Category: Frontlines

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Is War Coming to the Golan?

Syrian Regime forces fired three missiles into the Golan Heights on Saturday.  Israel immediately destroyed the artillery unit responsible for the fire. Although the official response from the IDF was that the projectiles were merily just stray missiles that spilled over from the Syrian Civil War, experts in the military indicate that these three missiles were very different and seemingly fired intentionally, which according to sources would be a first in the Syrian Civil War.

The intentional firing of missiles represents a turning point in the Syrian Civil War as the regime now feels emboldened by its gains in beginning closure on what had been a near defeat of Assad before Russia entered the war. Iran’s occupation of Kirkuk, a Kurdish city in Iraq has also showed Assad that nothing seems to be able to stop the Iran-Syria alliance.

Syria’s goal is to make it clear that the regime has outlived Ehud Barak, Israel’s former Prim Minister’s statement when he predicted that Assad was close to falling numerous times. In a sense, the three missiles were meant for him and most of Israel’s security establishment who counted on Assad fading and a more pro-Israel leader taking over.

These three missiles may in fact be the beginning of something much larger.  The coming conflict will set the region ablaze by pitting Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria against their neighbors. Their goal is to take the Golan and Tiberius. The missile attack is a warning that it in fact can already happen.

 

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ANOUSIM RISING: From Darkness Comes Light

Yosef Ortega

“Such is the way of creation: First comes darkness, then light.” – Talmud Shabbat 77b

Peeking in through the door and staring into the darkness came the familiar sound of a match striking. The light filling the room for an instance while dimming down slowly, I saw my grandmother with her head covered leaning down to light some candles. This act was not unusual. But when I saw that she drew in this Holy light while passionately devoting herself in Holy words to G-d, I knew I was witnessing something that would forever change the course of my life.

Each and every day and growing with great endurance, people are making their way back to Torah Judaism and the heritage of the Jewish people. Still widely unknown to most of Jewish communities, prophecy is being fulfilled on the world stage regarding this mostly forgotten group. Who are these people? They are known as the B’nei Anousim (Children of the Coerced), and many of their stories began like mine… a light in the darkness.

My​ ​personal​ ​journey​ ​back​ ​to​ ​Judaism

At a young age, my mother passed away. After my father remarried, I was raised in the Catholic church. Though I was too young to comprehend the implications of my feelings, my life felt like I was in exile. I was lost and disconnected from my Jewish identity. It wasn’t hidden from me by my parents, it was stolen from me long before I was born.

In my early 20’s I met and married my Beshert (soul mate). Both, of us had a deep longing to know G-d but had no idea how. So, what better place to start than inside to walls of the Catholic church…right? I quickly became excited about the idea of knowing G-d. We threw ourselves into the ministry of the the church. All seemed to be going well. That is, until the spring of 2007.

Always having this looming question in our hearts about the Jewish people, my wife and I decided to try a Passover seder. Sure, all of the children fell asleep as we struggled to read through the entire seder. Yes, the word ‘amature’ was being thoroughly revealed in the light of the full moon. And yet, something unknown was being unveiled to me that I already knew in my bones. This was a feeling I will never forget.

“If you are going to pursue this, it can not be done at THIS church”, our pastor told us after we shared with him this newfound excitement about Passover. Instead of being drawn in, we were being pushed away. We were at a crossroads. This was painful because we had many close friends connected with the church. However, this pain was necessary for use to begin our journey back to Judaism. The crossroads was now the road less traveled. And that road brought us to Denver, Colorado.

A horse of a different color is still a horse. A church of a different name is still a church. Things seemed to somewhat fit into the mold of Judaism as we found ourselves in walls of Messianic Judaism. Within these walls we learned a lot about Judaism. But, the more we learned about Judaism, the more we saw just how far outside of Judaism we were. Something was just not right. These walls felt as though they were closing in, keeping us inside for years before realizing just how much of a counterfeit we were partaking in.

Connection​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Sephardic​ ​Anousim

During the later part of 2009, my wife and I were invited to hear a guest speaker, Dr. Dell Sanchez. He had come to Denver to speak on the history of the Crypto Jews or the Bnei Anousim. I remember sitting in my seat following the lecture. Flipping through a book I just purchased, I stumbled upon a section listing Sephardic Jewish surnames. Among these names I saw “Ortega”, then “Herrera” (both from my grandfather), then “Navarro” ( my grandmother whom I mentioned earlier) Just then I remembered something that Dr. Sanchez had shared during the lecture about various hidden customs of the Anousim. He shared about separating meat from dairy, covering mirrors after the death of loved ones, salting meat, not eating pork, and women lighting candles on Friday night. I instantly remembered this from my grandmother.

