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‘Memory is the only (place) from which you cannot be expelled’
Dec. 22, 2014-Dec. 26, 2014, Vol. 22, No. 251W, 2014-12-22-2014-12-26
A trusted source for Israeli news and information since 1993
All the news the big guys missed. ISSN 1074-2255 Access the new and improved archival site at www.israelfaxx.com
Editor: Don Canaan The Villages, FL 32159 E-mail: dcanaan (at) israelfaxx (dot) com
Welcome to the Israel News Faxx Weekly Edition
for Dec. 22, 2014-Dec. 26, 2014
incorporating news, features and opinion
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Shots fired at Paris kosher restaurant
Iron Dome installed at Be’er Sheva, Netivot, Israel buys 4 missile corvettes from Germany to defend gas fields
Islamic State militants using sex to lure recruits
Netanyahu tells new IAF pilots that the fire of radical Islam
is lapping at our borders
Israel’s foreign ministry workers will be learning Persian
Hitler used a U.S. PR firm during the ‘30s. Today, terrorists
are also doing that (Op-Ed by Ronn Torassian)
In Bethlehem, Christmas eve scuffling caps a tense year
Thousand of young Jews arrive in Israel for winter Birthright trip
Israel halts production of gas masks
$20 million Coca Cola factory to be built in terrorist-led Gaza
Anger in Israel after ‘Homeland’ compares Begin to a terrorist
BBC TV chief ‘deeply troubled” by UK anti-Semitism
Hundreds witness Jerusalem Chanukah miracle
Netanyahu receives hefty donations from American patrons
Israel’s Bank Leumi to pay $400 million for U.S. tax settlement
Leaked files reveal how CIA instructed agents on methods to keep
their cover at Ben Gurion airport
Israel says airstrike in Gaza is a warning to Hamas
Syria claims it shot down an Israel drone
Hamas TV: Young boy calls Jews ‘barbaric apes’
Medics: Beware ‘killer’ jelly doughnuts
Suspected Islamic attack on Australian cafe
Lead dreidels are discovered beneath Vilna ghetto
A new dreidel record is set in Tel Aviv
The Iran bomb song
‘ Memory is the only (place) from which you cannot be expelled ’
Dec. 22, 2014 Vol. 22, No. 247 (2014_12_22)
A trusted source for Israeli news and
information since 1993
All the news the big guys missed. ISSN 1074-2255 Access the new and improved archival site at www.israelfaxx.com
Editor: Don Canaan The Villages, FL 32159 E-mail: dcanaan (at) israelfaxx (dot) com
Israel: Gaza Airstrike Is Syria Claims It Shot Down an Israeli Drone
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Warning to Hamas
Syria said on Sunday that an Israeli drone had been brought down in the province of Quneitra near the Israelioccupied Golan Heights. State media said the drone was flying above the village of Hadar when it was downed.
Tensions are rising on the Israeli border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Israel According to the report, which appeared on Hizbullah’s Al-Manar television and on official Syrian TV, an
said its first airstrike on Gaza since the 50-day war months ago is a warning to the "unmanned aircraft of the Zionist regime was downed over the skies of Quneitra, close to the border."
Islamic terrorist group Hamas, after Palestinians fired a rocket across the border.
In response, the IDF said, according to Channel 2 News, that "the IDF does not respond to foreign reports.” Later
The rocket did not cause any injuries or damage and it may have been fired by a renegade Sunday, the IDF spokesperson said it was “unaware of any unmanned aircraft that was shot down in the Golan.”
group. But Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Hamas rules Gaza, and therefore, it
is responsible. He warned Hamas firing even one rocket at Israel will not be tolerated. The report comes two weeks after Syria accused Israel of carrying out airstrikes against two governmentHamas is defiant, even though it took a severe beating during the seven-week war. More held areas in Damascus province. After the alleged Israeli airstrikes, Arab media outlets reported that the
than 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza were killed and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed. airstrikes targeted Syrian military sites that were being used to store arms destined for Hizbullah.
By Robert Berger VOA News, Israel Hayom & Reuters
Describing the Israeli airstrike as a dangerous escalation, Hamas threatened to Shortly after the strikes, rumors circulated the sites - including Damascus International Airport
retaliate.The group’s spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, warned Israel against further air and the Dimas airbase - were being used to store sophisticated weapons, including Russian-made
strikes and called for the international community to restrain Israel. The tit-for-tat S300 surface-to-air missiles.
attacks and intensifying rhetoric have raised fears of a new round of conflict.
Israeli officials have remained tight-lipped, as in previous apparently Israeli strikes against
Despite the escalation, tensions eased on Gaza’s other border. Egypt opened the "game-changing" arms destined for Hizbullah. But speaking to Kol Yisrael radio a day after the
Rafah border crossing on Sunday for the first time in nearly two months. Rafah is alleged airstrikes, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz appeared to allude to the strikes, and
the only crossing not controlled by Israel that provides a connection between reiterated that Israel would prevent sophisticated arms from reaching the hands of terrorists.
Gaza’s 1.8 million Palestinians and the outside world.
