Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the Archbishop of Vienna who is considered second-in-line to Pope Francis, gave a special interview to Israel’s daily, Arutz Sheva, at the sidelines of a convention of the Conference of European Rabbis in Vienna. Schonborn began by calling Jews and Catholics in Austria "neighbors" and "friends," noting that "it's less than half-a-kilometer between the synagogue and the cathedral (in Vienna), and that's not only geographical it's also spiritual." Regarding European hostility to Israel, he said, "I don't think you will hear from the Catholic church such voices. We have such a good and close relation to not only to the Jewish people, but especially to the state of Israel. There are political tendencies in Europe and it's good to stand up against them, which is what we try to do. We have only one voice but I hope that voice is heard," said Schonborn. In a biting comment on the BDS movement seeking to boycott the Jewish state, the Cardinal said, "I think it is not only false, it's stupid." (Arutz-7) "Stupid” is indeed a good description of BDS activities. Here are ten brands that BDS supporters have urged others to boycott: Pampers, Volvo, Intel, Israeli hummus, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, Victoria’s Secret, Starbucks, McDonald's, and SodaStream. There are thousands of other products on their list that contain or use Israeli-developed technology, including iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Skype and computer firewalls. [Comment]

Recent vandalism targeting three New England synagogues is aimed at intimidating the Jewish community, the director of the New England office of the Anti-Defamation League said. According to Robert Trestan, the attacks at two synagogues in the Boston area and one in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, are part of a spike in anti-Semitic incidents in the region since the start of the year. Trestan said there is no indication the recent incidents - which all occurred in May 2016 - are related, but the short time frame and proximity stand out. "To have three synagogues targeted in a week within 100 miles of each other, that’s a real concern,” Trestan told media sources. "People are intentionally going onto a property of worship to intimidate the community.” He said the uptick in reported anti-Semitic incidents since the beginning of 2016 - particularly in schools, but also in the community - runs from harassment to graffiti. "The incidents already reported to us this year exceed all of 2015, with school-based incidents experiencing the largest increase,” according to a spokesperson at the New England office. The office could not disclose the exact numbers, but the figures will be part of a forthcoming report from the national ADL. (JTA) [Comment]

"Look around you. This is an historic moment in the UN!” Those were the words of Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon on Tuesday 31 May 2016, as he looked out over a packed General Assembly Hall at the start of an event opposing the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. More than 2,000 attended the session, making it one of the rare occasions, if not the only to date, in which the UN General Assembly Hall could be described as a place of pro-Israel sentiment. "Never before have so many people, from so many places, gathered here in the General Assembly to declare unanimous support for the State of Israel,” Danon continued. Under the banner "Building Bridges, Not Boycotts,” Danon explained to the international community that the BDS phenomenon is a thin mask for "modern-day anti-Semitism,” and urged the world to "put an end to its ideology of hatred and lies. We will not allow the forces of hate to demonize Israel. Together, we will defeat BDS.” The gathering was addressed by other Jewish and Israeli leaders. (Israel Today) [Comment]

Natan Banita-Bennett's father was murdered in front of him, while he and his mother were left wounded. Half a year ago, two-year-old Natan's picture became an icon of the brutality of Arab terrorism, after a stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City left his young father, Rabbi Aharon Banita-Bennett, dead and him and his mother Adelle injured. Rabbi Nehemia Lavi was also murdered in the attack, as he attempted to intervene after hearing Adelle's screams. On Monday 30 May 2016, Natan turned three and, as is customary among many Jewish families, received his first haircut. Friends and relatives packed the hall for the celebration, which was also held in thanksgiving for Natan and Adelle's recovery from their injuries. Around 100 family members were present at the event, held in Jerusalem, together with friends and dignitaries.

Speaking at the event, Adelle described her strong sense of mixed emotions. "This is of course a celebration which is mixed with much sadness," she said. "With that, we have much faith. We feel that Aharon was taken for the sake of all the nation of Israel, and we are trying to be happy." She also told of her difficulty recovering from the attack, both physically and emotionally. "Every day is very hard, each and every second, the memories and just living," she said. "We want to thank all of those who have stood by us.” Adelle's mother, Miriam Gal, told of her grandson's trauma and battle to recover physically since experiencing the horrific events over the Succot festival last year. "We continue to face challenges, and we are still making a great effort to help the boy through the treatment he is undergoing. Apart from that, just to cope as an orphan, without a father - it's a daily struggle," she added. "We haven't closed any circle - we're in the middle of one, in the middle of this journey. We're just carrying on. He knows, he remembers, he cries a lot, he misses his daddy. The boy asks lots of questions and all the time looks at the sky and says 'daddy is in heaven.'" (Arutz-7) Pray for this young boy, hardly more than a baby, who has suffered so much pain, tragedy and loss in his first years. May he be comforted and healed both physically and emotionally. Pray also for Adelle, his mother, and for all within the two families, who suffered the loss of loved ones in this brutal terrorist attack. [Comment]

