ToI’s weekly deep dive: ToI reports from Rafah * Horovitz op-ed: Bereaved father’s plea * Taboo of Arabs in IDF slowly crumbles * Podcast: Post-Oct 7 Israel-Diaspora ties

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, September 15, 2024 [Joining up with angry protesters, Hostages Forum says it seeks unity, but risks divide]( By Jessica Steinberg After murders of six hostages by Hamas captors in Gaza tunnel, Hostages Families Forum and smaller Begin protest group merge their Tel Aviv protests; a minority of families fume Op-ed David Horovitz [A bereaved father’s plea, a PM beyond salvation, and a bid to rescue Israel]( Netanyahu and his current coalition are apparently undeflected by Hamas’s murder of six hostages and the likely prospect of more such horrors. Can saner voices enter the fray? ToI in Rafah [IDF declares Hamas’s Rafah Brigade defeated; no active cross-border tunnels found]( By Emanuel Fabian Military discloses just 9 tunnels crossed from Gaza to Egypt, all had been blocked up before IDF arrived; over 2,000 terror operatives killed, 13 km of underground passages destroyed [IDF video shows ‘horrific conditions’ in tunnel where 6 hostages were held, executed]( By Emanuel Fabian Reporter's notebook [Members of Gaza border’s Kibbutz Re’im are trickling home; most still don’t feel safe]( By Sue Surkes Some 80 Hamas terrorists invaded the kibbutz on Oct. 7, murdering 7 and kidnapping 4. Among those who have returned are the family of a murdered teen, who simply say it is ‘home’ [Reporter's Notebook / Over 1,000 attend grassroots confab in the north to help plan for next government]( By Sue Surkes [Taboo of Arabs in the IDF is slowly crumbling, says first Muslim non-Bedouin officer]( By Gianluca Pacchiani ToI podcast [Daily Briefing Day 343 – Explosive results from poll of Israelis & Palestinians]( By ToI Staff Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur digs into findings from the latest Palestine-Israel Pulse survey, which shows mirror-image oppositional beliefs in the two very pessimistic peoples [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Day 340 – Haredi father of murdered hostage takes PM to task]( By ToI Staff [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Day 341 – Urine bottles show slain hostages in tunnels for weeks]( By ToI Staff [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Day 345 – 24 hours of missiles from Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza]( By ToI Staff Top Ops Mishael Zion [What kind of religious Jew am I? The Rachel and Jon kind]( The authentic and generous Judaism of Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents is a Judaism rarely seen in Israeli public life, until now Robert M. Schwartz [The damaging myth of Israeli wartime ‘happiness’]( The World Happiness index ranks Israel with Scandinavia, yes, even now. Does that sound wrong to you? It should Tammy Hoffman [Teachable moments: 9/11 and October 7]( After the worst terror attack on their soil, US educators steered clear of tough questions. It was a dire mistake that Israeli teachers must avoid Yisrael Motzen [Today’s ‘orphans’ and ‘widows’ belong in shul too]( To include singles, divorces, and others in your more normative community, embrace them and give them a seat at the table. It worked for us Reporter's notebook [With a world weary of war, donations dry up for Ukrainian refugees at JCC Krakow]( By Matt Lebovic Jewish Community Center in city adjacent to Auschwitz raised $12m for Ukrainian refugees since 2022. But as money runs out, the new residents may lose yet another port in their storm [Son of prominent Ukrainian rabbi killed on frontlines of war with Russia]( By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff Film review Robert Sarner [Revealing leaked police footage, new film aims brutal lens at Netanyahu amid war]( ‘The Bibi Files,’ a scathing documentary, incorporates material from corruption probe to present sobering insight into the prime minister’s actions and character [‘Bibi Files’ Canada premiere puts PM interrogation footage on screen for first time]( By ToI Staff [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( ToI podcast [What Matters Now to Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: What binds US Jews to Israel post-Oct. 7]( By ToI Staff New book by influential Conservative NY rabbi delves into the invisible thread that has tied the Jewish state to US Jewry – and how it could be snapped in the next generation [Israel Story / Wartime Diaries: Sapir Bluzer]( [Why did Amazon blacklist – and then permit – two books based on Oct. 7 testimonies?]( By Matt Lebovic Arts [Four teenage ‘wonders’ impacted by Oct. 7 sing emotional vocals at Israel Festival]( By Jessica Steinberg First of ‘The Music People’ shows opens in Negev, as annual event held between Jerusalem and the south in show of support for region; singers include granddaughter of murdered hostage [German artist brings flipbook portraits of October 7 survivors to Israel Festival]( By Jessica Steinberg [Palette for the palate / Chef jackets become art at pop-up exhibit benefiting the displaced]( By Jessica Steinberg [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( [Loss of confidence in the state’s actions drives startups to grow elsewhere – survey]( By Sharon Wrobel Archaeology [3,500-year-old jug smashed by 4-year-old is back on display — still not behind a barrier]( By Gavriel Fiske Weeks after incident went viral, Haifa’s Hecht Museum exhibits restored artifact in its usual place, with cracks deliberately visible, using the mishap as an educational experience [Shem Tov Bible with ‘miraculous journey of survival’ sells at auction for $6.9 million]( By ToI Staff Israel Travels [See the British Mandate era pillboxes that dot Israel, evoking its checkered past]( By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am From the Blogs [Ceremonies commemorating October 7? It’s way too soon]( By Allen Selis The war and frequent acts of terror are reasons enough, but also, we need distance from those events to make sense of them [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2024 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved