Israel-Gaza ceasefire remains; Israel aims for moon again: Israel Update

May 10, 2019

Hello *|FNAME|*,

Israel has implemented ceasefire concessions with Hamas in Gaza this week after two days of intense fighting over the weekend in which terror groups launched over 650 rockets at southern Israel and the Israel Defense Forces carried out more than 300 retaliatory strikes throughout Gaza. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced earlier this week that Egypt and other international parties had successfully brokered a truce deal. Four Israelis were killed, and hundreds of others injured. The Jewish Federation and JCRC have been monitoring the developing situation and condemn the barrage of rocket fire against innocent civilians. Today, Israel reopened fishing zones along the coast of Gaza and some 6,000 Palestinians took part in demonstrations at five locations along the border. Several hundred people were rioting, throwing explosives and rocks at Israeli forces.

The Israel Space Agency will put about $5.6 million toward Beresheet 2, a second attempt to land an Israeli spacecraft on the moon. The announcement was made Sunday at the weekly Cabinet meeting by Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis. The agency asked NASA to be more involved in the new effort. NASA provided SpaceIL, the private foundation behind the Israeli lunar landing effort, with special laser technology to help in communication with the Beresheet spacecraft.

Israel’s Supreme Court overruled a decision by the Defense Ministry to deny the entry of bereaved Palestinians to enter Israel for an annual joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial service ahead of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. The Tel Aviv ceremony commemorates fighters on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the ruling. In related news, many Yom HaZikaron services around the world for the first time honored victims of the synagogue shooting attacks in Pittsburgh and Poway.

For most Israelis, laws of the state and religious values inform their moral reasoning more deeply than do Western values, according to a survey released this week. The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Pluralism Index found that among Jews, 57 percent say state laws are a “profoundly influential” factor in distinguishing between right and wrong when making decisions, and 52 percent say the same about Jewish values. For Western values, however, 29 percent said they had profound bearing on their decisions, and another 45 percent said they were slightly influential.

Israel has launched a PR campaign to counter calls for a boycott of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest final in Tel Aviv, using Google ads which refer ti the boycott but lead to a glossy website extolling Israel. BDS has called on artists, music fans and broadcasters tomavoid the 2019 contest, arguing that it amounts to "whitewashing" Israel's policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel calls the international boycotts discriminatory and antisemitic.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jackie Congedo, Director, JCRC

Shep Englander, CEO, Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

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How You Help: Sirens and Sorrow in Israel

Your gift to the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign is once again in action supporting our Israeli friends and family during these difficult days with trauma relief and basic necessities through the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI)'s Fund for the Victims of Terror.

Click the link to read heartwrenching, straightforward, firsthand testimonies from Israeli parents and children who endured the latest round of 650 rockets. All live in Ashkelon, a coastal city north of Gaza and 31 miles south of Tel Aviv.

Observing the Yoms in Cincinnati

This past week, Jewish Cincinnati joined together to both reflect and rejoice about Israel and the Jewish experience. Throughout the week, the Mayerson JCC, in partnership with the Jewish Federaiton, hosted multiple events, beginning with a Yom HaShoah commemoration, remembering the six million victims of the Holocaust and honoring those survivors. Following this, the community showed up to remember the fallen soldiers, children, parents and siblings who gave their lives for the state of Israel during Yom HaZikaron. Lastly, the community joined together to celebrate Israel's 71st birthday at Yom HaAtmaut, Israel's independence day!