Likud Chairman and former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says any agreement reached between PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is null and void.

Widely expected to be the next prime minister, Netanyahu said he would not honor an agreement reached between Fatah chief Abbas and Olmert – who are currently engaged in frantic negotiations on final status issues. The nature of the hurried negotiations with the questionably-sovereign head of a fractured PA is to reach a US-imposed deadline of at least a theoretical deal for a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.

"The agreement that Olmert will or will not achieve is no more than a cynical invalid deal - not in legal terms, but in terms of reality," Netanyahu is quoted saying in Friday’s Makor Rishon newspaper.

Israel’s main papers are carrying special holiday interviews with Prime Minister Olmert; Makor Rishon opted to interview Netanyahu instead.

Netanyahu acknowledged that Olmert would seek to present a US-backed deal as his election platform. "Then the public will be the judge," Netanyahu said. "If [Kadima] wins the election - fine. But if they don't, they can't force upon the public, in a cynical and manipulative manner, something the public is not interested in.”

On a different topic, Netanyahu says he regrets not establishing a unity government with Shimon Peres after beating him in the 1996 elections.

"I have since learned to appreciate Shimon Peres on a personal level in a different way than I did back then,” Netanyahu told Makor Rishon. “Today I think that we should have established a unity government, especially in light of the awful polarization that resulted from the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.”

The 1996 elections were seen as a referendum on the Oslo Accords. Bringing Peres, the accords’ architect, in as co-PM would have been a controversial move considering Netanyahu’s anti-Oslo campaign.

At the time, when Netanyahu continued to carry out the stages of the accords, including handing over the majority of Hevron to the PA, he claimed he had inherited the accords and was doing his best with the circumstances he had been given.

IDF soldiers tracked down and killed the mastermind of a plot to carry out a terrorist attack through the use of poison, after surrounding his house in the Balata neighborhood of Shechem Thursday morning.

The terror attack planned by Ka’abi involved slipping a slow-acting poison powder, virtually undetectable, into the food of diners at the “Grill Express” restaurant in Ramat Gan, where he had managed to recruit two Arab kitchen workers as new operatives.

The poison would have taken at least four hours to work, thus maximizing the number of people who could be hurt and killed before the attack might come to light. A suicide bombing attack, possibly simultaneous, was also in the works when the plot was discovered and stopped by Israeli intelligence agents.

Hani Ka’abi headed a terrorist cell belonging to the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades organization, linked to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction.

Hosni Tzalag, Ka’abi’s deputy was arrested during the operation by the elite IDF undercover Duvdevan unit. The soldiers recovered two rifles, a number of ammunition magazines and several bulletproof vests at Ka’abi’s home. A third terrorist was also taken into custody as well.

Balata Remains a Terrorist Stronghold in Fatah-land
US-trained Palestinian Authority police officers deployed in Shechem came under attack by unidentified terrorists this week when the city’s governor tried to visit the Balata.

Police hastily withdrew the city’s administrator, Jamal Muhaisen out of the neighborhood, but were unable to save his car, which local Arabs torched and burned to the ground.

Last year, Israel agreed to allow the PA to deploy several hundred police officers who received advanced military training by US Army officers at a Jericho training base.

The Bush administration is banking on the PA force being able to prove to Israel that it can maintain law and order in Shechem – known in Judea and Samaria as “terrorist central” – and control terrorism.  The PA is required to halt all terrorism against Israel emanating from its territories as part of its obligations under the American Roadmap plan.
 

An American Jewish rabbi is making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel), inviting not only his congregation, but all of American Jewry, to follow suit.

Rabbi Shalom Rosner, rabbi of Congregation Bais Ephraim Yitzchak in Woodmere NY (known as “The Island Shul”) announced his decision last month. He will help establish a new community in the Beit Shemesh region called Nofei HaShemesh.

