Eyeless in Gaza

By Marty Kaplan
Published on January 5, 2009

Where were all the people of Gaza rising up in outrage when Hamas used them as human shields?

Hold your fire!  Cease fire! Fire!

By Steve Greenberg
Published on December 29, 2008

Analysis: Israel seeks to change rules of the game with Gaza assault

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 29, 2008

In a news conference on the first night of the fighting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spelled out the war's aims: to create a new security reality in the south in which Israeli civilians can live without fear of rocket or terror attacks.

Gaza operation begins with bombings, Olmert calls for unity, U.S. blames Hamas

Published on December 27, 2008

In an address Saturday night, Israel's prime minister, flanked by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, asked the Israeli public to unite around the Israel Defense Forces operation that began in Gaza earlier in the day.

Analysis: New Hamas Gaza rocket attacks pose dilemma for Israel

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 25, 2008

The renewal of intense Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilian areas has put Israelis in a somber mood during the usually festive week of Chanukah.

Quiet ends in Sderot as rocket attacks resume

By Mark J. Joffe
Published on November 19, 2008

Since the army operation, the region has been hit by a daily barrage of rockets -- about a dozen Monday, more than 30 the day before. Sixty have fallen on Sderot alone so far this month, according to the town's security officer. The situation essentially is returning to what it had been for much of the past eight years.

VIDEO: Who shall live . . .

By The Web Guy
Published on September 28, 2008

A montage of news photos from 5768 plus cantorial and modern music take this version of the 'Who shall live' prayer into YouTube land.

Celebration to mark raising of Israeli flag at consulate

By Tom Tugend
Published on September 17, 2008

The blue and white flag with the Star of David will be raised for the first time in front of the Israeli Consulate on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Kassams land near mayor of Sderot’s house; Interfaith fellowship group denies missionary ties

Published on September 17, 2008

The rocket landed Sunday not far from the home of Mayor Eli Moyal

Saluting Milo, AARP and Waxman, Delshad for Sderot

By Danielle Berrin
Published on August 15, 2008

What would young Israelis from Sderot do during an all-expense-paid trip to Los Angeles? See Adam Sandler in "Don't Mess With the Zohan," of course.

Sderot welcomes Obama

By Dina Kraft
Published on July 24, 2008

Sderot's residents expressed optimism about the latest of a series of high-profile visitors to the town, the man who one day may be U.S. president, Barack Obama

Obama sounds both hawkish and dovish themes in Israel, Jordan

Published on July 23, 2008

During his stops in Jordan and Israel, presidential contender Barack Obama has stressed both his backing for tough Israeli security measures and his commitment to advancing the peace process

Bill Boyarsky: Calculating the value of Villaraigosa’s trip

By Bill Boyarsky
Published on June 26, 2008

One criticism of Villaraigosa's predecessor, Jim Hahn, was that he didn't understand the importance of symbolism, that he was too desk bound, too reluctant to make the grand gestures important in a sprawling city of many diverse communities.

Rabbi Zoë Klein: L.A. delegation to Israel returns with wealth of optimism

By Rabbi Zoë Klein
Published on June 26, 2008

I was proud to be part of this delegation, proud to be among someof the gatekeepers of our city, astounded at the vast amount Israel had to offer us and the generosity of her leaders to share.

Gay marriage, Persian tragedy,  Israel @ 60

Published on June 26, 2008

". . . Watching the first legal gay marriage in Los Angeles . . . between two Jewish women, with their rabbi and their Jewish lawyer, fills me with extraordinary pride as a Jew . . ."

From security to the environment — L.A. and Israel exchange ideas

By Michele Chabin, Contributing Writer
Published on June 26, 2008

Last week's emotion-packed visit to Sderot by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with a delegation of senior city officials, leaders of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the Israel Leadership Club and several Los Angeles clergy might have received much of the trip's media coverage during the group's weeklong stay in Israel. However, it's the meetings between city and Israeli experts in homeland security, counterterrorism and green technology that could have a significant effect on the way Los Angeles and Israel protect their citizens, institutions and natural resources.

L.A. benefits from ties with Israel

By Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Published on June 19, 2008

Over the past week, I led a delegation of civic, faith, business and community leaders on a trip that will help make Los Angeles stronger, safer, more secure and better stewards of the environment -- and all Angelenos stand to reap the benefits of our efforts.

