News Digest — 4/18/23
Israel Stands Still As Sirens Blare For Holocaust Remembrance Day
At exactly 10 a.m. on Holocaust Remembrance Tuesday (18th), the country of Israel stood still to observe the memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.
No matter where people were when they were driving, or what they were doing, everyone was united in a moment of silence.
At the blare of a siren heard country-wide, everyone stopped what they were doing, including motorists, who stopped their cars in the middle of the road, stood beside their vehicles and joined in the reflection.
In those exact moments, as the siren sounded, almost everyone observed the solemn remembrance.
In Tel Aviv, the thriving Israeli metropolis where the hustle and bustle never stops, people stood on the beaches, in the streets, in high-rise buildings, and even during their bus commutes.
The siren heard across the country marked the beginning of the main daytime ceremonies of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which began the night before (Monday, 17th) with the official opening event at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.
Ceremonies across the country, including in schools, public institutions, army bases and businesses occurred throughout the day.
An hour after the siren at 11 a.m. local time the “Unto Every Person There Is A Name” ceremony began at the Knesset featuring lawmakers reading out the names of Holocaust victims.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is the start of a week with three Israeli holidays, progressing from commemoration to celebration: Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day for Soldiers Killed in Israel’s Wars, and Israel’s Independence Day.
(israelhayom.com; ynetnews.com)
Two Wounded In Jerusalem Terror Shooting; Terrorist At Large
Two Israeli men were shot and wounded by a terrorist with an improvised machine gun as they drove through the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood on Tuesday morning (18th).
According to Hebrew language media, the two men 48 and 50 were en route to morning prayers at a nearby synagogue when they were targeted by the terrorist.
“Police were called,” said MDA medic Nir Buzaglo, “and when we arrived at the scene, one of the victims was lying on the road and the other was walking nearby – they were fully conscious and were suffering from gunshot wounds to their upper bodies.”
The victims, who are hospitalized at two different Jerusalem hospitals, are both currently listed in stable condition.
At press time police were searching for the assailant, who fled the scene without being apprehended.
Near the scene of the shooting, authorities found a “Carlo” submachine gun which is often used in Palestinian terror attacks.
Tuesday’s attack (18th) occurred as Israel is observing Yom HaShoah, a national day of mourning for the victims of the Holocaust.
Last night (Monday, 17th), as the memorial day began, terrorists near Jenin fired across the Green Line towards Kibbutz Merav, striking several homes. No casualties were reported.
(worldisraelnews.com; jpost.com)
Netanyahu: Israel’s Endurance Is Largest Victory Of The Jewish People
“The proof of the Jewish victory in the aftermath of the Holocaust can be seen in the fact that Israel is a free, vibrant democracy, and an object of admiration around the world,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony in Yad Vashem on Monday evening (17th).
During his speech, the Prime Minister told the story of a Holocaust survivor, Benjamin Zeev Wertzberger, who was born in Hungary and survived the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria before making his way to Israel after the Holocaust.
Despite the difficulties he endured, despite being the sole survivor of his family, Wertzberger refused to give up on his dreams, said Netanyahu. “At an advanced age, he chose to start working at the Western Wall. For him it was the overwhelming victory over the oppressor – the triumphant proof that the nation of Israel was alive. Every day that he worked at the Kotel, and as he shined and cleaned the stones of the Kotel, he felt the enormous turn in our nation’s history, the turn from a beacon to a resurrection.
“All his acquaintances and family say: there was no happier person than him,” said Netanyahu. “Benjamin Zeev passed away a year and a half ago at the age of 95, but his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are with us tonight. The generations and descendants of Holocaust survivors, and their presence in Yad Vashem, is a sign and example of victory over our enemies.”
“And it goes without saying, this victory cannot erase the intensity of our nation’s tragedy in the Holocaust: entire communities were destroyed, millions of our brothers and sisters were slaughtered in horrific deaths, and in addition to them, millions of other peoples were murdered. Moral values were trampled, human culture was destroyed, the image of man was degraded to dust. These painful scars will stay with us forever.”
“And despite all this, we must remember the unique victory of the people of Israel,” he said, turning his attention to the present day. “The pinnacle of victory is the independence of our 75-year old country. Israel is a free, vibrant, democratic, high-achieving country – a country that we all build together generation after generation.”
“There is no other country in the world whose sons and daughters would have managed to rise from the ashes of destruction and soar to the heights of revival. Despite its many challenges, Israel is a rising world power, an object of admiration for its extraordinary capabilities.”
“And I hear this in every meeting, in every conversation with world leaders – including from the leaders of the Arab countries with whom we achieved historic peace agreements, and also from the leaders of other Arab countries with whom we intend to achieve peace agreements. The meaning of peace is seen in many ways throughout the year, including this day, when Muslim children in Dubai learn about the Holocaust of the Jewish people.”
President Herzog: ‘We Are One People, Bound By History, Hope And Fate’
“This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day is a day like no other,” President Isaac Herzog said in his address during the official state ceremony at Yad Vashem on Monday night (17th).
