Jerusalem Post Editorial: Caring for survivors

Editoria

Survivors of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz arrive to the former camp in Oswiecim. Photo By: REUTERS

On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, as on previous ones, we commemorate the six million murdered in the Shoah by the Nazis and their many accomplices.

But while remembering those who were lost is essential, caring for those who survived must not be overlooked.

According to data provided by the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Survivors, there are in Israel today about 189,000 Holocaust survivors, of whom about 45,000 are living under the poverty line. One-fifth skip meals because they do not have enough money to buy food.

Four years ago, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee-affiliated Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute published a survey based on interviews with 52,000 Holocaust survivors that found that five percent complained they do not have enough to eat. Others lacked basic drugs or medical treatment. Still others were unable to care for themselves.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, poignantly observed, “Sadly, we have been focusing on memorializing those who perished in the Holocaust, but ignoring the current plight of hundreds of thousands of survivors around the world who are living out their last days in wretched poverty.”

His organization has not forgotten the survivors. The IFCJ provides more than $7.3 million annually in food medicine, winter heating fuel, daycare and other assistance to more than 18,000 survivors in Israel. The organization also aids more than 60,000 survivors and other poor-elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union with an additional $15 million annually in food, medical assistance, home care and winter aid.

The call to aid Holocaust survivors has been heard by the government as well. On Monday, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon presented a NIS 500m. plan designed to aid Holocaust survivors and the elderly.

Just last month, Social Affairs Minister Haim Katz revealed that about NIS 400 million earmarked for Holocaust survivors by the State of Israel over the decades was never used and remained in the vault at the Treasury. He plans on making sure that this money reaches those who need it.

The vast majority of the 189,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel today arrived here in the last 25 years from the former Soviet Union. Though recognized as Holocaust survivors, many never actually lived under the Nazi regime but instead became refugees who fled eastward to Siberia and Soviet Central Asia, or fought in the Red Army.

Holocaust survivors who were in the ghettos and concentration camps, or hid and fought with partisan forces, are a minority among this group.

In short, most of the impoverished elderly we refer to as Holocaust survivors were in actuality victims of the horrors of the World War, II not unlike many non-Jews. They do not fit the stereotype of the survivor. And this raises a serious question: Should Holocaust survivors receive special treatment? Shouldn’t all elderly people in Israel who are sick, poor and lonely be taken care of fairly and equally? Campaigns focusing on the poverty of Holocaust survivors portray them as charity cases. In reality, the vast majority of those who lived through the hell of the Shoah and the Second World War somehow found the strength to put all that behind them and embark on the daunting challenges that faced the fledgling Jewish state.

As Holocaust scholar Hanna Yablonka has pointed out, the vast majority of survivors who came to Israel focused on rebuilding their lives and building the new Jewish state – and they were wildly successful. “Most survivors found a core of inner strength that is hard for us to comprehend,” noted Yablonka. “Their collective story is one of personal and human victory.”

Survivors have left their mark in every field from building and construction to the IDF, industry, law and culture.

They became prominent painters, graphic artists, poets, writers, dancers, actors, academics and cultural icons.

Indeed, it is impossible to imagine the State of Israel today without their many contributions.

It is embarrassing to admit, but there are hundreds of thousands of elderly people – both Holocaust survivors and not – living in Israel who are desperately in need of help.

Time is running out for all of them. Holocaust survivors who experienced first-hand the horrors inflicted on them by the Nazi regime and its many accomplices have a unique role to play in teaching the younger generations. But no elderly person – especially if he or she survived the Holocaust – should be left to live in poverty.

Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day 2016

Eksplozja autobusu w Jerozolimie. Jest wielu rannych. Władze wskazują na zamach

łz, jk, pw

Co najmniej 21 osób zostało rannych, w tym dwie ciężko w wyniku eksplozji autobusu w Jerozolimie – poinformowała w poniedziałek późnym wieczorem izraelska policja. Władze potwierdziły, że doszło do zamachu terrorystycznego. Wcześniej mówiono o 20 poszkodowanych.

– Ładunek wybuchowy był umieszczony z tyłu autobusu – powiedział rzecznik izraelskiej policji Micky Rosenfeld.

Do zdarzenia doszło w dzielnicy Derech Hebron na południowym zachodzie Jerozolimy. Dziennik „Haaretz” podał na swojej stronie internetowej, że na miejscu natychmiast zaczęła się akcja ratunkowa. – Kilkanaście osób leżało na ziemi z poparzeniami i krwawiącymi ranami – relacjonował przedstawiciel służb ratunkowych.

Izraelska policja oświadczyła, że gdy doszło do eksplozji autobus był pusty. Poszkodowanymi mają być osoby, które były zbyt blisko wybuchu. To przede wszystkim pasażerowie autobusu jadącego obok.