Cease-fire with Hamas appears imminent

By Leslie Susser
Published on June 17, 2008

With a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas expected to take effect this week, the question is what impact -- if any -- such a deal will have on the wider efforts to reach accommodation with the Palestinians.

Photo essay: Mayor Villaraigosa in Israel

Published on June 16, 2008

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa inaugurated a state-of-the-art computer learning program in the besieged Israeli town of Sderot Friday, June 13.
Leading a delegation of LA community leaders and politicians, Villaraigosa presented the computers to Sderot residents so that their could continue learning despite constant rocket-fire by Palestinians in the neighboring Gaza Strip.

Los Angeles-based Israel Leadership Club (ILC), which initiated and -sponsored the computer initiative, provided the Journal with these photos. Danny Alpert, ILC's Co-Founder and co-Chairman said during a memorable speech in the city he said, "Today we mark a significant milestone in fulfilling our commitment to the young generation in Sderot. We mark a key point new stage for the relationship between the community in Los Angeles and the city of Sderot. Together, we provide the children of Sderot with the opportunity to receive proper education just like the children of Los Angeles receive."

In Sderot

By Rob Eshman
Published on June 12, 2008

Signs of Israel's military readiness are everywhere near Gaza -- the military base at Nahal Oz, with its rows of dust-caked tanks and rooms of advanced surveillance equipment, the high-tech spy blimps floating like hard white clouds above the border

Polished Diamonds

By Rob Eshman
Published on May 15, 2008

One of the benefits of the creation of the State of Israel is the creativity and industry of the Israeli people ... living in Los Angeles.


Yes, the Zionist ideal is that all Jews would move to Israel, and those born there would grow up to be proud citizens of a noble land, etc., etc.

Hollywood-Israel link flourishing

By Tom Tugend
Published on May 15, 2008

A group of hotshot Hollywood television executives sit around a table sipping Evian water, working their cellphones and bemoaning the lack of fresh ideas for a series to pull their network out of the cellar.

New generation has a new take on Israel

By Julie G Fax
Published on May 15, 2008

Earlier this spring, David Weiner, a 32-year-old social studies curriculum publisher from Los Angeles, went on an unlikely pairing of back-to-back missions to Israel.

Debra Winger explores Jewish/Arab day schools

By Orit Arfa
Published on April 24, 2008

Students at the Hand in Hand Max Rayne Bilingual School in Jerusalem didn't know they were meeting a celebrity. They weren't born when the films "Officer and a Gentleman" and "Terms of Endearment" garnered Debra Winger her Oscar nominations.

Briefs: Pro-Israel doves launch D.C. lobbying effort, Carter—in Israel— calls Sderot attacks ’

Published on April 17, 2008

Pro-Israel doves are launching an initiative aimed at countering the influence of established Jewish organizations on Capitol Hill. In a conference call Tuesday, organizers announced the launch of J Street, a lobby outfit and a political action committee backed by some of the biggest names in the dovish pro-Israel community.

Holidays, happiness and hope for Sderot

By Danielle Berrin
Published on April 17, 2008

When Ari Platt spent a Shabbat in Sderot and saw the depleted condition of civic life there, he knew he had to do something.

In only a few weeks, the Los Angeles native, currently studying at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem, decided to organize a Purim carnival for the town of Sderot -- a reprieve from their harsh reality for a day of festivity, spirit and celebration. He galvanized support from the Jewish communities in Los Angeles and Israel, despite warnings from his yeshiva that he was embarking on a dangerous mission.

Israel is still fighting for independence

By Rep. Elton Gallegly
Published on April 3, 2008

Sixty years is long enough for a nation to fight to retain its independence. Our Arab partners, including Egypt and Jordon, need to join with the United States to pressure Hamas and other terrorist groups to cease and desist.

Briefs: Professor criticised for ‘hate speech’ at CSULB; Purim is fun and sober for L.A. teens

Published on March 27, 2008

The Jewish Studies Program at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) last week reprimanded Kevin MacDonald, a professor at the university whose writings on race are popular with anti-Semites and white supremacists, for views that are "professionally irresponsible and morally untenable."

From red alerts to the red carpet—a teen from Sderot speaks

By Dikla Kadosh
Published on March 8, 2008

Vitolda Nahshonov, 15, is one of 10 teens brought to Los Angeles from Sderot by the Israeli Leadership Club and the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles to share her story of what it's like to live under constant attack from Qassam rockets. What follows is an edited version of our conversation.

