Month: December 2023

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR – WEEK 10

While Israel fights to survive, the world votes at the UN to support those who want its demise.

By Harris Zvi Green

December 15, 2023

My dearest friends,

This week began with the Brit (circumcision) of our great-grandson, Achiah Chaim. It was a particularly emotional event for both Phyllis and I. All our tribe members, with the exception of our serving grandchildren, Linor and Omer, were present. Being able to celebrate together as a family at this stressful time was wonderful. It showed us that every cloud has its silver lining.

The Brit was performed in a unique garment made by my grandfather in honor of my father’s Brit 113 years ago. Since then, it’s been used at the Britot of all the males born into my father’s dynasty. This garment now spans five generations.

Generational Garment. The Brit (circumcision) this week of the writer’s great-grandson, Achiah Chaim, was performed in this garment made 113 years ago by the writer’s grandfather, a tailor by profession, who arrived in Cape Town, South Africa in 1902 from Poland via Leeds, a major textile center.

Later in the week, Omer was home for a 24-hour break. It was great catching up with him and hearing his experiences of the past few weeks. Both he and Ori have since returned to their frontline units.

There’s been no movement on the release of the hostages. The fighting has intensified. Casualties continue to rise.

As predicted, the international community, through its multitude of irrelevant and corrupt institutions, has made a conscious decision to ignore the October 7 massacre which claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis.

At this time, 129 hostages remain in captivity. Their state of health and well-being remains unclear. The Red Cross hasn’t visited them since they were taken hostage. One of my readers branded them, the “Red Double-Cross”. Indeed, an appropriate description for such an impotent and politically motivated organization. The Red Cross has become an integral part of the Hamas terror machine.

Red Cross Disappoints. There is much anger against the Red Cross at its failure to protect the lives of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. Seen here is Israel’s Foreign Mister, Eli Cohen together with families of Hamas hostages at the Red Cross in Geneva on November 14. Israeli relatives of hostages have complained that the Red Cross has refused to bring medication to their loved ones, with some even claiming Red Cross personnel told them to sympathise with the Palestinians.

Of course, the humanitarian aid being poured into Gaza doesn’t include life-saving medication for the hostages. It does, however, include ammunition for Hamas wrapped in packages of rice and transported in UN humanitarian bags.

Unfortunately, none of this bothers any of the 153 member nations of the United Nations General Assembly who voted in favor of imposing an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. If implemented, this resolution will only serve to fuel the Hamas war machine. Implementation of the resolution will prolong the conflict. It’ll also enable the genocidal Hamas leadership to escape punishment for their war crimes and make future, bloody rounds of the conflict inevitable.

The resolution may not be enforceable but it does empower the proponents of terror. It gives them the moral ground to redefine the narrative and continue their acts of terror.

France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many European countries were amongst the countries who supported the resolution. Shame on them.

An amendment to the resolution proposed by the US condemning Hamas for its attack on Israel was rejected.

Nothing UN’usual. In a predictable vote, the UN General Assembly voted again with an overwhelming majority for an immediate ceasefire that if implemented would only serve the Hamas war machine and prolong the conflict. No less predictable, was the rejection of an amendment to the resolution proposed by the US condemning Hamas for its attack on October 7 that began the war.

As Abba Eben, one of Israel’s legendary diplomats, said more than 50 years ago, “if Algeria introduced a resolution declaring the earth was flat, and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions”. The numbers have barely changed.

What’s become of the Judeo-Christian values that were once fundamental to our civilization? I can only conclude these have been blown away by the Jihadi tornado howling across our planet.

The international community has betrayed Israel. Their acquiescence is a crime. They are complicit in fueling the tidal wave of antisemitism engulfing our world.

It seems I wasn’t the only person appalled by the statements and attitudes expressed by the Presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT at last week’s Congressional hearing. One of the Presidents has since resigned her position.

What a pity the US Congress doesn’t have the authority to summon heads of nations and those representing international institutions to similar hearings.

The UK advertising company commissioned to manage the campaign aimed at promoting awareness for release of the hostages was forced to renege on its agreement with the organizers after receiving thousands of complaints and personal threats to its staff. After just six days, the campaign was terminated with immediate effect. I was convinced that releasing a baby aged less than a year not to mention the 80-year-olds and the women, represented a value that would resonate favorably with the British people. Apparently, I was mistaken yet again.

Obviously, terror, or whatever the BBC wants to call it, works. The British people may not want to be involved in Israel’s problems, but for their own good, they need to understand these are their problems just as much as they are ours.

Freedom of speech in the UK has become yet another victim of Jihadi terror. There’s no such thing as selective freedom of the press. It’s either black or it’s white. There are no compromises or exceptions.

It doesn’t end there.

Jewish communities in Europe are becoming increasingly isolated. Places of worship and Jewish schools require special security. Displaying Jewish religious artifacts in public is considered dangerous. Who would have believed that less than 80 years after the Holocaust, our world would, yet again, sink to this depth of moral bankruptcy?

The Danish government announced it intends calling up military reservists to protect its Jewish community of around 6,000 souls.

The skies are grey. The sun has stopped shining. Even the horizons have distanced themselves. But we will prevail, even if we have to do it on our own. We only have ourselves to rely on. Sadly, the world has failed us.

My condolences to those mourning their nearest and dearest. My wishes to the injured for a complete and speedy recovery. May God protect our brave soldiers.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and better times ahead.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Harris Zvi Green



About the author :

Harris Zvi Green was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Aged 77, he made Aliyah 53 years ago. An accountant by profession, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for a number of Israel based hi-tech companies. He is married to Phyllis. They have 3 married children ,13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Harris Zvi Green is a founder member of Truth be Told, an organization engaged in public diplomacy on behalf of Israel.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

WHEN “HARVARD OF THE SOUTH” WAS AN ASPIRATION

Top US schools educating next generations of antisemites

By Jonathan Feldstein

When I attended Emory University in the 1980s, students expressed pride in Emory being the “Harvard of the South”. Then, albeit acknowledging Emory’s second-class status to Harvard’s longer history and rank of one of the best universities in the USA if not the world, it was an aspiration.

