DAY 212 OF THE WAR: Three Israeli Soldiers Killed, Hostage Negotiations, World Wide Rise in Anti-Semitism, National Holocaust Memorial Day

May 5, 2024

We still have not received a final answer from Hamas. So far, they seem to be sticking to their demand that there will be no hostage release deal without an agreement to end the war fully. Meanwhile, inside Israel, opponents of a deal have been outspoken. Parents of fallen soldiers held a demonstration to oppose any agreement with Hamas. In an absurd twist, seven cabinet members left the cabinet meeting to protest against the government. The basis of a potential deal was to leave the question of the conclusion of the war ambiguous in such a way that Hamas could think they were getting what they wanted (an end to the war), while Israel would not have to agree to that condition explicitly. Netanyahu, who seems determined to block a vague diplomatic consensus from taking place, issued the following statement:

I would like to address the biased publications in the media, publications that are damaging to the negotiations for the release of the hostages and also cause unnecessary suffering to the families of the hostages who are undergoing a nightmare, and my heart is with them.

Contrary to these publications, it is Hamas that is thwarting the release of our hostages. We are working in every possible way to release the hostages. This is our top priority.

Throughout the negotiations, Israel has demonstrated a willingness to go a considerable distance, a distance described by U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and others as 'especially generous.'

But while Israel has shown this willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, including the demand to withdraw all our forces from the Strip, to end the war, and to leave Hamas intact.

The State of Israel cannot accept this. We are not prepared to accept a situation where Hamas battalions emerge from their tunnels, take over Gaza anew, rebuild their military infrastructure, and threaten the citizens of Israel in the surrounding communities, the cities of the south, and all parts of the country.

Therefore, Israel will not agree to the demands of Hamas, which means capitulation, and it will continue the fight until all its objectives are achieved.

Netanyahu thus made it clear that Israel would not agree to an end to the war. If he wanted an agreement, Netanyahu would have kept quiet.

It's unclear whether Hamas wants an agreement or fears an Israeli attack on Rafah. Hamas made it more likely this afternoon that Israel would enter Rafah by firing 14 mortars and rockets from the area of the Rafah crossing, to the Kerem Shalom crossing area earlier today. Three Israeli soldiers, Ruben Marc Mordechai (19), Ido Testa (19), and Tal Shavit (21) were killed.

Three additional soldiers have been severely wounded, while nine others were wounded less severely. Due to the mortar fire, the Kerem Shalom crossing, where humanitarian aid has been entering the Strip, has been closed.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, according to the Army Spokesman’s office:

Led by the Gaza Division and under the intelligence guidance of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked a central command and control center of Hamas located within a UNRWA facility in central Gaza. The strike was carefully planned and executed using precise weaponry to minimize collateral damage to uninvolved civilians as much as possible.

The targeted command center served as a key terrorist infrastructure, from which several terrorist operations against IDF forces in the central Gaza corridor were planned in recent weeks. Under the direction of this command, weaponry was transferred to terrorists, and supplies were delivered to terror operatives in underground tunnels.

Hamas systematically exploits international institutions and civilian populations as human shields for terrorist activities against the State of Israel.

THE NORTH

After an Israeli attack that killed four civilians in Lebanon, Hezbollah fired 20 rockets at Kiryat Shmonah. A house was damaged in Kiryat Shmonah, and one person was killed. Later, there were an additional 60 rockets fired at the border communities inside Israel.

AL JAZEERA’S ISRAEL OFFICES CLOSED

The Israeli government voted today to close the offices of Al Jazeera TV station in Israel. The police then entered the Al Jazeera offices in Israel, and confiscated their equipment. Meanwhile, the Israeli cable and satellite networks removed the station from their lineups. In addition, Al Jazeera’s websites are supposed to be blocked from Israel.

There is no doubt that the Al Jazeera station is biased against us. Nevertheless, closing the station in Israel is just a stupid, populistic action. It will not stop Al Jazeera from reporting from either Gaza or Lebanon — We just won’t be able to see their broadcasts. What does that accomplish other than show we do not believe in press freedom, especially when it becomes uncomfortable?

ROCKET FIRE ON THE NORTH

The number of rockets and missiles fired by Hezbollah on the North since the beginning of the war has increased gradually. The data for rocket shooting in the north in recent months:

• January    334 rockets

• February   534 rockets

• March       746 rockets

• April       744 rockets

Hence, in the last three months, Hezbollah has more than doubled its firing rate in the North.

In examining the number of Rockets fired from Gaza, the numbers are not small:

• January     357 rockets

• February   165 rockets

• March       104 rockets

• April          113 rockets

There has undoubtedly been a substantial decrease in Hamas’s firing volumes compared to the start of the war. Still, 113 rockets were fired in the last month, on average about 3-4 per day. This is certainly not what we expected at this stage of the war.

ISRAEL’S PRISON AUTHORITY

The Israeli prison authority is suffering from a critical shortage of space to house all of the terrorists that have been captured both in Gaza as well as in the West Bank. As a result, in the West Bank, a smaller number of people have been incarcerated:

• In January   467

• In February  300

• In March      298

• In April         262 terror activists were arrested

               in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

On the other hand, there has been an increase in the number of significant attempted terror attacks:

• January    19

• February   25

• March       32

• April          33

In addition, because of the significant increase in prisoners, officers for other essential divisions of the Army have been forced to take on temporary assignments guarding prisoners.

WORLDWIDE RISE IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS

On the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Tel Aviv University disclosed findings from a recent study indicating a global surge in antisemitism. The escalation has been notably sharp since October 7th, though it was already on an upward trend before that date.