Israel weighs novel ideas to counter Hamas rockets

By Leslie Susser
Published on March 8, 2008

With Israel still facing Hamas rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip following the end of the army's limited ground operation there, the Israeli government is considering stronger follow-up measures.

Israel’s new reality

By Shira Kaplan
Published on March 7, 2008

The agenda linking Hassan Nasrallah, the Shiite leader of Lebanese Hezbollah; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Shiite Iranian president; and Ismail Heniyeh, the Sunni leader of Hamas and the de facto prime minister of the Gaza Strip is simple: remove the "cancerous cell" called the State of Israel from the Middle East. Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah have reiterated this message out loud; Heniyeh's Hamas Constitution explicitly calls for this objective. The goal is self-evident. As for the means, anything is legitimate.

Support for Sderot is strong at L.A. benefit concert

By Dikla Kadosh
Published on March 2, 2008

"Live For Sderot," a benefit concert organized by the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles and the Israeli Leadership Club (ILC), aimed to raise awareness of one of Israel's most painful, ongoing issues, along with funds for children's educational programs.

Briefs: Sderot kids share their experiences with local students, Pico business owners protest traffi

Published on February 28, 2008

Community briefs.

The ‘red alarm’ has just sounded and you have 15 seconds to take shelter—welcome to Sderot

By JewishJournal.com
Published on February 26, 2008

Celebrity-studded event to raise funds for Sderot

By Dikla Kadosh
Published on February 21, 2008

Two days after Hollywood's biggest night -- the 80th annual Academy Awards -- the Los Angeles Jewish community will be treated to a celebrity-studded red carpet event of its own: Ninette Tayeb, Israel's reigning pop idol, as well as Israeli-born hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; the Oscar-nominated "Beaufort" delegation; and the creme-de-la-creme of the Jewish and Israeli communities will gather at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills for an important benefit concert, "Live for Sderot."

As Gaza strikes Sderot again and again, Israel weighs attack options

By Leslie Susser
Published on February 14, 2008

After a Qassam rocket attack seriously injured two brothers in the Israeli border town of Sderot, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert again came under intense pressure to launch a major military strike against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Briefs: They’re Jews first and Israelis second; Pope to soap offending trope

Published on January 24, 2008

Collection of news briefs

World Jewry should have no veto on Jerusalem’s fate

By Alan Dershowitz
Published on January 24, 2008

While every Jew in the world (along with every other person) certainly has the right to express an opinion about how the Jerusalem issue should be resolved, the State of Israel alone should make that important decision, since it involves the security of the state and its people.

Comics invade Sderot

By Avi Liberman
Published on January 10, 2008

Just 45 minutes from the hustle and bustle of beautiful downtown Tel Aviv is Sderot. Just 47 minutes from there is the Gaza Strip.

Location, location, location.

You know the old joke.

So who books Sderot? Answer is Avi Liberman.

Is there a way to stop rockets and avoid a Gaza fight?

By Uri Dromi
Published on January 3, 2008

Life in Sderot has become hell, but Israel finds it very difficult to defend it, because the people who launch the Qassams are hiding among civilians. Slowly but surely, however, Israeli patience is running out. Is there a way to stop this ongoing terrorist attack on Sderot without entering Gaza with great force in an incursion that would most probably cost the lives of many Palestinians and Israelis?

Israel booming but helicopters may be an omen of trouble ahead

By Jack Weiss
Published on November 8, 2007

Just as the IDF works constantly to keep a small patch within Gaza clear of terrorists, so, too, Hamas makes efforts every day to get through, over or under the fence -- and to engage the IDF. Hamas' success rate has been minimal, he says, and their casualties significant, "but they're still coming, still trying, every day."

Briefs: Separation fence must be moved, court says; Olmert expands Fatah amnesty; Jewish woman eyes

Published on September 8, 2007

News briefs.

Shabbat in Sderot beneath a canopy of Qassams

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on August 23, 2007

It's difficult to imagine the effect of this terror on daily life. It's even more challenging to comprehend why a sensible person would stay here. But for the Bar-Ons and thousands of other families, living under a canopy of Qassams is simply their life station.

An open letter to a Hamas supporter in Gaza

By Uri Dromi
Published on August 2, 2007

Crises in Israel energize support from diaspora communities

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on July 5, 2007

Jews invariably differ on their feelings toward Israel, whether discussing its place in their hearts or the policies of the current government or the rightful borders of the nation. But nothing unifies quite like military conflict. War awakens Diaspora communities and arouses Israeli affinities.