Today, association with Harvard is vile, corrupt, and morally repugnant. For an institution whose logo bears the Latin word for “Truth” (Veritas), Harvard has become a den of evil, one of the worst propagators of antisemitism, fostering antisemitism and creating a safe space for antisemites.  That is the truth. Veritas.

Leading Light Dimmed. In light of its indifference to the safety of its Jewish students, is Harvard University today living up to its logo which features a shield with the word “veritas,” which translates to “truth”.

According to Harvard president Claudine Gay’s recent congressional testimony, under oath, Harvard allows for calls for genocide and other threats against the Jewish people unchecked and with impunity, depending on “the context”!

With the Harvard Board and much of faculty standing behind Gay neither calling for her resignation or to be fired, it is now unabashedly educating the next generation of antisemites. They are teaching students and setting an example for the world that calling for genocide against the Jewish people is OKAY. That’s not just bad education, it’s evil.

Crisis on Campus. Failure to seriously censure Harvard President Claudine Gay’s for her remarks relating to students calling for the genocide of Jews during a congressional hearing is only going to add to the anxiety of its Jewish students.

Harvard is educating people of influence who will infiltrate the highest levels of governmental, civic, and business with this as their paradigm. A leading recent example is Harvard alumnus and former president, Barack Obama, who added to the murkiness saying that people have to take in the “whole truth” (veritas), as if Hamas’ genocidal goals and its bloody massacre of 1200 and kidnapping 250 hostages is somehow parallel to Israel’s self-defense, even if “innocent” Palestinian Arab civilians are dying as a result. It is a false equation and a lie, but his truth mirrors that which his alma mater has abandoned. A scary portending of what’s to come. Basically, Obama pre-empted Gay’s comment that whether calls for genocide violate Harvard’s standards against harassment requires context.

Due to the backlash of her congressional testimony, Gay apologized and backtracked, but still did not say directly that calls for genocide against Jews are harassment, nor did she disavow her “context” remark. Speaking with the hard-hitting media at her Harvard Crimson, Gay tepidly said:

 “What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community threats to our Jewish students have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged.”

But Harvard’s Jewish students didn’t feel any better or safer as a result. Harvard Hillel for example issued a statement that Gay’s statements “call into question (her) ability to protect Jewish students on Harvard’s campus.” Respected Rabbi David Wolpe, who had joined a Harvard advisory group to combat antisemitism resigned in disgust, due to Gay’s “painfully inadequate testimony.” Rabbi Wolpe noted that “an ideology of wokeism and attendant antisemitism is deeply rooted” at Harvard and other elite institutions.

As a result of their testimony, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT whose presidents all participated in reading the same script during their congressional testimony now all face official congressional investigations on their failure to address antisemitism. As they should. If congressional testimony is under oath and then Gay and the other presidents backtracked from that, at one point they were lying, either to Congress or in their retraction.  Veritas.

If at Harvard, failure to refer to a person by their preferred pronoun is actionable, and calls for genocide are not, the ethical rot is deep. If the board does not see this, they are complicit. 

Back in Atlanta before Thanksgiving, Emory University president, Gregory Fenves sent a message to the extended Emory community about the war against Hamas. I’m not sure why this would even be featured in his pre-Thanksgiving message at all.

Fenves engaged in the woke ideology of moral equivalence that Rabbi Wolpe noted was rampant, writing “a large number of students, faculty, staff, and alumni will have no such relief from the emotional toll of the tragic war in Israel and Gaza.” He missed the mark terribly, making the false parallel of “mourning the lives lost, both Palestinian and Israeli… praying that hostages who are still being held by Hamas will be released and for the Palestinian families who are suffering as the war continues across Gaza,” comparing the apples of hostages being kidnapped and abused in Gaza, to the oranges of “Palestinian families…suffering.” 

Dissatisfied with Direction. Rabbi Wolpe resigned from the Harvard University Antisemitism Advisory Committee after “painfully inadequate” testimony at the hearing in the House of Representatives. “Ignoring Jewish suffering is evil,” he said.

What really outraged me is that the president of my alma mater said he was “outraged” by “the rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism that has spread across our nation and around the world.” Again, another false parallel, lacking in historic or moral veritas.

Fenves should know better. He is the son of Holocaust survivors. I can’t help but wonder if his murdered relatives would roll over in their unmarked graves of ash, ashen by his absurd equation, and outraged by their own relative not being morally clear when it comes to threats against Jews.

He must realize that Hamas today has the same objectives as the Nazis who murdered his relatives. It’s just a different cast of characters.

Or does he?

Fenves’ comparing Islamophobia with antisemitism is egregious. It is dishonest and academically unsound to conflate the two, or even feel and need to call out “Islamophobia” in response to the very real rise in antisemitism and threats to American Jews. There is no parallel.

As the son of Holocaust survivors, I’m sure that Fenves’ own relatives who were deported from their communities, or shot or gassed to death, would wretch at conflating the very real antisemitism to which they were victims with a dismissive suggestion that they were being Naziphobic.

Confusion on Campus. The writer expresses disappointment with president Gregory Fenves of Emory University, his alma mater, for making false parallels of Palestinian suffering as a consequence of war, with Israeli civilians butchered in a surprise massacre carried out by Hamas from Gaza.

When I attended Emory, we proudly celebrated it as “the Harvard of the south.”  Today, Harvard is an epicenter of Jew-hatred, at which Jews are threatened and whose president has abysmally abdicated her responsibility, academically and morally.  Being the Harvard of the south is certainly nothing to be proud of. 