"This is not a sudden decision," Rabbi Rosner explained. "My wife and I and our six children have been dreaming and planning for this day for years. It is a highly personal decision yet part of a much larger mission… Nearly 20,000 North American Jews have moved to Israel in recent years. This is a dynamic, growing trend. We have much to add to Israeli society, and the community we are embarking to develop will, with G-d's help, be a model environment reflecting our ideals and our vision for centuries to come."

Nofei HaShemesh will take some of the hallmarks of American Jewish life – community rabbis and synagogue-centric communal life – and bring it to a region already populated by a large number of olim (immigrants to Israel). Located between the existing Anglo-rich neighborhoods of Scheinfeld and Nofei Aviv, 30 families have already purchased homes in the 400-unit neighborhood now being built.

Rabbi Rosner gave classes at Yeshiva University in Talmud, Jewish Law and Bible over the past seven years since being ordained and studying at the school’s RIETS Seminary’s Kollel Elyon Talmudic fellowship.

Calling on Others to Join
“Aliya is an ideal that we as Jews can all recognize as our common destiny,” Rabbi Rosner wrote to his congregants. “We hope to forge a path that will encourage other inspired Jews from around the world to become our neighbors, along with veteran Israelis who share our commitment to building a community based on a deeply rooted love of our people, our Torah values and service to our nation.”

He is not leaving due to any lack of success, having built a synagogue community of 15 families into 125 in just six years.

A Long Struggle Homeward
“On a personal level, [Aliyah] has always been a paramount - yet elusive - quest for our family,” Rabbi Rosner said. “Before we were married, my wife and I had decided in principle that Israel would be our home. Decisions in principle are often mightily slowed down by developments on the ground.  Before we knew it, my wife’s medical school was upon us, along with my rabbinic training at Yeshiva University. Starting a family and many other considerations naturally followed, all creating a situation where Aliyah remained more a beckoning dream than an immediate step.

“Despite these ‘distractions,’ rarely did even one day pass in which we both didn’t express to each other our desire to make this move. Our hearts were heavy that we were not in Israel.  Whether it was the chafing distance of witnessing miraculous developments in the land or yearning to raise our children in the environment of holiness that is only available in Israel, the gravitational pull of Aliyah was a constant presence in our hearts and minds.”

Rabbi Rosner knows that the struggle is not over.

“Even while I know the period ahead will not be without its fair share of challenges and the occasional difficult days, we relish the chance to play our very own part in our people’s historic renewal,” he said. “Most exciting of all, we welcome others both from our own community and from other communities across North America and around the world who will make the decision to join us as we create a truly ideal environment in Israel…Hashem has given us the remarkable historic chance to make this land ours…and so many wonderful people who went before us have done the ‘heavy lifting’ to get us newcomers to where we are today.”

Dr. Aliyah
Dr. Tamar Rosner, the rabbi’s wife, is taking part in the Nefesh b’Nefesh Aliyah organization’s special promotion seeking to bring doctors on Aliyah. The pediatrician told the Five Towns Jewish News last year that the Nefesh b’Nefesh grant played a role in making their consideration of Aliyah a reality. “Doctors don’t move [to Israel] because of a lucrative salary,” Rosner said. “We’re going because it’s the Jewish homeland, and this fellowship is making the move more do-able. We know we are going to live a less lavish life than in the US, but we are not going to starve.”

Dr. Rosner is one of a number of doctors to apply for the special grant, which will be granted to ten docters a year by the Legacy Heritage Foundation through Nefesh B’Nefesh. The grant, in the form of an initial fellowship upon arrival in Israel and monthly supplemental income for the first two years, totals about $60,000. It is available to doctors under the age of 45 willing to practice at least nine months a year in Israel.

Move Spurs Rabbinic Support for Mass Aliyah
Following Rabbi Rosner’s announcement, an ad was taken out in Jewish papers and magazines both in Israel and the US by leading rabbis of his various communities. “As his long-time teachers, friends and supporters, we take great pride in this momentous milestone for both the American Jewish community and Israel,” the ad reads, ending with a partially-committal: “Many of us look forward to joining him.”

