Kibbutz Mefalsim, Israel — When Hamas fighters entered southern Israel on October 7, the Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip carried out the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust.

So this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, bears greater significance for many Jews around the world.

The tragedies of October 7 motivated Judith Tzamir, a Holocaust survivor from Germany who emigrated to Israel in 1964, to celebrate the melancholy anniversary by making a journey to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp in Poland, which she had previously avoided.

Tzamir, whose kibbutz fended off Hamas attacks on October 7, will march alongside 55 other Holocaust survivors from throughout the world, as well as over 10,000 others. The event recreates the 2-mile (3-kilometer) march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, where Nazi Germany murdered an estimated 1 million Jews.

Now in its 36th year, the event often attracts thousands of attendees, including Holocaust survivors, Jewish students, leaders, and politicians. This year’s march will include Israeli captives who have been released from captivity in Gaza, as well as families whose relatives are still held captive.

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A Holocaust Survivor Will Mark That History Differently After The Horrors Of Oct. 7

“I’m not sure if the world will listen, but it’s important to me,” said Tzamir, who has previously declined invitations to visit Auschwitz. “To remember that there’s still antisemitism around, and there are still people who will kill just for religious reasons.”

Holocaust Remembrance Day observed on the anniversary of the commencement of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, has traditionally been a moment for Israelis to assemble and hear testimony from survivors.

It is one of the most solemn days of the year, with a two-minute siren that stops traffic and causes people to stand at attention in remembrance of the victims. Memorial services are held throughout the day, and the names of the victims are read aloud. While Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, strives to avoid politics, this year’s event has an empty yellow chair in solidarity with the Israeli captives still held in Gaza.

When Tzamir was 4 1/2 years old, her parents dressed her in a light blue frock, black shoes, and white socks and took her to a plaza in Berlin. She recalls clutching her doll, Yula, as they revealed that they were not her parents and that the woman standing in front of them was her biological mother.

Tzamir’s mother served in the German Wehrmacht during World War II, concealing her Jewish origins. She gave birth to Judith in 1943 at a nun-run hospital, then abandoned her to save her own life. At the time, Tzamir, known as Donata, was placed in a foster household. She didn’t know she was Jewish until she met her mother.

Tzamir traveled to Mefalsim, a kibbutz in southern Israel on the Gaza border, through a student exchange program sixteen years later while in college. Following her studies, she returned to Mefalsim, fell in love with a new immigrant from Argentina living on the kibbutz, and stayed to have four children.

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A Holocaust Survivor Will Mark That History Differently After The Horrors Of Oct. 7

On October 7, Tzamir faced the danger of losing her home again. Hamas militants crossed the border from Gaza and targeted cities, army bases, and a music festival in southern Israel. Mefalsim was fortunate compared to many other kibbutzim in the area, where militants torched homes and caused widespread devastation.

That day, the militants slaughtered over 1,200 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians, and kidnapped another 250. The incident precipitated Israel’s invasion of Gaza, in which the death toll has risen to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials, and over 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes. The high death toll and humanitarian catastrophe have generated genocide claims against Israel before the International Court of Justice, which Israel vigorously denies.

Hamas has stated that their attack was intended at the Israeli occupation and blockade of Gaza, while pro-Palestinian groups have denied any antisemitic motivations in their opposition to Israel’s military offensive. For most Jewish Israelis, global rallies calling for boycotts of Israel and challenging the country’s right to exist frequently devolve into antisemitism.

On the day of the attack, Mefalsim’s emergency readiness squad managed to keep the majority of the Hamas terrorists outside the kibbutz fence. Many inhabitants remained in secure rooms for nearly 24 hours before the Israeli army was able to remove them the following day.

Although no one was killed at Mefalsim, the town’s approximately 800 residents, as well as more than 120,000 Israelis who resided within a few kilometers of the Gaza and Lebanon borders, were ordered to evacuate. Mefalsim, Tzamir’s constant anchor after a turbulent upbringing, was no longer a haven.

Many Mefalsim residents have been living in a hotel north of Tel Aviv for the past seven months, unsure of their next steps, but Tzamir and others plan to return to the kibbutz in June.

Tzamir said the October 7 attack brought back memories of her childhood trauma. She was able to function during the day, but when she went to bed, her dreams were filled with blood, death, and fire, reminiscent of the bombs she watched as a child in Germany.

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A Holocaust Survivor Will Mark That History Differently After The Horrors Of Oct. 7

Tzamir is one of about 2,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel who were forced to flee their homes due to the conflict in Gaza, according to Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs. The government believes that 132,000 Holocaust survivors exist in Israel.

Tzamir has known every resident of her kibbutz for 13 years, having served as its director. She stated that some families may never return to Mefalsim within one mile (1.4 kilometers) from the Gaza border. Explosions from Gaza ricochet throughout the buildings, and a sense of security is difficult to regain.

But that was never a question for her, she explained.

“I’m 80 years old, and I don’t want to lose my home again,” Tzamir remarked as her husband Ran worked on a garden brimming with succulents and flowers just before their journey to Poland. “We are coming back.”

SOURCE – (AP)

LONDON — King Charles III’s decision to be candid about his cancer condition has helped the new monarch connect with the British people and strengthened the monarchy in the year since his glittering coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Charles has utilized his sickness to highlight the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, demonstrating leadership during personal pain. In the process, people have come to regard him as a more real-life character who faces the same issues as them rather than just an archetype of money and luxury.

“Ultimately, the great leveler is health,” said Anna Whitelock, a professor of monarchical history at City University in London. “The royal family, like many other families, is dealing with a cancer diagnosis. “And I believe that has taken the energy out of major challenges to the king.”

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King Charles III’s Openness About Cancer Has Helped Him Connect With People In Year After Coronation

Questions remain. Can a 1,000-year-old inherited monarchy represent modern Britain? How will the institution respond to criticism about its ties to imperialism and slavery? Should an elected head of state replace the monarchy?

However, for the time being, such difficulties have been largely left aside as the 75-year-old king receives treatment for an unnamed type of cancer.

Of all the issues experts predicted the royal family would encounter in the year following Charles’ coronation, the events of the previous five months have taken Britain by surprise.

Charles was first treated for an enlarged prostate, after which he revealed his cancer diagnosis. The news that Kate, the Princess of Wales and Prince William’s wife, also had cancer followed this.

Both withdrew from public service to focus on their health. William followed suit to support his wife and the couple’s three small children.

The septuagenarian monarch was unwell, and so was the much younger future queen. Her husband needs to help out. Suddenly, the royal family appeared much more vulnerable and human.

With three senior royals out of the picture, the Windsors were stretched thin as they attempted to keep up with the never-ending whirlwind of ceremonial appearances, awards presentations, and ribbon cuttings that comprise modern royal life.

Queen Camilla stepped into the breach.

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King Charles III’s Openness About Cancer Has Helped Him Connect With People In Year After Coronation

Camilla was once regarded as a scourge of the House of Windsor due to her role in the dissolution of Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana, but she has since emerged as one of the monarchy’s most famous ambassadors. The queen’s increased appearance schedule helped keep the royal family in the public eye.

Wherever she traveled, royal fans sent get-well cards and encouragement to Charles and Kate.

Whitelock explained that, in many ways, the story of Charles’ first year since his coronation is about Camilla’s ascension and how effective she has been in portraying the monarch.

“The crowds reaching out to her have been quite remarkable,” she remarked. “So I think this first year has very much been the reign of Charles and Camilla in a way that we would never have imagined.”

They worked together to produce a year of stability for the monarchy despite some opponents’ expectations that Queen Elizabeth II’s death would usher in a period of change.

That does not imply Charles is without problems; many come from inside his family.

The king’s relationship with his younger son was strained even before Prince Harry and his wife Meghan abandoned royal duties and relocated to California in 2020. But the publication early last year of Harry’s bombshell memoir, “Spare,” worsened the rift with revelations about the royal family’s unconscious racism and sweetheart agreements with the tabloid press.

Then there’s Charles’ brother, Prince Andrew, whose ties to the late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein continue to generate problems for the king. Last month, Netflix released a full-length film on the disastrous 2019 interview in which Andrew attempted to justify his relationship with Epstein.

However, over the last year, Charles has pushed to increase transparency about the monarchy’s operations, spoken out on environmental issues, and promoted interfaith dialogue, according to George Gross, a royal historian at King’s College London.

The king then decided to make his health difficulties public to illustrate the benefits of early intervention in a country where cancer survival rates are lower than in many other wealthy nations.

“He’s overcome difficulties. It’s incorrect to imply he’s taken advantage of it, since it’s a terrible situation to be in, and anyone with a cancer diagnosis will be really frightened,” Gross added. “But it has been this way that, as a head of state, he’s been able to do good with a very simple message, and I think that’s an extraordinary thing.”

Charles emphasized his message last week when he began his return to public life with a visit to a cancer facility.

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King Charles III’s Openness About Cancer Has Helped Him Connect With People In Year After Coronation

While touring the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London, the king sat with Lesley Woodbridge, a 63-year-old cancer patient, and held her hand as chemotherapy medications slowly flowed into her arm.

“It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you?” He said, “I’ve got to have my treatment this afternoon as well.”

It’s the kind of personal connection that Britons don’t anticipate from the royals, who are famed for their reserved demeanor rather than their heart.

According to Michelle Mitchell, the charity’s CEO, after the king’s announcement of his illness, Cancer Research UK saw a 33% spike in website views as individuals looked for information about cancer symptoms.

That might have saved lives. And it brought people closer to the king.Mitchell noted how personal the king’s visit to the oncology clinic was.

She added that patients gladly shared their cancer stories with Charles and Camilla, and the royal couple answered with personal information about their own journey.

“I observed not just empathy, but true compassion,” Mitchell stated. “And overall, the atmosphere of the day was one of hope — but hope, I think, framed with the importance of research bringing greater progress.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Gangs in Haiti besieged multiple districts in Port-au-Prince, burning homes and exchanging Gunfire with police for hours as hundreds escaped the mayhem early Thursday, in one of the most serious attacks since Haiti’s new prime minister was appointed.

The attacks began late Wednesday in communities such as Solino and Delmas 18, 20, and 24, southwest of the main international airport, which has been shuttered for over two months due to ongoing gang violence.

“The gangs started burning everything in sight,” said a man named Néne, who refused to disclose his last name due to fear. “I was hiding in a corner all night.”

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He walked with a companion, carrying a dusty red bag crammed with clothes—the only thing they could preserve. The garments belonged to Néne’s children, whom he had whisked out of Delmas 18 in the morning during a lull in the battle.

The neighborhoods formerly bustling with cars and pedestrians were like ghost towns long after morning, with only the occasional bleating from a lone goat breaking the calm.

An armored police truck patrolled the streets, passing burnt vehicles and cinderblock walls with the scrawled “Viv Babecue,” a reference to one of Haiti’s most powerful gang bosses.

People who escaped the onslaught in Delmas 18 and other adjacent communities held fans, stoves, mattresses, and plastic bags packed with clothes as they left on foot, on motorcycles, or in colorful mini buses known as tap-taps. Others were walking empty-handed after losing everything.

“There were gunshots left and right,” claimed Paul Pierre, 47, who was walking with his girlfriend looking for safety after their house burned down. They couldn’t salvage any of their possessions.

He stated that the nocturnal battle ripped children from their parents and husbands from their wives as people fled in terror, adding, “Everyone is just trying to save themselves.”

Martina, a woman who refused to provide her last name out of fear, claimed she was left homeless after armed assailants burnt her home. She fled with her 4-year-old, who she claims attempted to flee when the shooting started late Wednesday.

“I told him, ‘Don’t be afraid. “This is life in Haiti,” she remarked as she held a hefty load of goods on her head, including butter, which she wanted to sell to generate money and find a new home.

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Gangs In Haiti Launch Fresh Attacks, Days After A New Prime Minister Is Announced

When asked to describe what transpired overnight, she answered, “Gunfire, Gunfire, everywhere! Nobody slept. “Everybody was running.”

Jimmy Chérizier, the head of the formidable gang federation G9 Family and Allies and a former elite police officer known as Barbecue, was in charge of the area where the incident occurred.

He and other gang bosses have been blamed for the coordinated attacks that began on February 29 in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Gunmen have torched police stations, opened fire on the main international airport, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing over 4,000 inmates.

The attacks eventually forced Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign, prompting the formation of a transitional presidential council. The council’s majority unexpectedly announced a new prime minister on Tuesday: Fritz Bélizaire, a former sports minister. The action threatens to split the nine-member council, which was sworn in last week.

As new authorities take over the country amid fighting, Haitians demand that they prioritize their protection, as gangs remain more strong and well-armed than the Haitian National Police.

More than 2,500 people were murdered or injured between January and March of this year, a more than 50% rise over the same period last year, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, over 90,000 individuals have fled Port-au-Prince in just one month, as gangs controlling an estimated 80% of the capital increasingly target formerly tranquil districts.

Ernest Aubrey told how he relocated to Delmas 18 years ago. He’s leaving home for the first time.

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Gangs In Haiti Launch Fresh Attacks, Days After A New Prime Minister Is Announced

“It is too much. “We can’t resist any longer,” he said of the gangs. “They are taking everything we own.”

As he went with his heavy backpack, he noticed an acquaintance leaving in a car and dashed toward them to see if he could catch a ride.

Vanessa Vieux was one of the few who stayed at Delmas 18. Early Wednesday after the incident, she relocated her elderly mother to the countryside. She thought it was best not to give her home over to gangs. Furthermore, she has faith in Haiti’s National Police.

“I live next to a police officer,” she explained. “That’s why I’m not scared.”

SOURCE – (AP)