Although, I only had this small memory of her, it was a spark that had remained with me. In the coming years I would research more about the Anousim and places in where they lived and traveled. I found many similarities between these findings and my research into my family. I even did a DNA test to find further evidence of my broken past. I discovered that my DNA matched many of the Sephardic Anousim as well as several DNA matches linking to the priestly tribe of Levi.

This was exciting! But, even with all this excitement, I still felt that I needed to make a much deeper connection to the Jewish people. DNA, surnames, and some possible family evidences would only (as Everette from “O, Brother Where Art Thou” stated) “Arouse my appetite without bedding it back down.” It was at this time that my family and I decided, if we really are possibly Jewish, we needed to embrace all that is Jewish and make our formal return. While we had already been studying for years, we knew that we needed the help of the Jewish community to
do things right. So, we left the Messianic church and went to the synagogue.

Passover has been an interesting time for us. It was during Passover that we left Christianity in 2007. It was during Passover in 2016 when we left all Judeo-Christian/Messianic leanings and had our first meeting with an Orthodox Beit Din (House of Judgement). Our conversion process had officially begun.

During this time, I got in contact with Yaffah Batya DaCosta, founder of Ezra L’Anousim (Helpers of the Anousim). I volunteered to help with several projects within the organization. My first project working with Ezra L’Anousim was to help with organizing and promoting the first of the Ezra L’Anousim pro Israel global rallies. Collaborating with a good friend of mine, we produced two short promotional videos called “We are Jews” and “Chazon Ovadiah” (Prophecy of Ovadiah) to help with bring awareness for the Bnei Anousim.Like Yaffah Batya DaCosta, I am a firm believer in activism for bringing Jews closer to Judaism, specifically the Bnei Anousim.

He used to say: It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist
from it- Pirkei avot 2:16

I also believe that the ones assisting Hashem in helping the Anousim will ultimately be other Anousim. This is not only because we share a very special connection, but we understand very well the darkness of our exile and all hope to see things change in a positive way. Not only for the Bnei Anousim, but for all of Klal Yisrael.

“There is no power in the world that can stand against us when we feel a part of our history, part of our people and part of this historic struggle.”- Natan Sharansky, Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel and former Prisoner of Zion

Our​ ​conversion​ ​and​ ​current​ ​activism

In the month of Elul 27 in the year 5777 (September 18, 2017) my family and I completed our conversion to Orthodox Judaism! Baruch Hashem it has been the connection that we have been longing for many years.

Recently, I was also appointed to the role of ‘Director of Media’ for Ezra L Anousim and so now both the passion and the vessel to help other Bnei Anousim has been united. Our first task is in launching the newly designed website for Ezra L’Anousim (www.bneianousim.org), we plan to release documentary about the emerging Bnei Anousim communities. Our media company, Kavod Media, is currently seeking collaboration with other film production agencies to reach this lofty goal as well as other future projects.

My life to this point has been a long and fulfilling journey. I have had many trials, victories, failures, peaks, and valleys, but I feel like this is just a beginning. I am still in exile. However, now, it is only physical. I pray that this exile will shortly come to an end and that this Passover we all together can say and truly mean, “Next year in Jerusalem”.

“It shall come to be on that day that the Lord will once again show His hand… And He will gather in the dispersed ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” – Isaiah 11:11-12

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FINAL WAR BEGINNING: The UN is Coming…Again

In what appears to be a major move by the UN, the international organization sent 150 Israelis companies a warning letter that they risked losing international business due to their dealings with companies that worked out of Judea and Samaria. UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein personally sent the letters two weeks ago and has already received two responses that affirmed their break in doing business with companies from Israel’s Biblical Heartland.

The Arab countries and their supporters have had a solid hold on the UN  Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for some time, but the move by the organization is literally unprecedented and seemingly part of a wider diplomatic war against Israel .  With UNESCO already erasing the Jewish connection to its holiest sites and cities, the UNHRC move seems natural.

All of this appears to be crossing into dangerous ground as the UN is laying a deeper trap for the Jewish State.  Ultimately, by disregarding the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel as well as a firm campaign backing the BDS movement, the UN seeks to ultimately weaken Israel as its enemies gather against it.

An unnamed western diplomat told Haaretz that more than half of the companies that received the warning letter were Israeli, about 30 were from the US and the remainder from countries including Germany, Norway and South Korea. The diplomat added that Hussein also sent copies of the letter to foreign ministries of several countries who are home to companies which may be added to the blacklist.

According to the report Israeli companies on the list include pharmaceutical giant Teva, the national phone company Bezeq, bus company Egged, the national water company Mekorot and the country’s two largest banks, Hapoalim and Leumi.

The US has threatened to withdraw from the council if the entire list is published.

