Thursday, Gimmel Tammuz 5783 Year of Hakhel (June 22, 2023), marks the 29th yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, HaRav Menachem Mendel Schneerson זי”ע. The days surrounding the Yartheit, 3 Tammuz on the Hebrew calendar, are being marked by people in every corner of the world who have been touched by the Rebbe’s love, his profound teachings and by the 6,000 Shluchim couples he sent to invigorate and revitalize Jewish life in more than 100 countries and thousands of cities. Communities are holding gatherings and farbrengens on or close to the date, and 50,000 people are expected to visit the Ohel, the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, N.Y., in the days leading up to and on the third of Tammuz.

A staggering number of 28 people were murdered in Israel in terror attacks since the beginning of the year, with the most recent attack taking the lives of four Israelis, including two teenagers. And despite the unfathomable number of lost lives, grieving relatives, and those whose lives will never be the same due to injuries and trauma, the terrorists tried to harm many many more. According to the Shin Bet, there were 147 “significant” terror attacks in Israel this year, of which 120 were shooting attacks, and the remainder bombings and car-ramming attacks. In addition, B’Chasdei Hashem, security forces thwarted 357 “significant” attacks, including 300 planned shooting attacks.

A video of five Arabic-speaking IDF soldiers cursing Israel and expressing support for Jenin went viral on Tuesday, sparking outrage and leading to the arrest of the soldiers late Tuesday night. They were released from custody on Wednesday. A statement from the IDF said that “a military police investigation has been launched and its findings will be forwarded to the military prosecutor’s office for examination.” Later on Wednesday, the IDF issued a statement saying that four of the soldiers were sentenced to 30 days in military prison and the fifth soldier was sentenced to 21 days. The video surfaced a day after eight IDF soldiers and undercover officers were injured in an explosion rigged by terrorists in Jenin during a counterterrorism operation.

A young girl was nearly struck by a bus on the corner of 50th Street and 14th Avenue in Boro Park on Wednesday, when she and her presumed sister were rushing to cross the street, apparently unaware that they were attempting to cross on a solid red. Security camera footage shows the two girls race into the street, when they realize they had made a terrible mistake. The older girl pulled back, but the younger child continued a few steps ahead, leaping backwards just in time to avoid a coach bus that was coming to a screeching halt as its driver attempted to avert a tragedy. The children themselves have to be more careful, but as can clearly be seen in the video below, adults were crossing against the light, too. It is quite possible that the young girls assumed the light was green.

Former President Donald Trump spoke to Fox News host Bret Baier about his stance on the death penalty for drug dealers, during which he highlighted his efforts in freeing non-violent inmate Alice Johnson. However, Baier pointed out that Johnson would have been subject to execution under Trump’s proposed plan for convicted drug dealers, leading to an awfully uncomfortable moment for the former president. In the interview, Baier asked Trump about his previous statements regarding the death penalty for drug dealers.

Thousands of Druze-Israelis engaged in violent riots on Wednesday in protest of the construction of a wind turbine farm near the town of Majdal Shams in the Ramat HaGolan area of northern Israel. The Druze are [falsely] claiming that the land in question is private land and are engaging in the second day of violent riots to prove their point, opening live fire at police forces as well as throwing explosives, Molotov cocktails and stones. They also attempted to take over a police station and punctured the tires of police vehicles and set tires on fire.

At least two Palestinians were killed while constructing a bomb near Shechem on Tuesday evening. According to reports on Palestinian social networks, the bomb exploded in a weapons laboratory in the Balata “refugee camp.” A third terrorist was seriously wounded in the blast. The terrorists were members of the Islamic Jihad terror group, which announced the deaths in a statement on Tuesday night. Following the murderous attack in Eli on Tuesday, the IDF announced it will be bolstering security in the Shomron, with several additional battalions “in sensitive areas.” The new battalions are in addition to the increased forces in the area that were deployed over the past several weeks. Many reports indicate that Israel is facing an imminent operation in the Shomron.

An indictment was filed in recent days against the owner of a cafe in the Old City of Yafo for threatening a Chareidi man and chasing after him with a knife. The story began when a Chareidi chasan and kallah, residents of the central city of Elad, went to Old Yafo to be photographed, Yisrael Hayom reported. An owner of a nearby cafe decided he didn’t like the fact that the couple was being photographed near his cafe and he began an argument with the chasan. The cafe owner became more and more agitated, and at a certain point, he took out a knife and tried to attack the chasan. The chasan began running away and the cafe owner chased after him waving the knife and screaming: “Parasites! You don’t serve in the army.

Today, our hearts were both horrified and deeply pained by the discovery of anti-Semitic graffiti at the construction site of the future home of Chai Lifeline New Jersey in Jackson, NJ. This reprehensible incident stands in stark contrast to the values of acceptance, kindness, and community Chai Lifeline holds dear. Chai Lifeline calls upon community members, leaders, faith-based organizations, schools, and businesses to stand with us in condemnation of this act and all forms of hatred. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the local authorities for addressing this incident, Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina, and to the countless community members who have shown support.

Left-wing candidates for the Jerusalem City Council joined the Women of the Wall group on Tuesday morning, Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, in a provocative political protest against the government at the Kosel and a campaign event for the upcoming Jerusalem City Council elections in October. Labor MK and Reform Rabbi Gilad Kariv also used his parliamentary immunity to bring a Sefer Torah into the Kosel plaza, which is a violation of Israeli law. The protest was attended by Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Yossi Havilio, Jerusalem City Council and Meretz member Laura Wharton, Vice Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yizhar Hess (as a representative of the Conservative movement), and Chairman of the Jerusalem Labor Party and a candidate for City Council Eran Ben-Yehuda.