Syria, for its part, demanded that the United Nations impose sanctions on Israel in response to what it termed “the
The border terminal will be opened for two days as a humanitarian gesture, but it does not signal a Israeli aggression on the Syrian soil.” In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN
thaw in ties between Egypt and Hamas. Cairo shut the crossing in late October after Islamic Security Council, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Israel “has committed a heinous crime against the sovermilitants in the Sinai Peninsula killed 33 Egyptian soldiers. Egypt believes the militants were eignty of Syria as Israeli warplanes attacked two safe areas in al-Dimas and near Damascus International Airport
in Damascus Countryside, causing material damage in a number of institutions there.”
assisted by Hamas in Gaza, a group with close ties to Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
In response to the Hamas rocket fired earlier in the day on Friday, the Israeli Air Force struck a The letter claimed, as Syria has done in the past, that “the attack is in the framework of extending
Hamas terrorist site in the Gaza Strip on Friday night. The rocket attack marked the third time help and support to the armed terrorist groups in Syria, especially after the series of achievements
made by the Syrian army in Deir Ezzor, Aleppo, Daraa and other areas.”
terrorists have fired a rocket into Israel since Operation Protective Edge ended in August.
The Qassam rocket exploded in the Eshkol region near the Gaza border. Remnants of the rocket
were found by Israeli security forces several hours later. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Hamas TV: Boy Calls Jews 'Barbaric Apes'
By IsraelNationalNews.com
At a Chanukah candle lighting ceremony with IDF soldiers at the Western Wall on
Saturday night, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, "Israel's security takes
precedence over everything and I will not ignore the firing of even one rocket;
therefore, the air force responded to this firing by destroying a cement factory that
served to rebuild the tunnels that we hit in Operation Protective Edge. Hamas bears
the responsibility for any escalation. We will safeguard Israel's security."
In a recent children's television show (The
show aired on Al-Aqsa TV on Dec. 5, 2014)
sponsored by the terrorist organization Hamas,
a young boy was asked to a send a message to
the enemy. He responded by reciting a poem
titled "I Do Not Fear The Gun."
On Sunday morning, Ya'alon told Army Radio, "I hope we're not heading toward another
See http://youtu.be/ehbXqaih2n0
escalation. This was a single rocket fired by a renegade group. Hamas pledged to take care
of it and stop such incidents." He said Hamas was having difficulty rearming itself with The poem begins: "I do not fear the gun! / I do not fear the gun! /You are nothing but herds of
weaponry from Iran and Libya, due to Israeli and Egyptian anti-weapons smuggling efforts. deluded idiots / Jerusalem is my land, Jerusalem is my honor."
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor called on the Security Council to "immediately Later in the poem can be found the lines, "oh sons of Zion, oh the most evil of creatures, oh
and unequivocally" condemn Hamas for the rocket fire. "The New Year may be just around barbaric apes, Jerusalem rejects you and vomits your filth."
the corner, but terrorists in Gaza are persisting with their old habits," Prosor said.
Medics: Beware 'Killer' Jelly Donuts
New Dreidel Record Set in Tel Aviv
By IsraelNationalNews.com
By IsraelNationalNews.com
In two separate incidents Sunday, Israelis who indulged in one of Chanukah's tastiest treats – the sufganiya, More than 1,000 people gathered Sunday in Tel Aviv to set a new world's record
or jelly donut – got more than they bargained for. A nine year old girl and a 60 year old woman were both in for “dreidel-spinning” - the largest number of Chanukah tops spun in tandem ever
the hospital Sunday night after they ate donuts that proved to be a bit more than they could chew.
recorded by the Guinness organization. The previous record saw 377 people
succeed in spinning their dreidels for at least 10 seconds all at the same time.
In Rishon Lezion, the nine year old was taken to the hospital after eating a donut, despite her Sunday's new record nearly doubled that, with 754 people succeeding at that feat.
allergy to gluten products. It is not clear why she ate the donut, but after realizing that she did,
adults at the Chanukah party she was attending called police and medical rescue staff. The girl Contestants from 8 through 80 (actually, some were younger and even older) stood around a
was taken to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where she was in serious condition.
200 meter long table set up specifically for the occasion. At the sound of a horn, 1,000
spinners let lose, and 10 seconds later, more than three quarters were still spinning strong –
Meanwhile, a 60 year old woman was in the hospital in Tel Aviv after nearly choking on a donut. Paramed- enough to set the record, with Guinness officials on hand to record it all.
ics arrived on the scene after just a few minutes and began administering the Heimlich Maneuver, Magen
David Adom officials said Sunday. They were finally able to remove the offending piece of donut, and took The event was held in conjunction with the “Sevivon House,” an interesting store/museum
their patient to the hospital where she, too was being held in serious condition.
located in Sarona Market, which has as its mission the distribution of unique and memorable
dreidels of all kinds. The establishment is owned by renowned ceramic artist Eran Grebler, who
Two weeks ago, an 86 year old died a day after being brought into the hospital after choking due built the largest dreidel in the world, located in the Caesarea train station.
to trying to swallow too large a piece of donut. Last week, a 75 year old choked on a piece of
donut as well, and she, too, was taken to a Hadera hospital in serious condition.
Paramedics urged parents, children, and caregivers to carefully supervise very old or very young
people to ensure they did not take too large a bite of donut, and to ensure that they chewed their
donuts well. Donuts, they said, tend to solidify when saliva is added to the dough as a result of
chewing – which is why there are so many relative cases of choking on them.
Lead Dreidels Have Been Discovered Buried Underneath the Vilna Ghetto
By IsraelNationalNews.com
The Iran Bomb Song
Please view this
music video at
http://youtu.be/
wuEhhPbAAdA
Recent construction work at the site of the former Vilna Ghetto in Lithuania has unearthed four
cast lead dreidels, silent and touching proof that the Vilna Jewish community observed the
Chanukah holiday even during the darkest days of Nazi rule.
