Yesterday was the eighth night of Chanukah. As the candles burned brightly for the last time of 2023, my mind was transported back to the second century BCE. A time, like today, when the Jews fought to save their traditions and the Land of Israel.
Just like the Maccabees then, we must remain resilient and resolute now. While the road will be long – we are already seeing progress being made. Just yesterday, over 70 terrorists surrendered to Israeli troops during an operation in the area of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. And we have seen some Palestinians speak out against Hamas, knowing that the consequences could be deadly.
As the ancient teachings of Chanukah offer, we must remember that even the smallest light can triumph over darkness, if we have the courage to kindle it.
In the over two months since the war began with the terrorist organization Hamas, I have seen this courage from the IDF and the innocent people in Israel, who were raped, butchered, abducted and tortured on Oct. 7.
I have also seen this courage here at home, from all faiths, who have come together in the name of humanity. A group that will continue to stand together in the face of the cowardice and unprecedented levels of antisemitism and hate that infect our streets, social media, places of worship, and our schools.
While there are those who respond and continue to respond to our grief and our right to defend ourselves by trying to intimidate us, belittle us, ignore us and gaslight our struggle into thinking we are the oppressors and not the oppressed – what they can’t do is silence us.
We will speak loudly, proudly and with the moral clarity that those who support terrorist ideology and action do not uphold.
We will remind the world about:
the horrific conditions and torture innocent civilians endured and continue to endure in Hamas captivity.
the 138 hostages who need to be freed now.
that rape against Israeli women is a war crime.
that Hamas is a terrorist organization which continues to break ceasefires and indiscriminately targets civilians.
the complicity of organizations, like the UN, that have a mission to do no harm – but are the ones enabling and perpetuating it.
the fact that anti-Zionism – which means to deny Jews a right to exist in a Jewish homeland – is antisemitic.
And the chants for genocide of Jews – which includes Hamas’ chartered chant “from the river to the sea” – as well as the intimidation, attacks and murder of Jews will never be tolerated.
While Chanukah may be over, we will be the oil that burns brightly in the name of truth each and every day.
Below you will find information on:
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's updates and 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,
Michael Balaban President & CEO
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
IMPORTANT LOCAL SECURITY UPDATE
Yesterday, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia was aware of bomb threats that were sent via email to 11 Jewish institutions in our area. Secure Community Network is working with our law enforcement partners to identify who is sending these emails. Investigations to date have shown that these threats were deemed to be hoaxes. We understand how upsetting these types of incidents are to our Community. Reporting these events to your local police, SCN and our Community Security Director are vital to finding the person(s) responsible. Below are the steps you should take to report if you receive a threat:
Contact your local police department and follow their directions.
The SCN Duty Desk and CSD Scott Kerns will guide you through the process to obtain the needed information regarding where the email came from and IP information
OUR WORK TO DATE Philly Stands With Israel
As of Dec. 15, 2023, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has received over $14 million in pledges. We have already distributed $9.7 million in allocations. Among other important initiatives, allocations have gone 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.
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.
Read this week’s Jewish Exponent article, featuring Chief Development Officer Sarah Solomon, about how much the Jewish Federation has raised for Israel since Oct. 7.
On Tuesday, the Jewish Federation staff met with Drorit and famous Israeli musician Yair Nitzani of the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Center. During this visit, staff heard from Lone Soldier Noah Zucker from Arizona about why he joined the IDF and how the Jewish Federation’s support of the Lone Soldier Center was integral, enabling him to receive essential food, clothing, housing, trauma response and more. Most importantly to Noah, the center has provided him with a close network as he fights to defend the Jewish homeland, a country where he does not have any relatives.
FROM THE HOME FRONT IN ISRAEL
News from Jewish Federation Partners on the Ground
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Operations
Fierce fighting continues in both northern and southern Gaza. See this summary and statement in Englishabout the latest fighting, by an IDF spokesperson.
As fighting continues, additional IDF soldiers have been killed, bringing the total number of IDF casualties since the ground offensive began to 116, (and to 442 since Oct. 7). Among those who fell this week was American-Israeli Elisha Loewernstern, a young father of six (and a friend and neighbor of this writer). May his memory (and those of all the fallen), be for a blessing. See details of all the fallen soldiers here.
IDF troops operated in the Kamal Adwan Hospital area with the Shin Bet, and dozens of Hamas terrorists were killed or detained. During the operation, the IDF troops located a building close to the hospital that was being used by Hamas terrorists. An exchange of fire took place, in which a number of Hamas terrorists were killed. Some 70 terrorists surrendered and left the building with their weapons and were detained and taken for interrogation by the Shin Bet.