Maybe for Christmas, Fenves will backtrack from his own tepid moral equivalence, and issue a bold and unequivocal statement about the horrors of antisemitism and genocide being unparalleled to anything in world history. Maybe he can become the leader that Gay is not. Maybe one day Harvard students will aspire to be at the Emory of the north.

That’s what I’d like for Christmas.



About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 17 December 2023

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond

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What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page and YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.

THE ISRAEL BRIEF- 11-14 December 2023
(Click on the blue title)



EVERY HOME, EVERY NIGHT WITH DANIEL HAGARI
The most reassuring figure to an anxious Israeli public is the IDF spokesman

Rear Admiral at Home Front. With no media experience, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has filled the vacuum left by Israel’s political leadership following the October 7 atrocities. He was the first Israeli official to explain to a shocked public what was happening and where Israel was heading.  He is still doing so – every night……




Articles

(1)

THE SISTERS ARE SILENT

Women’s organisations and feminists have brought shame upon themselves through their silence.
By Rolene Marks

Message of the Monkies– What befalls Jews, “we hear it not, we see it not, we mouth it not.” What we do is: “We turn a blind eye.”

THE SISTERS ARE SILENT
(Click on the blue title)



(2)

THE NAKED TRUTH

Rather more Gazan naked terrorists in Gaza than fully clothed ones to perpetrate more bloody massacres in Israel
By Jonathan Feldstein

Worlds Apart. The ‘people’ Israelis are expected to make peace see humiliation in Hamas terrorists undressed
(to check they are not concealing bombs) but fail to see humiliation in Israeli women being paraded naked,
defiled and spat upon by a Gazan public.

THE NAKED TRUTH
(Click on the blue title)



(3)

“HINENI” – HERE I AM

Proudly protesting for Israel in Washington DC was not only a case of “being there” but being there with who and being there why.
By Sandra Kagan

Surge of Support. Trains, planes and automobiles, they came from across the USA. Proudly holding Israeli flags in each hand, this young boy will one day recall: “I was there”.

“HINENI” – HERE I AM
(Click on the blue title)



(4)

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR- WEEK 9

We’re in this for the long haul. Naturally, we’d like it to end sooner rather than later but we realize there’s a job to be done.
By Harris Zvi Green

Failing to Deliver – literally . A demonstrator holds up a sign at ‘The Hostages Square’ in Tel Aviv reflecting the frustration of the Israeli public with the International Red Cross that constantly criticizes Israel but fails to visit and deliver medicines to Israeli hostages held in captivity by Hamas.

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR- WEEK 9
(Click on the blue title)



(5)

IN THE DARKEST DAYS OF HUMANITY

Evil again descends on the land and Jews feel alone in a hostile world
By Justine Zwerling

Home Alone. A wife and a mother with two kids – one with special needs – in a war zone with a husband serving
on the front lines since the morning of the October 7 massacre, saving lives.
“World,” she asks, “where are you now? Where is your outrage?”

IN THE DARKEST DAYS OF HUMANITY
(Click on the blue title)



LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche
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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

THE ISRAEL BRIEF- 11-14 December 2023

The Israel Brief – 11 December 2023 –  USA vetoes UN Security Council resolution and more updates.



The Israel Brief – 12 December 2023 – The UN General Assembly to vote on ceasefire and updates.



The Israel Brief – 13 December 2023 – The bodies of 2 hostages recovered and other updates.



The Israel Brief – 14 December 2023 – 2 more hostages confirmed murdered, 70 terrorists surrender and updates.




10 December 2023 – Rolene Marks engages BDS’ Dr. Yusuf Chitke on Newzroom Afrika.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

IN THE DARKEST DAYS OF HUMANITY

Evil again descends on the land and Jews feel alone in a hostile world

By Justine Zwerling

I would like you to look into my eyes and my daughters’ eyes. Please.

In the darkest days of humanity, you need to make some decisions, take a deep breath, and check your moral compass

This is my voice day on day 67 of this war. I am a mother, wife, sister, daughter in a war zone with two kids, one with special needs.

Since Saturday morning 7th October; we are alive, not ok, not safe – and my husband has been serving on the front lines since that first morning saving lives. Before you form an opinion or express outrage at Israel, you need to remember the following:

  •  240 innocent civilians were abducted from Israel into the Gaza Strip by HAMAS. They ranged in in age from a 9-month baby to 85 years of age, 40 children under the age of 18. These innocents were kidnapped in the midst of a vicious attack against Israel during which thousands of children, elderly, women, children with special needs, and men were slaughtered, raped, gang-raped butchered, burnt alive, and severely wounded.
  • The hostages held captive by Hamas have faced not only the threat of physical harm but also the imminent risk of sexual violence, and torture – tools of terror and humiliation. We know from testimony from those released that at least 10 male and female hostages were sexually assaulted. The psychological trauma they endured  is more than we can bear. 137 men and women, including 10 men over the age of 70 remain hostage.
  • The international community’s failure to condemn these acts unequivocally and pressure Hamas to release all of the hostages is a gross betrayal of these innocent victims.
  • Over 1,200 people have been murdered, 378 soldiers have fallen, and 5,400 people have been wounded.
  •  Over 20,000+ enemy rockets and countless hostile aircraft intrusions have occurred and continue to. As I type, the ground  is shaking.
  •  Hamas terrorists are walking around Gaza with CHILDREN as human shields.
  •  My life and every breath have always been about co-existence and still is – this horrific war is about terrorist savages, not about Palestine and Israel. Each day I support and speak to my Palestinian, Druze, Christian, Sikh, Hindu friends, Emirati, Bahraini, Moroccan, Jordanian, and beyond not just the incredible Abraham Accords Countries.

