Category Archives: Terrorism

More on the Horrors in Mumbai

Israel, Terrorism, , ,

Shabbat’s usual rest and joy was, of course, overshadowed by the tragedy of the horrific terrorism in Mumbai.  As of the writing of this email, at least 195 are dead and hundreds injured.  The mourners are only just beginning to be able to be aware that their loved one is (or horribly in some cases loved ones are) dead.

Latest News Includes:

NYTimes – India Faces Reckoning as Terror Toll Eclipses 170

Ha’aretz – 9 Dead in Mumbai Chabad House Attack

Poingnat & Heartbreaking

BBC Video of Rabbi Holtzberg z”l and his son Moshe two months before the attack.

The death, destruction and human devastation of these attacks weighs heavily on my heart and spirit as we begin this new week.

Post from Baka Diary

With thoughts and prayers for all those affected by the Mumbai attacks.

Update:

Ynet story on the Chabad attack with pictures (some a bit graphic).

Terrorism Tragedy in Mumbai

Israel, Terrorism, , ,

The news out of Mumbai, India, continues to be devastating.  Sustained two days of terror attacks on the diverse people living in & visiting Mumbai.  All accounts suggest that this terrorist attack has been long-planned and researched, resulting in the terrorists seeming to have the upper hand.  My thoughts and prayers all with all people impacted by this terror attack.

A few news reports on the attack:

BBC Main Site on the Attacks in Mumbai (sub-sites from many perspectives as well)

Ha’artez – India Declines Assistance from Israel

Ha’aretz – 5 Hostages & 2 Terrorists Dead in Chabad Jewish Center

Ha’aretz – Mumbai Attacks Send Shock Waves through Chabad Community

Ha’aretz – Analysis – Israel Cannot Defend Itself Against Such Attacks

Chabad main website, Chabad blog on the Mumbai tragedy

The Israel Situation blog on the attacks

Jerusalem Post – 4 Israelis Rescued from the Oberoi Hotel

May Shabbat bring an end to the attack and may all those searching for loved ones hear good news soon.

Updates:

Jerusalem Post – Background: Islamic Terrorism Helped Bring Together Israel and India

CNN site on the attacks

I’ve just heard on CNN that no one (except the youngest child of the Rabbi and his wife who escaped with his nanny earlier in the crisis) survived in the Chabad center.  Baruch dayan ha-emet.  May G-d care for their souls and be with their families.

New York Times (frequently updated) blog

Muslims Against Sharia Blog on the Mumbai Attacks

Another Vehicle Terror Attack in Jerusalem

Israel, Terrorism, , , , , ,

It has happened again, a terrorist using a vehicle as a weapon of terror.  As I type this the news is just breaking.  Keep watching for updates.  The attack was at Tzahal Square (very close to Jaffa Gate of the Old City), the means was driving the car into a crowd of people.  Reports list between 10 and 15 injured. Fortunately no one listed as killed (I hope that doesn’t change).

I pray for a day when people love themselves and their children more than they hate others (to paraphrase Golda Meir).

News sites on the attack: Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz, Y-Net (Hebrew).

Ha’aretz is also reporting about an IDF soldier who was blinded by a Palestinian (UPDATE: woman) throwing acid in the soldier’s eyes.

Praying for a peaceful tomorrow.

Update – Look at pictures from both of today’s attacks posted by J. Richman

Heartbroken

Israel, Terrorism, , ,

Udi & Eldad are dead.  My heart breaks.  I can’t get Karnit Goldwasser (Udi’s [z”l] wife) out of my mind.  It seems like yesterday that she asked me and a room full of people to raise awareness, write letters and pray for her husband, for Eldad and for Gilad along with all of Israel’s kidnapped soldiers. Since the day that I met Karnit I wore a dogtag with the names of the 3 missing soldiers on it.  I rarely took it off.  She asked us to wear it until her husband came home.  When I woke up yesterday morning, the chain had broken.  How symbolic.