Before one assumes the worst, Israel was in far worse shape at the time of the Six Days War and we all know how that ended.  With that in mind, reality is how one perceives it.  The UNHRC has very little teeth, yet its bite still has power.  At the end of the day, Israel’s market is small and businesses can make the calculus that it is far better to stay away from the political intrigue than pull in some extra money from Israel.

Once again the aim here is to weaken and divide the State of Israel as it contends to deal with a plethora of unprecedented security challenges. The focus for Israelis should not be to despair, but rather know that with deep faith and a yearning to survive they will make it past this as well.

As Rebbe Nachman says: “There is no despair at all.”

After all, if we’ve made it this far then the rest should be within our grasp as well.  No outside force can move the will of the Creator.

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After 70 Years Jews Return to Sheikh Jarrah Property in “East” Jerusalem

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Jewish residents of Jerusalem with the help Israel Land Fund’s Councilman Aryeh King moved into a newly reacquired property in Jerusalem’s Shimon HaTzadik/Nachalat Shimon (Sheikh Jarrah) neigborhood Monday morning. After a tense  and sometimes violent morning with Arabs throwing rocks and firebombs on the new residents , the area calmed down.  The Arab family who had lived in the residence were pulled out after an Israeli court saw clear evidence they were in fact squatting in what was a Jewish property before the Jordanian army chased the home owners away in 1948.

Rabbi Ben Packer of the Jerusalem Heritage House said the following about the new property and court decision:

“The recent reclaiming is a very positive step but way overdue. Its time for the Israeli Government to allow real development in Shimon HaTzadik/Nachalat Shimon for the rightful Jewish owners, as they have for the Arab owners. That’s real Israeli sovereignty and basic fairness.”

Until 1948, west of the road linking Sheikh Jarrah, the American Colony and Mt. Scopus, was  the neighborhood of Nahlat Shimon. The name is a reminder of its closeness to the Cave of Shimon HaTzadik. The neighborhood was founded in 1891 and was home to hundreds of Jewish families. Just before the British Mandate ended in 1948, security in Nahlat Shimon deteriorated considerably and its residents were evacuated to the Israeli side of Jerusalem. The Jordanians took control of the neighborhood and settled “Palestinian” Arab refugees there.

With one house now firmly back in Jewish hands, the many more houses stolen from their original Jewish owners may find themselves returned as well.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”6016,6017,6018,6019,6020,6021,6022″ img_size=”150×75″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Has Israel Reached the End of its Detente with Russia?

Iran Attack Israel

There had been signs for months that the “special” understandings reached between Putin and Bibi Netanyahu were fraying.  Afterall, Israel never chose to have Russia interject itself into the Syrian civil war, but once it had done so, Israel had no choice but to try to tame the Russian Bear.  The understandings reached allowed Israel a level of continued independence to strike out against Syrian convoys heading towards Lebanon.  When Iran started moving closer, Israel was allowed to hit sensitive figures.

Despite all of this, there was always the need to ask for permission and reestablish the understandings, which according to reports have contantly changed.

With Trump and Putin reaching an understanding at the G20 that allowed Russia to man the borders of Israel and Jordan in order to supposedly “enforce” a ceasefire, the understandings between Israel and Russia broke apart.

Israel can handle a Russia farther North from the Golan who is focused more on creating stability for its Mediteranean port at Latkia, but a Russia intensely involved with allowing Iranian troops and the militia it supports to reach the Golan border is completely unacceptable.

When Bibi travelled to Sochi over ten days ago, the prevailing assumption was that he would be able to convince Putin that it is in Russia’s best interest to hold back Iran and in failing to do so Israel would have no choice but to attack the Iranian forces.




Russia would have none of it and has since pushed back strongly against Israel’s verbage and protests against the Iranian presence on its border.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the following about Israel’s concerns that Iran is building up strength in the Golan to attack Israel:

 “We do not have any information that someone is preparing an attack on Israel. Whatever area of cooperation between Iran and Syria, my position is that if their cooperation in whichever field does not violate the basic provisions of international law, it should not be cause for question,” Lavrov said.

So the proverbial goal posts of past understandings between Israel and Russia have once again been moved, but in the direction of the Israeli border.  Where at one time Russia acquiesced to Israel’s concerns about Iran’s proximity to their Northeastern border, today they just have to “behave” and all is well.

The emerging crisis on Israel’s border with Syria is no small matter.  Under Russian protection Iranian troops can operate freely and this being the case, Iranian agents can always lay the groundwork to be ready when Russia changes the rules again.

Bibi Netanyahu has a huge choice to make.  He can either keep the facade that Russia is an honest broker between the Jewish state and Iran and therefore allow Israel to become fully surrounded and in a sense dependent on Russia for holding back Iran or he can drop the facade and take out the Iranian forces quickly establishing themselves in the Syrian Golan.

His choice will determine the costs involved when the war in Israel’s North begins.