Editor`s Note: Friday January 26, 2018


International Holocaust Remembrance Day is Saturday, January 27, 2018

The Jewish Nation Rises Above Holocaust Atrocities
Rising From The Ashes - Our Israel. Our Home.
BattleForTruth Video - CLICK HERE

Britain honours its Holocaust heroes

8 extraordinary individuals who went above and beyond to save hundreds of lives during the Holocaust.
Video and Article HERE

Watch UCI Video News   Click here to view our
uc4i.org/news home page
3 up-to-date news reports

Or go directly to your favorite channel below!

Click here to watch ILTV Click here to watch JBS Click here to watch TV 7


The Unity Coalition for Israel provides comprehensive news research from a variety of news sources for the daily monitoring of attacks against Western Democracy and the State of Israel. Many times this conservative news is not featured in mainstream media. Your tax-deductible donation will help us continue to publish this newsletter on Israel and global Jihad. Please support our work with a secure paypal donation (click here) or send a check payable to UCI to 3965 W 83rd St, #292, Shawnee Mission, KS 66208. Thanks for your support!


We encourage you to forward our newsletters to your friends and other interested individuals and organizations. Click here to use our newsletter forwarding system


Contents: (summaries below)
  1. Rising from the ashes, JEWISH JOURNAL, Shula Bryski
  2. Israel's Remarkable Diplomatic Achievements in 2017, JERUSALEM INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES, Colonel (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman
  3. 18 Ways Israel is Changing the World, ISRAEL21C, A DIY exhibition from ISRAEL21c
  4. Israel Defense Forces: Humanitarian Operations, jewishvirtuallibrary.org,

Rising from the ashes
Shula Bryski


JEWISH JOURNAL, January 26, 2018

There’s an old Yiddish saying that reflects a foundational kabbalistic axiom: “After a fire comes wealth.”

I struggled with the literal interpretation as a child. As an adult, it became clear from the painful fact of being in galut (exile) that wealth often springs forth after a certain amount of destruction and struggle. And that wealth comes not simply in material possessions but in a deep, satisfying relationship with God, purpose and meaning, a wholesome family, glowing health.

Tisha b’Av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av) is an annual day of fasting in Jewish life that commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the land of Israel in 587 B.C.E. and 70 C.E.

It might be difficult for us to visualize a magnificent edifice licked by giant flames, burning steadily to the ground, twice! And perhaps even harder to imagine the horror of a people desperately watching the ruthless destruction and the grief during the subsequent disunity (and expulsions) without the Temple’s physical and spiritual anchor.

We’ve never experienced and can’t relate to the miracles, the unique spirituality, that was present in Temple times to truly understand what was lost. So what is the purpose of this commemoration?

That’s where the inner dimension of the story comes in. Every holiday in the Jewish calendar has layers of spiritual, mystical and practical meaning and relevance to life throughout history and today.

Throughout history: Every time the Jews were sought out to be slain and annihilated, their belongings and edifices violated, burned and destroyed, they rose from the embers of destruction with a stronger depth and richness than before. True, the impact of the killings and destruction was strong, but the Jews’ devotion to Torah and mitzvot was stronger. (Think Conversos in the 1400s who have Jewish descendants alive today; think about the Jewish resurgence after World War II). 

Unlike a homeland or language or consistent culture, Torah has been our only constant, and it was our ancestors’ recommitment to their Judaism that enabled them to rise. Again and again.

In day-to-day life: Just as there was destruction and a subsequent rebuilding (literally and figuratively), we, too, have times of disrepair in our lives, and then times of resilience, when things might be even better than they were before....

 

Read more


Israel's Remarkable Diplomatic Achievements in 2017
Colonel (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman


JERUSALEM INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES, January 26, 2018


Photo:  Bigstock

Over the course of 2017, Israel has secured a series of remarkable and even unprecedented diplomatic achievements. This reflects a growing global and regional recognition of a shared threat from totalitarian Islamism, as well as an appreciation of Israel’s capacity to contribute to its partners in a variety of fields. Israel must act to build on these gains, and nourish the conditions which allow for them. This includes developing shared interests with several key Arab countries, and prudent management of the conflict with Palestinians.

US President Donald Trump’s December declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital can be seen, in retrospect, as the crowning achievement in a string of extraordinary diplomatic breakthroughs in Israel’s favor which have a cumulative significance regarding Israel’s standing in the world.