Many of you on social media have always asked me to lean in and help on multiple campaigns from Black Lives Matter, Neurodiversity, Women’s Pay Gap, and the list goes on.

I always did.

Where are you now?

World, where is your outrage?

“Decolonization” necessarily implies a Jewish genocide, thus it is unacceptable to any reasonable person – if you do support that you are agreeing to murder me and my children.

It means you have chosen to support the dark side. The evil side.

You may be reading this while you drink your tea, comfortably, scrolling through which football game to watch, which item of clothing to wear/buy, which holiday to book, or which tickets to buy for your next theater performance.

This is not our reality.

This is not my family’s reality.

This is not the Jewish and Palestinian people’s reality right now.

You have a choice to make.

But it is not about choosing a team It’s about choosing between evil and humanity.

Now that you’ve looked into our eyes, please go to a mirror and look into yours.

And tell me whose side you’re on.



About the writer:

Justine Zwerling, Head of Middle East Shore Capital, supports companies with their growth journey and to raise capital on London Stock Exchange; listing on AIM, and the Main Market. Her career centres around entrepreneurship combined with a life purpose to develop the support structures surrounding women on their journey and neurodiversity. She founded the Jewish Women’s Business Network, Co-Founder of Gulf Israel Women’s Forum, Founding Member of UAE Israel Business Council. Volunteer for SAHI, Vibe Israel, Athena Fund, Autism awareness and Avi Solomon, blind runner, running with vision. She is a lucky mum of two lovely girls and a wonderful patient husband.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

THE SISTERS ARE SILENT

Women’s organisations and feminists have brought shame upon themselves through their silence.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

By Rolene Marks

The 25th of November was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ushered in the 16 days of activism against violence against women. This is a critical campaign that highlights the horrific gender-based violence that affects women and young girls around the world.

Around the world – except for Israeli victims. 

Since the atrocities of 7 October where Israeli women and girls of all ages were humiliated, brutally tortured, raped, murdered and taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, there has been a deafening silence from women’s organisations, NGO’s, activists and celebrities.

The sisters have gone silent!

I am a Jewish woman. An Israeli woman. The message I hear loud and clear from UN Women, the International Alliance of Women and many others is that my life and my safety and that of my sisters in Israel and around the world, do not count. Our lives, our suffering is worthless. My message to them is that we will NOT suffer in silence. We will not be silent.

When the horrific images of Shany Louk, clothes ripped, legs broken and lying on the back of a truck was paraded through the streets of Gaza while she was spat on and kicked by Palestinian men, crowing over the war trophy they had, we should have heard an outraged and angry condemnation.

When we saw footage of Naama Levi, now held hostage in Gaza, pulled by her hair, arms bound and bleeding from her crotch into a Jeep by an armed terrorist, which confirmed our worst fears, immediate condemnation should have resulted.

Where is Naama? One of the earliest and most haunting images of Hamas’ October 7 attack was that of 19-years-old Naama Levy, bruised and bloody, being dragged by her captors from a jeep and paraded to cheers and frenzied calls of “God is great”, as blood flows between her legs.

They had names like Naama and Shany. They had lives. They had dignity. They deserve to be heard – and we will speak for them.

As the weeks following the attacks of 7 October unfold, we have heard the accounts of the barbarism and depravity inflicted on Israelis on 7 October and they are worse than our most frightening nightmares. We have heard consistently from first responders, soldiers, eyewitnesses, forensic pathologists and Chevrah Kadisha volunteers preparing bodies for burial how rape was used as a weapon of war. The accounts are excruciating of how women, children, and the elderly were not only raped; but they had limbs or body parts cut off. Hamas terrorists have admitted to it in interrogation interviews for the world to see, without a single expression of remorse. In fact, they enjoyed it.

One terrorist was asked during his interrogation, “And why take the kids and babies?”

He replied, “To rape them.”

They admitted to receiving orders to “dirty the women and children”.

The sisters remained silent.

Hamas Savagery. Seen here are Hamas terrorists driving back to the Gaza Strip with Shani Louk where she was murdered. A video later emerged showing her body, partially clothed, with a head injury and blood on the hair, being paraded in the streets of Gaza City in the back of a pickup truck with Hamas killers shouting “Allahu Akbar” while Gazans surrounding the truck cheered and spat on the body. (Photo: AP)
 

Women’s organisations in Israel, including the Women’s International Zionist Organisation (WIZO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, activists and many more have and continue to write letters, op-eds, address forums and media, pressure the United Nations and their agencies like UN Women and have launched campaigns like “#Me Too – unless you’re a Jew” and “Believe Israeli” women. When the #MeToo movement took off around the world, women felt that finally we are heard and gender-based violence and rape is on the agenda.

Our First Lady, Mrs Michal Herzog penned an op-ed for Newsweek magazine.

There have been demonstrations in Israel and outside of UN headquarters and a variety of experts gathered at the UN on 4 December to testify at an event called “Hear our Voices”. The accounts of barbarity and rape were devastating.

Hear Our Voices: Sexual and gender-based violence in the October 7th Hamas terror attack

The evidence is overwhelming. The global media, even those that are traditionally hostile to Israel have given widespread coverage and are appalled and outraged. But the sisters? Silent.

It took a campaign of tremendous pressure for UN Women – 50 days after the attacks – to tweet out of them “remain alarmed by gender-based violence reports on 7 October and call for rigorous investigation, prioritizing the rights, needs and safety of those affected”. They were not disgusted, appalled or outraged but simply alarmed. They have since gone silent. What a failure of their mandate.