[A few links about the return of their bodies: Ha’aretz,  JPost story with reactions from the families, blogger Aussie Dave]

Update: I’ve been listening to Galgalatz all day today (thank you Israel Radio Toolbar!) with the sad songs resonating through me, pulling at my heart strings and raising tears.

More blogs (with varying viewpoints) on this sad sad day:

Gila’s Big Adventure Treppenwitz, Expat Egghead,  Not a Fish, Simply Jews, Aliyah! Step-by-Step: Making a Life in Israel,

Two Heroes Stop the Bulldozer in Today's Terror Attack

Israel, Terrorism, , ,

A Golani Brigade off-duty soldier was one of the heroes who jumped onto the bulldozer to try to stop today’s attack in Jerusalem.

Here are the details of the actions of the Golani soldier and an off-duty police officer according to Connections Israel. (Connections Israel sends emails with the day’s news from Israel.  To subscribe try this link.)

“BROTHERS-IN-LAW ARE HEROES

IDF Golani Brigade soldier Private Moshe Plasser is the soldier in the blue tee shirt seen on a BBC video around the world. He eliminated the threat by climbing into the driver’s cabin of the bulldozer, shooting the terrorist in the head. Yassam police commando Eli Mizrachi “verified the kill” by firing addition shots at the terrorist at point blank range. Glaser just finished basic training for the elite Egoz reconnaissance unit within Golani three days earlier.

Plasser explained that he was on his motor scooter and saw the bulldozer flip the bus, immediately realizing it was a terror attack.

“I dumped my scooter and began running to the scene, looking for someone with a weapon. Then I saw Oren Ben-Shimon, who had a handgun, and together we tried at least to hit his legs to remove them from the gas pedal.

“He shouted ‘Ala Akhbar’ and then, I took the weapon and fired three shots at him, followed by the policeman verifying the kill.”

Plasser is a brother-in-law of Captain David Shapiro, the off-duty IDF officer who eliminated the terrorist in the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva attack.

Plasser stated “I did what was expected of me, nothing more”.”

A New Kind of Terrorist Attack in Israel

Israel, Terrorism,

Terror has again struck central Jerusalem. This time it appears that a terrorist used (it is still unknown if the terrorist stole the tractor or worked on a construction site or how he got it) a buldozer as his terrorist weapon.  As the story is coming out now (it is only an hour or so since it happened) he plowed the buldozer into the back of an Israeli bus and other vehicles on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem.

Since I have been writing this post, the death toll from this terrorist attack has gone from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 (update) with some news agencies reporting 3.  At least 66 are injured.

News stories:

JPost (English), Haaretz (English), and Walla (Hebrew), Pictures from the JPost, Ma’ariv story with emergency contact numbers (Hebrew),

More later. May G-d be with those injured, those murdered, all the families and the first responders.

Update: According to the Jerusalem Post, the terrorist in the bulldozer was armed and shot one of the police who trying to stop him. The terroist was killed. The policeman was only lightly injured. The terrorist was apparently from East Jerusalem and carried an Israeli identity card.

They think that the bulldozer was from the rail construction project in Jerusalem.

A sad day that could have been much worse

American Politics, Israel, Lebanon, Terrorism

I woke up this morning to the news of the foiled terror plot in London. Frightening stuff that once again gives us the choice between letting terror and terrorists keep us from living our lives or choosing to add in additional security measures and keep going. I am glad that for the most part people chose the later.

For coverage of today’s arrests and the full story go to any or all of the following links: BBC, NYTimes (story), NYTimes (updated banned item list), Jerusalem Post and Al-Jezeera. I include Al-Jezeera because I think it is important to understand things from different perspectives.

One story today.

The other and deeper sadness is the continued violence and war in Northern Israel and Lebanon. It seems to me that this struggle with Hizbollah/Iran is just getting deeper. People suffer and die on both sides, life is completely disrupted, children are traumatized from witnessing the violence, spending all their time in shelters, worrying about playing outside and being close enough to a shelter and seeing and hearing their family members going off to war. I pray that a peaceful solution that is good for the people of Lebanon, recognizes Israel’s right to exist and puts Hizbollah in its place comes soon. Please G-d, please.

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