Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Thursday, Jan. 28 '16, Shevat 18, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. TERROR VICTIM DAFNA MEIR'S MOVING LETTER
2. CANADA'S PM FORGETS JEWS IN STATEMENT ON HOLOCAUST
3. GIVAT ZE'EV STABBING VICTIM IN STABLE CONDITION
4. 'AS WE DEFEND OURSELVES, WE DO NOT STAND ALONE'
5. POLL: KAHLON PLUNGES AS LAPID REGAINS POWER
6. SIX OFFICERS DISMISSED OVER YISHAI ROZALES' DEATH
7. KHAMENEI DENIES THE HOLOCAUST ON REMEMBRANCE DAY
8. ISRAEL 'PRETTY PROTECTED' FROM ZIKA INFECTION
1. TERROR VICTIM DAFNA MEIR'S MOVING LETTER
by Cynthia Blank
A week and a half after Dafna Meir was murdered at the door of her home in Otniel, her husband discovered a moving note she wrote and kept with her for self-improvement.
"These are not my hours, but I couldn't sleep," Natan wrote on Facebook, attaching a copy of the note. "I'm touched with great respect and longing for what Dafna left behind, and found this note in her bag. A page of self-improvement she carried with her always."
On the note, Meir wrote a list of ways to deal with difficult situations, such as writing down emotions before bursting into anger.
Meir asserts that it is better to leave an argument and be alone with yourself, saying, "I apologize. I'm sorry. I will take your words to heart. Do not try to defend in the middle of the situation, be quiet, don't apologize in the middle of the situation, don't justify myself."
She also stressed the need to project confidence instead of helplessness, and to understand the differences between the liminal and the here and now.
Meir writes of interactions with others, "to smile! ask how they are! Be polite and assertive at the same time. Don't let the situation manage me. I am the manager."
She adds that in the middle of an interaction with another person that is going to a bad place, it is better to stop in the middle, request the other party to take a break and then begin again when both sides are calmer.
Meir is survived by her husband, Natan, and their six children.
2. CANADA'S PM FORGETS JEWS IN STATEMENT ON HOLOCAUST
by Dalit Halevi
The statement Canadian Prime Minister Justice Trudeau issued Wednesday in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day suffered from one very glaring omission.
The Holocaust is defined as the genocide of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazi regime and its collaborators, but in his statement, Trudeau did not mention the words "Jew" or "anti-Semitism" once.
Instead, the Liberal leader offered "tribute to the memory of the millions of victims murdered during the Holocaust," adding that Canada honors "those who survived atrocities at the hands of the Nazi regime, and welcome their courageous stories of hope and perseverance."
Continuing, Trudeau asserted, "The Holocaust is a stark reminder of the dangers and risks of allowing hate, prejudice, and discrimination to spread unchallenged. It also reminds us that silence must never be an option when humanity is threatened."
"As we pause to educate ourselves and our families on the bitter lessons of the Holocaust, we also strengthen our resolve to work with domestic and international partners to continue defending human rights and condemning intolerance."
In stark contrast to Trudeau, the leaders of Canada's Conservative and NDP parties made sure to mention the central victims of the Holocaust, which is commemorated internationally on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Rona Ambrose, Canada's opposition leader, said in her statement that, "Today we remember the countless innocent men, women, and children, including six million Jews who were murdered in Nazi death camps during the Second World War.
"Sadly, today is also a day to remind ourselves that the undisguised anti-Semitism of the Nazi-era still festers in too many parts of the world – and that it can reach even into our own society, clothed in more subtle garb."
NDP leader Tom Mulcair likewise joined in "honoring the memory of the millions of Jewish men, women and children who suffered and were murdered alongside countless others."
3. GIVAT ZE'EV STABBING VICTIM IN STABLE CONDITION
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Israeli man wounded in a stabbing attack in Givat Ze'ev late Wednesday night has been stabilized and is currently sedated, Shaare Zedek Medical Center announced Thursday morning.
He was originally transferred to the Jerusalem hospital in very serious condition, suffering a stab wound to the chest and severe blood loss. He underwent immediate surgery at the hospital and was placed in the intensive care unit.