Signing the ad were: YU Dean Emeritus Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, YU President Richard Joel, Former RCA President Rabbi Kenneth Hain, Young Israel President Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Orthodox Union President Stephen Savitsky, Former RCA President Rabbi Hershel Billet, YU Rosh Yeshiva Mordechai Willig, Rabbi Dr. Eddie Reichman, Rabbi Jay Marcus (a Staten Island rabbi who has already left his congregation and made Aliyah), YU Spiritual Adviser Rabbi Yosef Blau, Rabbi Jacob J. Schachter and YU Roshei Yeshiva Rabbi Hershel Reichman, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, Rabbi Michael Rosensweig and Rabbi Meir Goldvicht.

Click here to view the ad in .pdf format

The last pro-Aliyah statement issued by American Jewish rabbis also originated at Yeshiva University. Put forth by the Kumah Aliyah movement, it read: “The following Roshei Yeshiva strongly urge every Jew to seriously consider making Aliyah. We believe that a massive return to our eternal homeland will contribute greatly to an alleviation of all demographic, economic and religious problems in Israel today. We urge the entire Jewish Diaspora, particularly the younger generation, to begin viewing Aliyah as a goal rather than an option.”

Signing that declaration were many of the rabbis from the current one. In addition, it was signed by Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik, of blessed memory, and YU Roshei Yeshiva Rabbi Dr. Moshe Dovid Tendler and Rabbi Hershel Schachter.

The declaration can be viewed by clicking here

Dozens of young men and women hiked through Samaria recently, walking in areas that Jews usually avoid.  One group walked through the hostile Arab village of Huwarra on its way to Tapuach Junction.  Soldiers arrested 30 of the hikers.

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Land of Israel activist Meir Bertler explained that the hike was meant to restore a Jewish presence in areas where Jews had not set foot for decades.  Walking freely in the area is the first step towards establishing new Jewish communities, he said.

In the above video, dozens of young hikers take to the hills and valleys of Samaria, confronting Arabs and soldiers along the way.
 

Defense Minister Ehud Barak took part Thursday night in the completion and dedication of eight new Torah scrolls written in honor of fallen IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism. In his speech for the occasion, Barak declared that
Barak was honored with writing the last letter in one of the Torah scrolls.
the State of Israel achieved unprecedented accomplishments because it is firmly rooted in Jewish tradition.

The Torah dedications took place at Netiv Arieh Yeshiva, located alongside the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. Barak was honored with writing the last letter in one of the Torah scrolls, as is tradition at such dedications.

In addition to the Defense Minister and the families of the fallen, the event was attended by former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Chief Rabbi and former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Dean of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, Dean of the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva High School, Rabbi Yerachmiel Weiss, and others.

In his comments to the assembled families, rabbis and others, Defense Minister Barak said that the writing of the eight Torah scrolls "links three holy aspects: the holiness of the Torah, the holiness of this site - the Western Wall, a remnant of the retaining wall of our holy Temple - and the holiness of the pure souls of the six fallen IDF soldiers and the eight terror victims from Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. There is no doubt that immortalizing these precious departed, may God avenge their blood, by way of Torah scrolls written in their memory and for the elevation of their souls is the most correct and beautiful Jewish way to do so. May this be even a small comfort for the mourning families...."

Linking the national and individual in Israel, Barak continued:

"The State of Israel is marking 60 years since its establishment. Since it was founded, it has withstood existential challenges, wars and terror attacks, and through it all it absorbed mass immigration from the East and from the West, and created a model state protected by the wall of its citizen-soldiers. At the core of this achievement, unprecedented in the annals of the nations, was and is the spiritual wellspring, the traditions of our forefathers, and the strong connection between the nation and its homeland. These constitute the powerful 'added value' that made it possible for Zionism and for the State of Israel to overcome every enemy, to negotiate every stumbling block, and to successfully face every challenge.