Members of the Mimaamakim (From the Depths) project, which works to bring Jewish youth and
Holocaust survivors together, received an intriguing telephone call from a Lithuanian building
contractor recently. The builder had heard about Mimaamakim and told them that while carrying
out work in the area that used to be the Vilna Ghetto he had discovered Jewish objects he could
not identify. He sent a picture of the dreidels to group founder Johnny Daniels.
Daniels, 28, who locates items from the Holocaust and
tells the story behind them to young Jews throughout the
world, was astonished by the picture and quickly set out
from his home in Warsaw for the nine-hour trip to Vilna.
"I explained to him, excitedly, that they were dreidels,
and he decided to donate them. … It was an amazing,
very moving moment. It's really our own little Chanukah
miracle," he said.
Daniels explained that the dreidels were stamped, as was traditional in the Diaspora, with the
Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hey, and shin, which stand for the phrase "ness gadol haya
sham" ("a great miracle happened there"). "I sat down and spun them. I was excited, and the man
who gave them to me was also very moved, and shocked by my response," he said.
Daniels, a father to two daughters, said that the elder one, Michal Sheyndel, had been named
after his wife's grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. "When I play with these dreidels with my
daughter, it will be my biggest victory," he said.
Courtesy of Yaakov Kirschen, www.drybones.com
‘ Memory is the only (place) from which you cannot be expelled ’
Dec. 23, 2014 Vol. 22, No. 248 (2014_12_23)
A trusted source for Israeli news and
information since 1993
All the news the big guys missed. ISSN 1074-2255 Access the new and improved archival site at www.israelfaxx.com
Editor: Don Canaan The Villages, FL 32159 E-mail: dcanaan (at) israelfaxx (dot) com
Netanyahu Receives Hefty Donations from American Patrons
By YnetNews.com
Israel’s largest bank Hapoalim and fourth-largest lender Mizrahi-Tefahot are also being investigated. U.S. efforts
to crack down on Americans using offshore banks to evade taxes have largely focused on Swiss banks, but
lenders in other countries are also under scrutiny. The investigation of Israeli banks started in 2011, two years after
Swiss bank UBS AG was fined $780 million and it had to hand over client data to the United States.
Leaked File Reveals How CIA Instructed Agents on
Methods to Keep Their Cover at Ben Gurion Airport
Despite criticism that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has harmed Israeli
relations with the US, the Likud leader received more than half a million shekels By Reuters
in donations for the faction's primary from American benefactors.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency guides its people how to enter and exit Israel through BenNetanyahu received 538,783 shekels (approx $150,000) from 15 donors abroad – 14 of which Gurion International Airport without blowing their cover during security checks, according to a
are from the U.S.. The data was found on the State Comptroller's website – all politicians must secret document revealed by WikiLeaks Sunday night.
report donations on the site. Netanyahu received donations from 14 American and one Spaniard
between November 25th and December 15 and each one donated between $5,000 and $11,500. The CIA document provides further evidence that Israel serves as a target for operations by the spy agency. The
document, titled "CIA Assessment on Surviving Secondary Screening at Airports While Maintaining Cover" and
The list published on the State Comptrollers site sites the names and locations of each donor and dated September 2011, contains a long list of guidelines for operatives using false identities.
reveals that most of the American benefactors hail from New York, Los Angeles and Florida.
According to the document, it is based on original intelligence reports, opinions and testimonies of CIA operatives
Netanyahu's rival in the Likud primaries, MK Danny Danon, received 261,120 shekels of collected through May 2010. "Secondary screening – a potentially lengthy and detailed look by airport officials at
donations. Ten of his benefactors are from the US and one, who donated 5,000 shekels, is from passengers not passing initial scrutiny – can significantly stress the identities of operational travelers," reads the
Israel. Moshe Feiglin, who withdrew his candidacy, gathered a little over 220,000 shekels from introduction. "Referral to secondary screening can occur if irregularities or questions arise during any stage of
217 benefactors. Along with local benefactors from Jerusalem, Kfar Saba, and Yavne, Feiglin airport processing – immigration, customs, or security – and regardless of whether the traveler is arriving, in
also received contributions from Canada, Australia, Brazil and the United States.
transit, or departing. Officials may also randomly select travelers."
Within the Labor party, MK Nachman Shai received 79,352 shekels from donors Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport is among the airports mentioned in the document as
hailing from the US, Canada and Israel. MK Michal Biran received NIS 8,100. being particularly thorough. The document details the reasons that could lead to security agents
Other Labor party nominees did not report receiving funds for the primaries.
at Ben-Gurion to refer a traveler to secondary screening. "A review of clandestine reporting
reveals examples of what various countries consider to be suspicious," it is written.
In Naftali Bennett's Bayit Yehudi party, Bennett received 39,850 shekels from a New Yorker.
Furthermore, MK Ayelet Shaked received 51,976 shekels from donors from the US and Israel. "Israel’s security personnel focus on frequent travel to Islamic countries," the document explains.
Newly announced candidate Ronen Shoval received NIS 100,000 – NIS 50,000 Shoval pledged "Security personnel at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, commonly refer military-aged males
himself and the other 50,000 was pledged by his father.
traveling alone with backpacks to secondary screening, regardless of their nationality or skin color."
