Shamrak.com


The Real Message of Hanukkah

by Melanie Phillips

To avoid both destruction and assimilation, Jews have to fight for who they are and what they stand for.

Hanukkah, the eight-day festival that’s currently being celebrated throughout the Jewish world, marks a similar example of focused Jewish military resistance to extermination.

Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas. Nor does it merely celebrate a reported miracle of oil sufficient for only one day that lasted instead for eight. Hanukkah commemorates a defeat by the Jews of a mortal threat to Jewish existence.

When the conquering Greeks arrived in Judea in 325 BCE, they set about eradicating Judaism and installing Greek culture in its place. Even while Greek leaders were declaring Jewish laws as “inimical to humanity,” many Jews were finding pagan Greek culture.

Many Jews find this historical account of what happened rather uncomfortable. The similarities with today are too sharp. Today’s Jews, many of whom live comfortable lives in communities around the world where they have adapted to the culture of their host nations, don’t like being reminded that assimilation poses a deadly threat to the existence of the Jewish people.

Most of today’s Diaspora Jews who live in Western societies that disdain or even hate them choose not to fight back. Instead, they keep their heads below the parapet, pretend that the threats aren’t as bad as they actually are or choose to suck up to the governing classes who merely flick them aside. Far worse, some of these Jews actively support the ideologies that have the Jewish people in their sights.

In Israel, despite the acute national trauma over the plight of the hostages, the continuing (if sporadic) missile attacks and the losses of soldiers’ lives that are still being sustained, there’s a general optimism.

This is because Israel grasped straight after the atrocities on Oct. 7, 2023 that it had no option but to fight until its enemies were destroyed as a military threat. Under enormous pressure throughout from the Biden administration to retreat from this goal, Jerusalem resisted because it understood that this would have meant surrender.

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah symbolizes the victory of Jewish people over occupiers of our land.

Israel must remove the inhumane enemies from the Jewish land and re-unite Eretz-Israel.

Zionism is the Jewish National Independence Movement

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Food for Thought: by Steven Shamrak

The Western, anti-Israel media and TV news channels recently quoted the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate that 195 journalists had been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, and at least 400 have been injured over the past 14 months. Most, if not all, of these 'journalists' are members of terrorist organizations. ‘THEY’ do not verify the numbers provided by Hamas, but always demand that Israel clarify and verify almost all its actions against terrorists in Gaza. How many 'journalists' are needed in the little speck of Gaza land? How many journalists are reporting news from more than 35 armed conflicts just in Africa, and other armed conflicts? Have you heard of them?

New Syrian Regime Will Turn on Israel

Intelligence officials told a closed Knesset committee that the new Syrian regime will turn on Israel. Two high-ranking Military Intelligence Service officers said that al-Julani’s goodwill offensive was a show. “Our working assumption is that his attitude towards Israel is that of an enemy and that ultimately the rebel regime will be hostile toward us,” the intelligence officers told the committee.

Exaggerations of Famine in Gaza

A report claiming that the Gaza Strip is enduring an ongoing famine was withdrawn, following criticism by the US Ambassador to Israel regarding ‘irresponsible’ exaggerations. “At a time when inaccurate information is causing confusion and accusations, it is irresponsible to issue a report like this. We work day and night with the UN and our Israeli partners to meet humanitarian needs - which are great - and relying on inaccurate data is irresponsible.” Much of the humanitarian aid which enters the Strip is stolen by Hamas or armed looting gangs. The vast majority of the aid meant to be distributed to civilians is usurped by strongmen and sold to the population at exorbitant prices.

Domestic Production of Arrow-3 Interceptors

Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a production contract Wednesday with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to supply the IDF with a “significant number” of the Arrow-3 long-range interceptors. The Arrow system was jointly developed by the Israeli and US governments to counter long-range ballistic missile threats. Israel uses multi-layered air defense systems, which include the Arrow, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome systems. “Israel has the best aerial defense capabilities in the world,” Defense Ministry Israel Katz said.

Fatah Banned Al Jazeera

The Fatah movement announced that it is banning Al Jazeera from operating in Palestinian Authority-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria, claiming that the channel "spreads conflicts and incites". The announcement comes amid ongoing clashes in Jenin between Palestinian Authority security forces and terrorists affiliated with the Islamic Jihad. Palestinian Arab security forces have been fighting armed terrorists in Jenin for about three weeks. (This news is not reported or condemned by international Israel-haters. ‘THEY’ were very vocal when Israel did it.)

Quotes of the Week:

"Israel and Hamas have been in a state of armed conflict for a number of years. The intensity of the fighting in recent days, following the Hamas attack on October 7, only reinforces this conception. During an armed conflict or war between a state and a non-state organization such as Hamas, the rules of armed conflict or international humanitarian law apply. These rules apply to all sides in such a conflict, whether states or non-state organizations." - written by: Prof. Amichai Cohen: “The Hamas Abductions and International Law”.

When Journalists were Terrorists

by Uzi Baruch

The IAF conducted a precise strike on an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell inside of a vehicle in the area of Nuseirat. The five people were killed. Islamic Jihad’s TV channel, Al Quds Today, said the five worked for it. They were Islamic Jihad terrorists (news presenters called them Journalists):

1. Ibrahim Jamal Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Ali, Islamic Jihad operations and combat propaganda operative;

2. Faisal Abdallah Muhammad Abu Qamsan, Head of Security for the Islamic Jihad in Nuseirat;

3. Mohammed Ayad Khamis al-Lada’a, Islamic Jihad combat propagandist;

4. Ayman Nihad Abd Alrahman Jadi, Islamic Jihad combat propagandist, and former Islamic Jihad naval operative; and

5. Fadi Ihab Muhammad Ramadan Hassouna, Islamic Jihad combat propagandist in Nuseirat.

Responding to criticism of the strike, the IDF clarified: "Intelligence from multiple sources confirmed that these individuals were Islamic Jihad operatives posing as journalists."

The IDF added: "Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence."

Gaza journalists being on the payroll of or collaborating with Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been a repeated controversy. Hamas documents seized in Gaza and released by the Israel in October showed how Al Jazeera received directions for covering specific incidents and even the establishment of a special hotline. Israel shut down Al-Jazeera’s operations in September.