how the world has changed. This book is a useful resource for us as we deal with the misinformation and one sided coverage on the daily news, the spreading anti-Jewish violence here in Canada, in the United States and in Europe.
Image: Cover of Am Yisrael Chai, Volume 2, Edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Things You Should Know About Hamas
The news coming out of Gaza is fragmentary, due to the IDF’s need for operational security, and in this vacuum, much of what we are hearing is curated by organizations who are to a greater or lesser extent under Hamas influence. Still, if we pay attention to the details, that are released we can form a picture of the how the lives of Gazans were harnessed to the evil objectives of the terrorist group that dominated every aspect of their lives.
An article on January 6 in Times of Israel looked into five individuals who are on an American terror watch list for their role in channeling money to Hamas. Based in Sudan, Turkey and Qatar, these men manage Hamas assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars and obtain money from Islamist groups and hostile governments. Allegedly, Israeli and American intelligence knew about their activities, but were convinced that Hamas was moderating and did nothing to try to disrupt these financial networks. The US is now offering $10,000,000 for information that will lead to their capture.
On January 5, another Times of Israel story has an interview with Nili Margalit, who was released from Hamas captivity during the truce in November. She said that fellow captive Yarden Bibas was forced by his Hamas captors to make a video blaming the Israeli government for the deaths of his wife and two children. The true fate of the Bibas family is still unknown.
In this war update published on January 6, there is a report that IDF troops fought with Hamas fighters who were hiding in a school in Bani Suheila on the outskirts of Khan Younis. In the school, soldiers found weapons, ammunition and intelligence after routing the enemy.
In today’s edition of her daily Blog, Israeli writer Naomi Ragen reported that Hamas are using children to do damage assessments, and bring intelligence back to Hamas leaders hiding under ground, knowing that Israelis will not stop them or shoot them.
Throughout the war, the IDF has found military infrastructure everywhere, in hospitals, schools, mosques and private residences. This report from November 9 is just one example. In the past few days, the IDF reported the demolition of an extensive tunnel network that was built under a northern Gaza beach resort.
In spite of resistance from Hamas, the IDF reports steady progress. They say that the Hamas command structure has been destroyed in Northern Gaza and that remaining Hamas units there are now fighting sporadically without commanders. 8500 Hamas members are reported dead and a total of 14,000 have been taken out of action. In the centre and south the Hamas leadership is hiding amidst a dense population of displaced people in a large network of tunnels that have not yet been reached by the IDF.
If you are a paid subscriber, you can leave a comment. If you aren’t yet a paid subscriber, why not become one now? I’d be most grateful if you would.
My family in Israel is celebrating today as they welcome a soldier home for a few days of leave after he spent the last three months at war. He has had a chance to see his baby daughter for the first time in many weeks.
I am working on plans to get to Israel myself in the coming weeks. I will let you know when and where as the date gets closer.
I’d like to thank the new subscribers who have joined since the beginning of the year, and the many others who have taken the time to read what we are writing here at Canadian Zionist Forum. I’m pleased to report that one of the articles published on the site has now been viewed over 1000 times. Several others have over 900 views.
If you aren’t yet a subscriber, you can become one by selecting the button below.
The initial shock of the attacks on Oct 7th has worn off, but the waves of sadness and distress continue for me and many here that I know. I'm very happy to hear that there was some family time among your relatives in Israel - I know that that is ongoing for many families there - and that simchas continue in Israel, even as soldiers in Gaza face hardship, trauma and even death. Am Yisrael Chai.
When I sent this article out I referred to the husband of the Bibas family which is still held in Gaza as Dror Bibas. In fact his name is Yarden. I've corrected the post and apologize for the error.