Mon, 28 Jun 2004 Editor - Jerusalem Newswire
"Angels saved our lives"
Soldiers' lives are spared in massive Gaza bombing
That no one was killed in Sunday night's bombing of a Gaza IDF outpost is the result of the LORD God's divine protection, said one Israeli soldier from the scene of the attack.
"There were angels guarding us tonight as we stood guarding Israel. We can feel it," the soldier told Arutz 7.
Five Israeli soldiers were wounded in the blast, one seriously.
Palestinian Arabs from the nearby town of Khan Yunis apparently managed to tunnel the approximately 350 yards to the outpost and planted a 150-kilogram
bomb beneath it.
But the casualties could have been much higher had the terrorists succeeded in placing their explosives under the outpost's barracks rather than its parking lot.
"Thank God, they seem to have dug [the tunnel] under where they thought our barracks were, but instead blew up the parking lot... It is really a miracle
that they didn't succeed in blowing up the barracks," the thankful soldier told his interviewer.
Editorial Posting
at 8:12 AM
Updated: Monday, 30 August 2004 12:00 AM
Planning Institute (JPPPI) headed by former US envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross - the interaction between the State of Israel and the Diaspora strengthens Jews everywhere and is a crucially important factor in shaping the future of the Jewish people.
JPPPI was established by the Jewish Agency for Israel.
The JPPPI recently released a 600-page assessment, titled "The Jewish People 2004,: Between Thriving and Decline," that addresses physical, economical, cultural, and spiritual resources that are available to the Jewish people. The report also evaluates threats and weaknesses which worldwide Jewish communities face today.
The report accuses the government of not thinking through the possible outcomes of its actions, which sometimes have a negative effect on Jewish communities around the world.
One solution the institute offered is creating a consulting world-Jewish body, which would participate in the decision making process in Israel.
The report also points to the rising numbers of mixed marriages and declining number of Jews in the world, which currently stands on 13 million, of them under half living in Israel. Its states that the government should consider "accelerating religious conversion procedures in Israel."
The report spoke of five major dimensions to the complex dynamics governing the relations between Israel and the Diaspora.
The first dimension is the cultural and ethical aspect of Judaism. The report says that Israel unites and divides Jews at the same time, and that while Israel provides a source of honor, solidarity, and pride, it can also attract much criticism.
Politics and security was the second dimension mentioned. According to the JPPPI, the political and security situation in Israel directly affects the Diaspora. Increase in terrorism and perceived media propaganda in favor of Israel have increased solidarity, yet these factors also create confusion and have caused many Diaspora Jews to feel disenfranchised and helpless in influencing events in a significant way.
The view that Israel still lags behind the most affluent western countries, where large numbers of Jews live and prosper, directly affects the rate of immigration to Israel, and the immigration to the Diaspora, and creates the JPPPI's third and fourth dimensions: Economic, Social, and geographical issues.
The fifth dimension is institutional and organizational cooperation between Israel and the Diaspora.
The report states that Diaspora leaders and organizations have had limited impact on Israeli politics. It expresses the view that few organizations represent the Jewish people as a global "whole".
While major organizations such as the Jewish Agency and the World Jewish Congress are used as a global platform and political instruments, the JPPPI feels that they do not represent the Jewish people in its totality.
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