Tim Munger

Israel at War: Week 23

Prime Minster Netanyahu has given a clear and convincing direction for Israel in pursuing their aim of defeating, dismantling, and destroying Hamas…

Israel at War: Week 22

Two thoughts for today as Israel enters day 158. The numbers of both Palestinian and Israeli people mount almost daily…

Israel at War: Week 21

Hamas accused Israel of killing 104 civilians, and wounding others, as they raced to the trucks bringing humanitarian aid…

Israel at War: Week 20

“All politics is local.” In Israel, two political moves illustrate this point. First, President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken appear to…

Israel at War: Week 19

With so much happening in Israel currently, here’s four significant stories from today’s news feed for your information…

Israel At War: Week 18

“In Your Dreams” could summarize Israel’s response to Hamas’s terms. They demand in return for releasing hostages that Israel withdraw…

Israel At War: Week 17

Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities deeply impacted in the October 7 attack, had 80 casualties, 1 in 10 of their residents died, and 18 hostages taken…

Israel at War: Week 16

Since the Hamas Attack of October 7, 2023, 130 hostages of the 250 taken remain under Hamas control. Hostage families stormed the Knesset Monday demanding the…

Israel at War: Week 15

The Israel Cabinet approved an amended 2024 budget, adding $15 Billion (US) [55 Billion NIS} to the budget…

The Biggest One Yet!

On Sunday, December 17, the IDF uncovered the largest terror tunnel yet. The tunnel network under Gaza has served as a launching point for Hamas into Israel…

Israel at War: Week 9

Three words describe the current military operation in Gaza; pernicious, complex, and difficult…

Rising Hate

The headlines and news reports announce the rise of antisemitism in both the U.S. and around the world…

Israel at War: Week 7

Israel has advanced deeply into Gaza City and the fighting has, as expected, been fierce. An example, the 36th Battalion has encountered…

Israel at War: Week 6

The number of Israeli soldiers killed in Operation Swords of Iron is now up to 44, with 1,200 civilians killed…

Israel at War: Week 5

US Jewry to hold vigils remembering those killed and still held hostage, as Hamas still holds 240 captives…

Israel at War: Week 4

Hamas captured Private Ori Megidish on October 7. In a rescue action combining the services of Shin Bet and the IDF last night, they freed her and she has returned to her family…

Israel at War: Week 3

The United States leaders, Secretary of State Blinken and President Biden have both given lip service to Israel’s ground invasion…

The Gaza War: Week 2

On Monday, October 16, 2023, the number of hostages grew to 199. Noya Dan, a twelve year old girl with autism, is among the hostages…

War!

Early in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday, October 7th, fifty years to the day of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Hamas unleashed an unprecedented attack on Israel…

The Strife Continues

Crowds gathered in Israel for the thirty-ninth straight week, protesting the judicial overhaul by the current Netanyahu administration…

“Fifty Years Later”

Adding to the solemnity of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in Israel is the memory of the fateful Yom Kippur War in 1973 when Arab forces attacked Israel on the holiest day of the year…

A House Divided

As Prime Minister Netanyahu left Israel for the United States he was greeted by protestors opposing his overhaul of the Supreme Court…

A Shelter from Harm

I want to introduce you to a good friend of The Friends of Israel, Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, Executive Director of Operation Lifeshield in Israel…

FIRED!

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen defended his disclosure of private meetings with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, who for this meeting has been…

Over the Weekend

The nearly two thousand year old aqueduct, built in the days of Herod, had a major collapse early Friday morning. The section of the aqueduct that collapsed was from…

High Hopes

Ryan Turell has set his hopes high: to become the first Jewish player in the NBA. Currently on the roster for the G League Detroit Cruise…

Baby Steps

With the success of the Abraham Accords, the hope that a major piece of the program would be peace with Saudi Arabia…

The Violence Continues

In three instances in Israel last week Israelis dealt with violent attacks from Palestinians. One of those occurred in a town near Nablus in…

Reaction to Overhaul

On July 24 the Knesset passed ‘the reasonableness’ bill, the first part of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s overhaul of the judiciary…

It’s On…Again!

