Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
Tuesday, Apr. 05 '16, Adar Bet 26, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. HEROIC IDF SOLDIER'S WIDOW REMARRIES, TO HIS TEACHER
2. SOLDIER'S OFFICER CORROBORATES SUSPICION THAT TERRORIST HAD BOMB
3. SHOOTING ATTACK PREVENTED IN SAMARIA COMMUNITY
4. WHY DID THE GERMAN ARMY PRINT A HAGADDAH DURING WORLD WAR ONE?
5. PANAMA PAPERS LEAK EXPOSES HUNDREDS OF ISRAELI FIRMS
6. ISRAEL STOPS GIVING CEMENT TO GAZA AFTER HAMAS THEFTS
7. INVESTIGATION AGAINST HERZOG LIKELY TO TURN CRIMINAL
8. TERRORIST'S MOTHER: KNIFE WAS JUST FOR A SALAD, SHE LOVES JEWS
1. HEROIC IDF SOLDIER'S WIDOW REMARRIES, TO HIS TEACHER
by Matt Wanderman
During the 2006 war in Lebanon, Major Roi Klein's final act made him a hero around Israel.
His soldiers were caught up in a fight with Hezbollah when one of the terrorists threw a grenade. Klein immediately yelled "Shema Yisrael" and jumped on the explosive, sacrificing himself in order to save his men.
In recognition of his bravery, the IDF posthumously awarded Klein the Medal of Courage.
Last week his widow Sarah married to Rabbi Yigal Levenstein, one of Roi's former teachers. Rabbi Levenstein taught Klein at the Bnei David pre-military academy in the community of Eli.
The wedding was a small event in Jerusalem. The following day the couple began their joint life in Eli and held a celebration with Bnei David students, who described the match as "completing the circle." One told Walla, "Along with all the sadness, they are now building a new and faithful home in Israel."
The rabbi's first wife, the author Ronit Levinstein, passed away last November, leaving behind five children. Sarah has two children of her own as well.
There is a moderate age difference between 39-year-old Sarah and her 60-year-old husband, but their friends and neighbors are confident that the two will have a strong marriage. As one explained to Olam Katan: "Rabbi Yigal lives a life of service. He is a man on a mission, and the fact that his (late) wife told him to marry Sarah is certainly important. Sara is also a special person in her own right. They are a fitting pair."
He continued, "If someone could step into Roi's shoes, it would be Rabbi Yigal. He is an outstanding scholar and a serious man. A noble man. Whoever knows the two knows that it will work out well."
2. SOLDIER'S OFFICER CORROBORATES SUSPICION THAT TERRORIST HAD BOMB
by Uzi Baruch
During a hearing on the IDF soldier who shot a neutralized terrorist on Tuesday, military judge Brigadier General Doron Piles revealed that the soldier's platoon commander, who was at the scene, admitted to suspecting that the terrorist had an explosive.
This testimony contradicts the prosecutor's claim that there was no such suspicion and that the soldier had no justification for shooting the terrorist.
The prosecutor, Lieutenant Colonel Adoram Rigler, submitted a video clip in which the soldier can be seen shaking hands with right-wing activist Baruch Marzel after shooting the terrorist.
"The respondent (the soldier) does not look very stressed," he explained. "He approaches two civilians at the scene, shakes their hands, and even smiles. He gives a friendly pat on the shoulder. We can see that he is not stressed and not in an emotional turmoil, even though he tries to claim that, at the time he's enjoying himself, he's still in an emotional turmoil.
"We don't believe the suspect's version, according to which he acted out of self defense. We will prove that, even during the course of his actions, he acted in contradiction to orders."
The prosecutor further claimed that, after the attack, the soldier told his battalion commander that he suspected the terrorist was armed with a knife. The battalion commander then answered, "So why did you shoot him and not kick away the knife? I think you're lying."
The battalion commander also gave testimony, during which he admitted that he did not include scenarios of a terrorist with an explosive when he practiced the rules of engagement with his unit.
Rigler closed his remarks during today's discussion by saying, "There is enough evidence to file charges."
The defense, including lawyers Ilan Katz, Eyal Besserglick, Binyamin Malka and Karmit Shahiber, is expected to ask for the soldier to be released home, or at least place on house arrest.
3. SHOOTING ATTACK PREVENTED IN SAMARIA COMMUNITY
by Arutz Sheva Staff
The Israel Security Agency (ISA, also known as the Shin Bet or Shabak) has cleared for publication the details about a shooting attack in the Samaria community of El Matan that it prevented.
About two weeks ago, an Arab terrorist from the nearby village of Azzun was arrested near the fence surrounded El Matan. He was caught with an improvised gun, ammunition and a knife.
