Rochel Sylvetsky

Sovereign in our homeland

What does it mean to declare sovereignty in all of Israel? What difference does it make? Analysis.

Salt of the earth series:

Major Jalaa Ibrahem HY"D: “Send my love to Imma."

Major Jalaa Ibrahem HY"D came from a family of IDF fighters. He grew up with Israel's Declaration of Independence on the wall outside his room, and although he had a future in NASA, he followed the family tradition and chose the green IDF uniform instead.

Salt of the Earth Series: Major Tal Cohen HY"D

'It is the fighter, not the commander, who raises the standard'

Major Tal Cohen HY"D of Sayeret Matkal constantly asked himself: 'How well do I live up to my obligations, my responsibility, and how strongly am I dedicated to my mission and to our people?' On October 7, 2023, he answered that question with actions, not words.

Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva turns 100:

Saluting the Central Yeshiva where, a century ago, it all began

Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, founded by Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook, served as the nucleus for the major spiritual and educational role played by Religious Zionism in the Jewish State. Last week thousands of alumni and friends came to offer their thanks and celebrate.

Book Review:

A world of yesteryear with values we need today

A book on the life of Hermann Schwab portrays a man of many talents who was a model of the kind of upright men of principles we need in public positions today. It is also the history of a bygone era. Review.

A call to prevent certain death:

The danger to Erfan Fard is real and avoidable

ICE is doing crucial work, but in this case, they are endangering a man who fights the Iranian mullahs, who courageously writes what he thinks and who must not be returned to Iran - where he will be summarily executed. Opinion.

Salt of the Earth series: October 7, 2023

Noam and Yishai Slotki Hy"d, brothers who saved Kibbutz Alumim

The two heard of the invasion, drove to the Gaza envelope armed with handguns, jumped out of their car at Kibbutz Alumim, and rushed towards the fighting at 9:40 a.m. They prevented the terrorists, who had killed 20 Thai workers living in a house outside it, from entering the kibbutz. In memoriam.

The Fast of Gedaliah:

'The path to renewal lies before us'- Rabbi Zalman Melamed shlita

The Fast of Gedaliah, held to mark the tragic assassination of the governor of Judea after the destruction of the First Holy Temple, is today. But the way to renewal is open before us.

Salt of the earth series:

Dvir Lisha HY"D: First Swords of Iron soldier buried on Mt. Herzl

Dvir Lisha HY"D was a victim of the Katif Disengagement at the age of 3 when his family was expelled from their home, and, tragically, also a victim of its results when he was killed, fighting heroically on October 7th at Gaza's Zikim shore.

Salt of the Earth series:

IDF Captain Avraham Ben Pinchas Hy”d: A chilling message

How do they accept you the way you look, he was once asked. It takes them 5 minutes, he said, and it passes. Because when it came to courage and integrity, he was the model his soldiers' looked up to. "I don’t mind dying," he would say, "if it is for a good reason."

The 'elites' and the haredim: disheartening disappointment

A critique of Israel’s detached self-styled 'elite' and the haredim who do not enlist in the IDF - no hostility or anger, just profound disappointment and the possibility for change. Opinion.

A response to an Arutz 7 article by Rabbi Joseph Isaac Gutnick

The October 7th attack could have been repulsed, “conceptzia” or no “conceptzia”. Easily. The lack of preparedness is not Netanyahu’s fault, even though he can be blamed automatically because he is at the top, a risk that comes with the job. Opinion.

The challenge of infertility, the challenge of hope

A charming book opens the reader's eyes to the challenges facing couples without children in the haredi world where every married couple wants to have a large family. How they cope also gives readers a revealing picture of that society. Review.

Salt of the earth series:

Sgt. Neriya Belete Hy”d:'Life is a road on which we must advance'

The Belete family's legacy is a path of sacrifice, leading from the desert roads of Sudan to the sands of the Gaza Strip.

Book review:

Extreme trauma: October 7 as an outlier

The massacre that took place on October 7, 2023 was met by the resilience of the Jewish people and their hope for the future of humanity. Review.

Parents of fallen soldiers:

'Life goes on, but it has changed forever'

A retreat for 400 bereaved parents held by the OneFamily organization provided tools and strength for those for whom every day is Memorial Day. We must care for them as we remember their sons.

Salt of the earth series:

Golani commando Elyashiv Wieder Hy"d: 'Say little and do much'

Elyashiv Hy"d was a symbol of how the love for the land of Israel and its people passes from generation to generation, and sadly, of the price that such limitless love demands. The story of a grandfather and his grandson.