Over the past few weeks Israeli Defense forces have engaged terrorists in Jenin in combat. Following serious terror attacks, including the deaths of…

Answering Israel’s Critics

Detractors of Israel accuse Israel of being ‘an Apartheid State’, racist, colonialist, and other pejoratives. However, the population of Israel’s ethnic and…

A Holy Task

Following the Nazis rise to power in 1933 they began their attacks on the Jews. An action in 1939 “designed to humiliate, punish, and exclude Jews” was the…

One Life at a Time

Like modern Israel, founded in 1948, Sheba Tel HaShomer has gained global acclaim as a Top Ten Global Hospital by Newsweek in 2019…

Humble Beginnings

In 1948, with the War of Independence under way Israel needed nearly every kind of weaponry, ammunition, and manpower to face the five Arab armies…

Going Deeper

Iran is building an underground nuclear facility near the Natanz nuclear facility. It seeks to go deeper than the US bunker buster bombs could reach…

Rockets and Reprisals

Over the past five days 1,000 rockets were launched by Islamic Jihad into Israel, including rockets toward Jerusalem, as Hamas assisted by sheltering the terrorists…

US Speaker in Israel

In Israel heading a joint delegation. United States Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy met with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog…

The Price of Freedom

Today is Yom HaZikaron, the Israeli Memorial Day. In considering the fatalities Israel has faced in its quest for freedom and independence…

From Horror to Hope

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. At Auschwitz, the site of the death camp and crematoria that murdered 3 million Jewish people, the March for the Living is held…

Five Attacks

In 2009 I went to Israel for two weeks to attend a friend’s wedding. On my touring day in Jerusalem, my cab driver and guide, Moussa, greeted me and off we went…

An Affirming Find

Dr. Daniel Vainstub has deciphered a decade long mystery, a shard from a jar with unknown writing. Long thought to possibly be of Canaanite origin…

Arrested!

Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals, allegedly for planning “mass casualty terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the country…

News of Note

David Stern, a former U.S. Marine, and his wife were attacked by a gun toting terrorist while driving through Huwara. David was wounded with gunshots…

Reflecting on Ukraine

In his photographic experience of the War in Ukraine, Lazar notes that he experienced “the full spectrum of human emotion—heartbreaking, bewildering…

You Can’t Do That!

Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, confronted Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities…

“The Watchmaker’s Daughter”

Upon seeing the title of this new book by Larry Loftis, I became immediately both excited and grateful. I heard Corrie Ten Boom’s story on…

A True Olive Branch

One week after two powerful earthquakes devastated portions of Turkey and Syria, the numbers tell a grim story….

SOS!

Early Monday morning a massive 7.8 earthquake rumbled through Turkey and northern Syria. Sometime later, another massive quake registering 7.5 struck the same area…

A Violent Weekend

In response to an IDF action Palestinian terrorists shot dead seven Jewish residents of Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem and wounded three others…

The Answer is No!

President Joe Biden nominated a Jewish candidate for the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, Sarah Margon…

A Potpourri

“Senator leading the trip indicates Democrats are less comfortable with the makeup of the new Israeli government than the

A Secret Hiding Place

In the Nazi era, Jewish families often had little time to escape, often taking merely the clothes on their backs. Some hid precious belongings in…

A Creative Solution

The saying “Necessity is the mother of invention,” summarizes this invention by Nino Ransenberg, “a businessman who travels incessantly…

It’s True!

While some question the validity of the account of Hanukkah, The Hasmonean Museum in Israel will display during the week of Hanukkah…

The Beat Goes On!

Not that of music, but the beat of anti-Israel bias from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). In their role of addressing violations…

Rescue and Recovery

Ukrainian police officer Roman Bashenko had a life threatening experience that led him to Israel from Bakhmut, where he was stationed with the military…

Happy Thanksgiving!

In a break from my usual writing about events and people in Israel, I want to take a moment to thank God for the privilege of…

Attack in Turkey

On Sunday, a deadly attack occurred in a major shopping area in downtown Istanbul. Called by President Erdogan “a vile attack,” the blast left…

The Winner is..BIBI!

In a convincing victory, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu won the Israeli election last week…

Who Will Win?

Today is election day in Israel and with 40 parties vying for the top spot, the big question becomes, “Who Will Win?”…

New Teammates

Like music, sports can bring unity. This happened recently in Israel when Afghani Cycling champion Fariba Hashimi was recruited by…

Warning: Don’t Do It!