Sderot stories

By Steve Greenberg
Published on June 7, 2007

Cartoon.

Israel is bracing for a long struggle with Hamas

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 31, 2007

With no end in sight to Qassam rocket attacks on Israeli civilians near the border with Gaza, the Israeli government is preparing for a long struggle against radical, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists.

Rockets raining on Sderot take physical and mental toll on city

By Orit Arfa
Published on May 24, 2007

It's a smooth car ride to Sderot. There's very little traffic on this Sunday between Jerusalem and the battered city. Sunflower fields line the road and then the vast prairies of the Negev; it's difficult to fathom that only a few kilometers away rockets are raining.

Three videos from Sderot

Published on May 24, 2007

Three videos from Sderot.

Rocket attacks pose huge policy dilemma for Israel

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 24, 2007

More than a week of unabated Qassam rocket attacks on Sderot has created a huge policy dilemma for the Israeli government: What should it do to stop radical Gaza-based terrorists from firing missiles on Israeli civilians and causing pandemonium in the border town of 22,000.

High-tech company offers portable solutions for Israel’s shelter shortage

By Orit Arfa
Published on May 24, 2007

On May 20, Operation LifeShield, a nonprofit organization founded to provide emergency relief from missile attacks in Israel, unveiled in Jerusalem its transportable bomb shelters, dubbed "LifeShields," for use in public areas such as parks, school, playgrounds, hospitals and busy intersections. Each shelter is made of 12-inch-thick steel-reinforced concrete, is large enough to accommodate 30 people and is built to withstand direct hits from both Qassam and Katyusha rockets.

Army base provides haven for refugees from Sderot

By Dina Kraft
Published on May 24, 2007

Driven from their homes by Qassam rockets, Eimvet Yitao and her colleagues from a Sderot day care center gathered under the shade of a sprawling tree at an army center in Givat Olga, swapping stories of their fears.

Villagairosa tells Sderot’s mayor he longs for end to violence

Published on May 17, 2007

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villagairosa reassured Eli Moyal, Mayor of Sderot, of his continued support Friday, after Palestinian rocket attacks forced a partial evacuation of the city.

Resident heroes of Sderot mark Pesach under rocket threat

By Rabbi Avi Baumol
Published on March 29, 2007

There are some, however, who will not share our sense of security this year. These people, although they live in the homeland of the Jewish people, will not be singing joyful songs with full gusto or reclining in freedom with the same sense of relaxation as royalty this coming Passover -- they are the citizens of the city of Sderot.

Depression grips Sderot as rockets continue to fall

By Dina Kraft
Published on December 7, 2006

Sderot is far, by Israeli standards, from the country's more prosperous center. But in the last six years, it has found itself unwittingly on one of the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its location, about two miles from the Gaza border, has made Sderot an easy target for terrorists' Qassam rockets. Before a surprise and partial truce went into effect about a week ago, fighting had escalated, especially in recent months, between the Israeli army and Palestinian terrorist groups.

Ahmadinejad Dismisses Israeli Threats; Cluster Bombs Under Scrutiny

Published on November 22, 2006

news briefs

Olmert Promises Students: Iran ‘Danger Will Be Removed;’ Sderot Children’s Heartfelt Drawings Come t

Published on November 22, 2006

world news briefs

Israelis Bring Situation Close to Home for Campers

By Julie G Fax
Published on July 19, 2006

Like most camps, Hess Kramer, has a staff of Israelis who work as counselors and educators. This summer, 1,400 Israelis, most of them between the ages of 19 and 22, are staffing 200 Jewish day and sleep-away camps, according the Jewish Agency, which coordinates the stays.

Sderot Attack Interrupts Villaraigosa’s Call

By Marc Ballon
Published on July 6, 2006

"This experience shook all of us to our core," Villaraigosa said in a statement. "I have tremendous respect for Mayor Moyal and the people of Sderot, who live their lives in the shadow of terror. It makes you grateful for the peace and safety that we have here in Los Angeles."

Israeli Strategy Under Fire

By Leslie Susser
Published on July 6, 2006

Beyond the immediate escalation, the recent Palestinian attack on an Israeli army outpost near the Gaza border raises serious questions about Israel's security and foreign policies.