13 April 2023: Lucy Dee has died within days of her daughters’ burial.
Jerusalem Post, 13 April 2023, pg 1.
10 April 2023: Israeli daily paper “Israel haYom” goes full-page with the Dee family mourning the loss of two of their young adult sisters:
Israel haYom, 10 April 2023
Their mother, Lucy Dee, remains in critical condition. This family will face struggles with their memories in years to come during each Passover. The father Leo Dee said, “When a simple family in Efrat is devastated, the whole country hurts.”
The Jerusalem Post usually places five to seven articles on its front page. This day includes the Dee family along with the broader views of the IDF preparations in regards to Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, and Iran:
9 April 2023, Israel: Muslim terrorists pulllng out all the stops in attempts to disrupt the Jewish celebration of the great Exodus from Egypt.
Syria fired missiles at Israel over the weekend. Last week, Lebanon and Gaza fired missiles. Is this reported in foreign news? Israel did respond to Syria by surgically blowing up the rocket launcher, which was hidden in what appeared to be a farming grove of trees.
And in other weekend news, this Shabbat evening an Israeli Muslim from an Israeli Arab town nearby tried to disrupt Shabbat by running over picnickers in a Tel Aviv park by the sea. Much as he tried to kill Jews, he ran over European visitors instead. An Italian man (age 35) died, three people were wounded moderately and four wounded lightly, British, and Italian citizens.
And on Hwy 90 a Muslim drive-by shooter waged war on a carful of Jewish women – like a real hero. Maia (age 20) and Rina Dee (15) died, their mother, Lea (48) was critically injured.
Like I said to my landlord this morning, we’re just going to celebrate and be happy no matter what they do.
Some Israelis darkly joked “Well, I guess the civil war will have to wait,” speaking of the protests against Knesset-proposed changes in the judicial selection process.
Jerusalem Post, 9 April 2023 pg 1.
Pray for us. We carry on the work in a difficult part of the world.
7 April 2023, Samaria: Over 44 rockets fired from Lebanon and Gaza at Jews in Israel. This year, the Muslim 30-day holiday Ramadan overlaps the Hebrew Passover & Matza 7-day feast; see below for dates and explanation.
Rockets incoming from the South and the North simultaneously. This is unusual for Lebanon to get involved. In Lebanon, the Hezbollah (Hez b’Allah = “Party of Allah”) political party that rules over the government is, like Hamas in Gaza, an identified terrorist organization which is funded by Iran and supported by Syria. So – the only reason I can think – is that Hez b’Allah has received instructions from Iran to coordinate their rocket attacks and synchronize with Hamas, from Gaza in the south.
Iran sent a drone over Israel just before the barrage of rockets. Jerusalem Post, 7 April 2023 pg 14.
Currently, the entire Northern section and Southern section of Israel are opening up their public shelters (that’s one of the reasons why the rent is so much less in those areas, compared to here in the Center).
Islamic months go by the visible sliver of the moon, so Ramadan began March 23 (meaning, the evening on March 22) this year and goes until April 21.
To show the Feast overlap: Passover (Biblical calendar – by the lunar Conjunction) started April 5 (just before sunset on the 4th) and goes until April 12.
Passover (Rabbinic calendar – by a Metonic cycle rather than observation of the moon cycles) started April 6 (around sunset on the 5th) and the Feast of Matzot ends on April 13.
Here are a couple of starting points for the Biblical calendar topic:
Leading up towards Ramadan, the IDF and Israeli polititians made extra effort to renew security cooperation with the PA (Palestinian Authority) security and police. Israelis knew that Ramadan could bring extra violence against Jews.
Fun fact:Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, sexual intimacy each day of Ramadan until sunset. Some also abstain from smoking, medicine, and chewing gum. Too bad they don’t all abstain from rockets, haha!! The public-facing English Muslim sites state that the monthlong holiday is for studying the Quran, donating money to the needy, and extra time for prayer. After sunset each day of the month, families and friends gather around a dinner table for “Iftar,” the meal for breaking the fast each day.
In my own experience, fasting from food/water for a meal or a day is helpful spiritually, but for extended fasts, the fasting doesn’t begin to become easier until after the third day of fasting with no breaks. Breaking a fast each night is making it more difficult than just going straight thru.
Jerusalem Post, 7 April 2023, front page jpost.com.
6 April 2023, Screenshot from Red Alert app.
Rocket landing areas from Red Alert app.
Rocket landing areas from Red Alert app.
Rocket landing areas from Red Alert app.
Thanks to all who send support as we seek to continue the work in difficult times.
5 April, 2023, Mabuim and Tzrifin, Israel: This year, the Muslim holiday Ramadan (a month of daily fasting together with nightly feasting) overlaps the Hebrew holiday of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.
On 5 April, around 7 am in Mabuim, as Israelis were in their final preparations preparing the feast and house cleaning for Pessach (Passover), rockets were fired at Jews. This would be followed by at least 44 more rockets on the following day.
On the same day, the Post reported a 21-year old Muslim from Hebron (the PA section) had stabbed two Jewish soldiers in their 20’s in Tzrifin near Rishon Lezion:
5 April, 2023, screenshot of Red Alert app.
Jerusalem Post, 5 April 2023 pg 1.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support, and may all have a safe and happy Pessach season.
2 April 2023, Hebron: Last night after Shabbat, a Palestinian Authority security force officer allegedly rammed a car into Jewish pedestrians in the road, injuring three.
Jerusalem Post, 2 April 2023 pg 1.
Please pray about supporting us while we continue to work under difficult circumstances.
* Once the Feast has arrived according to JST, start the feast when the sunset arrives where you are for that JST day of the month. As for weekly Shabbats, they begin where you live when the local sunset ends the sixth day of the week.
20 Mar 2023, Samaria: In the second Palestinian shooting against Jews who were driving thru Huwara in three weeks, a former US Marine, a dual citizen in his 30’s was severely wounded, while his wife fainted.
Jerusalem Post, 20 Mar 2023 pg 1.
Huwara is located near Nablus (Shechem), about 20 minutes from here. Keep us in prayer for protection as we do our work in a troubled area of the world.
Three weeks ago, two sons of a schoolteacher in my village were shot and killed while driving a car through Huwara.
