A Stabbing Attack in the Heart of Cholon
Unfortunately, this week began with a terror attack. On Sunday morning, a fatal stabbing took place in the city of Cholon, where an Arab terrorist began a rampage on Rechov Moshe Dayan, a main thoroughfare in an Israeli city that does not receive much attention. (The readers of Yated Neeman, on the other hand, are likely familiar with Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein’s center of Torah learning in Cholon.) The terrorist murdered a 66-year-old woman and a man in his seventies and wounded two additional people. He was neutralized by a police officer, who shot and wounded him severely; the terrorist was taken to the hospital and died from his wounds.
Magen Dovid Adom released the following laconic message: “At 7:29, a report was received at Magen Dovid Adom’s emergency hotline in the Ayalon region about a stabbing attack at three separate locations in Cholon. One was at the entrance to a park on Rechov Moshe Dayan, the second was at a bus stop adjacent to the gas station, and the third was at the entrance to the bus depot on Rechov Dan Shomron. Magen Dovid Adom forces were called to the scene, including ambulances, mobile intensive care units, and EMTs on motorcycles.” The first responders performed lifesaving treatment and transported three victims with stab wounds of varying degrees to Wolfson Hospital in Cholon. The terrorist was brought to a different hospital—Assaf Harofeh, now known as Shamir. The terrorist was from the Arab village of Salfit in Shomron. It was also reported that he did not possess a permit to enter Israel. Officials at Shamir Hospital reported that the terrorist arrived in critical conditionand died shortly thereafter.
Molotov Cocktails in Yerushalayim and Beitar Illit
In addition to this terror attack, Israel has witnessed other episodes of Arab violence this week. At least five rockets were fired from the southern Gaza Strip, seemingly from Khan Yunis, toward the Shfela region. One rocket landed in the Chof Ashkelon Regional Council and ignited a fire; no injuries were reported. The firefighting service reported, “The 102 hotline for Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service in the southern region received notice about a fire, apparently due to a rocket landing in an open area in the vicinity of Bitzron. The fire and rescue teams from the Ashdod and Gan Yavneh station were rushed to the site of the incident. When they arrived, a brushfire was discovered in an open field due to the rocket strike. Firefighters are working to extinguish the fire, and the event is under control.”
Keep in mind that Gan Yavneh is in the center of the country.
Our latest troubles have already driven earlier incidents out of our thoughts. Last weekend, there were two incidents in which Arab youths were seen throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli cars. One group did this in the Old City of Yerushalayim, endangering Jews who were making their way to the Kosel Hamaarovi. The other group lobbed the homemade explosives at buses in a bus depot at the entrance to the city of Beitar Illit.
Then there were two incidents in which IDF soldiers attacked cars containing groups of terrorists who were on their way to carry out massive terror attacks in Israel. In both cases, the terrorists belonged to Hamas. The two terror cells were eliminated in air strikes, which obviously indicates that Israel was relying on extremely precise intelligence. In one case, the car carrying the terrorists was bombed in the vicinity of the refugee camp of Nur Ashams, near Tul Karem. Israeli officials even knew the exact names of the terrorists who were killed in the air strike. In the second case, the car was carrying four terrorists who opened fire on soldiers, and an IDF jet was summoned quickly to eliminate them.
Iran Threatens Israel
As you can surely understand, tensions are running very high in Israel. We all have the sense that an all-out war is just around the corner; may Hashem protect us. There is a famous joke about a man who used to remove his boots and drop them loudly on the floor when he returned home at a late hour every night. His downstairs neighbor, who was perturbed by the noise, asked him repeatedly to go about his routine more quietly, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Every night, the upstairs neighbor would remove one boot, drop it loudly on the floor, and then remove his second boot and allow it to join its companion with a second loud thud. And every night, the downstairs neighbor waited anxiously for the twin thuds marking the boots falling on the floor, and then he finally retired for the night. One day, the upstairs neighbor had removed one boot and dropped it loudly when he recalled his neighbor’s pleas and decided to have mercy on him. He gently removed his second boot and placed it silently on the floor beside the first. About fifteen minutes later, someone rapped frantically at his door. Opening the door, he was surprised to discover his frazzled-looking neighbor standing on his doorstep. “Please,” the man begged, “just take off the second boot already so that I can go to sleep!”
