Dear Readers,

We would like to thank everyone who has opened their hearts and offered to open up their homes this coming Shabbat to residents of the south . We received close to 100 hosting offers, and given the short notice this is truly a great accomplishment and a tribute to all our readers.

We have worked very hard with many of the organizations taking part in this to match up households with guests, based on availability and other parameters such as family sizes, region, etc. There are many organizations working on this and we shared lists to try for the greatest chance of success.

If you were not contacted at this point than you will probably not be for this coming Shabbat (I may be wrong).

If you were contacted – lucky you – I am envious. Please write us and tell us how it was.

We will keep all your names on file for a few weeks in case the need is still there. Should you be needed in the future you will be contacted (you can always decline at that point).

Thank you again for being the wonderful people you are and for being loyal readers of the Jewish Press.

Shabbat Shalom

Dovid Schwartz
Publisher
JewishPress.com

The IDF has dispersed warning leaflets above several locations in the Gaza Strip. This video is from Thursday, November 15, over Khan Yunis.

The Arabic leaflet reads: “Important announcement for the residents of the Gaza Strip: For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to your safety. Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the region. Israel Defense Forces Command.”

As massive as the fighting is, the count of dead on the Palestinian Arab side has three, perhaps two, civilians. Let’s hope the effectiveness of the Israeli fighters continues at that exemplary level.

Let’s also hope some of the irresponsible reporting emanating from such luminaries as Wyre Davies of the BBC who tweeted this a little earlier this morning:

@WyreDavies: In this “limited operation” at least 13 #Palestinians and 3 #Israelishave been killed – nearly all civilians. #Gaza

In reality, as distinct from the ideology-driven distortions of reporters like Davies, most of the Gazan dead (seven at least, out of a total of eleven dead which is the media figure now being quoted everywhere) are acknowledged terrorists. Perhaps the confusion comes from the way the BBC normally calls them militants; in Gaza, they are all martyrs. But terror is what they do, and terror is what brought their lives to an untimely end.

The fresh screen shot image from our computer (below) shows an Israeli aircraft dropping leaflets over Gaza this morning.

The the leaflets read:

“Important announcement for the residents of the Gaza Strip:

For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to your safety.

Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the region. Israel Defense Forces Command.”

This illustrates what we wrote in an earlier post [here] this morning.

The IDF via its air force has been distributing Arabic-language leaflets over Gaza this morning warning residents to keep far away from terrorist bases and weapons depots (the locals know exactly where they are). The message which is echoed by ordinary Israelis is that Palestinian Arab civilians, even those who hate us, are not the targets of the Israeli actions.

Visit This Ongoing War.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday made the following statement:

“Citizens of Israel,

I want to praise the IDF soldiers and commanders, led by Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz , who is commanding the operation as we speak. I want to recognize the Israel Security Agency, headed by Director Yoram Cohen, for their vital part in the operational accomplishments that we have already achieved. I thank the citizens of Israel for their unwavering support of this operation. I thank the residents of southern Israel who are at the front, and exhibit strength and restraint.

Hamas and the terror organizations decided to escalate their attacks on the citizens of Israel over the last few days. We will not accept a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by the terror of rockets. No country would accept this, Israel will not accept it.

Today, we hit Hamas strategic targets precisely. We have significantly debilitated their ability to launch rockets from Gaza to the center of Israel, and we are now working to disable their ability to launch rockets towards the south. The terrorist organizations – Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others – are deliberately harming our citizens, while intentionally hiding behind their citizens. On the other hand, we avoid harming civilians as much as possible and that is one fundamental difference between us. It also indicates the big difference between our objectives, and not only in our methods. They want to obliterate us from the face of the earth and they have no qualms about hurting civilians and innocents.

Today, we sent an unequivocal message to Hamas and the other terror organizations, and if need be the IDF is prepared to expand the operation. We will continue to do everything necessary to defend our citizens.”