"This spiritual wellspring is also the source of strength for the families of the fallen, of which, unfortunately, there are a large and growing number. We are doing all we can, with determination and careful consideration, so that the number does not grow any more."

Later in his address, the Defense Minister said, "This holy place represents the eternal connection between our people and Jerusalem and that which is sacred. This connection brought us back here from the four corners of the world, and that connection, along with our power, ensure for eternity our existence and our future as a Jewish nation and state."

Seeking Peace in a Hostile Environment
"The Jewish people seeks peace," Defense Minister Barak declared. "We are loyal in our aspirations and in our policies to the ancient commandment, 'Seek peace and pursue it.' But we live in the heart of a hostile environment, that still hosts very many who don't want peace with us, who do not accept our presence here as an irreversible
As to the Iranian threat, Barak merely quoted a statement by the sages of ancient Israel, as recorded in the Mishna: "Say little and do much."
fact, forever. We will do all in our power to promote peace with those prepared to make true peace with us, the peace of the brave, and, at the same time, to fully protect our lives and our security."

Barak took the opportunity to praise the IDF and the General Security Services for their ongoing counterterrorism operations. He also noted that much has been done, but there remains much work yet to be done, to improve the preparedness of the military and homefront defense.

As for the Iranian threat, Barak merely quoted a statement by the sages of ancient Israel, as recorded in the Mishna: "Say little and do much."

Barak concluded by saying that even as we sit down to our Passover meals we should recall the fallen soldiers, the victims of terrorism, their families, as well as the wounded and those held hostage by enemy forces.

The eight scrolls dedicated Thrusday night - including one written in memory of the eight yeshiva students murdered by an Arab terrorist at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva - were donated by Ira and Ingaborg Rennert, New York-based philanthropists. As of 2007, it was reported that the Rennerts had donated 160 scrolls to Israeli communities.

Rabbi Henoch Leibowitz, Dean of Yeshivat Chafetz Chaim in Queens, New York, passed away this week at the age of 92.  Students described him as "one of the last great rashei yeshiva [Yeshiva deans] and baalei mussar [masters of Jewish ethics] of the previous generation."

Rav Henoch, as he was known, was the only son of his saintly father, Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz, who founded Yeshiva Rabbeinu Yisroel Meir HaCohen, known as the Chafetz Chaim Yeshiva, in 1933.

Rabbi Leibowitz the father - a nephew of the saintly Chafetz Chaim, the author of the Mishna Berurah - is credited with having brought to the United States the teachings of high behavioral and character standards based on the "majesty of man," known as the Slabodka school of Jewish ethics.

On December 7, 1941, when his father passed away, Rav Henoch took over the helm of the yeshiva, basing it on mussar, reaching out to the Jewish public at large, and intense, precise study of Talmud.

In the coming years, Chafetz Chaim yeshiva high schools were opened in New York, Rochester, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Miami, Los Angeles, Ottawa, and elsewhere across North America.  A branch of the yeshiva was opened in Jerusalem in the early 1970's as well.

Rabbi Rubenstein and Wife Killed in Fire
The New York rabbinical world suffered another loss this week as well, when the rabbi of the Young Israel of Scarsdale for the past 25 years, Rabbi Jacob Rubenstein, and his wife Deborah, were killed in a fire that broke out in their home over the Sabbath.  A past president of the Rabbinical Council of America, Rabbi Rubenstein was highly regarded as a talented teacher and public spokesman for Orthodox Judaism, and was beloved among his congregants for his role in their everyday lives and communal affairs.  His wife Deborah was a teacher of Jewish studies.  They are survived by four children.
 

Former US President Jimmy Carter says Palestinian Authority Arabs living in Gaza are being “starved to death” by Israel.

Carter made the claim speaking with students at the American University in Cairo on Thursday, saying that Gaza Arabs are receiving fewer calories per day than people in the poorest regions of Africa.

