As we prepare to celebrate the second night of Chanukah, we are also aware that today marks 62 days since the brutal massacre in Israel.
And while the festivities may feel at odds with our grief, we must remember that Chanukah, at its very core, is about Jewish survival. Despite all odds, the Jewish people have continued to persevere and in spite of our unimaginable trauma, we boldly and defiantly uphold the Jewish value of simcha – joy.
People might wonder what the secret is. It’s unity. It is the conscious effort amongst a collective minority to stand together.
But right now, the hate we face wants us to feel alone and scared. Through disinformation and the promulgation of false narratives, we are made to feel isolated and fragmented both from our fellow Jewish people and with our fellow Americans. But this could not be further from the truth. Despite the images and videos we see on social media, the Jewish people and the American people are united against terrorism.
We saw this unity at the National March for Israel in Washington D.C., where nearly 300,000 people joined together as the largest Jewish gathering in the United State’s history. And we know this unity through data. According to Jewish Federations of North America’s recent surveys, 87% of American Jews support U.S. military aid to Israel and 86% of Americans believe that the attack of Oct. 7 was an unjustified act of terror.
That is why combating disinformation is so integral right now. This week, the Jewish Federations, AJC, AIPAC, ADL, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations launched The 10/7 Project to counter misinformation regarding the attacks of Oct. 7 and Israel's response by providing factual clarity through influential figures in the media and government.
We must continue to uphold fact over fiction and hold others accountable to moral clarity to combat disinformation - no greater examples than what we are seeing on college and university campuses or the dangers of a BDS boycott. Two examples that have impacted our community just this week. See below for our response to both.
On Dec. 4, we heard this fact as testimony was shared with the UN about the rape and sexually-based violent war crimes that occurred on Oct. 7 by Hamas in Israel. As a proud member of the Jewish Women’s Funding Network, our Women of Vision group was represented at the UN. You can watch the recording here.
And it is in this same vein of unity that I invite you to join me and people of all faiths this Sunday from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Congregation Rodeph Shalom for the Israeli American Council’s Rally Against Antisemitism of which we are a proud sponsor. Come and see you are not alone.
Key Points:
On Dec. 7, IDF soldier Gal Meir Eisenkot Z"L, who attended URJ Camp Harlam in the Poconos, was killed in combat. Our hearts are with the family and friends of Gal and the URJ Camp Harlam community.
The total number of IDF casualties since the ground offensive began is 91. See details of all the fallen soldiers here.
The IDF reported today that it hit 450 sites in Gaza over the past day.
An anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon struck and killed an Israeli civilian in the northern border town of Mattat yesterday. The man in his 60s was treated by Magen David Adom medics near the scene who were forced to declare his death.
By Thursday, the IDF said that its troops had surrounded Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, (and a center of Hamas’ power) and had also advanced inside the city.
All restrictions have been lifted regarding the resumption of schools in the center of Israel. Until now, schools could only open if students could reach shelters within the allotted time when sirens rang.
Below you will find information on:
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's emergency work to date
Updates from the home front in Israel
Current national and international responses
If you would like to continue receiving these emergency communications, please click here.
Am Yisrael Chai and Chag Chanukah Sameach (happy Chanukah),
Michael Balaban President & CEO
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
OUR WORK TO DATE Philly Stands With Israel
As of Dec. 8, 2023, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has received pledges of over $13.8 million. We have already distributed allocations to help our partnership region of Netivot and Sdot Negev – which border Gaza and are at the epicenter of the conflict – and other communities in need. You can see our emergency allocations here.
Learn how the Jewish Federation is supporting the people of Israel and how you can help by clicking here.
Following the congressional testimonies of top universities on Dec. 5,read the Jewish Federation’s statement about the responsibility of our academic centers to set the necessary precedent through words, policy, and action that there is no place for antisemitism and hate. Calls for genocide, both open and cloaked, are extremist acts and there should be no equivocation in denouncing them.
Watch this ABC Philadelphia Segmentabout the Jewish community celebrating Chanukah, where the Jewish Federation's Security Director Scott Kerns discuss safety.
