18 Iyar 5778
3 May 2018
Gruesome Picture of the Day
Shimon Gabai–stabbed repeatedly in the head and neck yesterday during a terror attack in Afula.
Gabai, a bus driver, was stabbed by two terrorists. He then lost control of the bus and crashed into light pole but miraculously survived–as did his passengers.
Not surprisingly, despite Gabai’s description of what happened, the Israel Police have not decided whether the attack was “nationalistic” or not.
Unbelievable.
The News on the Israeli Street
Other Palestinian terrorism in the last 24 hours . . .
More than 30 Palestinian terror attacks were reported to hakolhayehudi, Rescue 443, rotter, and Rescue Judea and Samaria.
Palestinian terrorists attacked with “rocks” and Molotovs at Givat Assaf, Ofra, Tekoa, south of Karmei Tzur, Hizma, the Hatti Junction, Lupin Aya, Adhurim, Mount Hevron, Azzun, Amos, Hevron, Nebi Elias, Efrat, Al-Khader, and Auja among other places.
On the Gaza border, armed terrorists were captured near Rafah in the south and Beit Lehiya in the north.
At the same time, Palestinian “kite” attacks have intensified along the border with the IDF apparently clueless as to how to shoot down a simple kite. A forest near the community of Be’eri burned yesterday, and the community of Kibbutz Kfar Aza nearly suffered major losses as another fire burned right up to the community’s barns and sheds:
The smoldering scene at Kfar Aza a few hours ago.
The Supreme Court “allows” the Embassy . . .
As we reported several days ago, different groups petitioned the Supreme Court last week to halt the move of the American Embassy to the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Yesterday, the Court dismissed the petitions thereby allowing construction of a defensive wall around the compound and an “escape road” behind it.
The Bedouin Scout Movement celebrates Israel . . .
A celebration of Israel’s 70th modern birthday involving 580 Bedouin participants from 21 schools along with 45 escorts took place in Dimayda in the Negev yesterday.
As the leader of the celebration noted: “I gladly and joyfully congratulate the members of the Bedouin Scout Movement who held the schoolchildren’s parade in the community of Dimayda in Misgav on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day of Israel.”
As you probably know, Bedouin scouts are among the most highly prized troops in the IDF. The Bedouin Scout Movement prepares Bedouins to join the IDF.
How do you spell shmuck?
S H I N Z O A B E
That’s right. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe was in Jerusalem yesterday meeting with PM Netanyahu.
Abe did what virtually every other “European and American Democratic Party guest” of Israel does–tell us what to do and condemn us.
Abe dictated to us that we must:
*stop construction in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria
*support the Iranian Nuclear Weapons Appeasement Agreement
*support the two-state solution
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And, oh by the way, Abe said that Japan will definitely not transfer its embassy to Jerusalem, our capital city.
What a shmuck.
An intriguing archaeological discovery . . .
A coin has been found in the Kibiya Cave near Modi’in that dates to the 3rd and 4th years of the Bar Kochba Rebellion (134-5 CE).
On one side, the coin has a palm tree with seven branches inscribed with the word “Shema”; on the other side there appears a vine leaf with three branches and the inscription “Shimon” (Shimon Bar Kochba).
During 134-5 CE, the Jewish resistance began to crumble and the Jewish fighters had to hide in caves in order to continue the war. In 135, the Jews were wiped out, Bar Kochba was killed, and their spiritual leader Rabbi Akiva was executed (Roman soldiers tore out his heart with hot pincers–his final words were “Hear O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One.”)
In the same year, the Roman emperor Hadrian–infuriated over the number of Roman soldiers who were killed by the Jews–attempted to eradicate the word “Judea” from the lexicon, and replace it with a newly invented word “Palestine.”
2000 years later Judea is alive and well.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Sing! Get A Haircut! Dance! Light A Bonfire! Celebrate Lag B’Omer!
Lag B’Omer Celebrations took place throughout Israel last night with thousands of bonfires lit around the country. Lag B’Omer takes place on the 33rd day of the Omer–the 49 day period between Passover and Shavuot.
The Omer is a time of mourning remembering the plague that killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students. According to tradition, the plague ended on Lag B’Omer.
Because of the mourning nature of the Omer, orthodox Jews do not get married or cut their hair during the Omer. Except on Lag B’Omer, the one day in the Omer when marriages and haircuts are permitted. Traditionally, three-year-old Orthodox boys have their first haircut on Lag B’Omer.
The holiday is also celebrated because of Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai, one of the very few of Rabbi Akiva’s students who survived the Bar Kochba Rebellion (the 3rd Jewish Roman war). Rabbi bar Yochai fled north, escaping the Romans by living in a cave for 12 years.
It was during this time that Rabbi bar Yochai began writing the Zohar, the quintessential mystical book of Judaism, the Kabbalah. When he died, Rabbi bar Yochai was buried in the village of Meron, near Tzfat. It is for that reason that tens of thousands of orthodox were in Meron last night, dancing, singing, and burning bonfires.
Here are three of my favorite Lag B’Omer pictures from yesterday.
This first picture is a group of orthodox Jews dancing around a bonfire in Meron:
Picture: Times of Israel.
The second picture is of an ultra-orthodox rabbi cutting a three year old boy’s hair for the first time (the boy seems in shock):
Picture source: Jewish Home.
This last picture, my favorite, is of a giant PLO flag being burned in Hevron during celebrations there:
Note the giant PLO flag draped on the building on the left. Moments later it was incinerated. You can just make out the flames beginning to consume it.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.