The Israel Police’s Lahav 433 National Crime Unit collected the testimony of a young woman who survived the massacre at the Nova music festival in Reim:

“As I am hiding, I see in the corner of my eyes that [a terrorist] is raping her,” she said of another victim while demonstrating the terrorist’s violent grasp with her hands. “She was alive beforehand; she stood on her feet, bleeding from her back. But then the situation was that he was pulling her hair. She had long, brown hair,” she was quoted as saying.

The witness saw the woman bleeding from the back, she said, first bent over, then pulled back up by combatants. One man pulled the woman’s long hair and raped her, the witness said, then passed her onto another man, who also raped her before shooting her in the head.

“He didn’t pick up his pants,” the witness said. “He shot her while inside her.”

We know from testimony from hostages that were released, that at least 10 male and female hostages were sexually assaulted. We are extremely worried about the conditions of the 137 hostages who remain captive – including Naama Levy. A White House official opined that Hamas will not release the remaining captive women because they “will talk”. It is chilling and terrifying.

Silence is a Disgrace. Demonstrators protest outside the U.N. in New York for its failure to respond to accounts that Hamas carried out widespread sexual violence against women in its Oct.7 massacre in Israel.(Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP – Getty Images)

Women’s organisations, activists and feminists have not only failed their Jewish sisters but future victims as well as they have now established precedent based on identity politics and prejudice.

We, the Israeli women are raising our voices and we will not stop. We will continue to be the voices of our women and children. Most of them have been murdered or taken hostage.

The sisters remain silent.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

THE NAKED TRUTH

Rather more Gazan naked terrorists in Gaza than fully clothed ones to perpetrate more bloody massacres in Israel

By Jonathan Feldstein

Videos have gone viral of Hamas terrorists who have been captured by the IDF in Gaza or surrendered and laying down their weapons in their underwear.

While its simply essential operational practice to have terrorists strip to be sure they are not hiding weapons or wearing a bomb/suicide belt, multiple Israeli leaders have expressed regret for these images being circulated at all, committing that it will not happen again. They advise that these videos were not released by the IDF in an official capacity, and that it’s not appropriate to do so.

The Naked Terrorist. Having learned through painful and fatal experience,  surrendering Hamas terrorists are stripped to ensure they are not wearing suicide vests or explosive belts.  (Social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

I’m neither a military man nor a political leader but if it were up to me, I’d go out of my way to show more pictures of such semi- naked terrorists.  If this is the worse thing Israel is actually guilty of in a world that is conflating the evils of Hamas’ Islamic terror vs. Israel’s legitimate right and need for self-defense, or comparing alleged civilian casualties comingled with the number of terrorists killed, that is not something that will keep me awake at night. If they are not terrorists, and released following interrogation, I can live with them getting dressed and going home.

As for the terrorists, humiliating them in their underwear, lays bare the emptiness of their theology. Rather than dying for the “resistance” as “martyrs”, they are stripping down after being captured or now in increasing numbers surrendered, forsaking the delusional Koranic promise of 72 virgins for their perverted pleasures. Perhaps they realize that that there are no virgins awaiting them for martyrdom and that at least in an Israeli prison they will be clothed, fed, and possibly sent home in a future exchange. 

Not only would I not stop filming terrorists in their underwear, I’d publicize these widely. I’d put them out all over Arabic social media showing that even the terrorists prefer to live in an Israeli jail rather than die for the “resistance”.

I would do this as part of an aggressive campaign of psychological warfare to demoralize all the Gazans and turn them and all Palestinian Arabs against Hamas.  Certainly, this is a front in the war in which Hamas has been excelling. I say, take the psychological warfare right back to them.

I’d flood the Arab world with videos of terrorists captured following the October 7 massacre, confirming that they used rape and all sorts of other inhuman violence as a deliberate “tactic” in their “resistance”.

Selective Horror. While Palestinian politicians like Hanan Ashrawi expressed horror of the photos of stripped captured terrorists, no such horror was expressed at the photos of the carnage left by Palestinian killer squads that perpetrated the massacre of Jews on October7.

I’d target Lebanon, hoping that any rational Lebanese who don’t want to see their country turned into the next Gaza by Hezbollah would rise up and take their country back.

I’d hack and flood every Arabic website with the “Top Ten” videos of (former) Hamas leaders admitting that their own leaders are destroying Gaza, such as the recording of former Hamas communications minister, Yousef al-Mansi, saying:

 “Nobody likes Sinwar. There are people who day and night pray that God will free us from him,” and:

 “This is a group of lunatics Sinwar leads. They destroyed the Gaza strip.  They set it back 200 years.”

Let Gazans and the Arab world see and hear this, along with al-Mansi saying that Hamas’ October 7 massacre is “the opposite of Islam.”

The Good Life. One of the sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh lounges in a luxury hotel suite in Qatar. Haniyeh is worth more than $4 billion. (Ofir Gendelman/ Twitter)

While at it, I’d drop millions of leaflets revealing the tremendous wealth that their so-called leadership, residing not in decaying Gaza but in luxurious Qatar. Residing palatially in Qatar’s capital Doha while “their people” suffer for their destructive decision-making back “home” in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal have amassed a net worth of $4 billion each. Poor deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, Abu Marzouk is worth only $3 billion.  Let the Gazans know that together they have pilfered $11 billion for the “resistance”, and remind them that $11 billion could provide every single Gazan an average monthly salary for almost a year and a half: money they will need badly when the war is over.

Gaza not on his Mind. Keeping in shape is billionaire Khaled Mashal in Doha while Gaza is totally out of shape through shocking Hamas governance. 

Let these dropped leaflets over Gaza show the receipts from the purchase of more than $25,000 in jewelry by the son of Ismail Haniyeh, Maaz Haniyeh, who obviously is doing well himself in the family business of pilfering billions of dollars; billions that could have been invested in the well-being of Gazans, instead of expensive gifts for his whores.