According to one report, the IDF has started pumping seawater into Hamas’s underground tunnel system in Gaza, a move aimed at destroying the Palestinian terror group’s subterranean network of passages and hideaways and driving its operatives above ground. Read more.
The military has placed a bounty on Hamas leaders, with flyers dropped in Gaza offering money for information on the whereabouts of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other commanders in the terror group. The pamphlet promises Gazans $400,000 for information on Hamas’s Gaza leader Sinwar; $300,000 for information on his brother, Muhammed Sinwar, who commands the terror group’s southern brigade; $200,000 for information on Rafaa Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis battalion; and $100,000 for information on Mohammed Deif, the commander of the military wing.
Funerals were held Wednesday in Israel for troops killed in Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood the previous day, in an ambush using remotely detonated explosive devices. Nine IDF soldiers were killed, including a Battalion Commander from the Golani Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg (35), and two of his Company Commanders. When the explosive device was detonated, the force was split and rescue forces from the Air Force Search and Rescue Unit arrived on the scene. Hamas terrorists then ambushed the rescue forces, killing a Company Commander and a soldier from the unit. The battle in Shejaiya was one of the most deadly encounters since the beginning of the Israeli ground incursion.
Rockets
Hamas rocket attacks on Israel remain far lower than earlier in the war, but continue to strike Israeli cities on an almost daily basis. Most rockets are intercepted by Iron Dome, but even in these cases, fragments sometimes fall causing considerable damage. See this intercepted rocket that landed in an Ashdod supermarket.
In the north, Hezbollah also continues its medium-level of rocket and other fire against Israeli targets.
In the Red Sea, Israel and the United States military continue to shoot down missiles fired at commercial shipping vessels, by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said that the Houthis have crossed a red line.
Watch this footage of the Iron Dome operating to intercept incoming Hamas rockets and protect Israeli civilian targets.
Hostages
The IDF announced on Tuesday that it had recovered the bodies of civilian Eden Zacharia and IDF Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, who were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Some Israeli media is reporting that there are initial, informal negotiations over a potential renewed hostage deal with Hamas. Sources say Qatar and Egypt are holding informal, initial talks between Israel and Hamas to formulate an outline for a new deal.
It is believed that 135 hostages remain in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are dead. The bodies of five hostages have also been recovered.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
International Response
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has arrived in Israel for another round of talks with the country’s military and political leadership. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Sullivan that the war against Hamas in Gaza will take “more than several months.”
Meanwhile, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby suggested Wednesday that some of the steps the Israeli military has taken to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza might go further than what the US would have done if it were in Israel’s place.
A survey among Palestinians published yesterday shows a rise in support for Hamas, and a rejection of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, with nearly 90% saying he must resign. The polls show 57% of respondents in Gaza and 82% in the West Bank believe Hamas was correct in launching its Oct. 7 attack. Only 10% say they believed Hamas has committed war crimes.
Stories Of Heartbreak, Heroism, And Hope
Watch these inspiring videos from Jewish Federations:
How Israelis are responding to Hamas's October 7 massacre and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war (new series)
JDC story: The Strongest People You’ll Ever Meet: During War, Living With a Disability in Israel
The Oct. 7 massacres have spurred a massive Torah scroll writing project: Thousands of Israeli Jews, including President Isaac Herzog, have filled in letters on parchment to commemorate the 1,200 dead; and raise awareness for the 138 hostages still in captivity.
A study conducted by Goshen, an organization promoting community child health and wellbeing, as well as the Israeli Pediatric Association, indicates that 84% of Israeli children overall are suffering from emotional distress. Forty percent of parents are also feeling stressed and anxious, but only 14% of parents have sought help for their or their children’s mental health.
How are Houthi seizures in the vital Red Sea shipping lane impacting global trade?
Former Member of Knesset: Why is Israel unable to explain the war in Gaza to the world?
Additional Resources
Jewish Federations’ 10/7 Project is a new collaboration with AJC, AIPAC, ADL, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The 10/7 Project is an organized effort to counter the disinformation about the attacks of October 7th and Israel’s response, 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 CenterResource 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.
Overall, Jewish Federations have now raised over $711 million for emergency assistance and more than $211 million has been allocated. For more details, click here.
Webinar: The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI): Daily webinars sponsored by Jewish Federations and the Jewish Agency are offered. A rotating team of analysts of Israeli military affairs, the US-Israel relationship, Israel’s political system, and of the country’s diverse society will speak every Sunday to Thursday from 11:00 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. No registration is required. Join here.
Volunteering: Read this updated Jewish Federations update on the latest volunteering opportunities in Israel right now.
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 October 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 dispatch 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.