Israel's Bank Leumi to Pay $400
Million for U.S. Tax Settlement
By Reuters
The document includes a detailed description of secondary checks at Ben-Gurion. "At Ben Gurion airport in
Israel, the secondary screening room contains trace-detection equipment for explosive residue; tools for dismantling passengers’ personal items for inspection, particularly items unfamiliar to security officers; and a disrobing
area, divided by privacy curtains, to conduct strip searches of individuals, if necessary."
Bank Leumi Le Israel BM, Israel’s 2nd largest bank, will pay $400 million to settle two separate
investigations into whether it helped its U.S. clients evade taxes. The lender also fired some
senior employees who engaged in misconduct and agreed to have an independent monitor
review its compliance programs, the New York State Department of Financial Services said .
The CIA's internal guide book also refers to a 2004 internal manual published by International Consultants on
Targeted Security, an Israeli-founded company, which provides security advice to various governments on matters
such as profiling techniques. The manual reportedly "lists suspicious signs in passenger behavior, documentation,
tickets, or baggage." The CIA adds, "Although dated, the ICTS guidelines probably are typical and remain valid."
Bank Leumi had been negotiating for months with the U.S. Department of Justice and New
York state to settle an investigation of possible tax evasion. The bank will pay the U.S. government a total of $270 million and the state department will receive $130 million.
“Bank Leumi employees engaged in a series of egregious schemes – including creating complex, sham loan arrangements – to help its U.S. clients shirk their responsibility to pay taxes,” the
state department’s Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky said in a statement. “What’s worse, when
certain Swiss banks began to put the brakes on this type of misconduct, Bank Leumi instead hit
the accelerator even harder – viewing it as a ‘golden opportunity’ to pick up new business.”
‘ Memory is the only (place) from which you cannot be expelled ’
Dec. 24, 2014 Vol. 22, No. 249 (2014_12_24)
A trusted source for Israeli news and
information since 1993
All the news the big guys missed. ISSN 1074-2255 Access the new and improved archival site at www.israelfaxx.com
Editor: Don Canaan The Villages, FL 32159 E-mail: dcanaan (at) israelfaxx (dot) com
$20 Million Coca-Cola Factory to be
Built in Terrorist Hamas-Governed Gaza
The head of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, Herzl Makov, sharply criticized
the comparison made in the fictional drama series and said, "We will ask for explanations for this
comparison," adding that the statement consisted of "slander against Menachem Begin and Israel.
"To say that Menachem Begin killed? He wasn't there. The underground organization was under his
command and he took responsibility. Additionally, during the incident, three warnings were given to
By Reuters and Israel Hayom
the British to evacuate the place. The British commander refused. Therefore, there is a dramatic
difference between the two incidents that were compared. As far as I'm concerned, it is just like saying
With Israel's approval, Palestinians began importing machinery on Monday to that they are both terrorists because they wore brown shirts. This is especially irritating because of the
equip the Gaza Strip's first Coca-Cola plant for an anticipated 2015 launch of fact that Homeland is based on the Israeli show Prisoners of War," said Makov.
operations. Emad al-Hindi, director-general of the Palestinian National Beverage
Company, which produces the soft drink in the West Bank, said 10 truckloads of The Irgun was a Jewish armed force established by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, which held the ideology
machinery had arrived in Gaza via a crossing with Israel. Israel confirmed it had that only active retaliation would deter the Arabs and ensure a Jewish state.
allowed nine truckloads from Jordan to reach Gaza for an enterprise it hoped
would provide jobs for hundreds of people in the coastal territory.
In the show, Haqqani himself leads an attack at the American Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan,
and is personally responsible for the killings of some of the embassy workers. A particularly
Hindi said he expected more equipment to be shipped from Germany and Turkey and hoped the jarring scene shows him slitting the throat of a recurring character.
machines would be installed at a location in central Gaza by March "so that we can launch
operations before the end of 2015. The factory building is ready, lines of produce are ready," Ynet did not receive a response from Gideon Raff, the creator of the award winning Israeli TV drama series
Hindi said, adding "we hope to be able to conclude all the stages without any obstacles."
"Prisoners of War" from which "Homeland" was adapted. Raff was also involved in the creation and
production of "Homeland" and received two Emmy awards for his work on the American drama series.
Hindi estimated total investment would come to $20 million and hoped the
factory would employ 360 Palestinians by 2016 and more at a later stage, a small The attack on the Kind David Hotel in 1946 targeted the British military and administrative headquarters which
but critical economic opportunity in a territory plagued by poverty and where war was housed in the southern wing of the hotel. The attack led to the death of 91 individuals of various nationalities
has destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of buildings. The plant would be the and 46 people were wounded. The Kind David Hotel bombing was the deadliest attack carried out during the time
first to produce Coca-Cola in Gaza, which already has a Pepsi plant. Israel's of the British Mandate. The Irgun had said it gave three warnings and called the hotel, but nobody from within the
approval of the plant, a plan for which was developed over the past two years, hotel was evacuated prior to the detonation of the bomb.
preceded this past summer's Operation Protective Edge.
Post-war reconstruction in Gaza has been slow, with donations from abroad trickling
in slowly and Israel tightly monitoring Gaza's imports of construction equipment to
prevent Hamas terrorists from rebuilding tunnels used to launch attacks.
