Today I listened to one of the most riveting and marvelous speeches about how we Jews should address the hatred being directed at us. It was given by Bret Stephens, NYT and WSJ columnist, who also was at one time writing for the Jerusalem Post, gave this lecture at the 92nd Street Y under the auspices of the annual State of World Jewry address. Stephens makes a wonderful case for why antisemitism doesn’t matter, and what we Jews need to be concentrating on instead. I totally agree with everything he said. Had I been in the audience, I would have been applauding nonstop.

Excerpt: “We have the honor of being hated. We have to stop being wounded. We have to stop being offended, we have to stop being aggrieved and indignant…We need to take this as an opportunity to stop caring…” Please do yourselves a favor and listen to the entire speech. Google “Bret Stephens State of World Jewry”.

This week the new Chief of Staff order was issued for members of the Haredi public in the IDF. According to the order, three tracks will be established in the IDF for Haredim, which include several choices that are gender segregated, with some battalions also being led by haredi officers from a similar background. Another choice is a framework which will allow all those serving in the unit to observe a haredi or religious lifestyle. The order details additional rights to which Haredi soldiers are entitled, such as prayer times, strict kosher food, a declaration of allegiance to the army as an alternative to an oath, and more.

The IDF is really bending over backwards…

But many in the religious world who are already serving feel the new law concerning haredi conscription falls far short of the mark because there are no real penalties for those who refuse to serve. They are urging their Knesset representatives to vote against the law.

An IDF officer was seriously wounded by terrorist gunfire in the northern Gaza Strip this week. IDF Spokesperson: “During routine operational activity near the Yellow Line in the northern Gaza Strip, terrorists opened fire on IDF troops. An IDF reserve officer was severely injured as a result of the fire. He was evacuated to a hospital and his family has been notified.

Upon identifying the fire, IDF armored units and IAF aircraft conducted precise strikes in the area. The IDF views this attack as a blatant violation of the current ceasefire. As a result, at least 10 Gazans were killed in by IDF fire. So if you are reading about the “poor Gazans” getting killed, be aware of the context. Hamas’s Internal Security Apparatus recently published a security warning to their members and called on them to take the necessary steps for personal security (communications, movement in the field, and shelter) – “the enemy will exploit any breach.”

What I don’t understand is why the Americans are forcing the IDF not to implement the second part of the Trump plan, calling for Hamas disarmament? They will never disarm willingly. They see the delay and the IDF’s restraint as weakness which they will exploit to create new casualties. They need to be disarmed, or they need to die, preferably both.

Turkey, perhaps emboldened by the unfathomable friendliness of the Trump administration towards the vile, Islamic dictator Erdogan, has begun a serious expansion of Turkish influence in Africa. Turkey has stationed 3 F-16 aircraft in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, with the excuse that they will be used for operations against the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Right. Erdogan is concerned about Islamic expansion! According to Abu Ali, the expansion of the Turkish foothold in Somalia is a counterweight to military cooperation between Israel and Somaliland.

Iran continues to murder its citizens who continue to bravely protest https://t.me/englishabuali/65998

From Israel Today: Israeli troops are actively operating in southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing its terrorist capabilities. Over the past year 60 Hezbollah operatives were eliminated and dozens of terror sites, weapons depots and observation posts were dismantled. Not a day goes by without an IDF attack on Hezbollah at the border. I wish they’d let us finish the job.

There is no greater difference between Israel and her neighbors than the status of women. Take the recent appointment of Major Ella Waweya as the IDF’s next Arabic-language spokesperson following the retirement of Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee. Major Waweya, who was second in command under Adraee, is well known in Israel for becoming the first Arab Muslim woman to achieve the rank of major. Prior to that, she became a household name following the release of a series of video clips in which she explained why Israeli Arabs should join, or at least support, the IDF. At the time she was a captain, and the monicker “Captain Ella” stuck and is still used today, despite her promotion. The IDF is also creating an all female combat unit. Our enemies will not be raping Israeli women. Israeli women will be eliminating them first.

When I visited Salt Lake City years ago, I was shocked at the cultural appropriation of all the events in the Jewish Bible. The Exodus, the trek to the Promised Land, prophets, angels… Could jealousy be at the base of the recently revealed ties of Mormons to Islamic terror? A study released by the Middle East Forum reveals that charities affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have donated over $100 million to nonprofits linked with radical Islamist movements—including those tied to Hamas. Globus Relief, a Salt Lake City-based Mormon charity, gave at least $119 million to ten radical Islamist organizations. Its top recipient: Islamic Relief, whose branches are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and have cooperated with Hamas in Gaza. LDS Charities, the Church’s official humanitarian arm, was also named in the report—but does not publicly disclose its financial records.

You will not be surprised to hear that there is an alarming amount of antisemitism in European schools. But what is surprising is that proof of this is coming from none other than that bastion of antisemitism, the UN itself!

A recently released report by UNESCO, which surveyed more than 2,000 teachers in 23 European countries, showed that some 78% of European teachers have seen students commit antisemitic acts, and 27.4% witnessed nine or more such incidents. Some 61% of teachers cited observing Holocaust denial or distortion, and 44% said that they had seen the use of Nazi symbols.

Big surprise (not): The trouble is that many teachers themselves seem to harbor antisemitic views. Among teachers, 16% didn’t consider saying things like “Jews are wealthy” to be antisemitic, and 32% thought that those sorts of statements, which draw on longstanding antisemitic tropes, had “context-dependent” meanings. A smaller number (13%) of teachers said that believing that “Jews control the global financial system” isn’t antisemitic, and 24% saw such a statement’s meaning as context-dependent. Europe, here you go again!

Ali Ahmad al-Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, says clearly (and in polished Arabic) in a recent interview with Al-Mayadeen: “Every single Muslim country, without exception, would do to Israel what Hamas did, if they could. They all want to destroy Israel.”

Luckily, after listening to Bret Stephens, we are learning not to give a damn.

---