The stab victim is still in serious condition, the hospital says, but he is now stable, sedated and on a respirator.
Head of Shaare Zedek's trauma unit Dr. Ofer Marin told reporters, "The stabbing victim arrived at the trauma unit just before midnight. He was semi-conscious received first aid treatment and then went immediately to surgery where he underwent surgery on his chest."
"He needed large number of blood transfusions but we succeeded in stopping the source of his bleeding. He is currently stable and his blood pressure is good."
The 36-year-old man was seriously injured in the attack at a gas station in Givat Ze'ev, to the northwest of Jerusalem. Paramedics who were called to the scene provided the victim with initial treatment before evacuating him to the hospital.
The terrorist, a 17-year-old Arab from Bir Nabala, attacked a couple who were in a restaurant adjacent to the gas station. He stabbed the man in the neck and began to flee.
Citizens at the station began to pursue him until he tripped and fell. They held him until police arrived. The terrorist was taken the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem with light injuries.
4. 'AS WE DEFEND OURSELVES, WE DO NOT STAND ALONE'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
In remarks recorded for a ceremony honoring four Righteous Among The Nations at the Israeli embassy in Washington, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stressed the importance of a Jewish state.
Coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the event posthumously honored two American and two Polish citizens who saved Jews from the hands of the Nazis.
"Today marks the 71st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz," the Prime Minister began. "Today, we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. We remember the one-and-a-half million Jewish children who never had a chance to grow up."
"Today is also a day when we can be especially grateful for the establishment of the State of Israel," Netanyahu emphasized.
"The Jewish people were once powerless and stateless," he explained. "Now we are again a sovereign, independent nation with the capacity to defend ourselves. But as we defend ourselves, we know that we do not stand alone."
"While Israel counts other nations as friends, we know we have no better friend than the United States of America," the Prime Minister asserted, before thanking, on behalf of the Israeli people, US President Barack Obama for attending the ceremony.
"I thank you for your commitment to continue to work with us to bolster Israel's security over the coming decade," he added. "Your being here reflects the unbreakable bond of friendship between America and the Jewish state."
Obama on Wednesday became the first American president to speak at the embassy of a foreign country when he visited the Israeli embassy and spoke at the ceremony - the first ever of its kind in the United States.
In his remarks, Obama noted anti-Semitism is once again rearing its ugly head and said that everything must be done to prevent it.
"As we honor the newest of the Righteous Among the Nations, we make real the call to never forget. Our children must know this chapter of history, and that we must never repeat it," he said.
Netanyahu too, expressed gratitude to Walery and Maryla Zibjewski, Louis Gunden and Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds.
"We are forever indebted to them because of the Jewish children and the Jewish soldiers who were saved thanks to their bravery," he concluded. "Their courage was a special courage. They not only risked their own lives, but the lives of their families and the life of their soldiers. There is no greater courage."
5. POLL: KAHLON PLUNGES AS LAPID REGAINS POWER
by Ben Shaul
Is the Israeli public disappointed with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon? According to a poll released Thursday morning, the answer is a resounding yes.
According to the poll published on Non-Stop Radio, if elections were held today, Kahlon's centrist Kulanu party would drop drastically down to four seats from its current ten.
The poll, conducted by Prof. Yitzhak Katz of the Maager Mohot Survey Institute and broadcast on the radio's morning program, also found that the ruling Likud party would stand strong with 30 seats.
Jewish Home would gain one seat, making its total nine, while Yisrael Beytenu would also climb up to nine mandates from its previous six. The Shas party would also rise from seven seats to eight.
Interestingly enough, the most significant leap was that of Kulanu's rival centrist party Yesh Atid, which jumped up to 18 seats - a seven-seat increase from its current 11 mandates.
Yesh Atid's chairman Yair Lapid served as finance minister before Kahlon, when his party held a total of 19 mandates.
The party's boost would also come at the expense of the Zionist Union, which the poll predicted as falling down six seats to 18.
United Torah Judaism, Meretz and the Joint List held steady at six, five and 13 mandates, respectively.
