Shalom all,

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

Lamenting and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

She refuses to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15)

Today, I attended the funeral of Corporal Avraham Fetena, who was killed yesterday (Thursday) in an attack at a tunnel road security checkpoint in Jerusalem. This checkpoint, like others, was set up in an effort to prevent, as much as possible, terrorists from entering Jerusalem. People can sit in their vehicles at these locations for an extended period of time, as traffic can easily be backed up for a mile. Anyone who wants to commit an act of terrorism just needs to become part of the traffic jam, while everyone who is stuck in the traffic jam becomes a target with no place to turn and nowhere to run. Corporal Fetena was attached to the unit inspecting the vehicles at the checkpoint. A squad of three terrorists, residents of Hebron, were in a vehicle that was stopped at the checkpoint for inspection when they opened fire, injuring six. Fetena was one of them and he later died from his wounds. The three terrorists were killed. Security sources in Israel reported that this was a failed attempt by Hamas to commit a broader attack inside Jerusalem. When their car was later examined, it was found to contain what looked like IDF uniforms, axes, weapons and ammunition capable of carrying out a wide-scale attack.

The funeral for Corporal Fetena took place at the military cemetery in Haifa. It was attended by multitudes -military personnel, as well as civilians, family, friends and members of the Messianic community. The coffin draped with the Israeli flag was brought in and carried by a special unit of the IDF, who were followed by members of the grieving family. The officer who was in charge of the funeral recounted Fetena’s faithful service and that his heroic action saved the lives of many others. As different Officers spoke or otherwise participated in the service, it was impossible to hold back tears, mine as well as those of others. Some of the soldiers were visibly shaken, while others tried to comfort them. Members of Fetena’s unit were also present, one of them being the daughter of the secretary in my office. When the shots were fired from the 3-volley salute, the sound seemed to reverberate, as it brought home the reality of the present war that has gripped both the hearts and minds of the nation. When Fetena’s father stood to recite the Mourner’s Kadish (an Aramaic term meaning “sanctification” – from the Hebrew word “Kadosh” = holy) , his prayer was mixed with tears and sorrow, his voice cracked and at the end, it was clear that he was broken, as we all were. Throughout the service, tears flowed freely, but the pain of loss was clearly felt by all. Rachel is still weeping for her children.

While at the military cemetery, I had a chance to look at the inscriptions on many graves. Each life represented was a silent world. One gravestone in particular caught my attention. I covered identifying information. But, look at the date on the bottom left: 7 October, 1973. He was killed in action 50 years earlier in the Yom Kippur War on the same day of the Gregorian Calendar that Hamas broke through the barrier fence and massacred in Israel over 1,400 people. On the bottom left corner are five Hebrew letters, which mean “may his life be bound up in the bundle of the living” based upon 1 Samuel 25:29, which is a prayer of faith in the eternal life of the soul.

Despite the pain, anguish and abiding sense of loss, we do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). For those who are absent from the Body are present with the Lord (1 Cor. 5:8), in Whose presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

We say that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. So, in order to save a thousand words, I am attaching a photo of Yehya Sinwar holding a child. While the child, dressed like a Hamas terrorist, appears to be holding a rifle, it you look closely at the photo, you can see that Sinwar is actually holding the weapon with his finger on the trigger. This is how Hamas wants to train up the next generation. The title of the article, in Hebrew, is: “IN A WAR WITH SATAN ONE SHOULD NOT (literally – it is forbidden to) BLINK: THE FINAL AND JUSTIFIED GOAL OF THE WAR – THE ELIMINATION OF HAMAS”.

The article then discusses the reasonable likelihood that the dead body of a female hostage,  that was found by forces of the IDF operating in the Gaza Strip, will not be the last one. The IDF is meticulously searching for indications that the hostages were taken to hospitals in Gaza and that some were treated there. Rumors are circulating that a multitude of corpses were found in the area of one of the hospitals and that those bodies were removed to the forensic lab in Israel in an effort to identify them. According to unpublished reports, the number of bodies could be close to 200. If these bodies are, in fact, of those taken hostage by Hamas, then our entire understanding of the number of people kidnapped needs to change.

Present estimates are consistently that some 240 (give or take) people were taken hostage. Hamas is “offering” to exchange 50 hostages, while the “Palestinian” Islamic Jihad holds about 40 more. That gives us 90. Unaffiliated, civilian mobs are said to be holding another 20. That gives us 110. If another 200 dead bodies were found and will be identified as Israeli and/or those non-Israelis who were taken captive with the others on 7th October, then the number reaches 310, not 240. The extent of the atrocities only gets worse.

Then there are the crimes that took place on 7th October that tend to be ignored during a time of war, such as rape. Some do try to speak out against them. Others sometimes attempt to justify them. Evil takes many forms, some active, some passive.

The Genesis War:Israeli Journalist and former Israeli Ambassador to Italy, Dior Eydar, wrote an excellent article today in Israel Hayom and suggested that this war should be called “the Genesis War”, “not only because it broke out when we finished the Torah cycle and started over from the beginning, but because the terrible events forced us to abandon many of our old conceptions and views and pick up from scratch”  and that everything that took place before 7th October should be considered “BO7” . We are now living in “a completely different era from the one we knew previously.” This is actually a reasonable designation. He relates to the events and the stories of bravery that took place during the War of Independence and adds:

“And then there is the heroism of mothers and fathers who bury their sons and daughters. At the most difficult moment in their lives, they ask us all to unite, to love each other, to show restraint, and not give in to the inclination that pushes us to blame the other, whoever that other may be, and leads us to disunity. This is the most important thing now. There will be plenty of time to investigate, argue and fight after the war. Now we must focus on our goal: the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages. Harsh talk among ourselves will not help, it will hurt the spirit of our soldiers. This is therefore an issue of paramount security importance. ‘And the soldier emerges and leaps / And in his voice the cry of his mother’ ([Nathan] Alterman, “In Praise of Darkness”). May we be worthy of their sacrifice.” Amen! Thank you, Dror Eydar, for these necessary words of encouragement!

The Gaza Strip is now almost divided into north and south. As a suggestion to those who want to see a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, let each side set up a state – the north, which is now under the control of the IDF, could become part of Israel (it was actually all given to Israel during the days of Joshua) and the south can, well, as least temporarily, become the place to set up a separate “Palestinian” state. In fact, all of their cousins in Judea and Samaria can join them there. I must admit, the thought of a two-state Gaza Strip is not original. See the cartoon in the November 12th Hebrew edition of Israel Hayom. Scroll to the right to page 26 or look for number 26 on the bottom of the page when you click on the link.

This just in from All Israel News: Israeli leaders are being asked to share with others an urgent request to pray, in an effort to help evacuate Arab Christians out of Gaza, about 1,000 of them, into the West Bank immediately – as they would face genocide by Hamas if they are forced to move south.

Please remember to pray: for the IDF wherever they serve; for the hostages who are still alive; for the families of the soldiers killed in action and of those taken hostage; for the wounded (whose numbers are not yet published); for the government and for all of the decisions that need to be made that will affect not only our lives, but yours, as well.

Shabbat Shalom! 

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.