This story may be humorous, but it is analogous to a situation that is dead serious. We all know that Iran and Hezbollah will try to take revenge. We simply do not know how or when.
There is no question that they will not allow the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh to pass in silence. Not only did Israel manage to kill one of the leading mass murderers in Hamas, but they did it on Iranian soil. In fact, the more details emerge about the operation, the more we discover how daring it was and how many people within Iran participated in it. Activists within the Revolutionary Guard were responsible for planting bombs in the three rooms of the apartment where Haniyeh stayed. Moreover, at the very last minute, Haniyeh changed his travel plans; he was originally planning to stay in a guesthouse dedicated to the memory of “the victims of the Iran-Iraq war,” and then changed his destination to a more clandestine and secure location, about 20 minutes away from his originally intended accommodations. It was in the second destination that he was killed. The targeted strike affected only the apartment where Haniyeh was staying, and there are rumors in Iran that one of his bodyguards was responsible for providing information on his whereabouts to his assassins. The reporter who published this story speculated that in this case, as in previous assassinations of nuclear scientists or other senior terrorists, Iranians opposed to regime served as agents for the Mossad. Iranian authorities have already detained dozens of people suspected of collaborating with Israel.
No one denies that it was an extraordinary operation. The Americans hurried to insist that they had no connection to it. Biden and Netanyahu spoke last Thursday, and it was reported to have been a tough conversation. Biden supposedly warned Netanyahu not to take the support of the president of the United States for granted, and Netanyahu reportedly responded that he is committed exclusively to the security interests of his country. In a subsequent meeting with the press, Biden expressed his hope that Iran would not attack Israel in response to the assassination.
Open Radios and Flight Cancellations
No one has any doubt that the Middle East is on the verge of exploding. The Iranians are not hiding their intentions; they have announced bluntly that “Israel planned the Haniyeh assassination, and they will pay for it.” Last Shabbos, numerous rockets were fired from Gaza toward the communities in the Gaza envelope. Some suggest that this was a broad hint that Hamas intents to seek revenge for Haniyeh’s death, although others believe that this was the end of their arsenal of rockets. But regardless of the reason, the fact is that rockets were fired both from Gaza in the south and by Hezbollah in the north.
On Shabbos, the chareidi radio stations were set to broadcast silently throughout the day, as was done during the Gulf War. There was no actual broadcast, but any air raid sirens would be heard over the radio. This indicated the expectation that Israel might receive a massive rain of missiles during Shabbos, as was the case on that night in the middle of April when Iran fired over 300 missiles into Israel. B’chasdei Shomayim, only a few missiles actually fell in Israel that night, causing light damage to an air force base in Nevatim. While the American air force provided assistance to Israel in repelling hundreds of Iranian missiles, only a blind man could fail to see that Israel was clearly under Heavenly protection. That attack, too, was an Iranian bid for revenge.
The situation is so volatile now that all the foreign airlines have suspended their flights to and from Israel, including Delta and United. In addition, all the European airlines have canceled their flights to and from Israel. This has caused terrible chaos; people are stranded all over the world, with no way to return to Israel. For now, though, El Al is continuing its flights.
There is a rumor that the major Iranian attack on Israel, perhaps with the cooperation of Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, will take place on Tisha b’Av. No one knows exactly how reliable this rumor is, but that has only contributed further to the terrible tension in Israel. May Hashem protect us.
Iran’s Long-Range Missiles
The magnitude of this threat must not be belittled. Iran possesses a large arsenal of weapons; the Iranian attack on Israel in April provided us a glimpse into the capabilities of the Islamic Republic. At this point, security experts around the world are pointing to the fact that Iran is struggling with a certain difficulty involving its most effective weaponry, which may explain the long delay between the assassination of Haniyeh and the Iranian response.
