Israel

Living and Multiplying in Times of War

Israel is at war and I’m far away from the country, in the peaceful depths of rural France. I was born into the Second World War, and as a baby (and later) I suffered as a result of being evacuated to the country, separated from my parents and the environment to which I was accustomed. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Keeping Track of Friends and Relatives in War-Damaged Israel

The scenes of destruction across the country are heartbreaking. The damage inflicted upon the Weizmann Institute and Soroka Hospital is horrific. Every injury and every life lost is devastating, and rebuilding will take years. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Heidi Gantwerk, International, Israel, Middle East, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Travel and Food, USA

S.D.’s Former Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman Marched in Poland, Volunteered with IDF in Israel

At Birkenau, we stood in Barrack #C-26, the very place where survivor Rose Schindler once endured the camp’s horrors. We stood with two of her children, Jeff and Roxanne, who read a passage from their parents’ book, Two Who Survived. [Shelley Zimmerman]

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Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Israel-Iran War, Antisemitism in U.S., Transform Jewish Community Attitudes

Since October 7th, Israel has undergone a transformation. For years, it lived with the threat of surrounding enemies—Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in the south, Iranian proxies across the region—trusting in deterrence. That strategy collapsed the moment Israelis realized that their enemies weren’t deterred by death, rather driven by it. [Rabbi Jason Nevarez]

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Israel, Middle East, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Federation Offers Resources for Staying Informed about Israel-Iran War

While the Iranian regime continues targeting Israeli civilian areas and the pace of incoming missile fire has slowed, the situation remains volatile. Our friends in Israel are weary, and they deeply appreciate the moral support from our San Diego community. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Israel-Iran War Was Inevitable

After decades of warning about the dangers of Iran’s nuclear weapons ascendance, Israel’s long-time prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted. While some, including me, had doubts that he would ever fulfill his promises to stop Iran’s growing power, Israel’s substantial victories after the October 7 debacle changed the equation. [Steve Kramer]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

Squandering a Chance for Change: A Critical Assessment of President Trump’s Current U.S. Iran Policy

President Donald Trump’s apparent willingness to extend a lifeline to Iran’s Ayatollah, despite the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) being on the brink of collapse, represents a grave misjudgment, arguably surpassing even the strategic errors of President Barack Obama’s Iran policy. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Israel, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Federation Reactivates Israel Emergency Campaign, Schedules Webinar for June 17

Please register for the webinar Operation Rising Lion: Update from Israel and Sha’ar HaNegev and learn first-hand from friends in Israel and our partners on the ground in Sha’ar HaNegev how they are being affected, and what needs are emerging. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Middle East, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Demonstrators Blocking Traffic Not Simply an Inconvenience

By her very own public admission, Jamila Levasseur of Waldo, Maine, confesses that she violated the law during an anti-Israel protest – by blocking traffic – and dismissed the potential of catastrophe by describing the blockage as a “minor inconvenience.” [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Learning from the Past: Khamenei’s Threats Reminiscent of Hitler’s

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s description of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the “new Hitler of the Middle East” is a highly charged analogy aimed at highlighting Iran as an existential and expansionist threat to regional stability. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Israel, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Israel’s ‘Limited Possibilities’ vs the U.S.’s ‘Unlimited Possibilities’

Israel is not a free country, it has permanent enemies that it can’t give up. The U.S. is a country of unlimited possibilities: it is free, it has great business opportunities, it is the strongest in military terms, and it willingly uses taxpayers’ money to right wrongs in different parts of the earth. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA