December 12, 2023
Dear Friends,
As some of us continue our Hanukkah celebrations, many others are preparing to celebrate Christmas. I want to wish you a joyous, healthy and peaceful holiday!
I certainly don’t want to cast a shadow on any celebrations. However, I do want to convey that the last two months have been difficult for Jews around the world, including myself. Over recent years, I have visited many of the Israeli communities that were burned and largely destroyed during Hamas’s barbaric October 7 massacre. Israeli friends still grieve for friends and family members who were murdered, maimed, gang-raped or kidnapped, and some 200,000 Israelis have been displaced.
Other friends or their children are serving with the Israel Defense Forces battling Hamas on the frontlines, where many IDF soldiers have become casualties.
The extraordinary increase in anti-Semitism and Israel hatred in our cities and most prestigious universities has shaken, saddened and frightened Jews and others around the world. The belief that something like that could never happen again is being sorely tested.
Hamas leaders have called the October 7 attacks “a dress rehearsal” for worse massacres to come, and many terrorist organizations want destroy Israel, its people, and Jews and Christians far beyond Israel. That is why Israel must defend itself and destroy Hamas.
Israel’s army goes to great lengths to avoid harming civilians, who are often used as human shields by Hamas. Sadly, many innocents in Gaza are still injured and killed as Israel works to eliminate the Hamas terrorists hiding behind, among and under Gaza’s civilian populations.
This war is also a battleground of words via print, electronic and social media, in our schools and elsewhere. There are false news stories and extensive, often deliberate misinformation about Israel as a “colonizer” or “racist” nation, death tolls and every other aspect of this war. Accurate news and reliable analysis are often hard to come by.
The Jewish holiday of Hannukah is about light (candles), religious freedom, and the difference between good and evil. In that spirit, and to counter misinformation, for those who are trying to follow these events, I’d like to suggest some news sources that I believe are reliable and trustworthy.
Tazpit Press Service – TPS is Israel’s independent news agency. It is the only Israel-based news service that directly gathers and disseminates real-time factual information from events as they occur, as well as a full range of materials about Israel, for use by local and international newspapers and news organizations. TPS uses many volunteer photographers and stringers to capture accurate images and news that are not found elsewhere. You can access TPS at https://tazpit.org.il/
The Jewish News Syndicate – The JNS is a rapidly growing news agency that covers both Israel and the broader Jewish world. It provides the latest news, briefings, features, opinions and analyses to more than 100 print newspapers and digital publications on a daily basis. Go here to find its latest materials: www.JNS.org
HonestReporting – HR’s mission is to ensure truth, integrity and fairness, and to combat ideological prejudice in journalism and the media, as it impacts Israel. Its website says HR “has been working around the clock to identify and respond to the worst media bias since the appalling events of October 7 and the subsequent launch of Israeli military action against Hamas.” HR depends on people around the world to send examples of biased media coverage to action@HonestReporting.com, to help the organization fight anti-Israel prejudice. It also provides media literacy tips to help navigate the 24/7 news cycle. You can access HR at https://HonestReporting.com/
The Free Press – TFP is a new media company founded by former New York Times editor Bari Weiss. According to its website, TFP publishes “investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is – with the quality once expected from the legacy press, but with the fearlessness of the new media.” You can subscribe to TFP at https://www.theFP.com/about and provide story tips at tips@theFP.com
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis – CAMERA is a media-monitoring, research and membership organization devoted to promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East. A non-partisan organization, it fosters rigorous reporting, while educating news consumers about Middle East issues and the role of the media. You can access it here: https://www.camera.org/
The 10/7 Project – The 10/7 Project is a recently announced joint effort by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. It seeks to provide bipartisan, fact-based coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and related issues, “set the record straight” about the conflict in Israel and Gaza, and “combat misinformation spouted by Hamas terrorists and their anti-Israel allies.” It is a news aggregator of sorts. You can sign up to receive its updates at https://www.the10-7project.com/newsletter-signup/
I hope your holidays are filled with light, love, peace and happiness.
Paul Driessen