Iran’s ballistic missile system is one of the most highly developed such systems in the world, the result of years of work, which has produced a number of impressive and fearsome weapons. Out of dozens of models, there are three specific missiles that are especially relevant to an attack against Israel: the Shahab-3, a missile developed in Iran based on the North Korean Nodong-1, and the updated versions of the Jadar and the Imad. Iran also prides itself on the Kheibar Shekan, a solid-fueled ballistic missile with a range of over 2000 kilometers.
These are missiles that are very difficult to intercept, which possess multiple warheads and the ability to fool defense systems. Iran used these missiles during its attack on Israel in April, along with older projectiles. Out of the hundreds of armaments that were fired at Israel, only a handful of ballistic missiles managed to penetrate Israeli territory without being intercepted. Iran fired between 110 and 130 of these missiles, the vast majority from its own territory, while some were fired from Yemen. A skilled Iranian team could take at least six hours to prepare such a missile for launch; a less skilled team might need a full day to do it. It isn’t clear how many mobile missile launchers Iran possesses, and the level of ability and training of its teams is even less clear. It took days for the Iranians to prepare for the attack on Israel in April, and it would certainly be difficult for them to keep up such a pace for a long time, in the event that the Iranian response sparks a major exchange of blows between the two sides.
Rav Dov Landau’s Letter
What do we do at times like these? We daven, and we intensify our Torah learning. We are always confident that when the voice of Yaakov makes itself heard, the hands of Eisov become powerless. The tefillos of Yom Kippur Koton are always emotional, but this year, on erev Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, we will surely witness even more tears than ever.
This Friday, a letter from Rav Dov Landau was published that offered reassurance to the people of Israel. “To our brothers, the children of Israel, the nation that dwells in Tzion,” the letter begins. “This is a time of trouble for Yaakov, but he will be saved from it. Behold, our enemies have made a commotion; they have conspired together against Hashem’s nation and have resolved to destroy them. It is only natural for this situation to strike fear and concern into one’s heart. Our obligation now is to awaken Heavenly mercy, especially by learning Torah copiously and by immersing ourselves in its in-depth study and its toil, which protects and saves us, by adopting good behavior between one man and another, by giving in to others and not insisting on our own rights, and by uniting in davening and reciting Tehillim every day. It is appropriate to recite perokim 13, 91, and 142. One should also refrain from excessive focus on the news, for this is nothing but bittul Torah and causes unnecessary fears and worries. This is aside from the need to listen to the instructions [of the Home Front Command] that we are obligated to follow. May Hashem protect His people in His mercy and thwart the designs of our enemies, hasten our salvation, and bring our eternal redemption soon.”
Of course, Rav Landau does not need my approval, but I marveled at the wisdom of his advice to refrain from following the news excessively. Yes, a person should keep abreast of events, but not to the point of obsession. I recently saw a video clip that I found amusing: A man was handing out cookies to celebrate the elimination of the arch terrorist Haniyeh. He did this to mimic the Arabs, who hand out baked goods to celebrate terror attacks in Israel. What I found delightful was the point in the video when an elderly Yerushalmi man asks him why he is handing out sweets, and the yungerman replies, “Because Haniyeh was eliminated.”
“Who is Haniyeh?” the elderly man asks in puzzlement. “And why was he eliminated?
That old man is an example of a person who does not allow the news to interfere with his peace of mind.
The Cabinet Debate
The assassination of Haniyeh triggered a wave of condemnation against Netanyahu. The prime minister’s enemies argued that it was a sign that he is not interested in a deal to secure the hostages’ freedom, since they believed that the assassination only served to delay the deal that is under consideration. Netanyahu was forced to defend himself by insisting that he is indeed interested in a deal. This made for a very unpleasant situation.