“It’s an atrocity, what is being perpetrated as punishment on the people in Gaza,” said Carter. “It is a crime… I think it is an abomination that this continues to go on.”

The former president has not actually visited Gaza; Israel declined to authorize his use of the Israel-Gaza crossings and there were no indications he requested an entry from Egypt.

Carter neglected to mention that the region’s crossings with the rest of Israel have been closed since the Islamist Hamas terrorist organization seized total control of the area and began launching constant attacks on Israeli civilians. He also didn’t mention that the crossings are opened daily for the delivery of humanitarian aid, including truckloads of food, medical and other supplies into Gaza.

On Thursday, while Carter was denigrating Israeli treatment of Gaza residents, Hamas terrorists infiltrated through the Kerem Shalom Crossing and attacked an IDF post while trucks were passing through the crossing with essentials for Gaza.

The terrorists attacked the same area in which IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in June 2006. Two soldiers were murdered and another soldier was seriously injured during that attack as well. Shalit’s condition and whereabouts are unknown; his parents have been hoping that Carter will be able to find out information about their son, if not convince his Hamas captors to free him altogether.

Despite the opposition of the American government, Carter was to meet Friday in Damascus with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, who is the apparent power behind Shalit’s kidnappers.

Carter met Thursday in Cairo with two senior Hamas officials from Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahar and Said Seyam. The Israeli government refused to allow the former US president to meet in Gaza with the Hamas terrorists.
 

Before leaving for the trip, Rabbi Netanel Giat, a Yemenite Rabbi who is Israel's foremost specialist in the meat-koshering art of nikkur (removing the forbidden parts from the hind part of the animal), came to Lech Lecha to give a special introductory class on Koshering meat and animal sacrifice in the temple.

The Lech Lecha program, also known as "The Jeep Yeshiva" was created for students who dropped out of conventional educational frameworks and needed more of the outdoors to complete their high school education.

The students traveled deep into the Negev desert far from civilization bringing along sheep for the Paschal study seminar. Rabbi Giat joined them for one day, and gave the students hands-on experience in ritual slaughter, and koshering of meat. Using live (and later dead) sheep, he explained exactly how the Passover sacrifice was done.

"This trip changed my whole perspective on the Passover night 'seder' [the festive meal which relates to the Paschal sacrifice]. This was a vital part of our prayer service in the times of the Temple, and I feel much closer to it now," said one of the class participants.

They learned the traditional blessing before slaughtering an animal, what parts are kosher, and what parts not and why. They saw the gid hanasheh (a forbidden sinew), and learned about the prohibition of eating blood and how to salt the meat to soak out the blood.

"We didn't roast the entire sheep on a wooden skewer as will be done with the real Passover sacrifice," said the school's dean, Rabbi David Samson, "but, the students did enjoy grilling and eating the smaller pieces of meat and more importantly, seeing firsthand the various Jewish laws relating to ritual slaughter and animal sacrifice."

Rabbi Samson explained that the whole three-day outing was a type of inner, spiritual "search for hametz." Hametz is leavened bread which is forbidden on the Passover holiday, and symbolizes a person's egotistical inclinations.

"We want to get the kids into the frame of mind of helping others, and specifically helping their parents with the numerous household chores before the holiday, which begins Saturday night," said Rabbi Samson. "Not all of our youth at risk are on good terms with their parents, and we encouraged them to use this opportunity of helping out as a way to mend their family relationships."

Jewish religious rock star Sinai Tor journeyed out to the Ramon Wilderness in the Negev desert to play a concert for the students around a campfire. He was able to get all the students into a frenzy of song and dance singing the songs of Passover. "It was a very meaningful, soul-searching rock concert which I am sure the rocks of the desert have never heard before in all of Jewish history," said Rabbi Samson.

Rabbi David Samson has announced the opening of a new high school yeshiva in Jerusalem for English-speakers in September, 2008.

More info on the Lech Lecha Yeshiva.