Pesach by Joe Bobker

After finishing an extensive period of service on the front lines of the Jordan Valley action area, the 'Netzach Yehuda' Battalion, Kfir Brigade's Ultra Orthodox battalion, set out on a front-line service trek. The total distance is 14 km, and the course finishes at the Mazada fortress by the Dead Sea. At the end, all of the warriors and soldiers of the command gathered for morning prayer services, with the view of the Dead Sea. Photo by Abir Sultan / IDF Photo.

Address by Israel's Vice PM and FM Tzipi Livni to the 8th Herzliya Conference
"Not only can Israel not allow a terrorist state to rise by its side, but the international community also cannot afford another terrorist state in its midst"
      "I believe that Israel does not have to apologize for its existence or for defending its citizens, and Israel will continue to take action and fulfill its duty toward the citizens of the State of Israel, even at the price of condemnation. " - Israeli Vice President and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
      Address by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tzipi Livni to the 8th Herzliya Conference (Translated from Hebrew)
          (IFM) Good evening, everyone. This conference is a mark of Israel’s national resilience. I believe that national resilience is first of all a true ability to cope with difficult situations, challenges and threats. It also means the public’s sense of confidence in the government’s ability to cope with these threats, and cohesiveness around a common goal. All of these bear great significance for leadership and government.
(Full Address)

Two Senior Terror Operatives Arrested in Territories
(IDF) On Friday morning, during a joint operation to arrest wanted persons performed by the elite duvdevan unit and the ISA, Ahmed Muhammad Sanakara was killed. He was armed with a Kalashnikov rifle when the forces came to arrest him. Additionally, the force arrested four wanted operatives of the tanzim terror organization, who had been recently plotting a terror attack.
      Sanakara, 21, was the most senior wanted operative in the Territories. As a member of the tanzim terror organization, he was responsible for dozens of IED and shooting attacks targeting IDF forces in Nablus. He acted as perpetrator and dispatcher, and prepared the explosive devices in various attacks. In November of 2005 he took part in the laying of an IED in the Balata refugee camp which lead to an IDF officer being injured. (Full Story)

EU to Fund Visits by European Students to Holocaust Memorial Sites
(IFM) The European Union will fund visits by European students to Holocaust memorial sites, announced Franco Fratini, Vice President of the European Commission, at the opening of the Second Israel/EU Seminar on Combating Racism and Antisemitism.
      At the opening of the Second Israel/EU Seminar on Combating Racism and Antisemitism (22 January), Franco Fratini, Vice President of the European Commission, said that Europe is not antisemitic territory, but antisemitic activity is growing on the continent. "We see antisemitism as contradicting the values on which the European Union was founded, and we are committed to fighting this phenomenon with all the necessary educational and legal means." (Full Story)

Feeling Good in Israel
(Jewish Agency Israel) Twenty one year old Yonas Shiferaw was born in the mountainous southern region of Ethiopia. When he was seventeen, his family moved to Addis Ababa and his father found a job working for the municipality. The family lived in their own home, not in the Ethiopian compound, and Yonas completed high school.
      In August 2004, Yonas, his parents and two brothers made aliyah. Their first home in Israel was the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Absorption Center in Haifa. Seeing that Yonas completed high school, he was recommended for Kedma, an educational advancement program for young Ethiopians. (Full Feature)

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Joe Bobker's newest book "And You Thought There Were Only Four" answers every question you could ever ask (and more) on the freedom holiday of Pesach and the Exodus. From presenting intriguing facts such as the history of "Operation Matzo Ball" during WWII, to tackling some of the toughest questions surrounding Passover, its traditions, and history, Joe Bobker covers hundreds of topics and comprehensively backs each answer up with both rabbinical and biblical evidence. "And You Thought There Were Only Four" will satisfy every curiosity you ever had on one of the most important holidays of the Jewish year.

Get it Here on Amazon

IDF Photo

Acting PM Olmert's Remarks at the Laying of the cornerstone of Intel's FAB-128 plant in Kiryat Gat. FAB-128 is Intel's second Kiryat Gat plant and is due to begin production in the second half of 2008. Intel is expected to directly hire more than 2,000 workers, as well as 2,000 contractors, to work at the plant.

State of Israel Photo

Shmuel Rabinovich, the rabbi of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, is given letters addressed to God by postal office spokesman Yitzhak Rabihaya, left, to place them into the cracks of the Wall, in Jerusalem's Old City. Israeli postal workers say that hundreds of letters written to God, most addressed simply to Jerusalem, arrive in Israel each year, frequently around Jewish and Christian holidays such as Chanukah and Christmas. The letters are collected, read, and periodically taken to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Photo by Oded Balilty / AP Photo

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (L) shakes hands with Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini during their meeting in Jerusalem.

Photo by Ronen Zvulun / Reuters Photo