Szukali śladów bomby

Początkowo policja mówiła, że doszło do zamachu terrorystycznego, potem jednak rzecznik Asi Aharoni oświadczył, że wybuch mógł też zostać spowodowany zwykłym pożarem autobusu.

Ostatecznie jednak władze potwierdziły atak terrorystyczny. Rzeczniczka burmistrza Jerozolimy Nira Barkata oświadczyła później, że eksplozja z pewnością była efektem zamachu. – To była mała, ale na pewno bomba – powiedziała agencji Reutera Brachie Sprung.

Kto to zrobił?

Na razie nie wiadomo, kto stoi za tym atakiem. Premier Izraela Benjamin Netanjahu oświadczył w poniedziałek wieczorem, że jego bezpośredni sprawcy a także inspiratorzy zostaną pociągnięci do odpowiedzialności. – Ustalamy, kto podłożył bombę i jakie było jej źródło. Nie otrzymaliśmy żadnego ostrzeżenia o podłożeniu materiału wybuchowego. Badamy wszystkie możliwości – podkreślił przedstawiciel jerozolimskiej policji.

Od początku października ubiegłego roku Izrael, a w szczególności Jerozolima i Zachodni Brzeg, stały się areną starć między Palestyńczykami a izraelskimi żołnierzami i funkcjonariuszami służb bezpieczeństwa. Przyczyną najnowszego konfliktu jest wkroczenie Żydów do kompleksu meczetów al-Aqsa w Jerozolimie oraz brak postępów w rozmowach pokojowych.

Eksplozje autobusów w Jerozolimie były częste w czasie palestyńskiego powstania w latach 2000–2005. Potem jednak stały się rzadkością rzadkością.

Jewish settlement, synagogue from Second Temple era unearthed on Sea of Galilee shore

DANIEL K. EISENBUD

2,000-year-old bronze incense shovel and jug discovered in excavation of ancient site of Magdala.

An aerial view of the settlement uncovered in excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority at Migdal Photo By: Israel Antiquities Authority

The excavation of a 2,000-yearold Jewish settlement and synagogue from the Second Temple period in Magdala, located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, recently revealed rare and well-preserved antiquities, including a bronze incense shovel and jug.

The dig, overseen by the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of a building there, took place in an area considered to be the crossroads of Jewish and Christian history for its historical and religious significance for both Jews and Christians.

Magdala was once a large Jewish settlement in the early Roman period. Its Greek name, “Taricheae,” means “place where fish are salted,” possibly alluding to the main source of income of the city’s inhabitants two millennia ago.

“It is mentioned in Jewish sources and, at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, it served as Josephus’s main military base in his war against the Romans in the Galilee,” the IAA said in a statement.

Moreover, evidence of Magdala’s existence is also found in historical Christian sources where Christian tradition states it was the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, the Apostle of the apostles of Jesus.

According to the Gospel of Luke, “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out… follows Jesus until his crucifixion and according to John’s Gospel became the first witness of his resurrection.”

The Hebrew word for incense shovel is “mahta,” which is derived from the action of raking or gathering embers. It is mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 27:1–3: “You shall make the altar… you shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans; all its utensils you shall make of bronze.”

The mahta is believed to have been a sacred implement, much like the rest of the items that were utilized in the Temple, where it was mainly used for transferring embers from place to place, the IAA said.

Indeed, incense shovels frequently appear in Jewish art as one of the religious articles associated with the Temple, and they have been depicted on mosaic floors of synagogues alongside the menora, lulav and etrog.

Dina Avshalom-Gorni, the chief archeologist on behalf of the IAA, said the incense shovel that was found is one of only 10 others that are known in the country from the Second Temple period.

“From early research in the world, it was thought that the incense shovel was only used for ritual purposes; care for the embers and incense that were burnt in ritual ceremonies,” she said. “Over the years, after incense shovels were also discovered in a non-cult context, [it was determined that] apparently they were also used as tools for daily tasks.”

Avshalom-Gorni said the bronze incense shovel and jug were exposed lying next to each other on the floor in one of the rooms of a storehouse located adjacent to the dock of the large Jewish settlement.

“These implements might have been saved in the storeroom as heirlooms by a Jewish family living at Magdala, or they may have been used for daily work, as well,” she deduced.

In recent years, the authority has been leading extensive excavations at the site, overseen by Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najar, in partnership with the Anahuac University of Mexico, led by the Mexican archeologist, Dr. Marcela Zapata-Meza.

During the dig at Magdala, Jewish ritual baths (mikvaot), streets, a marketplace and industrial facilities – as well as a synagogue, whose walls were decorated with colored plaster, along with mosaic floors along the pavement – were also revealed.