In fact, the talks with Hamas over a hostage deal had indeed reached an impasse. Hamas announced that Israel had presented new conditions and demands for an agreement at the summit in Rome last Sunday, which meant that Israel had withdrawn its agreement to the document relayed by the mediators on May 27, which has become known as the Biden plan. On the other hand, Netanyahu’s office released an official notice blaming Hamas for holding up the deal; Netanyahu claimed that Israel hadn’t changed or added anything to the agreement. The Prime Minister’s Office also noted that, despite the claims of the terror group, it was actually Hamas that had added 29 changes to the deal and hadn’t responded to the original arrangement. “Israel is standing by its principles according to the original plan: the release of a maximum number of living hostages, Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, and preventing the passage of terrorists or weapons to the northern Gaza Strip.” Yet despite all that, Netanyahu’s detractors claim that the Israelis had accepted the May 27 plan, and that Netanyahu later added additional conditions that are liable to torpedo the entire agreement.
When the political-security cabinet convened after the massacre in Majdal Shams, there was unmistakable tension between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The defense minister said that Israel had already approved the plan, including the return of the residents of northern Gaza to their homes, and that the prime minister’s current demands might cause Israel to miss the opportunity to reach a deal. Gallant’s comments elicited fierce reactions from some of the government ministers.
The prime minister promised to hold an additional discussion about the hostages and the missing. At the same time, Israel is waiting for an official response from the mediators as to whether Hamas actually rejected the Israeli response. There is some debate in Israel regarding Hamas’s answer. Within the defense establishment, many believe pessimistically that Netanyahu’s conditions will cause the deal to fall apart. Those in the prime minister’s orbit, on the other hand, are certain that military pressure is the only way to impel Hamas to accept the conditions that have been given to them. To support this contention, they point to the fact that when Netanyahu insisted that Israel would not declare an end to the war in any prisoner release deal, he was warned that Hamas would not accept that condition, but then they folded and agreed to it. Netanyahu believes that the same will happen now with his stipulations.
The Hostages’ Families Forum has voiced concern over the latest developments. “With the return of the negotiating team from Rome, we repeat our demand of the members of the cabinet, the leaders of the negotiating team, and the directors of all the arms of the security services to stand before the people and to explain why a deal for the release of all the hostages hasn’t yet been reached, and why they are allowing the abandonment to continue and the prisoner release deal to be halted.” The hostages’ family members added, “We demand to know what conditions that were not included in the Netanyahu deal, which was presented by the Israeli government, were added to the agreement in direct contradiction to the promises that were given to the president of the United States during the prime minister’s visit to Washington, and in contradiction to the initial Israeli position in the negotiations.”
Security Stepped Up for the Prime Minister
In light of the current situation, the Shin Bet has issued updated instructions for the security of high-ranking government officials, including the prime minister. The new guidelines require there to be a fortified area safe from rocket fire at any large event attended by senior officials in the government, as well as the personal approval of Shin Bet director Ronen Bar for any tour to be conducted by Netanyahu and the government officers. The ministers were asked to be especially alert when they tour the north.
Fears are running high outside the country as well. Israeli embassies throughout the world have been placed on high alert, and their staffs have been instructed to be on the lookout for all possible threats. Ambassadors and other diplomats were asked to keep a low profile and refrain from appearing in crowded places, due to the fear of Iranian retaliation against any representatives of Israeli or Jewish political power.
The defense establishment believes that Iran will retaliate in the coming days, and they are therefore preparing for a variety of possible scenarios. High-ranking officials have met to discuss Israel’s defenses and to assess the situation, relying on the regional air defense agreement and the American defensive umbrella, which was demonstrated on the night of the Iranian attack in April.
In addition, messages were relayed to Lebanon and Iran through diplomatic channels that Israel is prepared for any escalation, even to the point of an all-out war, if the enemy retaliates in a way that causes significant damage to the country.
The government’s concern is greater for citizens on the border. Brigadier General Shai Klapper, the commander of the Galil division, met with the heads of the local governments and councils in the Upper Galilee and presented an overview of the current situation and his division’s preparations for what may come next. He tried to be reassuring. “I say this modestly, but we are very powerfully prepared,” he said. “The events of the past 24 hours were very significant. We are holding situational assessments, and we are also prepared for a variety of scenarios, both defensive and offensive. We are here for the residents, and we will do anything that is necessary.” The director of the Home Front Command was also interviewed on Friday and tried to reassure the people of Israel. At the same time, he asked every person to ensure that they would be near a protected area, which wasn’t very calming at all.
Netanyahu Responds
Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to both issues—the Iranian threat and the claims that he is not interested in the hostages’ release—during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. “I tell our enemies that we will react and exact a heavy price for every act of aggression against us, regardless of where it comes from,” he said. “The State of Israel is in a war with multiple fronts against the Iranian axis of evil, and we are striking every one of its arms. We are prepared for every scenario, both defensive and offensive.”
Netanyahu went on to discuss the talks over a hostage deal, after he was accused of having decided to give up on bringing the hostages home. “We are making a supreme effort, a daily effort, to bring back all our hostages,” Netanyahu asserted. “I emphasize that we are doing this for all the hostages, without exception. We have an ironclad commitment to bring them all home—both the living and the dead.”
Netanyahu added, “I told the delegation to go to Cairo yesterday to continue the negotiations. I am insisting on bringing the maximum number of living hostages home in the first stage of a deal, and on preserving the means of pressuring Hamas to release all of our hostages later. Our commitment stands in complete contradiction to the various leaked reports and falsified rumors concerning the release of our hostages. These reports are harming the negotiations and, unfortunately, are throwing sand in the eyes of the families of our precious hostages. They are creating the false impression that Hamas agreed to a deal and that the Israeli government is opposing it.” If you read between the lines, Netanyahu was alluding to Hamas’s duplicitous games. The terror group has agreed to release “some” of the hostages, but has refused to reveal whether they will be living or deceased. It is possible that they may return more bodies than living people, and that the living hostages will be kept in captivity for future negotiations. Netanyahu, however, is not willing to give them this perverse pleasure.
As you can well imagine, all of this is affecting the position of the government and the coalition in the latest polls. Bibi and the Likud have stabilized in the polls, while Lieberman is gaining significant ground, mainly at the expense of Yair Lapid. It is even possible that Gideon Saar and Zeev Elkin will be returning to the government, but that is a story that deserves separate treatment, which we will provide in the near future, bli neder.
Memories of the Chazon Ish
Everyone has been following the mission of the gedolei Yisroel to London to raise funds for the Torah world. There are some people who understand the scope of this moment and what is at stake, and there are others who were more interested in marginal details, such as who managed to join the expedition and how. Nevertheless, everyone is equally astounded by the personal sacrifices made by the gedolei Yisroel. The Chofetz Chaim famously remarked that while there is a popular saying that time is money, the truth is the opposite: Money is time! The most valuable resource we possess is our time, and it is infinitely more valuable for the gedolei Yisroel.
Here is a story about Rav Dov Landau: Last Tuesday, Rav Landau arrived at Rechov Haadmor MiGur, climbed four flights of steps, knocked on a door, and entered an apartment. The purpose of his visit was to ask his good friend Rav Meir Greineman to help him remember how the Chazon Ish had sounded the shofar. The two tzaddikim tried various shofar blasts in an effort to replicate the Chazon Ish’s tekios. These two gedoei Torah had been young men in the Chazon Ish’s home eighty years ago, and Rav Meir is one of the few people today—may he live until the age of 120—who can share his observations from that time. He is a reliable source for recollections about the Chazon Ish; indeed, Rav Chaim Kanievsky mentions him several times in the sefer Kuntres Hazichronos.
This week, this elderly gadol remarked to a young chosson, “My generation is a thousand kilometers removed from your generation. During my first year of marriage, I davened vosikin every morning and came home at night. After that first year, I used to leave my home to travel to Givat Shaul every motzoei Shabbos, I remained there until Friday.” He added that he was typically hosted for seudos by his uncle, who lived nearby.
