Russian Missile Hits Ukrainian Synagogue, Chief Rabbi Condemns Attack

February 3, 2023

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Stay informed with the latest updates on the week of terror attacks in Israel. Our team brings you in-depth coverage of the events, including reactions from local authorities and citizens. 

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A chief rabbi of Ukraine condemned a Russian missile damaging a synagogue in Huliaipole on Tuesday, January 31. "In a normative world it is accepted that holy places are off limits, the Russians also broke this convention," said Rabbi Moshe Azman. "I expect world leaders to strongly condemn the criminal act." 

Former minister, MK Zeev Elkin tweeted that "a Russian missile hit an ancient Synagogue in Ukraine in the area where my late great-grandfather was born, grew up, and was murdered, during the civil war." 

He added that he is named for this great-grandfather. Confronting the attack "How sad and disgusting," he said of the damage done by Russia to this synagogue. "The world should condemn damage to holy sites and houses of worship, even when it comes to war," Elkin wrote. 

Elkin made aliyah from Ukraine, and while he was a member of the Likud party, would accompany Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a confidant and translator. "I'm in touch with all Jewish communities in our area and there aren't many Jews that live in Huliaipole,"  

Rabbi Nachum Ehrentreu, rabbi and Chabad emissary of the Jewish Community of Zaporozhye said that it seems it wasn't a missile that hit the synagogue, but rather, shrapnel from a missile, "otherwise the building would be totally destroyed," and according to Ehrentreu, the building was harmed but not ruined. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that everyone respects holy places of worship, and that we will not witness destruction of such sites in the future. We also hope that the war in Ukraine will soon be over, and that Ukrainian people will be able to heal and rebuild their lives with dignity.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

Despite Iranian claims, an Israeli drone attack on Iran at Isfahan was a tremendous success, according to a mix of Western intelligence sources and foreign sources, Israeli media initially reported on Sunday morning, January 29. 

Several hours later, American media came out with a similar report, stating that Israel and the Mossad were behind the attack, citing US officials. 

There were four large explosions at the military industry factory, documented on social media, against a facility developing advanced weapons. 

The damage goes far beyond the “minor roof damage” that the Islamic Republic claimed earlier Sunday, and has falsely claimed in past incidents. Hours after the report, Iran intensified its threats against Israel, despite pretending that the attacks had failed. 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which came amid tension with the West over Tehran’s nuclear activity and supply of arms for Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as months of anti-government demonstrations at home. 

Few organizations globally, besides the Mossad, are believed to possess the advanced and surgical strike capabilities displayed in the operation. Multiple large drones with significant amounts of explosives were involved and hit their targets with pinpoint accuracy. (JPost / VFI News)

“Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked.” - Proverbs 3:25

Russia appeared to issue a veiled threat against Israel and the United States on Monday, January 30 when it condemned the attack on the Iranian weapons depot, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday: “We strongly condemn any provocative efforts that have the potential to provoke an uncontrolled escalation of tensions in a region that’s far from being peaceful as it is,” according to a statement published by Russian media. 

“Such destructive actions could have unpredictable consequences for peace and stability in the Middle East,” it said. “That has to be understood by the organizers of the brazen raid, their backers and those who are gloating over the issue, holding on to the futile hope for the weakening of Iran.” 

Pundits have presumed that the “organizers” the Russian Foreign Ministry referenced in its statement was Israel and that the “backers” it spoke of referred to the Biden administration. 

In Jerusalem, Blinken and Netanyahu looked to strengthen their cooperation against Iran. They met as international opposition to the Islamic Republic has grown and as the White House recognizes that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal, can no longer be relied on to halt Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons. (JPost/VFI News)

“God, we ask for the protection of Israel, as it attempts to defy authoritarian regimes worldwide. We are grateful for the equipment and strength we already possess, and we ask that the international community, as well as our allies, will step up and assist Israel in its important missions.”

Iran and Russia have connected their interbank communication and transfer systems to help boost trade and financial transactions, a senior Iranian official said on Monday, January 30, as both Tehran and Moscow are chafing under Western sanctions. 

Since the 2018 reimposition of US sanctions on Iran after Washington ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the Islamic Republic has been disconnected from the Belgium-based SWIFT financial messaging service, which is a key international banking access point. 

Similar limitations have been slapped on some Russian banks since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year. "Iranian banks no longer need to use SWIFT ... with Russian banks, which can be used for the opening of Letters of Credit and transfers or warranties," Deputy Governor of Iran's Central Bank, Mohsen Karimi, told Iranian media. 

While Russia's central bank declined to comment on the deal signed on Sunday, Karimi said "about 700 Russian banks and 106 non-Russian banks from 13 different countries will be connected to this system," without elaborating on the names of the foreign banks.  

Iran's Central Bank chief Mohammad Farzin welcomed the move. "The financial channel between Iran and the world is being repaired," he tweeted. (JPost / VFI News)

“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.”   - Psalm 39:6

Explore the hidden connections between East and West—with this unique musical experience that spans across Israel and the nations, while blending middle eastern and country-western musical styles as well.