 Israel is used to fighting against tunnels that terrorist gunmen in Hamas have dug underneath the southern border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Now Lebanon-based terrorist group, Hizbullah, says it too is digging tunnels on the northern border. In remarks that were first published in al-Safir, a pro-Hizbullah newspaper, Hizbullah congratulated its fighters who are "conducting observations, preparing and digging tunnels that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep.” Residents of Jewish communities along the Lebanese border have said they often hear digging at night. Hizbullah is believed to have up to 100,000 rockets that can hit almost all of Israel. (Medialine) [Comment]

The lifting of a court gag order on a severe incident that occurred in Tel Aviv two weeks ago once again demonstrates the blatant double standards of the mainstream media and the international community. It was revealed on Wed. 25 May 2016, that earlier this month police arrested two young Arab men - one an Israeli citizen and the other from the Palestinian-controlled territories - on suspicion they and a third accomplice had brutally raped a mentally handicapped Jewish girl. The girl, who filed the initial complaint, was found by police to be in severe mental distress. Over the course of the investigation, it was discovered that one of the Arab suspects had filmed the assault on his cellphone. The footage, according to police, shows the two raping the 20-year-old Jewish girl while spitting on her and shouting racist slogans. The two men also threatened to kill the girl’s family if she told anyone what had happened. In her ruling approving an extended remand for the suspects, the judge wrote, "This is a shocking incident of exploitation of a helpless and handicapped girl that had racist motives.” The story was quickly picked up by most of the Hebrew press, but was nowhere to be found in the mainstream international English-language media. As one might imagine, had the roles been reversed - had three Jewish men violently raped a handicapped Arab girl while shouting racist slogans - it would take mere minutes for the story to become headline news around the globe. (Israel Today) Intercede for the comforting of this poor girl and that full legal penalty will be brought against those who carried out such a brutal act. Pray also that such crimes on the part of Palestinians will be exposed far and wide, as they would be if Israelis committed them.

 Border control agents, working in conjunction with the Shin Bet internal security agency, confiscated a large shipment at the Tarkumia Crossing in the Hebron region. The shipment, bound for Gaza via Israel, carried a large quantity of building materials for rockets and mortars, along with heavy-duty electric motors, used to construct and fortify underground facilities. The smuggled materials were concealed in a shipment of textiles and jewelry. Officials say the shipment included hundreds of special pipes used to manufacture rockets and mortars, in addition to motors Hamas likely intended to use to expand its vast underground network. The shipment was destined for the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza via Israel. Authorities are searching for those responsible for the smuggling attempt. (INN) [Comment]

Israel is forming civil defense units throughout northern Israel to assist in any future conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, Col Eren Makov, the Northern Regional Commander of the Homefront Command told media sources. "There is a big change in the Arab population in Israel in that they are much more willing to cooperate with us,” Makov said. "We give them training in what to do and they see it as a contribution.” Makov said that more than half of the residents of northern Israel are Arab citizens of Israel, and are under the same missile threat from Hizbullah as Jewish citizens of Israel. While the vast majority of Arab citizens of Israel do not serve in the Israeli army, he said these civil defense units are not part of the army but of the Home Front Command and, for example, volunteers do not wear uniforms. The idea is to train them in both disaster relief and working with the population. After earthquakes, Makov said, 25% of those saved are rescued in the first hour, often by their neighbors. A similar situation would probably be in force if Hizbullah, which is believed to have more than 100,000 rockets aimed at Israel, scored direct hits on buildings in residential areas. (Medialine) It is vitally important to continue to pray for Israel’s safety and preparedness in the event of unanticipated developments or surprise attacks on its northern borders. This is especially true in the light of the words of the Biblical prophet who saw inJer 1:13 "the boiling pot facing away from the north,” tilting over Israel and set to be overturned. [Comment]

A rocket from the Gaza Strip was fired on Wed evening 25 May 2016, towards southern Israel. The rocket exploded in an open area of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, causing no physical injuries or damages. Israeli fighter jets attacked terror targets in Gaza Strip early Thurs. in retaliation for rocket fired at Israel hours earlier. Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza has continued to "trickle” into Israel on occasion. On 6 May 2016, two mortar shells fired from Gaza exploded near the security fence in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no physical injuries or damages. Israeli aircraft hit two Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for the attack. That mortar attack was part of an escalation in the region, during which Gazan terrorists several times lobbed mortar shells at IDF soldiers near the security border in southern Gaza. The IAF responded in kind, shelling terror targets in northern Gaza. (Arutz-7)
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