IDF forces arrested the terrorist, 28-year-old Amad al-Houli, while on his way home, after apparently reconsidering his plans.
An ISA investigation has found that the motive for the attempted attack was a fight with his parents after he canceled his engagement.
El Matan residents have previously suffered terror attacks, including the firebomb attack that left 11-year-old Ayala Shapira with 40% burns on her upper body. She survived, but has years of treatment and surgery ahead of her. Residents have demanded that the government allow them access to a safer road. It is believed that al-Houli intended to open fire on vehicles passing along the still-dangerous route.
4. WHY DID THE GERMAN ARMY PRINT A HAGADDAH DURING WORLD WAR ONE?
by Ari Soffer
Just in time for Pesach: A unique, extensive collection of Passover Hagaddahs has been put on display in Jerusalem for the past few weeks. The collection - displayed prior to its' online auction at the Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem this Wednesday - consists of thousands of books and manuscripts, but the collection's origins can be traced back to one single collector who gathered the hagaddahs over the course of many years.
The result is a vast and diverse collection of hagaddahs from across the Jewish world, of varying themes and spanning many centuries and generations.
Among the items on display are handwritten hagaddahs, influential hassidic hagaddahs, hagaddahs with emendations and signatures, ancient and rare printed hagaddahs, first editions of important commentaries, translations into different languages, illustrated artistic haggadahs, bibliographic editions, and more.
The hagaddah - which recounts the Jewish journey from slavery in Egypt to exodus and redemption - is a central feature of Seder Night, the first (and in the Diaspora, also the second) night of Passover during which Jewish families gather to mark the exodus from Egypt.
Over the years, the Passover hagaddah has become one of the most widely-printed Jewish books. According to bibliographical research, by 1960 about 4,730 different types of hagaddahs were printed all around the Jewish world. Since then, countless more have been published.
Arutz Sheva got a glimpse at the rare collection displayed at the Kedem Auction house - and after hours of burrowing, we returned with a number of Hagaddahs concealing some intriguing stories of their own:
War Hagaddahs - written by the German and British armies
During the First World War, over a million Jewish soldiers served in the armies of Britain, France, Germany, Austro-Hungary, Russia and the United States. Often, during the clashes between the Allied forces and the Axis powers, Jewish soldiers on both sides of the trenches would face off against each other.
One interesting subtext to the already intriguing story of Jewish soldiers during the war is the story of the books they were carrying with them in their bags. As it turns outs, many Passover haggadahs were among those books - an incredible testament to the determination of Jewish soldiers on both sides to observe their traditions even in the extreme conditions of trench warfare.
As a result, almost every national army would issue special editions of the haggadah to their Jewish troops.
One such instance is the "Kriegs-Haggadah" (War Haggadah), issued in both Hebrew and German for the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies during the war. These editions were imprinted with the portraits of the Austrian Caesar Franz Josef and the German Caesar Wilhelm.
"Kriegs hagadah" Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
Conversely, their brothers on the British side would carry the "Special Service for Passover Evening" Hagaddah edition, issued in Calcutta India by the "Jewish War Services Committee for India."
British army-issue hagaddah Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
"And you shall tell you children" - even under Nazi rule
In recent years, many children's hagaddahs have swept the market. Unsurprisingly perhaps, considering the hagaddah's emphasis on imparting the story of the exodus to the next generation, this is not a new trend.
Like the hagaddah itself, the Seder's unique character has led many communities to issue special Hagaddahs for children, some of which date back hundreds of years.
Nazi-era children's hagaddah Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
One very unique example is the colorful Hagaddah for children with "moving pictures" initially published in Berlin in 1936, after the Nazis rose to power. The cutout, movable pictures were meant to encourage children's participation during the Seder.
An even earlier child-friendly hagaddah on display is a 1865 edition, published in Thessaloniki, then under the control of the Ottoman Empire.
Printed under the Ottoman Empire Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
The words "Under the government of our king Sultan Abdülaziz (Praised be his name)", are written on the front page, informing that this is also a "Hagaddah for the babies of the school (…) for the students to learn".
Hassidic Rebbe - Warsaw Ghetto warrior
Sometimes the uniqueness of a book doesn't derive from its content, design, place of printing or year of publication, but from the person who once owned it.
Such is the case with two hagaddahs published in 1914, which belonged to two hassidic Rebbes (grand rabbis) who perished in the Holocaust.
This is a somewhat tragic, personal display. The two rebbes' handwritten signature can be found in the hagaddahs, which are still stained with wine presumably spilled during the Seder meal.