BBC TV Chief 'Deeply Troubled' by
United Kingdom Anti-Semitism
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Anger in Israel After 'Homeland'
Compares Begin to Terrorist
By YnetNews.com
Danny Cohen, the BBC’s director of television, said this week that he was deeply troubled by the
anti-Semitism in Europe in general, and in Britain in particular. Speaking at a conference in
Jerusalem, where he was interviewed by Channel 2 News anchor Yonit Levi, Cohen said, “I’ve
never felt so uncomfortable being a Jew in the UK as I’ve felt in the last 12 months. And it’s
made me think about, you know, is it our long-term home, actually.
The final episode of the fourth season of "Homeland" received a heated response
in Israel after the character of a terrorist in the show was compared to former "You’ve seen the number of attacks rise. You’ve seen murders in France. You’ve seen murders
Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin.
in Belgium. It’s been pretty grim actually. And having lived all my life in the UK, I’ve never felt
as I do now about anti-Semitism in Europe,” he continued.
The scene that sparked the anger depicted a conversation between CIA agent Dar Adal
and former CIA director Saul Berenson, a Jewish character played by Mandy Patinkin, Cohen said that anti-Semitism was at its worst during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge in
discussing the possibility of protecting Haissam Haqqani, an Afghan Taliban leader, in Gaza, and added that it has calmed down recently but said, “I do think there have been times
where being a Jew in the UK in the last year has been an uncomfortable thing.”
order to ensure that he will not give political asylum to terrorists.
Berenson responds and says that Haqqani is a terrorist who "recently killed 36 Americans" to which Adal responds, "Menachem Begin killed 91 British soldiers at the King
David hotel before he became prime minister." The fictional CIA agent referred to an
explosion at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946 that was carried out by the
Irgun (known as Etzel in Israel) which was headed by Menachem Begin.
Indeed, anti-Semitism has been on a steep rise in the UK, with thousands taking part in anti-Israel
protests during Operation Protective Edge. Those demonstrations have included pro-Palestinian Arab
rioters vandalizing a Birmingham Tesco store out of rage over a refusal to boycott Israeli products. In
a similar incident, hundreds of demonstrators rioted outside the Kedem store in Manchester, in a series
of clashes which culminated in dozens of death threats being hurled at the store's owners.
Recent statistics show that hate crimes against Jews have risen 383% worldwide since 2013,
including a 436% hate crime hike in Europe.
Responding to Cohen’s remarks, Jonathan Sacerdoti, spokesman for the Campaign Against
Anti-Semitism, told Arutz Sheva that Cohen “is echoing the views of many Jews, who have felt
increasingly uncomfortable in the UK over recent months. Of course, many suggest that the
BBC has contributed to the rise in anti-Semitism in the UK and beyond, through its slanted
news coverage. We will have to see if Mr. Cohen is able to contribute towards turning that tide,
despite his putative separation from BBC News,” he added.
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year to all of
our Christian Readers
In a related story, British Prime Minister David Cameron held a special event in honor of
Chanukah together with leaders and members of the UK's Jewish community.
Speaking at the event, Cameron hailed the Jewish community as "the model of how to integrate successfully into a country," and vowed to fight to preserve Jewish religion and culture in the UK. "The pledge I
make as prime minister is those aspects of religion such as shekhita that matter a lot to your religion are
always safe while I am your prime minister," he said told those gathered at Number 10 Downing Street.
Cameron also emphasized the relationship between the UK and Israel, choosing to dedicate his speech in part to
that relationship, which he said he was committed to preserving. "Britain is a friend of Israel. A good, a candid, a
trusted friend of Israel - and that is how as long as I am prime minister it will always stay," he declared.
Cameron recounted his recent visit to the site of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz, promising to do all he
could to preserve Holocaust education and to fight resurgent anti-Semitism in the UK.
"It doesn't matter how many books you've read or movies you've seen or documentaries you've watched,
there's just nothing that prepares you for the site of those rooms," recounted. "When you walk into what
was a gas chamber, with next door a set of ovens, it shocks you beyond words. It only redoubles the
dedication I have that we must make sure as country that we do everything we can that we can to properly
commemorate and educate for the future about what happened in the Holocaust."
Hundreds Witness Jerusalem 'Chanukah Miracle'
By IsraelNationalNews.com
On Monday, the seventh day of Hanukkah, a truly unique and historic event took place for the
first time in nearly 2,000 years. In the Old City of Jerusalem, hundreds gathered to witness the
lighting of a chanukiah, or menorah, using pure olive oil made to the precise specifications as
the oil used to light the menorah in the ancient Jewish Temples. The event was jointly organized by the Temple Institute and the Association of Temple Movements.
In accordance with Jewish law (Halakha), fully organic olives had to be sourced from Israel's
northern Golan Heights, and were picked by volunteers. The oil was then extracted in a state of
ritual purity, under the supervision of the Temple Institute's Rabbi Azaryah Ariel.
"Jewish people universally acknowledge the twin themes of the beloved holiday of Chanukah: Light and
Freedom. The historic and inspiring event hosted on the seventh night of Chanukah by the Temple Institute was
actually a celebration of both," said Temple Institute International Director Rabbi Chaim Richman.
"The light of the Temple Menorah, the kindling of which was 'practiced' at this event, represents the light of the Shechina, the Divine Presence that shines forth from the Holy Temple,
illuminating the entire world. After years of research and preparation, for the first time since the
destruction of the Holy Temple, pure olive oil was produced for the Temple Menorah, as an
initial step in restoring the concept of Biblical purity to the people of Israel," Richman said.