Read the Jewish Federation’s statementcondemning the Philly Palestine Coalition’s targeting of Goldie’s Falafel in a protest on Dec. 3. The White House also condemned the protest as antisemitic. The Jewish Federation provided a staff lunch from Goldie’s on Dec. 6 to support and enjoy local Jewish owned business. Learn about this protest in JTA, Haaretz, Metro Philadelphia, WHYY, DV Journal, Forward and KYW.
In partnership with the Hadassah Foundation, the Jewish Federation's Women of Vision group is hosting a virtual program on Dec. 19 at 1:00 p.m. about the impact of war on women in Israel. Register here.
FROM THE HOME FRONT IN ISRAEL
News from Jewish Federation Partners on the Ground
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Operations
Some of the most intensive fighting in the ground war so far has been taking place in recent days.
The IDF has surroundedthe city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and is operating in the city’s center.
Soldiers killed numerous Hamas operatives in ground combat and airstrikes and located around 30 tunnel shafts that were then destroyed during the ongoing battles, as well as a weapons depot inside a mosque.
The IDF said, “The entire leadership of the Hamas terror organization — political and military — grew up in the area of the city of Khan Younis, including Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif. Now the city is surrounded.”
The military is alsomaking advances in the northern Gaza Strip, where they have been operating for more than a month. The IDF stated “In the last 48 hours, in Jabaliya, Shejaiya, and Khan Younis, we breached the defense lines. The terrorists are coming out from the underground and fighting our forces. And our forces are winning in close-quarters combat. They have the upper hand.”
Yesterday also saw additional signs that general order – as well as Hamas control –is breaking down inside Gaza. Thousands of Gazans ransacked a UN facility (long accused of corruption), finding tons of food, clothing, and other supplies, currently in desperate need in Gaza. And in an unprecedented development, one Gazan phoning into a local TV station openly accused Hamas and its leadership of bringing the entire catastrophe on them, and urged Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to “release the hostages.”
The Israeli government has approved a “minimal” increase in fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip to prevent a humanitarian crisis. Israel has restricted fuel shipments into Gaza since the outbreak of the war over concerns that they will fall into the hands of Hamas and be used for military purposes. Humanitarian officials say the fuel shortages have crippled the health care system and hindered deliveries of basic humanitarian supplies.
The IDF and Israel’s Defense Ministry launched a program yesterday to better equip civilian community defense teams. The local units are made up of residents of communities and are often the first to respond to infiltrations and attacks. On Oct. 7, several of the teams in communities near the Gaza border were overwhelmed as they took on dozens of Hamas terrorists, sometimes without adequate arms and equipment.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday it has seen a massive spike in female conscripts seeking to join combat units during the war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the age of retirement for Israelis serving in reserves and active duty will be temporarily raised by one year to maintain the IDF's operational preparedness during the war. Defense and Justice ministries officials are drawing up a temporary bill that will raise the age of retirement for reservists from 40 to 41. In addition, IDF officers' retirement age will be raised from 45 to 46, or from 49 to 50, subject to their specific role's requirements.
Rockets
Hamas rocket attacks on Israel remain far lower than earlier in the war but continue to strike Israeli cities daily. Watch as an intercepted rocket crashes into a street in Tel Aviv, narrowly missing two pedestrians.
Tragically, many of the rockets were fired by Hamas from inside the humanitarian zones set up by Israel for those civilians escaping the fighting.
In the north, Hezbollah also continues its medium-level rocket and other fire against Israeli targets.
On Wednesday, Israel’s long-range Arrow air defense system shot down a ballistic missile, fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, over the Red Sea. The incident set off sirens in the city of Eilat, though the surface-to-surface missile was destroyed before entering Israeli airspace.
Hostages
At least 10 of the Israeli civilians released by Hamas, both men and women, were sexually assaulted or abused while in captivity, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. In a report detailing allegations of severe and widespread sexual abuse by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 onslaught and later against hostages, a doctor who treated some of the 110 hostages released from captivity told the AP that at least 10 men and women among those freed were sexually assaulted or abused.
