IDF soldiers attacked by Hamas sniper fire
(JNS.org) An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier from the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion was seriously injured Wednesday as Israeli troops on the border with Gaza came under sniper fire from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“The IDF soldier suffered a severe chest injury from Gaza sniper fire, he was evacuated to hospital for further treatment,” IDF spokesman Lt.-Col. Peter Lerner tweeted.
“[The] Hamas sniper attack is an outrageous act of aggression. IDF will continue to protect its forces & the border area,” Lerner added.
The IDF returned fire, killing a terrorist Hamas sources identified as Tayseer Asmairi.
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Russian financial crisis spells devastating losses for Israeli farmers
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The unfolding financial crisis in Russia may have devastating effects on Israel’s agricultural exports, the Israeli Farmers Association warned Tuesday.
Russia is one of Israel’s primary exports market, with produce amounting to 30 percent of all exports. The association, an umbrella organization for Israel’s agricultural bodies, was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the impact the Russian crisis may have on the local industry.
In a letter sent to farmers and exporters, Farmers Association Chairman Meir Zur wrote, “The financial situation in Russia has a direct impact on Israel’s agricultural exports. The immediate losses suffered by the farmers amounts to 200 million shekels ($51 million). This is an extremely serious situation that requires immediate government intervention.”
Farmers and exporters, he continued, “Are on the verge of financial ruin. There has been a substantial decrease in exports, and there is a real concern among Israeli farmers that Russian clients would default on their debts because of the crisis. … Thirty percent of Israel’s exports to Russia are of produce, including potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, avocados, radishes and citrus. Israeli farmers have been financially compromised by the crisis in Russia, because produce is sold at a substantial loss.”
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Birthright winter season begins as thousands of young Jews arrive in Israel
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Thousands of young Jews from the U.S. and around the world landed in Israel on Tuesday as part of the start of the Taglit-Birthright Israel program’s winter season.
The 20 groups that landed on Tuesday, and 50 more Birthright groups to arrive later in the week, will tour Israel for 10 days and visit some of the Jewish state’s most important sites, including the Dead Sea, Masada, the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, and others.
“We will continue bringing tourists to Israel, even when the tourism industry is in decline,” Birthright CEO Gidi Mark said of the free 10-day trips for Jews ages 18-26. “The organization’s activity strengthens Israel’s tourism branch and represents 5 percent of the group tours in Israel.”
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In Christmas Eve letter, Pope Francis urges Mideast Christians to remain steadfast
(JNS.org) In a letter of solidarity before Christmas, Pope Francis urged Middle East Christians to remain steadfast in the face of the emergence of “newer and disturbing” terrorist organizations.
“I write to you just before Christmas, knowing that for many of you the music of your Christmas hymns will also be accompanied by tears and sighs,” Pope Francis wrote, calling Mideast Christians the victims of “a newer and disturbing terrorist organization, of previously unimaginable dimensions, which has perpetrated all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts,” referring to the Islamic State jihadist group.
The pontiff wrote that Mideast Christians have been “brutally driven out of your native lands, where Christians have been present since apostolic times.” Pope Francis also wrote that Christians help to promote peace in the region and represent a sign of hope there.
“Do not be afraid or ashamed to be Christian. Your relationship with Jesus will help you to cooperate generously with your fellow citizens, whatever their religious affiliation,” he wrote.
Pope Francis has frequently spoken out in support of Mideast Christians. During a recent visit to Turkey, he issued a joint declaration with his Orthodox Christian counterpart, Partiarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, saying that “we cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians.”
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Paris synagogue attacked with gunfire
(JNS.org) A synagogue was attacked with gunfire in Paris on Monday. The shots were fired in the evening at about 9:30 p.m., shattering the glass window of the David Ben Ichay synagogue on Paris’s 3 Danjon Street. The rabbi and his assistant were in the room when the attack occurred, but neither was hit.
Authorities have indicated that the weapon used was an AirSoft gun, which typically does not cause fatal injuries. In the wake of the attack, the Jewish Bureau National de Vigilance Contre L’Antisémitisme (BNVCA) called on authorities to “identify and question the anti-Jewish criminals.”
The incident is the latest in a string of violent attacks to plague France. One gruesome anti-Semitic assault occurred earlier this month when a young Jewish couple was robbed in their home and the woman was sexually assaulted.
On Sunday and Monday, in separate incidents, two French drivers intentionally plowed into pedestrians with their vehicles shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is greater”), injuring dozens. It has not been determined whether the drivers’ motives were terror-related, but the perpetrator of one of the attacks reportedly shouted “this is in the name of the children of Palestine.”
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Sister of American IDF lone soldier killed in summer war makes aliyah
(JNS.org) The sister of 24-year-old American lone soldier Max Steinberg, who joined the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani brigade and was killed during Operation Protective Edge over the summer, has decided to make aliyah.
“I felt like I wanted to be here,” said 21-year-old Paige Steinberg, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
“When the fighting began, we knew that he was among the soldiers that were stationed in Gaza. When we received the painful message, we were at home in California. Early in the morning, the Israeli consul came and told us about the disaster. When we arrived in Israel for the funeral, it was my parents’ first time there. During the ceremony, we felt the support of the people, and it was amazing. We realized that it was one of the biggest funerals ever held in Israel,” Paige added.
Not long after the end of the Shiva mourning period for her brother, Paige decided to move to Israel, where she is now studying psychology at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya.
“Had the disaster not occurred, I would have never been living here; the tragedy triggered the change in my life. … I never planned on studying and living in Israel, but I wanted to be as close as possible to my brother. I feel happy here, like I’m following in his footsteps,” she said.
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