The lighting ceremony was carried out by Kohanim - members of the Jewish priestly tribe who served in the
Temple - who donned the priestly garbs recreated by the Temple Institute for use in the Third Jewish Temple.
The Temple Institute's objective is not only to educate about the importance of the two Temples
of Jerusalem - the latter of which was destroyed in 70 CE - but also to prepare for the eventual
rebuilding of the Temple, according to Jewish tradition.
These cartoons are courtesy of Yaakov
Kirschen, www.drybones.com
‘ Memory is the only (place) from which you cannot be expelled ’
Dec. 25, 2014 Vol. 22, No. 250 (2014_12_25)
A trusted source for Israeli news and
information since 1993
All the news the big guys missed. ISSN 1074-2255 Access the new and improved archival site at www.israelfaxx.com
Editor: Don Canaan The Villages, FL 32159 E-mail: dcanaan (at) israelfaxx (dot) com
Breaking News: Israel is Secretly
Killing Millions....
By Israel Faxx News Services
Please view http://youtu.be/3r8B6C6YiGE
The 20 groups that landed on Tuesday, with 50 more Birthright groups to arrive later in the week, will
tour Israel for 10 days and visit some of Israel's most important sites: The Dead Sea, Masada, the Yad
Vashem Holocaust Museum among others. "We will continue bringing tourists to Israel, even when
the tourism industry is in decline," Birthright CEO Gidi Mark said. "The organization's activity
strengthens Israel's tourism branch and represents 5% of the group tours in Israel."
Israel Halts Production of Gas Masks
By 124 News
In Bethlehem, Christmas Eve Scuffle Caps a Tense Year
Israel's Security Cabinet on Sunday decided that gas masks aimed to provide protection from
chemical weapons will no longer be produced. The decision was dictated by the destruction of
Syria's chemical weapons stockpile by international experts.
By VOA News
Israel saw a rush on gas masks last year, when tensions between the Bashar Assad regime in Syria and the West
seemed on the point of boiling over into armed conflict, with the US threatening to carry out airstrikes.
Christmas Eve in Bethlehem began less than peacefully Wednesday when a shoving match
broke out between a marching band and police during holiday celebrations. Video of the
scuffle shows security forces with batons raised as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad
Twal, was quickly ushered away from a crowd packing the streets near the Church of the
Nativity, said to be built over the birthplace of Jesus. Palestinian police had increased their
presence to 500 officers around the city about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem in anticipation of thousands of Christian pilgrims for the holiday.
In August 2013, gas mask distribution centers received triple the number of phone calls than on
an average day from people wishing obtain protection kits and more than twice as many people
than average approached the distribution points directly.
The demand has since been in sharp decline, and early in 2013 the Security Cabinet decided to halt the
distribution of gas masks to the public."It is a well-reasoned decision that was made responsibly while
taking into account the change in Mideast security threats and Israel's defense capabilities," Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said following a meeting of the Security Cabinet in Jerusalem.
Rula Ma'ayah, Palestinian Minister of Tourism, said, "We are expecting until the end of this
month to have receive around 100,000 visitors coming to Bethlehem from all over the world." According to Haaretz, the high costs of production and distribution of masks contributed to the decision as it
Ahead of the Christmas Eve services in Bethlehem, Patriarch Twal, who oversees the Holy is estimated that completing the project of handing out the masks would have cost over one billion shekels.
Land's Roman Catholic churches, asked for a more tranquil year ahead.
"I hope next time we will get rid of all these walls, and build bridges and shake hands with
peace. Peace will only come with justice, we have a just case and it should be resolved," he
said. "We hope that 2015 will be more merciful than 2014, which was hard year."
A day earlier, Palestinian demonstrators in Santa Claus suits clashed with Israeli security
forces as they marched toward a checkpoint connecting Bethlehem to Jerusalem. "Today
we want to show that we are preparing ourselves to show the whole world the aggression
of the Israeli army and the Israeli government, how they are besieging Bethlehem and
controlling everything in Bethlehem. And they don't want the Palestinians to be happy,
even at Christmas," said Munther Amira, Bethlehem demonstrator.
Violence between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police heightened tensions in Jerusalem and the
West Bank in recent months, on the heels of a violent 50-day war in Gaza between Hamas and
Israel that killed more than 2,000 people. Sporadic violence has broken out along the Gaza border
since an August cease-fire ended the conflict. On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a Hamas fighter
after the army said it came under Palestinian sniper fire that injured a soldier near the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of Young Jews Arrive in
Israel for Winter Birthright Trip
By YnetNews.com
Thousands of young Jews from the U.S. and around the world landed in Israel on
Tuesday as part of the Taglit-Birthright Israel program's winter season.
Courtesy of Yaakov Kirschen
‘ Memory is the only (place) from which you cannot be expelled ’
Dec. 26, 2014 Vol. 22, No. 251 (2014_12_26)
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Shots Fired at Paris Kosher Restaurant
IS Militants Using Sex to Lure Recruits
By VOA News
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Fighters join the so-called Islamic State group for myriad motives, but one big reason might be
the lure of one of the most basic human desires: sex.“ The offer of access to sex is part of the
Just days after fire was opened at a synagogue in Paris, a kosher restaurant in the same city
Islamic State's recruitment strategy,” said Jytte Klausen, a professor at Brandeis University and
was attacked in a similar manner. According to the French-language JSSNews, an air gun
the founder of the Western Jihadism Project which monitors Islamic State activities.
was fired towards the Al Haeche kosher restaurant in the 19th district of the French capital.