This remains true despite the subsequent negative vote at the UN General Assembly on the question of Jerusalem. This vote was of no practical significance, but it demonstrates the still-extant gap between the friendly and even strategic relations that Israel enjoys with many countries on the bilateral and regional levels, and the criticism which is still directed at Israel (and the pro-Israel US) in multinational fora.

Overall, over the course of 2017, Israel has secured a series of diplomatic achievements, some of them unprecedented, in the international arena; amounting to a strategic breakthrough. The facts are hard to dispute; even if the matter has become, to the detriment of sober discussion, a point of contention between Prime Minister Netanyahu and his political rivals.

The emerging transformation of attitudes toward Israel is founded, first and foremost, on an ever-widening recognition of the nature and severity of the common strategic challenge which totalitarian Islamism poses to many of the world’s countries.

Along with this comes the growing appreciation of the benefits offered by a closer partnership with Israel in a variety of fields, including security and economics, innovation and technology.

It is also easier to associate with Israel today due to Israel’s prudent management of the conflict with the Palestinians. Israel’s strategy of measured and low-key response to Palestinian provocations is proving to be a wise, long-term strategic approach. This is true, even if this has met with the angry disapproval of significant elements in Israeli society, who would like to see a harder hand applied against Palestinians involved in hostile activity against Israel.                    .

Of course, Israel’s diplomatic hardships are not yet a thing of the past. Israel’s positions on the Palestinian issue and on the future of Jerusalem have not been well received in Europe, including close allies like Germany. The automatic majority against Israel in the UN General Assembly, even if it has been reduced, still exists. Russia’s policy in Syria and its close ties to Iran is troubling. The BDS movement is still active, and has scored occasional successes.

Nevertheless, the string of events and achievements described in this paper is of far-reaching importance. Israel must exhaust all effort to gain maximum diplomatic benefits from the current positive trend, and nourish the conditions which allow its continuation.

Read more


18 Ways Israel is Changing the World
A DIY exhibition from ISRAEL21c


ISRAEL21C, January 26, 2018

ISRAEL21c has put together a unique online exhibition called 18 Ways Israel is Changing the World, which you can stage anywhere and at any time of the year.

VIEW EXHIBITION ONLINE

This is the first in a series of free digital exhibitions by ISRAEL21c that you can use in multiple ways – from traditional live exhibits to on-line exhibits.

The gorgeous exhibition, which includes 18 full-color images, is easy to use and has already been put on show by hundreds, and viewed by thousands around the world. You can download, print and post it in any location. You may have the images enlarged on foam core board for display on easels or in display cases. Or simply present it online using a tablet or computer – it’s great for a continuous video loop.

If you want to show people just how much value Israel provides the world, then this is your ideal opportunity to put some of the country’s most groundbreaking achievements front and center.

From revolutionary wheels that allow wheelchairs to go down stairs, to an ice technology that freezes breast tumors, or even a pocket sensor that can identify the chemical makeup of your food, we have created a series of visually stunning posters that will intrigue viewers and spark their imaginations.

Each of the images includes both textual information about the innovation or development and QR links to further reading material that can help people gain a detailed picture of some of the most exciting advances in Israel today.

You can take any part of the exhibition you want, and we also offer you the chance to co-brand the exhibition with your own organization.

Read more on how this free resource has already been used around the world, by clicking here.

We’d also love to hear more stories and see the photographs of your events using the 18 Ways Israel is Changing the World exhibit.

If you need more information or have questions, or want to send us photographs, please contact us at info@israel21c.org; we’ll be delighted to help.

Read more


Israel Defense Forces: Humanitarian Operations


jewishvirtuallibrary.org, January 26, 2018

Editor's note: Israel utilizes its spiritual, physical and intellectual resources to extend humanitarian efforts throughout the world from Nepal (Earthquake 2015) to Japan (Tsunami 2011) to the United States (Hurricane Katrina 2005) to Kenya (Terrorism 1998)

“Providing medical assistance under emergency conditions where there are few resources and no order or protocol is far different than the ordered medical facilities where most doctors learn to treat people. Israelis are very good at this kind of medicine, and they have successfully used their skills both on the battlefield locally and in emergencies such as earthquakes and floods, where they have set up effective and successful field care operations. Not all countries can do that. Israelis have the knowledge and experience in this area. Over the past several decades, many more countries have learned how to deal with the issues that Israel was one of the pioneers in dealing with. It’s all about basic surgical and field medical skills, areas that Israeli has had a lot of experience in dealing with.”

- Dr. Herald Vein, Chief Surgeon of the International Committee of the Red Cross

JERUSALEM VIRTUAL LIBRARY WEBSITE

Read more