And since I mentioned the Greinemans and their uncle, the Chazon Ish, let me share a pithy story with you: An eccentric woman once showed up at the Chazon Ish’s home with a cat in her hands, and asked for the rov to provide a brocha for the cat. The young Greineman who was standing at the door wanted to spare the gadol hador the unnecessary interruption, so he informed her, “My uncle gives brachos only to those whose mothers’ names are known.”
The Power of Davening at the Kosel
In honor of Tisha b’Av, here is a story that was told by Rav Ovadiah Yosef that illustrates the power of tefillos at the Kosel: “I remember that during the Second World War, when the Nazis were approaching Eretz Yisroel and the entire country was terrified, the great Rav Yaakov Addes went with us from the yeshiva to the Kosel Hamaarovi, where he led us in reciting Slichos. Rav Addes wept bitterly, and we all wept along with him. A few days later, we learned that his tefillos and the tefillos of all of Klal Yisroel were accepted by Hashem, for the gates of tears are never locked. General Rommel, the commander of the German army, had turned around and left, since a war had broken out between Germany and Russia as well and his troops were needed there. They therefore left their positions in the Middle East, and Hashem saved His people and His land from their enemies. We regained our stability, and the land was left in peace.”
Encounters with Rav Elyashiv
Last Friday, I took a trip with a friend to pay a shiva call to Mrs. Larissa Pritzker, the Knesset nurse. You may not be aware of this, but the Knesset has an in-house medical clinic that provides services to everyone who works there. There are two doctors, Dr. Noam Ofek and Dr. Kobi Sher, who are both charming and professional and work long hours, and there is a nurse who is highly perceptive and considerate and is present on the job even when the doctors aren’t there. The clinic even offers blood tests once a week. The onsite medical services are a fairly decent perk of my job, as was the branch of the postal service that operated in the Knesset until its services were mostly eliminated.
Last week, we were informed that Mrs. Pritzker was sitting shiva for her father, Peter Pritzker, and many of the Knesset workers visited her during that time. I paid a visit on Friday together with someone whom I will identify merely as an askan, in the best possible sense of the term. I would divulge his name to you, but he begged me to keep his identity concealed, and I sensed his sincerity. In general, when someone asks me not to mention his name in an article, I realize that he means the exact opposite and I reply, “How many times should I not mention it?”
As we traveled from Romema to Talpiot, I noticed the tears streaming from my companion’s eyes. I asked if he had known the niftar, but he replied that he hadn’t. “Then why are you crying?” I asked. He did not want to respond, but I pressed him to answer me, and he finally said, “I just finished reading an article in which Rav Eliyohu Diskin shares his memories of Rav Elyashiv, and I am very emotional.” This past Shabbos was Rav Elyashiv’s twelfth yahrtzeit, which served as an occasion for tributes to be printed in the religious newspapers.
“Did you know Rav Elyashiv personally?” I asked him.
“Absolutely,” my companion replied. “I drove him in my car dozens of times, maybe even hundreds of times. I used to learn every morning with Rav Yitzchok Drazi, the author of Shevus Yitzchok, who had a close connection to Rav Elyashiv and received hundreds of teshuvos from him. Rav Yitzchok would accompany Rav Elyashiv to various brissos, and he would generally ask halachic questions on the way. I served as their driver.”
Of course, I asked him to share an inspiring story. “The first time he entered my car,” he recalled, “Rav Elyashiv noticed something that identified me as affiliated with Agudas Yisroel, and he asked, ‘Does Agudah allow you to drive other people in your car?’ He thought that I had been given the car by my work, and since the drive to the bris wasn’t connected to my job, he feared that it might involve gezel or avak gezel. But I have an even more powerful memory,” he added. “What I remember most vividly is that every time we returned from a bris, he would emerge from the car and rush into his home. As soon as he entered the house, he would immediately pounce on his Gemara. He didn’t want to waste a second!”