“It has to be assumed that it works. Many young and not-so-young men in the Middle East and
The attack took place overnight Tuesday, and the owner of the restaurant discovered a
Africa, and beyond, live under circumstances where it is not possible for them to set up indebullet hole in his window on Wednesday morning, around 7 a.m. The damage was pendent households and family lives," Klausen said.
minimal and there were no injuries, noted JSSNews, adding that the same type of gun
was used in attack earlier this week on the David Ben Ichay synagogue.
In a gruesome example of just how seriously the Islamic State group takes the availability of sex as a
lure for would-be fighters, the group recently published an online guide on the treatment of sex slaves.
The Bureau for National Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) condemned the
incident and added, “We describe it as anti-Semitic because it was deliberately aimed
According to a translation from Middle East Media Research Institute, a U.S.-based non-profit monitoring militant
at a kosher restaurant.”
online activity, some of the rules in the guide include permitting men to engage in sexual intercourse with
“captive” females, permitting the sale of a female captive, and perhaps most chilling, permitting a man “to have
The BNVCA noted that the restaurant and the synagogue are located within one
intercourse with the female slave who hasn't reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse.”
kilometer of one another, and that the weapon used in both attacks was an air pistol.
"Regardless of the projectile, the BNVCA considers the intention and gesture to be
Klausen said sex and forced marriage are Islamic State recruiting tools. She cites poverty, discriminal and anti-Jewish,” said the organization.
placement and the breakdown of traditional capabilities for the arrangement of marriages to
having contributed to the “creation of hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of transient
France has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitism in recent years, and it flared particularly during this
single men. Revolutions have always drawn on such men for fuel,” she said. “The Islamic State
past summer's Operation Protective Edge, with violent protests in Paris. In one incident, hunclearly hopes to attract them as part of its colonization strategy.”
dreds of Muslim extremists attacked a major synagogue in Paris, provoking clashes with Jewish
youths who rushed to defend the site and worshippers trapped inside.
Mia Bloom, a criminology professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Center for Terrorism and
Security Studies, said the sex lure is more than a recruiting tool. “A lot of the fighters know that if they go to [IS],
Earlier this month there was a shocking robbery and rape attack committed
they are guaranteed a wife, or more than one,” she said. “It’s also about retention so they don’t leave.” Bloom
against a young Jewish couple in Paris, which has led French politicians to con- added that recruitment consists of a combination of “worldly and other-worldly incentives.”
demn the steep rise of anti-Semitism.
The Yazidi minority of northern Iraq came under furious attack by Islamic State militants in the
summer, with thousands of women and girls reportedly taken captive.
Iron Dome Installed in Be'er Sheva,
Netivot, Israel Buys 4 Missile Corvettes
from Germany to Defend Gas Fields
Matthew Barber, a doctoral student at the University of Chicago who is studying the Yazidi, was in
Iraq when the community was besieged. In interviews with survivors, he said he discovered that
thousands of women and girls had been taken prisoner by the Islamic State group. In an interview
posted on YouTube, Barber said the capture of so many women and girls was no accident.
“Over time, it became clear that it was a sexually motivated campaign to take large numbers of
concubines, to take Yazidi women and place them in jihadi homes basically as domestic servants/
sex slaves,” he said, adding that there were credible reports that the first wave of Islamic State
The IDF Thursday positioned two Iron Dome anti-rocket batteries in Netivot just north of
fighters attacking the Yazidi came with empty trucks specifically to ship off women and girls.
the Gaza Strip and Be'er Sheva which has taken frequent Hamas rocket attacks. No
explanation was available. This step conflicts with the Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s
The Islamic State group first denied these reports but later said they were true and provided what
comment that Hamas does not seek another escalation of violence with Israel.
they said was religious justification for their actions. That justification, according to Barber, is
that they believe that having justified and available sexual alternatives to their wives will allow
And Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reported Thursday that four corvette
warships had been purchased from Germany to defend Israel’s offshore Mediter- them to maintain sexual purity.
By DEBKAfile
ranean gas and oil installations. Berlin is contributing $145 million out of the total
purchase price of $1.2 billion. Netanyahu expressed Israel’s gratitude to Chancel- “What is clear is that fighters are rewarded for their efforts in jihad with women given to them as
gifts by the IS,” he wrote in an email.
lor Angela Merkel for her role in promoting the transaction.
Numerous reports indicate Islamic State fighters operate brothels in Syria and Iraq. "Some [women are]
sold to individual men, others are kept by [IS] in rest houses and face multiple rapes by fighters returning from the battlefield," wrote Valerie Amos, the United Nation's Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a report earlier this month.
When the ministry published a notice informing employees of the course, the response
was surprisingly enthusiastic.. "The purpose of the course is to provide additional tools
for employees who deal with the issue. The studies will take place once a week for 20
weeks," an internal document circulated among the employees said.
She warned more violence against women was likely. "Recently, Kurdish refugees from Kobani reported the capture of young girls by [IS] for sexual purposes,” she wrote. “Girls as young as 12. Reports
of early and forced marriage are also on the rise. This is in part due to a depletion of family resources,
and more recently because parents are terrified of their unmarried daughters being forced to marry
[Islamic State] fighters in areas under their control," she said.