Some in England are expressing concern about the consequences of moving the British Embassy to Jerusalem. Prime Minister Liz Truss has…

A Helpful Gesture

Finance Minister and Yisroel Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman proposes a way to help fleeing Ukrainians…

A Message From Putin

In his Rosh Hashanah message to the Jewish community President Putin stated his expectations that they…

Frozen in Time

An amazing discovery occurred “during construction in the Palmachim National Park near Tel Aviv, a fallen rock reveals an ancient treasure trove from the…

Keeping the Peace

Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar disclosed in a speech at Reichman University in Herzliya that 312 ‘significant terror attacks’ have been averted…

Death Penalty

Hamas has executed five Palestinians in Gaza, two for “collaborating with Israel.” The two executed men were 58 years old and 48 years old…

Happy Anniversary!

The World Zionist Organization is holding a spectacular 125th anniversary celebration of the First Zionist Congress convened by Theodor Herzl…

An Encouraging Event

In a first, Palestinian and Israeli passengers will sit side by side in the first flight to Cyprus, operated by Arkia Airlines, giving a welcome…

Farewell to a Patriot

Born in 1920, Tamar Eshel moved to Mandatory Palestine with her parents to Haifa, where she grew up. “Once the Jewish state was established in 1948, she joined Israel’s…

Busted!

Israel has an existing law that any finds of ancient artifacts found in the land belong to the government…

Jewish Connections

“Chabad rabbi says alleged July 4 shooter entered his synagogue on Passover. Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz, whose house of worship is near the…

Second Thoughts

According to police, a 37 year old man from the Palestinian town of Anata, turned himself in to police upon having second thoughts of stabbing Israelis…

A Curious Event

Two generals received approvals for promotions from Defense Minister Benny Gantz, one with a serious reprimand in his resume…

Reflections

Following our trip to Israel with the Zionist Organization of America a week ago, I have pondered the places we saw…

Israel : Challenge and Celebrations

From May 23-30, four Friends of Israel Staff and four pastors joined the Zionist Organization of America’s Yom Yerushalayim Day (Jerusalem Day)…

Snakebitten!

A 20 year old member of the elite Air Force Shaldag commando unit was rushed to the Hillel Yafa Medical Center in Hadera with an apparent snake bite…

Heading Home!

The Israeli field hospital team has decided to return home after six weeks of operation. Located in western Ukraine in Mosytsk, about 30 west of Lviv…

“From BOTH Sides?!”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan used those words to express outrage and consternation at the international community’s call for…

Threats to Peace

In both Hebrew and Arabic the word for peace is very similar; Shalom in Hebrew and Salaam in Arabic. Unfortunately, peace can be disturbed…

Perilous Times

In the past week eleven Israelis have been killed in terrorist attacks. With the onset of Ramadan, the month long Muslim holiday…

Desire and Reality

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid convened a meeting of diplomats from the United States, Egypt, Morocco, and Bahrain on Sunday…

“What a Miracle!”

Two women were surprised to hear both of their same last names called at the gate in Warsaw for a flight to Israel…

Experiencing Ukraine

“On Ukraine’s roads and rails, the scale of the unfolding human catastrophe becomes painfully clear…

All Eyes on Ukraine

With Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the world’s focus and attention are rightly drawn there. The massive onslaught of Russian…

A Helping Hand

Israel’s rescue teams have made news with their ability to quickly come to a nation’s aid when disaster strikes. With the Russian invasion…

An Internal Threat

Our Michigan Executive Director for ZOA, Kobi Erez, highlights a troubling presence in the Knesset, the Ra’an Arab Party. Kobi writes…

Israel and COVID

For two years the world has been combating COVID. Israel has been a beacon for treating it and also experiencing it…

Answering the Critics

Kenneth Jacobson puts the Amnesty UK report released last Tuesday under the spotlight and shows its glaring weaknesses…

You Choose!

Amnesty International has 10 million followers in 150 countries and the organization wants to “fight abuses of human rights…

Terror Attack!

On Saturday morning, January 15, shortly after the Shabbat service began, a man called Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas…

Be Prepared

Hello Friends and welcome to 2022. Currently, Israel is fighting a surging Covid attack, and they are determined to get that under control…

Fruit from the Accords

In the news today are two significant events, one of which is the direct result of the Abraham Accords…

From South to North

The military has completed a barrier of “iron, sensors, and concrete” to deter Hamas attacks by terror tunnels…

A Worthy Honor

Selina Steinfeld, a Romanian Jewish lady, experienced both massacres and roundups of Jewish people during World War 2. Following the war she…

Help for Diabetics

Diabetes has become a global concern as over half a billion people worldwide have diabetes. In the United States about 34 million Americans, or 1-10 people, has diabetes…

To Protect and Defend

Three military actions show the necessity for continual vigilance by the Israeli Defense Forces to safeguard all Israeli citizens…