6. SIX OFFICERS DISMISSED OVER YISHAI ROZALES' DEATH
by Kobi Finkler
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot has dismissed from duty Liet. Col. Tal David, the commander of the IDF's Armored Corps, his deputy, and four additional officers following the disaster earlier this month at Tze'elim Base.
The base in southern Israel is home to the Urban Warfare Training Center which was erected in 2005.
First Lieutenant Yishai Rozales of the Netzah Yehuda battalion was killed in the accident three weeks ago and another soldier was moderately injured, when a mortar shell exploded near them.
The decision to remove the leadership of the Armored Corps was made following a commission of inquiry's findings that the accident was caused by the officers' lack of professionalism.
An investigation into the incident revealed that the mortar team, which was practicing for an upcoming divisional exercise, had intended to shoot in a certain direction, but then abruptly changed direction during the shooting.
As a result, one of the shells landed near where Rozales, 23, was standing; its subsequent explosion caused his death.
The Chief of Staff declared the accident the result of a combination of officers' negligence and a serious security and professional malfunction. As stated, six senior officers were dismissed and an account of the incident was placed in their military files.
7. KHAMENEI DENIES THE HOLOCAUST ON REMEMBRANCE DAY
by Elad Benari
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday took advantage of International Holocaust Remembrance Day to deny that the Holocaust ever occurred.
A video titled "Are The Dark Ages Over?" was posted on Khamenei's official website. Against the backdrop of images of the Auschwitz death camp, the video says that "speaking about the Holocaust and expressing doubts about it is considered to be a great sin," but that "it is not clear whether the core of this matter is a reality or not."
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) posted a version of the video with English subtitles to its website. MEMRI also noted that the video was promoted on the Facebook page of Iran's military and that it specifically pointed out that it was posted on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The following is the translation as provided by MEMRI:
"Who assists the fake Zionist regime? Who supports them? Who clear the road for them? Who stands behind them?
"It is Western powers – headed by America that are doing so. This is why they say in their slogans that they are opposed to terrorism and ISIS, they are lying. They say things that are not true. This is ignorance.
"No one in European countries dares to speak about holocaust while it is not clear whether the core of this matter is a reality or not. Even if it is a reality, it is not clear how it happened. Speaking about holocaust and expressing doubts about it is considered to be a great sin. If someone does this they stop, arrest, imprison and sue him. This is while they claim to be supporters of freedom. This is the ignorance that exists in the world today.
"We should be awake. You dear brothers, dear people of Iran, Muslims in the great Islamic Ummah and officials in different countries should know that we can stand up against the ignorance."
Iranian leaders have made Holocaust denial a regular part of their anti-Israel rhetoric, and therefore this video comes as no surprise.
Khamenei two years ago suggested that the Holocaust "was not real", and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust on a regular basis as well. Prior to leaving the presidency, Ahmadinejad said he prided himself most on his denial of the Holocaust.
In addition, Iran has regularly held Holocaust-denying cartoon exhibits, and is planning to do so again this year.
8. ISRAEL 'PRETTY PROTECTED' FROM ZIKA INFECTION
by Eliran Baruch
As a growing number of European countries report Zika infections among citizens returning from trips to Latin America, Arutz Sheva spoke with Hebrew University's Dr. Hagai Levine to discuss the threat.
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"We should be worried - globally, because this virus can cause congenital malformations and it can spread to other countries," said Levine, of the School of Public Health.
But, he says, chances of becoming infected in Israel are highly improbably, as "we don't have the the mosquitoes [here] that can transmit the virus so we are pretty protected."
Still, Israelis traveling in foreign countries should try to prevent mosquitoes from spreading by using sprays and closing open water areas. Pregnant women, Dr. Levine adds, should "avoid going to endemic areas with mosquitoes."
At a time like this, Dr. Levine asserts, the study of public health is more important than ever as the "environment affects everything else."
Hebrew University offers a master degree in public health with a specialization in environmental health - because "we need to understand ecology, etymology, medicine, and virology... in order to control" such outbreaks.
"This story reminds us that we should put more resources into public health," Dr. Levine says, stressing that Israel is at the forefront of responding to such emergency situations and in providing experts and aid to suffering countries.
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