RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.jns.org/babies-in-bandanas/

Exactly seven months before their abduction on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were photographed getting ready to celebrate Purim—a particular favorite among children, since it involves parading around in costume.

The by-now famous snapshot shows the toddler and his baby brother each dressed up as Batman. Age three and a half at the time, Ariel must have been familiar enough with the comic-book superhero to request the get-up. As another widely circulated image illustrates, the whole family, including mother Shiri and father Yarden, wore Batman pajamas.

Two-month-old Kfir certainly wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the Purim outfit. But his doting parents clearly couldn’t resist cloaking him in the action figure’s garb for the cuteness of it all.
Little did they realize at the time that the whole world would come to know just how adorable these two little redheads in Batman bandanas were. Indeed, their faces have been etched in our hearts and minds since Oct. 7, 2023.

That was the day on which Hamas invaded southern Israel. With the gleeful help of average Gaza residents, thousands of Palestinians from the neighboring terrorist-infested enclave committed the worst atrocities against Jews since the Holocaust.

They slaughtered around 1,200 people, among them Shiri Bibas’s parents. They raped, stabbed, shot, burned and decapitated anyone and everyone they encountered, ultimately kidnapping more than 250 innocent Israelis and foreign nationals.

Yarden and Shiri, residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz—known for its peace activism and generous assistance to Gazans in need of work or medical treatment in Israeli hospitals—were among the latter. Bleeding from his wounds, Yarden was hauled off on a motorcycle by the barbarians who raided Nir Oz. He was released three weeks ago as part of the ceasefire deal.

During the 483 days of his captivity, he had no idea what had happened to his wife and sons. To add torment to torture, his captors told him that his loved ones were dead.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

Here are some statistics to think about:

According to most recent estimates, the population of Australia in 2025 is projected to be around 26.9 million people. 

In January 2025, Israel’s population reached 10 million people. Israel’s population is projected to continue to grow, with a fertility rate that is higher than most Western nations. 

And, thanks to the diligent research of Michael Ordman, here is a list of the outsize contributions of Israel to global health and a better future.  It speaks for itself. Israel is an amazing nation.

“Isaiah 49:6–7: “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” rsk

POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
 
Standing together. Brian Mast, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Congress, met with IDF soldier Ari Spitz. Rep Mast lost his legs in Afghanistan; Ari lost his in Gaza; both have prosthetic legs.  Rep Mast said, “As the only member to serve with both the US Army and the IDF, I will always stand with Israel.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403476
 
Released hostages plant trees at hospital. (TY UWI) A few days before Tu Bishvat (New Year for Trees) the five IDF female lookouts, who returned from Hamas captivity, planted olive trees at the entrance to Beilinson Hospital on the day they were discharged. The olive tree symbolizes stability, continuity, and resilience.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403461
 
Five lookouts ask to return to IDF service. Less than two weeks after their release from Hamas captivity, former hostages Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev have asked to return to the army. The army responded that they needed more time to recover and that it was too soon.
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/freed-israeli-hostages-ask-to-return-to-idf-service-rdh8vmxn
 
Trains resume to Sderot. (TY Yanky) The Sderot-Ashkelon train line resumed operations for the first time since Oct 7 2023. The IDF has prepared for the line to reopen by deploying new technologies, physical defenses and surveillance capabilities costing NIS 40 million.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/sderot-ashkelon-train-line-resumes-operations-for-first-time-since-october-7-attack/
 
LEGO man is still building. (TY Sam Kramer) For the last 14 years, the “The Lego Man” Maor Cohen (see here previously) has brought over 10,000 Lego sets to children with cancer. Since Oct. 7 he has taken on a new role: bringing Lego to injured Israeli soldiers. And now, for returned hostages, including the Thai captives.
https://jewishjournal.com/community/376281/the-lego-man-maor-cohen-brings-lego-to-injured-israeli-soldiers-an-interview/   https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403992
 
From farms to frontlines. On the Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) alternative winter break trip to Israel, 30 US students brought joy to kids at youth centers, worked on farms, raised funds for ADI Negev in their “Run for Inclusion”, and connected to the land and its people. www.jnf.org/volunteeril
https://www.jns.org/wire/from-farms-to-frontlines-students-bring-hope-to-israel-post-oct-7/
 
Avi and Eden are engaged. (TY Yanky) During her national service, Eden was assigned to “OneFamily – overcoming terror together,” and worked at Loewenstein rehab hospital. She met Avi, a critically injured Golani Brigade commander. A friendship flourished between them – and now they are getting married.
https://simchaspot.com/blog/2025/02/03/engagement-of-avi-and-eden-israel/
 
Stock options for reservist employees. Israel’s HiBob (see here previously) is showing its appreciation to its employees, granting 1,800 options to every employee who served more than 30 days of IDF reserve duty during the Swords of Iron War. HiBob’s CEO highlighted military service as “a cornerstone of Israel’s strength.”
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkaehmmyyx
 
Returning home. (TY TPS) Israel’s Ministry of Social Affairs has unveiled a structured support plan for the tens of thousands of northern residents returning to their homes from Mar 1.  Social workers and therapists have been provided with guidelines; families should visit their homes in stages to plan repairs and redecoration.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/a-roadmap-to-resilience-helping-northern-israelis-return-home-after-war/
 
 
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
From collapse to pacemaker in 5 hours. By now you probably know about my personal experience of Israel’s terrific emergency medical service. If interested in the full details, I’ve written it up. More important, though, are the links to the sites of the wonderful Laniado and United Hatzalah. Please support them.
https://netanyareflections.blogspot.com/2025/02/from-collapse-to-pacemaker-in-5-hours.html
https://laniadosupporters.org.il/laniado-applies-advanced-idf-methods/  https://laniadosupporters.org.il/
https://israelrescue.org/stories/a-lifesaving-injection/  https://israelrescue.org/donate/
 
Bacteriophage can save lives. Sigal Vorzhev, a researcher at the Israeli Phage Therapy Center at the Hebrew University and Hadassah, has discovered a phage (a kind of virus) that kills deadly resistant bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae. She has named the phage “KpRaz1” after her life partner MSG Raz Abulafia who fell in Gaza.
https://www.afhu.org/2025/02/12/hebrew-university-researchers-name-newly-discovered-phages-in-honor-of-fallen-soldiers-and-civilians/
 
Unlocking the secrets of cancer. (TY Ron M) Tel Aviv University Professor Uri Ben-David shares insights regarding cancer biology and treatment strategies, including precision medicine. His specialty is aneuploidy, the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in cancer cells (see here previously).
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-841686
 
Doubling the IVF success rate. (TY Ron M) Tel Aviv University scientists have greatly increased the success rate of IVF from 34% to 65% by a precise and advanced method for selecting the highest-quality sperm cells. Their innovative imaging system analyzes internal sperm morphology, motility, and DNA fragmentation.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-841730
 
Don’t worry, be happy. Yuval Kutz is founder and President of Israel’s online Happiness Studies Academy, which uses scientific research to educate leaders about how to find and share happiness. Kurtz says, “Research shows you will be more productive, more resilient, more efficient, and that you’ll live longer” if you’re happy.
https://www.israel21c.org/if-you-want-to-be-happy-get-ready-for-some-hard-work/
https://www.happinessstudies.academy/abouthsa/  https://vimeo.com/414706530
 
What’s good about fat? (TY TPS) Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have identified new types of fat cells in the body and described their purpose – e.g. to control appetite. Their research findings, part of the international Human Cell Atlas project, could pave the way for personalized medicine in obesity.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-researchers-discover-new-fat-cell-types-that-could-transform-obesity-treatment/  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-024-02048-3
 
Volunteers to the rescue. (TY Gabrielle) This article gives a comprehensive insight into Israel’s largest volunteer organization – Yad Sarah (see here previously). The range of medical and social services that Yad Sarah provides is truly amazing, including to help rehabilitate wounded IDF soldiers.
https://israeldreams.com/2025/01/12/finallyan-uplifting-story/   https://friendsofyadsarah.org/donate-now

The moment we were all expecting has come to the fore, bringing with it more horror, heartbreak, and deceit than anyone could have imagined. For Hamas has, once again, proven itself to be a barbaric entity, violating a ceasefire agreement with Israel it had already played fast and loose with on several occasions.

Yesterday was always going to be a sombre day, as Israel prepared to receive the first of its deceased hostages – those who had entered Gaza in life and were leaving it in death. However, Hamas has not only stuck the knife in further – they’ve twisted it for us too. At the transition to the Red Cross, Hamas orchestrated a grotesque ceremony to hand over the dead, a macabre spectacle clearly designed to insult Israel and grandstand before the world. This was not an exchange; it was a calculated act of psychological warfare.

The most despicable betrayal, however, came with the absence of Shiri Bibas. The mother of two young sons and wife to Yarden Bibas – who was recently released after an excruciating 484 days in captivity – was not returned alongside the bodies of her children, as previously agreed. Instead, Hamas substituted her body with that of an imposter who, as of this morning, remains unidentified by forensic experts but is presumed to be a Gazan woman. This flagrant deception has rightly ignited outrage, not just in Israel but across the international community.

This deceitful and malicious act has pushed what was already a tenuous ceasefire deal to the brink of collapse. If Hamas thought it could manipulate this moment without consequence, it has gravely miscalculated. Israel cannot afford to respond with half-measures. This is a violation that calls for decisive action and Israel would do well to take a lesson from the Donald Trump playbook: when a deal is broken, the response must be immediate and severe. In this way Israel should go straight for the jugular, eliminating what remains of Hamas leadership. The locations of these figures are known – now is the time to act, regardless of which countries they might be skulking in.

Israel must assert its control, send a message of unequivocal strength, and ensure that Hamas pays the ultimate price for its barbarism. The world is watching, and there should be no doubt left in the minds of those who threaten Israel’s sovereignty: breaking a deal with Israel, particularly one with terms as hideous as have been imposed by the terrorists, should mean signing one’s own death warrant.

Dr Alan Mendoza is Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society. Follow Alan on X: @AlanMendoza

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/22/the-roots-of-the-palestinian-sickness/

This week, as the civilized peoples of the West once again recoil in horror at the grotesque and violent spectacle that is Hamas, it is worth remembering that the bloody, brutal, and depraved character of the Palestinian animosity toward Israel and the Jewish people did not arise from natural circumstances. The blind and merciless hatred the radical Palestinians feel toward Israel is neither normal nor accidental. It was carefully and purposefully cultivated over the course of nearly a century and has been intentionally intensified and amplified by the intellectual discourse in Europe and the United States.

The monstrous treatment of the Bibas family—the kidnapping and murder of an innocent woman and her two small children, the parading of the corpses through a celebratory rally, the apparent attempts to hide the real causes of the children’s death, and the utter refusal to return the remains of their mother, Shiri—is not the behavior one would ever expect from a conventional regime, even one that bills itself as the “resistance” to an “occupying” force. Rather, it is behavior consistent with the ugliest, vilest, most brutal sects man has ever known—the Nazis, Lenin and Stalin’s Soviets, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, and so on. This is no mere coincidence. The Palestinian/Hamas-nik consciousness springs from many of the same sources as the most horrific regimes of the twentieth century.

Nowhere in the world have the anti-realist philosophies of cultural Marxism been more ingrained and more destructive than in the discourse around and the practical politics of the Middle East. Arab nationalism was an early 20th-century identity movement that surfaced amidst the dying of the Ottoman Empire and which was patterned in many ways on the German nationalist undertaking. The early thinkers and founders of Arab nationalism looked to define themselves and their people and to build an independent pan-Arab state that stretched, essentially, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. The identity the Arab nationalists created for themselves and the Arab people was defined principally in terms of who the Arabs were not, rather than who they were. And who they were not is European colonialists.

In this sense, the Arab Nationalist movement was quintessentially postmodern. It arose in opposition to the “truth” of Western cultural hegemony and obsessed over the sins and perceived slights of the colonial powers—including the Zionists. It fashioned for itself a majestic yet “lost” past of the Arab people. And it sought to restore that past through opposition to the prevalent ideas of Western liberalism.

Additionally, and more to the point, the Middle East as it exists in the mind of the Western intellectual or wannabe intellectual today is largely the creation of a narrative that was fashioned more than five decades ago, in the fevered imagination of a literary theorist named Edward Said. Said was ostensibly a professor of comparative literature at Columbia University. But he was also the man most responsible for the current Western-liberal view of the Middle East and especially of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Last night, Israel came dangerously close to tragedy. Five bombs exploded across Bat Yam, targeting public buses in a meticulously planned attack. Miraculously, the buses were empty—but they weren’t supposed to be. The devices were meant to detonate during this morning’s rush hour, filled with passengers. Israeli security forces have confirmed that additional explosives were found, and a manhunt is underway for those responsible. Hamas has claimed responsibility, and we now know that this was a deliberate, coordinated effort to inflict mass civilian casualties. Authorities are urgently searching for more hidden devices, while the entire country’s public transportation system has been shut down to prevent further catastrophe for the time being.