What will be in Gaza after Hamas is crushed is anyone’s guess.  Few if any Arab countries want to take responsibility or much less really help with rebuilding the lives of two million Gazans. The unexposed reality is that the Arab world that has funded Hamas and other terrorists for decades and is quick to blame Israel, shy away in taking responsibility themselves to help.  The only future for Gaza is Gazans rebuilding but on the peaceful premise of ending incitement and terror and fighting Israel once and for all.  The Gazans need to take the responsibility for this goal in the same way they were responsible for electing Hamas and allowing terrorists to terrorize them for nearly two decades.

Far removed from Gaza. A table tennis enthusiast, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal lives the life of luxury in Qatar.

Sadly, while there are reports of more and more in the Arab world criticizing Hamas, it’s hard to imagine real, substantial change in Gaza, without being pushed to the limits to undertake that change themselves. An aggressive Israeli campaign of psychological warfare and demoralizing their population is a legitimate and non-lethal way to do so.

If it doesn’t work, if a campaign of psychological warfare backfires and hardens attitudes against Israel, the Hamas terrorists and their ilk will continue in their fight over fake virgins to secure a place in their hellish hereafter.  

After all, they’ll already be naked.



About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR- WEEK 9

We’re in this for the long haul. Naturally, we’d like it to end sooner rather than later but we realize there’s a job to be done.

By Harris Zvi Green

December 8, 2023

My dearest friends,

This week has been very special for us.

In the midst of having our lives turned upside down, Phyllis and I became great-grandparents for the third time. Our eldest grandson, Ori, and his wife, Talya, presented us with our first great-grandson. Ori is a reservist paratrooper. He is currently serving on Israel’s northern border and was granted special leave to be at his wife’s side for the birth of their second child.

Omer is back in the thick of things. We don’t have direct contact with him. It took his parents more than 48 hours to tell him he’s been blessed with a new nephew. Omer has had to reschedule his wedding plans. Let’s hope that this time round, it’ll work out for him and his fiancé.

On the other fronts, Linor, our grand-daughter, has elected to extend her military service as a permanent member of the Israel Defense Forces. Our 46-year-old son-in-law, Amir, is serving as a reservist on Israel’s northern border. Ariel’s recovery continues and we’re confident he’ll be as good as new.

We’re in this for the long haul. Naturally, we’d like it to end sooner rather than later but we realize there’s a job to be done and that it needs to be successfully completed before we can return to our normal lifestyles. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts.

The fighting resumed this week after Hamas defaulted on the most recent round of prisoner exchanges.

One hundred and thirty-eight hostages remain in Hamas captivity. The Red Cross hasn’t visited them. Our nation holds its breath while awaiting their release. It’s so difficult to fathom the cruelty of the Hamas leadership. What dangers do octogenarians on life-preserving medication, women and young kids pose to them? The strategic value of the hostages as a bargaining chip obviously outweighs any humanitarian consideration.

Red Cross Crosses Red Line . A demonstrator holds up a sign at ‘The Hostages Square’ in Tel Aviv reflecting the frustration of the Israeli public with the International Red Cross for failing to visit and deliver medicines to Israeli hostages held in captivity by Hamas. (Photo: Eyal Toueg)

Military intelligence suspects Hamas is refusing to release the remaining female hostages so they won’t share their experiences of what happened to them. The reports appearing in The Jerusalem Post are hair-raising.

Please give the hostages a thought and include them in your prayers.

Most of the fighting is now in the southern tip of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of entry piers to the Hamas underground tunnel network have been exposed and are being systematically destroyed. The quantities of sophisticated arms and ammunition being stored in the Hamas tunnel network has to be seen to be believed.

Military control centers and arsenals of weapons have deliberately been constructed under hospitals, schools, mosques and high-rise buildings to provide them with the human shields to protect them.

One of the most disturbing features of the past two months has been the discriminatory display of double standards applied against Israel.

Earlier this week, the presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT testified before Congress regarding the rising levels of antisemitism and hate speech on their campuses. Their responses were evasive, inadequate and disappointing. Having to deal with anti-Semitism on university campuses may be challenging. But anti-Semitism, if left unchecked, is a major threat to democracy.

League of Indecency. The heads of 3 top Ivy League US colleges refuse to say calling for genocide of Jews is harassment.

When it comes to gender related issues, university responses are invariably clear. The actions taken are decisive. Yet, when it comes to anti-Semitism, the responses are guarded so as not to offend the proponents of anti-Semitism. Frankly, I expected much more from the heads of such prestigious institutions.

Over the years, countless organizations have been established to promote awareness of the social injustices that plague our world. As soon as these organizations hit the headlines, they are hijacked and become platforms for demonizing Israel and delegitimizing her right to exist.

Sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture plague our world. The atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 have taken sexual abuse and rape culture to another level. Yet, it took UN Women seven weeks to issue a confusing statement condemning these attacks.

The bottom line is that UN Women doesn’t care about the rape atrocities committed by Hamas. They don’t care about the women being held in captivity by Hamas and the abuse they are being subjected to. For them, it’s all about the creation of a commission of inquiry with the pre-determined goal of pinning the blame for all the hostilities, including the decapitations and the rapes, on Israel.

UNbearable Behavior. Countering the silence of those who are supposedly defenders of women been deafening, demonstrators gather to protest outside of United Nations headquarters in New York City on December 4, 2023. (Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP)

Black lives matter. Of course, they do. All lives matter. I recognize that. I’m sure you also recognize that. Clearly, the leaders of BLM are not willing to recognize that. They’ve taken to the streets to applaud the October 7 massacre. In their eyes, Jewish and Israeli lives don’t matter. They’re expendable.