Salt of the Earth series:

Eitan Rosenzweig Hy"d: A world class artist who loved learning

His most impressive work, done before he turned 18, graces the Bible Lands Museum. The eclectic selections on his bookshelves show, as his father said, that 'everything interested him,' especially Torah. But he wanted to defend his beloved country...

TV Interview:

Father begs Trump: ‘Avenge my daughter’s death!’

Watch: Erin Molan exposes the shocking truth behind Jordan’s King protecting Hamas terrorist Ahlam Tamimi—the mastermind behind the horrific attack that took the life of Arnold Roth’s daughter, Malki Roth. Despite being one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists, Tamimi remains free in Jordan.

Salt of the Earth series:

Tank Commander Ariel Hy”d’ s credo was: We do what has to be done

Ariel Mordechai Wolfstal Hy”d unconsciously showed his antecedents and upbringing when he became known among the soldiers he commanded for the phrase “we do what has to be done!” A year since he fell in Gaza.

The view from Kibbutz Nir Oz

The hostage-ceasefire deal does not change the distance from Nir Oz to Khan Yunis. What it does show is that we are out of the Blinken frying pan and into the Trump fire. And that Yahya Sinwar was a psychopathic murderer, but also a perceptive psychologist. Opinion.

Salt of the Earth series:

Yonatan Brand Hy"d, the soldier who went to Mt. Herzl for advice

We do not know what answers Yonatan Brand Hy”d heard in his heart, but we know that that he sat facing the graves of IDF heroes trying to imagine what they would tell him to do about enlisting in the IDF. Now, a hero himself, he is buried near them.

The Heroes of October 7th - a different narrative for all of us

While Hamas barbarians initiated the October 7th massacre and the price we paid is incalculable, still, Israeli courage, initiative and selfless ingenuity prevailed, so why should Hamas dominate the narrative our children hear? Review.

Ascending the ladder in your career- with Biblical help

The former chief psychologist of Israel's Employment Service read the Bible closely to glean sage advice and tips for a successful career, and has presented it all in an interesting, practical and informative book. Review.

Salt of the Earth series:

Yedidya Hy"d's father:'Tell your children how much you love them'

Yedidya Hy"d fell in Gaza on the 19th of Cheshvan, exactly one year ago. On his 1st yahrzeit, the fact that he told friends that he feels his parents' love is a source of consolation for them. Read and watch the story of a hero of Israel.

The Fast of Gedaliah 2024

The Fast of Gedaliah, held to mark the trragic assassination of the governor of Judea after the destruction of the First Holy Temple, is today. Our Sages said: "To teach you that the death of a tzaddik, a rightous man, is equivalent to the burning of the House of our G-d."

Land of milk & honey, flowing springs-and a once pristine desert

A tour of the Judea Desert Nature Reserve, untouched when handed over to the PA in the Wye Agreement, shows an infuriating site of purposeful ecological destruction - and is a wake-up call to halt insidious plans aimed at Israel's destruction. Look.

Salt of the Earth series:

Major David Meir Hy"d loved to sing lullabies to his infant son

Sayeret Matkal's David Meir, idealistc, tough commando officer and gentle, loving husband and father, rushed down to Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, where he engaged terrorists in a fierce battle that allowed residents to escape until he was mortally wounded.

Israel and the foreign media - an unfolding psyop drama

A new, readable book on Psyop by Dr. Ron Schleifer and former GPO head Daniel Seaman tells the untold story of how journalists and editors abuse their professional standards to promote an anti-Israel narrative. Review.

Salt of the earth series:

Amitai Granot Hy"d, a tank commander who loved to play the piano

The story of a gentle yeshiva scholar who decided to take a tank commander's course to help defend his country. The IDF told the family that in the days prior to his death, his tank killed 15 terrorists, took part in several battles and eliminated two jeeps filled with terrorists.

Watch:

Salt of the Earth: Captain Eitan Fish Hy"d - an entire world

Watch the story of one IDF soldier out of the many fallen, each an entire world all by himself. One family out of the many, left with a gaping hole in its heart. For Yom Hazikaron.

And once again, it happened at midnight

One of the poems sung at the end of the Haggadah could have been written today. An Israeli poet added stanzas that show how its timeless message lends perspective to last week's drone attack on Israel.

Salt of the Earth series:

Watch: 'Shilo's Notebooks-Golani Captain Shilo Rauchberger Hy"d'

Shilo left a legacy of wisdom in his notebooks and in the things he chose to do in his all too short and heroic life.

Salt of the Earth series:

Naftali Gordon Hy”d, loving husband & father of two little girls

Arutz Sheva brings the story of one of our priceless soldiers, a loving husband, father, son and brother, who fell saving the Jewish State and its people during the Swords of Iron war.

