Michael Balaban’s Update on the War in Israel

March 1, 2024

– Michael Balaban
President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

We are entering a new month, almost five months since this war began, and we continue to be flooded with the news of the daily violence in Southern Israel and along the Gaza Strip, but there has been very little reported about the ongoing atrocities occurring in the North of Israel.

Having just returned from Israel with a greater understanding of what is happening up North, I think it’s important to elevate this issue as many believe this will be Israel’s main focus in the next stages of its war against terrorism.

I have an eerie feeling, as if we are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Recent reports have provided hope that people displaced from the South of Israel may be on the cusp of returning to their homes, as Israeli forces continue to damage Hamas’ capabilities in Gaza.

But in the North, on the border with Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah has been trading increasingly aggressive rocket fire with Israel, this hope is harder to hold onto. Upwards of 80,000 residents of Northern Israel have been evacuated from their homes and communities. There is no return date.

One of the most alarming pieces of intelligence I have seen on this comes from Sarit Zehavi, a former Israel intelligence official who now serves as the founder and president of the Alma Education and Research Center focused on Israel’s Northern border. Zehavi notes that she is gradually seeing Hezbollah target more and more civilians instead of military targets, and that she believes Hezbollah wants to drive Israel into a full-scale war in the North.

I fear that this aggression will go further, that these rockets will hit schools and hospitals and innocent civilians.

As part of the Jewish Federation’s emergency allocations for the Philly Stands with Israel Fund, which you can see in our recent emergency report, we have also committed funds in anticipation of the growing needs in the North. I want to assure our community that we are in constant communication with our partners on the ground in Israel and are positioned to make the most impact according to the needs that arise. Our fear will never cause us to lose hope, but will only spur us into further action.

When that other shoe does drop, we will be prepared for it.

And even in these uncertain moments, we must never lose sight of the plight of the remaining hostages, who have been held in captivity for nearly 150 days now. Join community members this Sunday in Center City for a rally to demand that they be released.

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