In the United States, data from 2023 shows a marked increase in antisemitic incidents, with 7,523 reported cases compared to 3,697 in 2022. Among these incidents, assaults rose from 111 to 161, and acts of vandalism escalated from 1,288 to 2,106. New York City, home to the world's largest Jewish population, saw a rise in reported hate crimes against Jews, with the police department logging 325 complaints in 2023, up from 261 in the previous year.

France witnessed a jump in antisemitic incidents, with figures soaring from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023. The incidence of violent attacks also increased, doubling from 43 to 85. In the United Kingdom, the tally of incidents rose sharply from 1,662 to 4,103, with physical assaults climbing from 136 to 266. Similarly, other countries reported significant increases: Argentina from 427 to 598; Germany from 2,639 to 3,614; Brazil from 432 to 1,774; South Africa from 68 to 207; Mexico from 21 to 78; the Netherlands from 69 to 154; Belgium from 34 to 70; Italy from 241 to 454; and Russia from 719 to 1,147.

In Australia, a particularly stark rise was observed during October and November of 2023, with antisemitic incidents escalating to 622, compared to just 79 during the same period in 2022.

ECONOMY

The average pay in Israel rose to NIS 14,108 in March, representing a 3.5% increase during the past year. Relative to the inflation rate of 2.7%, this rise reflects an increase of .8%. According to the statistics of the Central Bureau of Statistics, there were 4,124,000 employees in the country, a 1.1% increase since February. The number of workers has decreased by 4% compared to last March. The highest-paid jobs were in the tech sector:

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YOM HASHOA V’HAGVURAH

Tonight starts Holocaust & Heroism Memorial Day in Israel. On this night, all types of entertainment and commerce will be closed. A recent survey by PhD student Tamar Gur and team, under the guidance of Professor Eran Halperin of Hebrew University, reported the expected participation of Israelis in Holocaust Memorial related activities:

Of the 517 participants—

• 84% reported standing or planning to stand at attention during the commemorative siren.

• 87% (most participants) reported doing at least one of the following: watching or listening to HMD-related content on television or radio

• 76% reported reading Holocaust-related content in the newspaper

• 74% reported reading Holocaust-related content on the Internet

• 67% reading or sharing content related to Holocaust Memorial Day on social media.

60% of participants also reported participating (including watching) Holocaust Memorial Day ceremonies or planning to do so. Other commemorative acts included talking to friends or family about HMD-related content (72%) or thinking about the victims of the Holocaust (92%). Overall, only a small minority reported that they did not plan or engage in any of the listed HMD-related activities (3%).

One of the ways the Holocaust is commemorated in Israel is through events known as “Zikaron Basalon” (Remembrance in the Living Room). These events usually take the form of intimate gatherings to hear stories from survivors. Tonight, I attended a slightly different “salon meeting”; this one took place in Hostage Square and was attended by a few thousand people, aiming to weave together the stories of Holocaust survivors. One of the songs sung, “Besorah Tovah” (Good News), was written on the second day of the war, and revolves around the theme of waiting to hear good news. That was especially powerful standing in the hostage square, where so many families have been so fervently waiting, pleading good news for 212 days.

One of the most moving moments of the ceremony was a short clip of a Holocaust survivor meeting the children of Kibbutz Miflasim, who lost many of their friends in the Oct. 7th massacre. She shared with the children how she also was forced to hide in a closet but was able to rebuild her life — assuring them that in time they too will be able to rebuild and move forward.

POLAND: A GUIDE TO MAJOR SITES

As tonight is Holocaust Memorial Day, I have taken the editorial privilege to share a piece of the content I developed for a mobile app on Jewish Poland. The following excerpt is on the history of the shtetl my grandfather was raised, and where many of my great-uncles were killed, including two of the brothers who returned after the war. You can download the free app [POLAND: A GUIDE TO MAJOR SITES], which includes history entries for over 400 towns and villages HERE.

FRYSZTAK

Jews first arrived in Frysztak during the 16th century, when a Jewish cemetery was established in 1650. By 1674, the town was home to four Jewish families. The Jewish population had increased to 157 by 1765; by 1790, it had grown to 275. In 1810, a brick synagogue was constructed in the village. However, a cholera epidemic struck the city in 1805, causing a significant number of Jewish deaths.

In 1868, Frysztak had 729 Jewish residents, comprising a majority of the population of 1,059. In 1890, a fire ravaged the town, destroying 39 Jewish homes and the old wooden synagogue. On June 16, 1898, local peasants rioted and attacked the Jewish community. The Austrian army intervened, quelling the riot and killing some of the rioters.

By 1900, Frysztak's Jewish population had grown to 1,102, representing over 70% of the town's total population. On November 7, 1918, peasants from nearby villages assaulted the city and looted Jewish homes. During the interwar period, the Jewish community had two synagogues, a bet ha-midrash with a library of 1.5 thousand volumes, a Talmud-Torah school, and various societies. Frysztak was heavily Hasidic and very traditional. In 1921, 1,010 Jews resided in the town, constituting almost 75% of the population.

When World War II broke out, Frysztak was home to 1,322 Jews. The Nazis occupied the town on September 8, 1939, and shortly after, on Rosh Hashanah, they randomly selected a group of Jews praying in the synagogue and executed them, including the author's great-uncle, Puderbeutel.

In January 1942, a ghetto was established in Frysztak. In July, the first roundup occurred in the ghetto. Men over 52 and women with more than two children were ordered to gather in the market. Subsequently, 800 people were marched to the Warzyce Forest and executed, their bodies buried in three mass graves. On August 18, the remaining Jews were taken to the Jaslo ghetto.

The sawmill

After the war, two Puderbeutel brothers returned to the village to reclaim their sawmill, only to be murdered by locals.

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