See this account of his time as a Hamas hostage by one of the Thai foreign workers who was released.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
International Response
US Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein said yesterday that the Biden Administration has not lost hope that normalization can be achieved between Israel and Saudi Arabia, even though US-mediated talks between the two countries were frozen when war broke out following Oct. 7.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps will visit Israel this week. Shapps stated, “My visit this week is an important opportunity to discuss efforts to accelerate the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance into Gaza and efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages.” The UK has recently deployed an additional 1,000 military personnel in the Middle East and Shapps said that “our forces are there to support the humanitarian aid effort and help in stabilizing the area.”
Stories Of Heartbreak, Heroism, And Hope
Watch these inspiring videos from Jewish Federations:
Watch this video about JDC’s agricultural volunteers during the war.
Read about Sgt. Binyamin Yehoshua “Benji” Needham, 19, a British-Israeli dual citizen and a soldier in the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion, was killed fighting in Gaza earlier this week.
A yeshiva in Yerucham pays a heavy price as multiple students have fallen in battle.
Many Arab-Israeli leaders expressed shock and sympathy with the victims of Oct. 7, when the IDF Spokesperson's Unit held a screening on Tuesday night for leaders of the sector, showing them video testimony of the horrific events. In attendance were heads of local municipal authorities, community leaders, media personalities, journalists, and thought leaders from the Arab community in Israel.
Jewish Federations stood with the Israeli Consulate to the United Nations, the World Zionist Organization, and the National Council of Jewish Women earlier this week at the United Nations to call out the violence against women perpetrated by the Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and since. Jewish Federations’ National Women’s Philanthropy, Advocacy Corps, National Young Leadership Cabinet, and leadership attended the session in full force, and many more thousands watched on livestream. Watch a recording of the powerful event.
Read Jewish Federations’Action Dispatch: Israelis provide harrowing details of sexual violence on Oct. 7.
Even as the attacks of Oct. 7 were unfolding evidence was already being seen of acts of brutal sexual violence.Subsequent investigations have revealed the widespread extent of the violence; they include an in-depth report byThe Times of Londonthat found that perpetrating sexual violence was part of the stated mission of the Hamas terrorists.
This week, Jewish Federations announced the 10/7 Project, a new collaboration with AJC, AIPAC, ADL, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The 10/7 Project is a coordinated effort to counter the disinformation about the attacks of Oct. 7 and Israel’s response; it is especially aimed at the key media and government influencers. See here for more information about the 10/7 project, as well as this news bulletin.
Resources: Readers can see links to resources, background, research, and other information on the current war here; can access a Jewish Federations toolkit here, and can refer to the Community Mobilization Center Resource Hub for the latest talking points and tools.
See these newly produced resources by Jewish Federations that give insight into some areas of Federations’ emergency allocations:
Details: For information on the latest overall numbers from the conflict, see here.
Jewish Federations have now raised a total of more than $711 million system-wide and allocated over $242 million to a wide range of humanitarian organizations in Israel. Click herefor our latest allocations update.
Volunteering: Read this updated Jewish Federations update on the latest volunteering opportunities in Israel right now.
Supporting Pastoral Guidance and Rabbinic Services. Read here about the work to date that Federations are supporting in this field through collective Israel emergency dollars.
Local Authorities: Jewish Federations have produced a document answering questions about funding-impacted localities and municipalities in Israel. See here.
Map: This site shows a map of the Oct. 7 massacre with a red dot for every person killed and a black dot for every person abducted by Hamas. Clicking on any dot will show the name and picture (if available) of the victim with age and last known location.
Read the latest communication from the Community Mobilization Center here.
Funders: As many funders struggle to distinguish between the multitudes of organizations looking for important resources, the Jewish Funders Network has produced this thorough page of guidance.
Our Israel Office, having activated emergency protocols, is working closely with our partners on the ground, and is in close contact with the Government of Israel and the IDF. We will continue to update as the situation develops.