A pro-Jewish look at the Haredi draft issue: Not black and white

The idea that all Jews are brothers, no matter what, is a basic, shared value in the one and only Jewish State, and everything that happens in it, controversies about haredi draft included, must rest on that truth. Opinion.

A special Bar Mitzvah for Koren Tasa

He lost his father and older brother on October 7th, they lost fathers and brothers in the war, but Am Yisrael came through for Koren Taasa and 22 twelve-year-old girls.

Transforming the World - a book by Rabbi Leo Dee

The Jewish impact on modernity is explained in this clear, readable book in a way that presents the case for Jewish continuity and adds original creative insights to Torah observance. Review.

Salt of the earth. One story.

Entire worlds lie behind the terse words Israelis pray not to hear when they turn on the news each morning since the start of the Swords of Iron War: “The IDF has cleared for publication …” This time it was at the end of Shabbat.

Songs of war

Israeli poets, cognizant of Tanakh, Midrash, and the new chapter of Jewish history being written today but not so different from the past, connect the Song of the Sea, Egypt and today's war.

Bereaved families at Cyprus retreat:

'Here, I felt that it was all right to smile'

There are so many newly bereaved families in Israel, so many new widows and orphans. What can give comfort? Help them cope? Make them smile again?

Dr. Jesse Berkowitz z"l: Family, chessed and Eretz Yisrael

Memorializing someone who was never in the public eye, but who symbolizes ethical and idealistic, yet practical, religious Zionism.

Light a candle for Rachel's yahrzeit, pray for her sons' return

Jeremiah's promise to Rachel Imenu was:'Your sons will return'. On her yahrzeit, Cheshvan 11 (October 26), pray for its fulfillment.

What would Tel Aviv's founding mayor think of the city he loved?

In 1933 Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv's first mayor, issued a declaration on honoring the Sabbath. Yom Kippur was desecrated there in 2023.Op-ed.

'Because it's just and right'

The compelling story behind US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocating its Embassy in a remarkable book. Review.

'First the Saturday people, then.."

A thriller by Bruce Portnoy that spans the US and Israel begins with a car crash and is all too real today. Review.

For The Three Weeks:

What was the Prophet Jeremiah telling us in 'Lamentations'?

An enlightening book on Lamentations.

Jewish Educators Day at Herzog College

For out of Zion shall Torah Education come forth

Herzog College, where a Tanach study revolution took place reaches out to Diaspora educators to enrich the Torah classroom experience.

The long arm of US law does not seem to reach as far as Jordan

Ten years after America's formal request for the extradition of Ahlam Al-Tamimi, killer of 3 US citizens, she is a celeb in Jordan. Op-ed.

Op-ed:

50 Israeli Supreme Court decisions

These decisions, all handed down since Aharon Barak's period, show more than any essay could why Israel needs judicial reform. Op-ed

This is the Day - Lazman Hazeh!

A newly translated book clarifies the ideas behind Religious Zionism through the Yom HaAtzma'ut talks given by Rabbi Z. Melamed. Review.

The unnoticed victims of terror

The mental health of youngsters who witnessed or were caught in terror attacks is as crucial as their physical health. Op-ed

Lessons in humility: Chaimke and Eliezer

Years later, Machon Gold's alumni realized that the motorcyclist Chaimke who picked up their counselor every day was Rabbi Chaim Druckman!

Abe Foxman's conditional love for Israel

There are many things in need of improvement in Israel, but the former ADL head is concerned about the wrong ones. Op-ed.

The Sigd holiday - brought to Israel by Beta Israel

Fasting, prayer, love of Zion and festivities: how Ethiopia's Beta Israel Jews enriched Israeli Jewish life with a unique, ancient festival.

The haredi/hassidic school report in the NYTimes misses the mark

I know the Satmar community well, and the NYT report, another instance of its bias on Jews and Israel, was both infuriating and inane.Op-ed.

How far is it from Hollywood to the Holy Land?

The spiritual distance from Hollywood to the Holy Land is the distance from exile to redemption. Tzvi Fishman walked the walk. Review.

Report:

Is Jerusalem ours? And what does that question mean?

Are we guarding the 'Walls of Jerusalem' from demographic threats, illegal building, land enroachment and subversive politics? Report.

Four sweet-faced IDF soldiers

What happened to the four sweet-faced soldiers who rinsed lettuce for the IDF Seder with me? Op-ed

Burning but never consumed: The Hebrew Bible in turbulent times

The burning bush is an apt analogy for the disrespect shown the Bible today. A new book clears up common fallacies about its content.Op-ed.

'WOW!' - A book for grandparents to read to grandchildren

The wonders of G-d's world in a short, beautifully illustrated book that seems like a child's version of King David's praise in Psalm 104.