Ten diplomats are expected to attend the first course, and several others will be taking a distant
learning course. The course will be taught by a professional teacher from the Berlitz language
center. "Leaning languages is an essential element in the work of Israeli diplomats.
Approximately two years ago, the Foreign Ministry offered its employees a virtual tour of Iran.
The initiative, promoted by the diplomatic planning unit in the ministry, aimed to acquaint the
And for women and girls who refuse to become sex slaves, the consequences are brutal. The Jerusalem ministry's staff with the beautiful side of the Islamic Republic and its rich and diverse history.
Post reported this week that Islamic State militants killed 150 women and underage girls for refusing to
perform sex acts with the fighters.
Hitler Used A PR Firm In the 30’s –
Netanyahu Tells New Pilots: The Fire of Today Terrorists Do
By Ronn Torossian (Op-Ed)
Radical Islam is Lapping at Our Borders
A few months ago I noted that Qatar had hired a major public relations Agency,
Portland Communications “for a communications/political push targeted at ConPrime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed a graduation ceremony of Israeli Air Force pilots at a special gress and federal agencies to improve ties with the US.”
ceremony at Hatzerim Air Base in southern Israel on Thursday. Speaking to those present, the prime minister
Qatar funds Hamas, which the United States and Europe recognize as a terror
promised a tough response to any attempts to break the state of calm along any of Israel's borders.
organization. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have all re"The State of Israel is building its strength from year to year, from decade to decade, in aircraft, subma- called their ambassadors from Qatar to protest its support of terror organizations.
rines, in air defense systems such as 'Iron Dome' and the Hetz (air-defense) missile, and with some of Meanwhile, they have a pr firm led by Tim Allen, a former adviser to former
British Prime Minister Tony Blair to help them spin.
the most modern offensive military systems in the world."
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Turning to the new recruits, Netanyahu added: "When you are flying in the country's skies you see just how close
the different threats are... In our region there are endless conflicts raging, and terrible and cruel violence. The fire of
radical Islam is lapping at our borders in the north and the south," he continued. "Your, and our, supreme mission is
to safeguard our home, the State of Israel. Our policy for doing so is twofold, to prevent and foil attacks as much as
possible, and to respond in strength to any attack," he outlined.
And it goes on in the PR world- Burson Marsteller refused to represent Israel, yet accepted
the Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood as clients, Brown Lloyd James worked for Syria’s Assad
family as well as Qaddafi, the brutal Libyan dictator. The list goes on and on.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Workers Learn Persian
As the Zionist prophet Ze’ev Jabotinsky noted about the importance of Public
Relations: “The work of the publicist is a legacy from the Prophets of Israel…Our
passion is to speak, to proclaim—“Shouting” is what the same audience calls it,
‘we have no need for words, give us actions.’
What I was unaware of until recently is that the bad guys have always utilized public
relations companies. A new novel (which is based upon fact), “The Nazi Account” has
Turning to recent sniper and rocket fire from terrorists in Gaza, he added: "We will not tolerate attacks unveiled the fact that Hitler’s Nazi Germany hired Carl Byoir & Associates, a leading
against us, neither from the Gaza Strip, nor from the Golan Heights, nor from the Lebanese border or NY PR Firm at the time to spin Nazi horror to Americans. As the book description
from anywhere; therefore, the IDF responded in strength and immediately to the recent attempt by the notes, “In 1933 the German government decided that their public relations in the
United States was absolutely dreadful. (Go figure). They took a trip to New York City
terrorist organizations to raise their heads.
and hired the largest PR firm in the country to help them out.”
"We hold Hamas responsible for any violation of the quiet emanating from the Gaza Strip and will act accordingly.
Our counter-terrorism actions are carried out in a wide circle occasionally far from our borders. The air force has a There are others today who are spinning for people who harm the world. Then it was paid by
decisive role in implementing this policy on land, sea and air. Our soldiers attack terrorist organizations and system- Nazi Germany to Carl Byoir & Associates – today it is to other PR firms around the world.
atically disrupt the supply of war materiel sent to them mainly by Iran and its proxies.
At the time, during the Holocaust, Peter Bergson of the Bergson Group and a
"We are determined to prevent our enemies from acquiring deadly weapons that could endanger our group of others worked tirelessly to try and educate the West about what was
security, and we are determined to do everything to prevent Iran, which has recently again called for our happening in Europe. Today there must be valiant efforts expended to offset the
work of public relations in the pursuit of evil.
destruction, from attaining nuclear weapons."
By YnetNews
The Foreign Ministry's Training department intends to open Persian language courses for Israeli diplomats
and the ministry's employees, it was reported Thursday. The initiative is part of the goals outlined by the
ministry for 2015, which include thwarting Iran's nuclear program at the diplomatic level, maintaining sanctions against Iran, forming regional alliances against the Iranian ayatollahs' regime, highlighting Iran's involvement in supporting terrorism and destabilizing regimes in the region.
"One thing that the audience forgets is that speech is also an action – Perhaps the most
authentic of all other actions. Cities have been destroyed, and more will fall, but what
was shouted in the wilderness thousands of years ago is alive and still relevant. The
world was created by the Word. The world will be mended by the Article.”
The ministry's Israeli employees are routinely expected to focus diplomatic and intelligence efforts against Iran's Ronn Torossian is a public relations CEO at 5WPR, as well as an author.
nuclear program. Israeli diplomats worldwide play an important role in obtaining information about Iran's nuclear
progress and about the international community's efforts regarding the issue of sanctions.