Emily Damari, who was held hostage by Hamas for 471 days, underwent a series of surgeries on Sunday to treat severe wounds inflicted on her by the Palestinian terrorist group during her captivity in Gaza. Damari, who was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, sustained significant injuries, including the loss of two fingers after being shot by terrorists. Her surgeries, performed at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, aimed to address complications from untreated wounds she endured while held in Gaza’s underground tunnel network.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is allegedly Jewish, a “pure Nazi” and a “traitor to the Jewish people.” Lavrov’s incendiary remarks, published in Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense, align with Moscow’s ongoing propaganda campaign that has repeatedly sought to justify its brutal war on Ukraine by invoking World War II-era rhetoric. “Zelenskyy has turned 180 degrees from a man who came to power on slogans of peace… and in six months has turned into a pure Nazi and, as Russian President [Vladimir] Putin correctly said, into a traitor to the Jewish people,” Lavrov said in the interview.

Freed hostage Yarden Bibas last week completed the last letters in a Sefer Torah written in memory of his wife Shiri, H’yd, and his two children Ariel and Kfir, H’yd. The Sefer Torah was donated by members of the Palm Tree shul in Florida, who also donated a Sefer Torah in memory of Ori Danino, H’yd. Yarden decided to place the Sefer Torah in the shul at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where the Bris Milah of both Ariel and Kfir took place.   (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen has issued a chilling threat, vowing to target Tel Aviv with missile strikes if Israel resumes military operations against Hamas in Gaza. Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made the declaration in a statement marking the start of Ramadan, warning that his forces would unleash a barrage of attacks against Israeli cities should fighting in Gaza reignite. “If war returns to Gaza, we will rain fire upon all areas of the enemy regime [Israel], especially Tel Aviv, which is known as occupied Jaffa,” al-Houthi said, according to Türkiye Today. The threat escalates tensions in an already volatile region, as the Houthis have steadily expanded their attacks since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel.

Eliya Cohen’s father, Momi, spoke to Kol B’Ramah last week about his son’s ordeal in Gaza. “Eliya experienced great nissim, all thanks to the spiritual actions we performed in his merit,” he said. “Elia says he felt this energy; there was a halo around him. Even when they were targeting others, they didn’t touch him.” “His emunah is what enabled him to endure his captivity. He and his friends said tefillos that they knew and they really felt the tefillos we sent to them. He and his friends were bound in chains for 14 months and emunah is what strengthened them.” “He didn’t know anything about what was happening here,” Cohen said.

7,000 Jewish teens from 60 countries filled Times Square on Motzei Shabbos, singing, dancing, and declaring their Jewish pride in the most public square on earth. After a year of challenges, they didn’t gather to explain who they are. They came to live it—out loud and together. They came from across the globe—some from communities shaken by war, others from countries grappling with rising antisemitism, and still others from regions recovering from natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. Together, they came to live their Judaism—proudly, unapologetically, and in full view of the world. “Shavuah Tov, CTeen!” The words rang out from the stage, declared by Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of CTeen International, cutting through the neon glow and weekend crowds.

The latest findings from the Pew Research Center confirm what any Yid could see with his own eyes: American Jews are more exiled from Hashem than ever before. In 2014, already a distressing 45% of Jewish adults admitted they seldom or never daven. But now the number has climbed to 58%, a staggering decline in personal connection to Hashem. It gets worse. Fewer Jews in the U.S. even claim that religion is important in their lives. Jewish institutions—outside of the tzibbur of shomrei Torah u’mitzvos, of course—are in freefall, struggling to keep people engaged.Tthey talk about a “surge” in Jewish identity because of the horrors of October 7th, but their solution has not been to turn to teshuvah.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi revealed in an interview with journalist Ahmed Mansour that Hamas deliberately rejected a historic opportunity for peace and prosperity for Palestinians—choosing instead to continue its war against Israel. According to Mardawi, Trump’s Middle East team, led by Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, had offered Hamas a path to statehood in Gaza during Trump’s first administration.