The IAF dispersed leaflets above several locations in the Gaza Strip. These leaflets warn the residents of the Gaza Strip to stay away from Hamas, and other terror organizations’ operatives and facilities that pose a risk to their safety.

The leaflets state:

“Important announcement for the residents of the Gaza Strip:

“For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to your safety.

“Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the region. Israel Defense Forces Command.”

The leaflets stress that Hamas is dragging the region toward violence, and that the IDF is prepared to defend the residents of the State of Israel until quiet is restored to the region.

 Military Sources report that similar message was also transferred via the liaison channels.

5:34 PM, Israel Time: The IDF carried out an extensive attack damaging to the long-range launch capabilities (over 25 miles) of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The attack caused significant damage to underground launch systems and weapons and ammunition storehouses belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. The purpose of the attack is to disrupt the launch capabilities of terrorist organizations and damage terrorist network buildup.

Update, 5:34 PM, Israel Time: The IDF carried out an extensive attack damaging to the long-range launch capabilities (over 25 miles) of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The attack caused significant damage to underground launch systems and weapons and ammunition storehouses belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. The purpose of the attack is to disrupt the launch capabilities of terrorist organizations and damage terrorist network buildup.

At 4:10 PM Israel time, Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz approved an extensive attack against Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. As part of this campaign, the IDF attacked a car driven by the head of the military wing of Hamas in Gaza, Ahmed Jabari. Jabari led the Hamas terrorist organization in recent years and directly coordinated numerous deadly attacks against Israel.

The purpose of the campaign, dubbed ‘Pillar of Cloud,’ is to strike a blow at the command and control of Hamas and to undermine the organization’s terrorist infrastructure. For the time being the operation is intended as a surgical strike of the IDF, in collaboration with the ISA (Israel Security Agency or Shabak), with targets picked based on accurate intelligence and advanced fire capabilities.

The IDF will continue to attack targets that are serving as bases for terror against Israeli civilians. The Army will do the maximum to improve the security of Israel’s southern communities and improve the security situation around the Gaza Strip. Home Front Command and emergency authorities have taken all the require steps and Israeli citizens are being asked to follow Home Front Command instructions.

IDF spokesman Brigadier General Yoav (Poly) Mordechai said that IDF operations got underway following the “intolerable situation in the south of Israel, in order to harm the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.” During the night IDF Chief of Staff Gantz approved a highly detailed plan – but as of now, all the options are open for inflicting serious damage on Hamas and other terrorist organizations.”

A Manhattan office building that houses the Jewish Daily Forward may be closed for several months due to flood damage sustained from Hurricane Sandy.

Citing an unnamed disaster recovery company official involved with the building, where the newspaper has an office on the eighth floor, The New York Times reported Monday that 125 Maiden Lane may remain closed for months while transformers, boilers and other equipment are replaced.

Forward publisher Samuel Norich reportedly said he heard from building management that 8 million gallons of water were pumped from the basement of the building.

“We had prepared for an emergency,” Norich told The New York Times. “The emergency we had prepared for was an act of terrorism, not this.”

Forward reporters who had power at home worked remotely throughout the hurricane and into the weekend, and managed to publish its Yiddish and English paper the weekend after the storm.

Makom Hadash, an office sharing-initiative led by the Jewish environmental group Hazon, has leased space in the Forward’s office since 2010. The initiative’s partner organizations, which also are affected by the building’s closure, include Limmud NY, Moving Traditions, Storahtelling, Nehirim, B3: The Jewish Boomer Platform and the Jewish Greening Fellowship, an initiative of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.

JTA, whose New York-based employees have been operating remotely since shortly before Labor Day, is expecting additional delays in moving into its new Manhattan office on West 30th Street.

Several synagogues, Jewish day schools and other Jewish organizations sustained serious flood damage when Hurricane Sandy swept through the greater New York area on Oct. 29.

Among the organizations that sustained damage to their facilities from direct flooding were the Russian American Jewish Experience (RAJE), the Mazel Day School and the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, all in Brooklyn, as well as the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach on Long Island.