Trending in Our Jewish Community

TRENDING IN OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY

July 7, 2023

Shabbat Shalom CT!

I hope everyone enjoyed a peaceful Fourth of July weekend. There was no shortage of fun things to do -- including seeing some spectacular fireworks across the county and weathering a fascinating two-day storm in our backyard.

I think one of the nicest things about living in this community is being involved with this community.

Last December, with the help of local Westporters, the towns of Westport, Connecticut, and Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine became Sister Cities.

Federation is no stranger to the success of Sister City programs. For about 25 years, we've created an effective and productive relationship with our Israeli sister region of Afula-Gilboa.

The Ukraine Sister City program, managed through Ukraine Aid International, has been providing much-needed aid and support to the people of Lyman, who have been severely impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

And, since December, the Ukraine-Connecticut Sister Cities program has expanded to include Easton and Sviatohirsk; Weston and Siversk; Greenwich and Izyum; Stamford and Kramatorsk; Fairfield and Konstantinivka; and Ridgefield and Druzhkivka.

This Sunday at 1 PM is your opportunity to participate in this remarkable effort by attending LymanAID, a free family-friendly day that's filled with food, fun and music -- and lots of special guests and information.

We'll be there and we hope to see you, too!

Am Yisrael Chai. I wish you a safe and peaceful Shabbos.

Carin Savel, CEO

carin@shalomct.org

UPDATE ON ISRAEL - SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM JFNA

Following a difficult day in Israel, Israeli troops withdrew from Jenin on July 5, signaling the end of the two-day IDF operation there . One Israeli soldier was killed as the fighting drew to a close. Also yesterday, nine Israeli civilians were injured during a terror attack in North Tel Aviv.

As we reported on Monday (July 3), Israel launched Operation Home and Garden to root out terrorists and terror infrastructure from the Palestinian city of Jenin. That operation has now concluded and all Israeli forces have left the city. During the withdrawal, one Israeli soldier, David Yehuda Yitzchak z”l, was killed by what may have been friendly fire. His funeral was held on July 5.

On July 4, a Palestinian terrorist rammed a crowded bus stop in North Tel Aviv. The driver then emerged from his vehicle and began stabbing passersby until he was shot and killed by an Israeli civilian who was driving past (see more here). During the attack, nine civilians were injured (see details here), including a young pregnant woman who tragically lost her baby as a result of the attack (see here).

The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for the Victims of Terror, supported by Jewish Federations, is in the process of completing the distribution of emergency funds to all the victims of yesterday’s attack (see more here).

Overnight on July 4, five rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, sounding sirens in Sderot and other towns. All five were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome system, although some fragments landed on houses in Israel (including next to a toddlers’ swimming pool), causing minor damage. In response, Israel carried out a limited retaliatory strike (see details here).

At one point during Tuesday’s fighting in Jenin, a number of terrorists barricaded themselves inside a mosque. In the ensuing firefight, the mosque was captured by Israeli troops who discovered a network of tunnels that the terrorists had dug under the mosque. The tunnels were also used to store explosives and other weapons (see more here).

Palestinian media is reporting widespread damage to infrastructure in Jenin as a result of Israeli actions. The IDF says it was forced to use heavy equipment on numerous roads and other areas in order to remove a large number of roadside bombs and other terror targets.

See here for a description of the town, post-fighting, by an Israeli journalist, and here for reactions of Palestinian residents. Israel has committed to repair essential civilian infrastructure (for water and electricity) damaged by troops due to the fighting, in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

In what the IDF says is a testament to its high level of intelligence, professionalism and care for human life, despite two days of heavy fighting – that included armored vehicles and aerial attacks – no civilians were killed during the operation. Palestinian sources do not dispute this fact.

The IDF summarized its two-day operation in Jenin with the following results:

13 Palestinian terrorists killed.
30 terrorists arrested.
14 apartments containing terror bases were destroyed.
3 terror command-and-control centers were destroyed. The IDF also discovered a large network of CCTV cameras that had been deployed throughout Jenin and used against IDF troops. See photo here.
6 bomb-manufacturing sites were destroyed.
Over 1,000 explosive devices were captured, including large road-side bombs and other IEDs (see photos here).
32 guns (24 M16 rifles + 8 handguns), along with thousands of rounds of ammunition, were captured. (See photos of captured weapons here and video here).
Dozens of kilograms of chemical materials used for bomb-making were discovered.
Hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash, designated for terror purposes, were confiscated.
6 underground tunnels used for hiding terrorists, explosives and ammunition were uncovered and destroyed.
2 weapons-storage facilities were destroyed.

As always, all of the Jewish Federations of North America are hoping that quiet prevails. We are keeping a close watch on developments and will report as needed. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Applications are now open for the Future Fund. We created the Future Fund to help our young Jewish community members develop an understanding of and connection to Israel.

From summer programs in Israel, to studying in Israel for a semester, to Jewish pre-college and gap-year programs, there are plenty of enriching opportunities available for funding.

Students in 8th grade through college undergraduate who reside in and/or who are attending school in our catchment can apply for $1,000 grants for programs connected to Israel.

Applications are blind submissions and will be reviewed and evaluated by the Future Fund committee.

The Future Fund applications are here.

The Future Fund is a program supported by the Jewish Federation. If you wish to further support the program and increase the number of participating applicants, you can donate HERE!