Israel’s security cabinet approved measures to curb terrorism following the deadly attacks that occurred in Jerusalem on January 27-28, including making it easier for Israeli civilians to carry guns and revoking residency and citizenship of terrorists. 

“We will exact a price from those who carry out terrorist attacks and from their supporters,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, after the two terror attacks rocked the capital. 

The security cabinet passed a measure to make it easier for law-abiding Israeli citizens to procure licenses for carrying firearms, which in Israel is notoriously difficult. 

“When civilians have guns, they can defend themselves,” National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, told reporters on Saturday night, January 28. 

Netanyahu also said Israel would “strengthen [Jewish] settlements” in the West Bank “in order to make it clear to the terrorists who seek to uproot us from our land that we are here to stay.” 

In perhaps the most controversial measure, Netanyahu said the cabinet would discuss “revoking Israeli identity cards and residency of the terror-supporting families of terrorists.”  (BB / VFI News)

“God, we hope that You shield Israel from terrorist attacks onwards, and that the already afflicted parties will be able to recover swiftly. We trust that our leadership will take the most appropriate steps to protect our citizens and equip us to the greatest extent possible.”

Ohio’s department of education is investigating a homeschooling network that claims public schools are run by “Zionist scum,” teaches kids to say “Sieg Heil” in class, and instructs fellow parents not to give their kids “Jewish media content.” 

These are the more than 2,500 members of the “Dissident Homeschool Network,” a channel on the social network messaging app Telegram. 

The “dissidents” are a group of Nazi parents who share homeschooling lesson plans, extolling the virtues of Hitler and white nationalism — while relying on a popular social media account run by a Jewish woman to provide ammunition for their hatred. 

The founders of the group were recently unmasked by a hate group monitor as a couple in rural Upper Sandusky, Ohio. “We are so deeply invested into making sure that [our] child becomes a wonderful Nazi,” the founder of Dissident Homeschool Network, who goes by the pseudonym “Mrs. Saxon,” recently said on a neo-Nazi podcast to promote the group.

“There is absolutely no place for hate-filled, divisive and hurtful instruction in Ohio’s schools, including our state’s home-schooling community,” Stephanie Siddens, the interim superintendent of public instruction at Ohio’s education department, told media. 

“I emphatically and categorically denounce the racist, anti-Semitic and fascist ideology and materials being circulated.” 

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, along with Rep. Bob Latta, whose district encompasses Upper Sandusky, and Rep. Jim Jordan, all gave statements condemning the group. (JPost / VFI News)

“Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.” - Isaiah 9:18

When the floodgates are open, a torrent of water gushes into a dry river bed and races to the shore of Lake Kinneret, a biblical lake in northern Israel that was being lost to drought and the growing population around it. 

The water is fresh, high-quality, and expensive. Desalinated from the Mediterranean Sea and transported across the country where it awaits the order to replenish the lake, should it start to shrink again. 

This new network will also let Israel double the amount of water it sells to neighboring Jordan under a broader water-for-energy deal forged through a working, though often fractious, relationship. 

The Kinneret, whose waters Christians believe Jesus walked upon, is Israel's main reservoir and a big tourist draw. Hotels and campsites line the perimeter, encircled by lush hills. It feeds the Jordan River that flows south to the Dead Sea. 

After a heat wave or strong rain, the level of the lake makes national news. Alarms went off regularly this past decade following protracted droughts and receding shorelines. 

So Israel built a chain of desalination plants along its Mediterranean coast, putting it in the unlikely position of having a surplus of water, a bright spot in an arid region extremely vulnerable to climate change. 

"All the extra water that (the plants) are producing, we will be able to bring it with the national water carrier system up north and into Lake Kinneret," said Yoav Barkay, who manages the national carrier at state-owned Mekorot. (JPost / VFI News)

Doctors at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon successfully implemented a new treatment for pancreatic cancer this week. 

The treatment, which had never been attempted previously in Israel, involved the injection of a radioactive substance called Oncosil into a patient diagnosed with advanced-stage pancreatic cancer. 

This innovative treatment is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a breakthrough technology, and so far, about 250 cancer patients throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand. 

"While today the accepted treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer is one of two types of chemotherapy, [this] unique treatment makes it possible to deliver a large and concentrated amount of radiation directly into the tumor without affecting and damaging other organs," explained Dr. Tomer Griner, director of the invasive endoscopy unit. 

Prof. Eran Israeli, director of the Gastroenterology Institute at the Wolfson Medical Center, added: "The goal of the treatment is to shrink the tumor to such a size that it will be possible to perform surgery and resection of the tumor. "

"This is the first time in Israel that the radioactive medicinal substance to treat a cancerous tumor is injected directly into the target organ under [endoscopic ultrasound] guidance." (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we are immensely grateful for our brilliant scientists, who consistently implement new ways to end human suffering, while honoring the name of Israel worldwide with their achievements.”

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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