Fridays for Future was founded by Greta Thunberg and other activists to promote awareness of the potential dangers of climate change. Their platform has now been rebranded to something called “climate justice”. Does anybody know what that means? I wasn’t aware that the world’s climate patterns are back in synch and the quality of the air we breathe, couldn’t be better. I’m in my late seventies. I must have dosed off.

Since beginning my series of weekly letters and related articles, I’ve received many expressions of support and encouragement. I’ve also received some less complimentary comments, especially on social media. These comments often refer to me as being “privileged.” I had no idea that being privileged is considered a crime or curse.

Let’s be clear on this. I consider myself privileged.

My forefathers paid a huge price to ensure their children should always feel privileged. Generation after generation, they worked diligently to ensure their children received good educations. They made their children aware of their responsibilities to society. They even risked their lives fighting wars for countries who institutionalized anti-Semitism. They learnt how to live with the dual loyalty insinuations and all the implied implications including social and professional discrimination.

I was taught to tolerate opinions and customs different to mine. I was taught to uphold universal values and to pursue justice, not only for myself, but for mankind as a whole.

That’s why I consider myself privileged. I hope I’ve made the most of being privileged and I hope my children and their off-spring will always consider themselves privileged.

There’s absolutely no reason why anybody who recognizes and pursues these values, shouldn’t feel privileged. If we so desire, every one of us has the power to be privileged.

My condolences to those mourning their nearest and dearest. My wishes to the injured for a complete and speedy recovery. May God protect our brave soldiers.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and better times ahead.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Harris Zvi Green



About the writer:

Harris Zvi Green, born in Cape Town / South-Africa. Graduated from the University of Cape Town with a B. Com. degree and immigrated to Israel 53 years ago. He served as the Chief Financial Officer at a number of Israeli hi-tech companies. He is now retired. Married with 3 married children and is the proud grandfather of 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

“HINENI” – HERE I AM

Proudly protesting for Israel in Washington DC was not only a case of “being there” but being there with who and being there why.

By Sandra Kagan

It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny, fall morning as my son Larry and I drove from my hometown of Philadelphia to DC for the march in solidarity with Israel.

On our way, we saw buses making their way to Washington from Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Maryland. At one of the rest stops en route I felt as if I was in Israel with so many Jews of all ages bustling around. Strangers talking to one another and yet not strangers as we all felt we going to a ‘family affair’ – to show solidarity with Israel in its war with Hamas and condemn the frightening rising antisemitism in the USA.

The Right Track. Representing Philadelphia, the writer making her way with thousands of fellow supporters to the National Mall to show solidarity with Israel. (Photo Larry Kagan)

We drove through a deserted Washington and surprisingly found parking one block from the National Mall. As we made our way to the Mall, we noticed enormous barriers set up for security. Then we saw a massive crowd stretching across the Mall from the Capital on one side to the Washington Monument on the other, nearly 300,000 pro-Israel supporters. This was the largest number of Jews ever in one place in the United States and one did not just feel it but felt invigorated by it – proud to be a part of it. Israeli flags, people with placards from every city and state across the USA were represented.

As we made our way through the throngs of people, the first voices we heard in the crowd were very familiar. “Joburg or Cape Town?” asked Larry.

All were from New York and like us, formerly from South Africa.

Feeling of Togetherness. Picking up on the familiar accent, the writer soon found herself with other South Africans who too made the journey to DC to participate in the ‘March for Israel’. (Photo Larry Kagan)

On the Mall we found a place near a large jumbotron. These were placed on either side of the mall at intervals projecting the rally’s speeches. It was very emotional as the huge crowd sang the National Anthems. The Star-Spangled Banner followed by Hatikvah. As I looked around, I did not see a dry eye. I could not help thinking of the significance of the words of these two anthems. When raising my voice to sing “the land of the free and the home of the brave” I asked myself, how really FREE are we in the USA when our Jewish students are terrified on campuses.

Voice from Jerusalem. With supporters for Israel holding placards of the kidnapped hostages, Israeli President Isaac Herzog addresses the crowd via video at the “March for Israel” on the National Mall saying “We march for light over darkness.” (Photo Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) (AP)

Then when we sang Hatikva (“The Hope”); how it resonated as 300,000 strong collectively HOPED for Israel to be safe and the safe return of all the hostages.

In a rare moment of party solidarity, leaders of both partes, the Democratic and the Republican spoke in support of Israel. The first Jewish Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer did not mince his words when he said, “When Hamas says from the river to the sea, they mean all the present-day Israel should be a Jewish-free land,” and that the US will “stand with you, and we will not rest until you get all the assistance you need.” He concluded by leading the crowd in chants of “Am Yisrael Chai.”

Hands on Support. In a welcome display of US party unity, (l-r) Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Senator from Iowa Joni Ernst, hold hands during the “March for Israel” rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

I could not imagine a time before when so much Hebrew – if ever – had been heard on the Mall. This came with the musical performances by Israel’s music stars Ishay Ribo and Omer Adam who also addressed the crowd exclusively in Hebrew.

For me, most impressive were the words of the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who revealed his grip of Jewish suffering and persecution over the millennia when he said:

 “The Jewish people were violently expelled from the Middle East. The Jewish people were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime. The Jewish people were violently attacked by Hamas on October 7th, resulting in the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. So, we are here to unequivocally declare, Never Again. Never Again. Never Again. The State of Israel must always exist as a safe haven for the Jewish people.”

The people there all understood that with Hamas entrenched in Gaza holding hostages including a 10-month-old baby and Holocaust survivors as well as with over a quarter of the country’s population displaced, the people of Israel were not safe.

The plight of the hostages was brought home to the crowd listening to members of their families. “Why is the world accepting that 240 human beings from almost 30 countries have been stolen and buried alive?” asked the mother of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Moment in History. It was the first time in USA history that such a sizeable number of Jews congregated together in one place.