One of them belonged to Rabbi Avraham Yehuda Dancyger, the Rebbe of Alexander, and includes his signature on the last page together with a handwritten dedication.
The Alexander Rebbe's hagaddah Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
Rabbi Avraham was the Rebbe of the Alexander Hassidim of Lodz, Poland. He died at the Chelmno death camp in west Poland.
The second hagaddah belonged to Rabbi Yisrael Shapira of Grodzinsky. Rabbi Yisrael was both a scholar and, at the end of his life, a Jewish warrior too, taking part in leading the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. He perished at the Treblinka Death camp.
Rabbi Yisrael Shapira from Grodzinsky's hagaddah Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
The first ever hassidic hagaddah
In 1794 - when names of hassidic leaders like Rabbi Levy Yitzchak of Berdichev, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov still referred to the living - in the city of Lemberg (then part of the Austrian empire and today known as Lviv, in the Ukraine) the first hassidic haggadah was printed.
The hagaddah, named "The Heirloom of Benjamin", was printed by the students of the Maggid of Mezritch and the Magid of Zaliztsi. The endorsement (haskamah) of Rabbi Levy Yitzchak of Berdichev also appears in the hagaddah, expressing the legendary hassid's hopes that it will "bring many back from sin."
First-ever hassidic hagaddah Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
A Hidden Jew's hagaddah
Over the years, the Passover hagaddah has become more than just a book used during Seder night; it has become something of a Jewish symbol.
One hagaddah which starkly testifies to this status was published in 1928 in the city of Porto in Portugal, under the name "Haggadah Shel Pessah Le'Anusim (The Hagaddah of the forcibly-converted Jews)."
The Haggadah was published by one Arthur Carlos De Barros Basto, known by his Hebrew name: Avraham Israel Ben-Rosh (1887-1961).
The story of Ben-Rosh is fascinating in its own right. An officer in the Portuguese army, Basto was a hero of the 1910 revolution and the First World War. While in his adolescence, he discovered he was a descendant of the Anusim of Spain - Jews forcibly converted to Christianity during the Inquisition - and consequently sought to reconnect to his Jewish roots and traditions.
A Hidden Jew's hagaddah Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
Ben-Rosh established a Jewish community and synagogue in his home town of Porto, and was the leader of the Anusim who returned to Judaism. In an incident which led some to dub him "the Portuguese Dreyfus", an anti-Semitic plot against him resulted in a show trial and dismissal from the army.
His name was cleared only relatively recently, restoring his rightful status as a hero in Portugal once again.
Ben-Rosh published the hagaddah for the benefit of the members of the community he established.
Passover Seder in the city of Monopoly
In 1496, in the Italian port city of Monopoly, a dignified elderly Jewish man finished writing a new piece, the hardships of a life of wandering, exile and suffering etched into his aging features.
The man was Rabbi Yitzchak Don Abarbanel, one of the leading Jewish luminaries of his generation - and a Jewish leader who in many ways personified what it meant to be a "wandering Jew" in exile.
The 30 years which preceded that day were filled with hardships for him and his fellow Spanish and Portuguese Jews: At first, he was appointed as the minister of the treasury to the King of Portugal; later, due to a plot against him he was forced to flee, and eventually settle in the city of Toledo, Spain, where he was again appointed as the minister of the treasury.
However, after eight years he was exiled again along with most of his community as part of the expulsion of Jews from Spain.
He then settled in the city of Naples where he was also again appointed to head the treasury - but yet again, he was forced to flee.
Finally, Abarbanel settled in the city of Monopoly. The book he finished writing that day was the "Passover feast", a commentary on the Passover Hagaddah. The book was meant to plant the hope of salvation in the hearts of his fellow Jewish exiles and persecuted brethren, and to maybe even bring back those who were pushed away from their Judaism - the Anusim - due to the hardships they suffered in exile.
The book was printed in 1545, not far from where it was written, in the city of Venice.
Pesach in Monopoly Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
From a Master of the 'Kinetic Arts'
One of the most well-known and prominent artistic hagaddahs are the ones designed by Israeli artist Yaakov Agam.
Agam is considered a pioneer of the Kinetic arts – a form of art which centers on movement and its effects.
Agam's hagaddah, in which each page is 0.15 IN on 0.19 IN, depicts the "four sons" in a contemporary, creative design. The pages were made using special silk pints, engraved with the artist's signature.
Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
One for each plague
Along with the Hagaddahs are various works of art related to Passover, such as "The Ten Plagues".
Each Plague was given a separate lithographic painting by renowned German artist Rafaello Busoni. The lithography was published in a special edition of two hundred copies, each signed with the artist's handwritten signature.
Kedem Auction House, Jerusalem
5. PANAMA PAPERS LEAK EXPOSES HUNDREDS OF ISRAELI FIRMS
by JTA
(JTA) Hundreds of Israeli companies and some 850 Israeli shareholders are listed as having offshore accounts in a dump of leaked documents known as the Panama Papers.
The 11.5 million documents were published Sunday following a yearlong investigation of their contents led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The documents, obtained by an anonymous source from a law firm in Panama that specializes in offshore accounts, were then shared with a large network of international media partners, including in Israel with the daily Haaretz.
Among the some 600 Israeli companies found in the documents are Bank Leumi and Bank Hapoalim. Among the Israeli public figures listed in the documents are attorney Dov Weissglass, former bureau chief of the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Israeli businessman Idan Ofer.
It is legal to use offshore accounts.
The leaked data, which go back as far as 1975, came from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is known for creating shell companies that often conceal the ownership of assets in the accounts.
The documents reveal the offshore holdings of 140 politicians and public officials around the world, including 12 current and former world leaders such as the prime ministers of Iceland and Pakistan, the president of Ukraine, and the king of Saudi Arabia.
They were reviewed by journalists from 76 countries.
6. ISRAEL STOPS GIVING CEMENT TO GAZA AFTER HAMAS THEFTS
by Shimon Cohen
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), General Yoav Mordechai, has announced that Israel will freeze its transfer of cement to the private sector in the Gaza Strip.
The decision came after it was found that a senior Hamas member seized the cement and building materials that were intended as humanitarian supplies.
The Hamas official, who serves as the Economics Minister in Gaza, instead used the materials to build tunnels and military bases for the terror organization.
In making his decision, Mordechai explained that the misuse is a violation of the agreements by which Israel is helping rebuild Gaza after Operation Protective Edge.
It should be noted that the new freeze only affects the private sector. Israel will continue providing cement for the public sector to build medical, educational and community structures.
COGAT refers to both the IDF unit responsible for coordination with Palestinian and international bodies, as well as the unit's commander.
7. INVESTIGATION AGAINST HERZOG LIKELY TO TURN CRIMINAL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A senior official involved in the investigation against opposition head Yitzhak Herzog (Zionist Union) told Channel 10 that the case could soon turn into a criminal investigation.
According to the official, mounting evidence suggests that Herzog violated party financing laws.
The Zionist Union chair maintains that the entire investigation is no more than a political attack and that he did nothing wrong. "I demand that these things conclude as quickly as possible so that the truth can come to light," he said. "In the end, everything will be clear."
On his Facebook page, Herzog recently wrote, "We can't let the ghouls who are trying to use the law enforcement agencies as part of the election campaign poison us.
"In the past 48 hours something has happened that our party has not seen for many years. Our party always ensures that its leader is spotless, and that includes me. So, as far as I am concerned, there should not be an investigation. Instead, they should call me, and I will come with answers to any charge, any story. I know that I acted honestly, cleanly and in a reasonable manner, just as I have acted all my life. Being a leader means you have to deal with malicious lies."
8. TERRORIST'S MOTHER: KNIFE WAS JUST FOR A SALAD, SHE LOVES JEWS
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Following yesterday's knife attack in Rosh Ha'ayin in which a 30-year-old mother of three was wounded, the Arab Israeli suspect's mother denies the incident was a terror attack, claiming that the knife her daughter was brandishing was "for making salad."
The mother, a resident of the town of Kfar Qassem close to the scene of the attack, told Channel 2 that her daughter wasn't a terrorist, and decried the media for rushing to judgment.
"She's dieting. She always carries fruit and a knife with her in her bag to make salads," she said. In the attack, the terrorist had a box cutter in her hand which she used to stab, and another knife was found in her bag. Police have yet to officially declare the attack as terrorism.
The mother of the accused suggested that her daughter may have been responding to something said or done to her prior to the attack.
"What happened to her on the way? Who spoke with her on the way? We don't know any of that at this point. God forbid [this was] not a terror attack. We don't live in the territories [Judea and Samaria]; we're living in Israel; how could I ever betray the state?"
The mother went on to describe her daughter's alleged fondness for Jews.
"Do you know how many times she told me 'Mom, I love living with Jews, more than with Arabs'?"
Witnesses reported that the suspect yelled "I'll kill you" during her rampage, and her victim who was lightly wounded testified afterwards that the assailant walked towards her before suddenly stabbing her, and then continued to try to stab her as she desperately tried to push her away.
Bystanders used chairs and plastic stools to neutralize her.
[youtube:2014110]
------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/