Herzog’s speech was given against the background of the ongoing judicial reform debate that is raging across Israel and the widening political divide which he addressed in his opening remarks, saying that “this memorial day is like no other. This year feelings are rough and shoulders are hunched as if to attest to the weight of the discord bearing down on us.”
He went on to appeal to the nation’s citizens to “leave these sacred days…above all dispute; let us all come together, as always, in partnership, in grief and in remembrance.”
During his speech, Herzog stressed the abuse of “science” by the Nazis to justify their crimes by telling the story of Siegbert Rosenthal and Sarah Bomberg-Birenzweig, two of the 86 Jews that were killed as part of a Nazi plan to establish a museum “of skulls and skeletons of an extinct race” at the University of Strasbourg in France.
“The museum of skulls and skeletons of an extinct race reflected how, with blood-curdling cruelty, the Nazis were also thinking about the day after. The day when no living Jew would remain anywhere on earth,” Herzog went on to say. This museum was supposed to provide an answer to the question of how the world, ‘cleansed of Jews,’ would remember this extinct race – It was to be the finale of the Final Solution.”
“However, the Jewish people’s spirit triumphed over the Nazis’ depravity,” he continued.
“With human courage and divine assistance, spirit triumphed; the spirit of our people, who raised themselves up with scarred wings from the gruesome depths of the Holocaust. It was this spirit that triumphed,” said the President.
“The miracle of our rebirth 75 years ago was the victory of light over darkness. We arose from the dust and ashes. The yellow patch gave way to the flag of Israel. The furnaces gave way to the fires of creativity and construction,” Herzog said.
“Sisters and brothers, we are, Yes, brethren who know how to argue and disagree, but we are never haters. Never enemies. We are one people, and one people we shall remain. Brought together not only by a painful history but also by a shared hope-filled future and fate.”
He closed his speech by calling Israel “a nation who, as long as it still breathes, will continue marching forth and proclaiming: ‘Hinenil! We are Here! Still! We live! Am Yisrael Chai! The People of Israel live!’ ”
European Union Ambassadors: ‘We Won’t Sit Idly By When Israel’s Right To Exist Is Questioned’
The Delegation of the European Union to the State of Israel on Monday (17th) paid tribute to those who perished in the Holocaust and those who fought the Nazis.
In a statement the delegation said, “We, representatives of the European Union and of the 26 Embassies of EU Member States present in Israel, are bowing our heads today in memory of the six million Jewish men, women and children who were brutally slaughtered during the Holocaust.
“We salute those who walked through the valley of the shadow of death and then had the strength to rebuild their lives in Israel, Europe and across the world. As the years pass, we need to treasure the Holocaust survivors who are still among us and heed the lessons of their tragedy but often also listen to their inspiring tales.”
The statement added, “We pledge to speak out forcefully whenever and wherever anti-Semitism arises. It is unacceptable that today the hatred of Jews is once again on the march. We will not stand idly by when Jews are being attacked or harassed, when false conspiracy theories and stereotypes are spread, when the Holocaust is denied or distorted, and when the State of Israel’s right to exist in peace and security is questioned. Words are not enough. The European Union’s Comprehensive Strategy on Combating Anti-Semitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021-2030) lists 95 concrete actions we will take. More than half have already been set in motion.”
The joint statement was agreed to by the Ambassador of the European Union to the State of Israel and the Ambassadors of all European Union member states represented in Israel, i.e. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
(isnn.com)
New Study: Visibly Identifiable Jews Mostly Targeted By Antisemites In West
On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, a new report showed a sharp increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States and other Western countries in 2022, with ultra-Orthodox Jews the main victims of the assaults.
The Annual Report on Anti-Semitism Worldwide – 2022 was conducted by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Israel’s Tel Aviv University (TAU). It was published in collaboration with the AntiDefamation League (ADL), which recorded nearly 3,700 anti-Semitic incidents in the United States last year, compared to 2,717 in 2021 – a record year in its own right. “Physical attacks, which are usually not premeditated, tend to occur in a small number of areas in major urban centers on the street or on public transportation,” it said.
It found that visibly identifiable Jews – particular Haredim – are the main victims of antisemitic assaults in the West, including beatings, being spat upon, and having objects thrown at them. New York City recorded the most assaults of cities worldwide, and London saw the most attacks in Europe.
“The fight against antisemitism requires targeted policing, prosecution, and education campaigns in the areas where attacks are most prevalent,” Professor Uriya Shavit, head of the Center at Tel Aviv University said.
Shavit and Dr. Carl Yonker, a senior researcher at the Center, pointed to a disturbing trend of the “normalization of crazy conspiracies” in US public discourse. They also highlighted that the spreading of antisemitic propaganda by white supremacists in the US almost tripled in 2022 compared to the year prior. “Soul-searching is required in Israel as well,” Shavit said, pointing to “chilling racial remarks made by some Israeli lawmakers. It is sad that this needed to be said on the Eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, but Jewish racism is no better than any other kind of racism. It must be condemned, banned and eradicated.”