Biden’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt issued a warning that “Those chanting ‘glory to the martyrs’ are inciting hatred,” while Natan Sharansky reminded us that 36 years earlier, he had stood at this same spot to appeal on behalf of Soviet Jewry “To let my people go”. And here we were in 2023, a new generation of protestors and again appealing “To let our people go”.  

FROM THE WALL TO THE MALL

And then Israeli President Herzog addressed the sea of blue and white which he did remotely from the Western Wall.

We fell silent as we listened:

“Thank you, all people of good will, friends from different communities, faiths and denominations, who have gathered today for this massive show of solidarity. In the State of Israel’s darkest moment, you stood up and declared: Hineni, I am here. We are here. There is no greater and more just cause than this.”

Surge of Support. Proudly holding Israeli flags in each hand, this young boy, Jacob Mitrani, will one day recall, “I was there”. (Photo Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

He reminded all there and those who were not that:

“…. we come together to march for good over evil, for human morality over blood thirst. We march for light over darkness. Eighty years ago, Jews came out of Auschwitz and vowed ‘never again.’ As the blue and white flag was hoisted over our ancient homeland, we vowed ‘never again’.”

In the wake of Hamas’ massacre in southern Israel, Herzog emotionally concluded that the world should once again renew that vow:

“Never Again.”

Tomorrow’s Leaders. Young supporters of Israel were among the nearly 300,000 who turned out for the march on the National Mall. (Photo: Leigh Vogel for the NYT)”

As I listened to Israel’s president, I thought back to George Washington. I had recently been in Newport, Rhode Island when I visited the Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the USA. There I saw a letter written by our first president to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, reassuring that religious liberty was assured. Quoting the Bible’s Old Testament, Washington wrote, “every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig-tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.” This was the promise of this country, so I asked myself:

“Why are we Jews afraid?”

It was an orderly well-behaved crowd.  Not one incident was reported according to security. As we made our way from the Mall we met people from every state while Larry took photos documenting an amazing day. I was struck by the number of young people, many of whom had been bussed from around the country. This I found reassuring thinking that many of them will be the Jewish leadership of tomorrow. They will think back to this day as Larry and I will; proud, in the words of President Herzog:

 “Hineni”.

Everyone appeared to be inspired and as we very slowly made our way out of a bustling Washington, filled with people draped in the Israeli flag, singing and dancing through the streets of the capital. They were making their way back to every corner of this vast country praying for peace and showing their love and solidarity with Israel.


From Slaves to Hostages. The message was clear as it was from the time of slavery in Egypt, to the call of the ‘Refuseniks’ during the Soviet era to today – “LET MY PEOPLE GO”. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Getty Images)



About the writer:

A citizen of Philadelphia, USA since emigrating from South Africa in 1978, Sandra Kagan has taught at a Jewish Day School, trained teachers at the University of Pennsylvania, and thereafter for 20 years, taught English at a public school to speakers of foreign languages. With two grandchildren presently attending US colleges during the atmosphere of rising antisemitism at US campuses, Sandra is very sensitive to the issues that she hereby writes about.



While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 07 December 2023

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond

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THE ISRAEL BRIEF- 04-07 December 2023
(Click on the blue title)



FROM THE BRAVE MACCABBES TO THE BRAVE SOLDIERS OF THE IDF

Even during war, Jews in Israel will celebrate Chanukah and yet we read
“Hanukkah events toned down or scrapped across US in wake of Israel-Hamas war”.
With antisemitism at an all-time high globally, is why we need a strong Israel, which is fighting
for all Jews, everywhere.
MAY THE LIGHTS OF CHANUKAH ILLUMINATE THE WORLD
and a safe return of our soldiers and hostages




Articles

(1)

FROM THE RIVER OF FREEDOM TO THE SEA OF TERROR, SOUTH AFRICA WILL BE FREE

Could have been a model of reconciliation but instead the Rainbow Nation embraces terrorists that murder Jews.
By Gary Kaplan

Tragic Trajectory. South Africa is sinking into a moral abyss, when its ANC government under President Ramaposa (left) repugnantly ignores the massacre of Jews in Israel but then hosts a visit by the killer’s leadership to show solidarity.

FROM THE RIVER OF FREEDOM TO THE SEA OF TERROR, SOUTH AFRICA WILL BE FREE
(Click on the blue title)



(2)

WHO ARE THE INNOCENT PALESTINIANS?

A wartime poll by Ramallah based Arab research institute, reveals alarming concerns for Israelis.
By Jonathan Feldstein

Erase Israel. Rather than anything to do with “FREE”, the slogan means the destruction of the Jewish state and according to the AWRAD poll, is supported by 74.7% of Palestinians.

WHO ARE THE INNOCENT PALESTINIANS?
(Click on the blue title)



(3)

THE JEWISH DNA OF ISRAEL’S ‘OPEN-HEARTED’ HOTEL INDUSTRY

From opening ancient Jewish texts, to hotels opening its doors to host evacuees, hospitality in times of distress is imbedded in Jewish tradition
By Motti Verses

From Hostility to Hospitality. Half of Israeli hotel rooms are being used to house families evacuated from communities near the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas killer-squads triggering a cross-border war. The writer is seen here at the Daniel Herzliya Hotel standing in front of the slogan “TOGETHER WE WILL WIN”.

THE JEWISH DNA OF ISRAEL’S ‘OPEN-HEARTED’ HOTEL INDUSTRY
(Click on the blue title)



(4)

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR – WEEK 8

The Israeli Message  – We will prevail. We have no choice; we are home and we aren’t going anywhere.
By Harris Zvi Green

Loud and Clear. While the message of our civilians is “Bring Them Home”; the message of our brave soldiers is a reminder -“Israel is our home”.  Get used to it.

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR – WEEK 8
(Click on the blue title)



LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche
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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).