Dear South Jersey Jewish Community,
The onslaught of rockets from Gaza continued overnight, targeting cities throughout Israel. Seven Israelis have been killed, including a five-year-old boy. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has stepped up their counter-strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip, and is now openly discussing the possibility of a ground offensive.
In addition to the airstrikes, unprecedented disorder continues on the Arab-Israeli street, with large-scale violence in many mixed Arab-Jewish towns. Some 375 people were arrested for rioting yesterday alone. An alarming fear of lynching between Arabs and Israelis is concerning political parties across the country, who are strongly condemning these actions. A curfew is already in place in Lod, where the most rioting has been seen; a country-wide curfew may be imposed soon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the violence saying, "Let us unite together to do the task we need as citizens of our country - to restore governance, eliminate this anarchy, and preserve and restore the security and peace we all deserve."
Please read here for a full report from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) earlier today.