In the middle of the synagogue’s main hall, a stone was uncovered, well-known as the Magdala Stone, depicting the Second Temple of Jerusalem, within a carved seven-branched menora on one of its sides.

The synagogue, the IAA said, dates back to the early first century CE, Second Temple Period, and Jesus’s Public Ministry around the Galilee. It is now one of the seven oldest synagogues from this period uncovered in the country.

Archeologist Eyad Bisharat, who supervised the work in the excavation area on behalf of the authority, said volunteers from Chile, Mexico, Italy and Spain who assisted in the dig “were absolutely thrilled” by the discoveries.

“They simply could not calm down knowing that these artifacts had been waiting just below the surface for 2,000 years,” said Bisharat. “Even we veteran excavators were extremely excited because it’s not every day that one uncovers such rare artifacts as these, and in such a fine state of preservation.”

Arfan Najar, the archeologist leading the excavations on behalf of the IAA, said a similar incense shovel and jug were discovered by Yigael Yadin in a cache dating to the time of the Bar Kokhba uprising, which was revealed in the Cave of the Letters in the Judean Desert.

“Incense shovels have also been found in the Galilee at Bethsaida, Taiyaba and in Wadi Hammam, and across the country, but all-in-all, this is a very rare find,” said Najar.

The IAA said Magdala is presently open daily to the public and visitors can tour the remains of a first century Jewish town and Duc In Altum, a new prayer center at the site.

Next summer, according to the IAA, a group of volunteers and students from Mexico will continue digging in the southern area of the site.

Jean-Claude Van Damme does battle with anti-Israel trolls during Jerusalem visit

DANIEL K. EISENBUD

“The Muscles from Brussels” is in Israel on a five-day visit.

Jean-Claude Van Damm poses in front of the Old City. (photo credit:FACEBOOK)

Sure, Jean-Claude Van Damme can dismantle world-class tough guys with a swift roundhouse kick to the head or shattering punch to the jaw, but “The Muscles from Brussels” learned the hard way in Jerusalem that fighting anti-Israel Internet trolls is a different story.

On Tuesday, during his five-day sojourn in the country, the legendary action star posed for a seemingly innocuous picture outside the Old City, which he captioned “Shalom from Jerusalem, Israel!” on his Facebook page.

That’s when the trouble started.

Within minutes, a torrent of angry postings flooded the page denouncing Israel and Van Damme for referring to its capital as Jerusalem.

“You should say salaam from Palestine,” wrote Soufiane Benalla, who garnered 1,269 likes.

“Jeruzalem [sic] is not from Israel But from Palestina,” added Isa Tubadan, amassing 796 likes.

An Arabic Twitter handle that translates to “Allah Dararmeh” received 146 likes after writing: “You are in Jerusalem the capital of Palestine, not Israel … is now the people I hated after what I admire you. Screw you!” Salah Maaty received 559 likes after denouncing Van Damme for visiting the Western Wall, where he donned a kippa, prayed, and placed a note in one of its crevices.

“Hi Damme … earlier u was my hero … i don’t know ur religion ,,, i wasn’t interested because i believe that who create u who will judge you for so and so … i sow [sic] today your picture by the wailing wall in Jerusalem ,,, u lost my respect and millions like me … we won’t argues on this case ,,, only one question will ask you !!! HOW MUCH THEY PAY YOU FOR THIS ???,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Hiba Abusharkh said she was incredulous that the actor identified the Old City as Jerusalem.

“Oh my god! What? Israel? Well actually I believe you are one of THE BEST actors, and I truly love watching your movies, but when I read your caption on this picture I was really depressed! It’s Palestine, occupied Palestine, there is no Israel, I’m not gonna argue with you about this fact but your Palestinian fans are really annoyed because of this!” she wrote.

Still, Israel had its share of defenders, albeit with fewer likes.

“Welcome to Israel Jean-Claude! You got lots of fans here! Now can you do something about helping us sort out those terrorists!” wrote Arsen Ostrovsky, to a chorus of five likes.

Shay Zagoury received 106 likes after defending the picture: “I am a big fan of you jean claude van damme dont pay attention to those idiots who thinks jerusalem is palestine enjoy your vacation.”

“Long lives Israel, forever lives as long as there is god, he will always protect Israel from all this hatred,” wrote Netanel Medina, adding “Shalom too van-damme.” He received 85 likes.

While Van Damme appeared to give in to the pile-on by deleting the word Israel from the caption, he left the image posted with the words “Hello from Jerusalem!!” with the hashtags #TeamJCVD #JCVD #MEGAPOSITIVE.

As of Wednesday evening, it has attracted over 142,000 likes, 3,129 shares, and 6,600 decidedly pro and anti-Israel comments.