ToI’s weekly deep dive: Israeli scouts, at an undisclosed location near you * Timeline of ’Operation Arnon’ * Podcast: Prof. Jodi Magness on Jerusalem through the ages

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, June 9, 2024 [The song and dance of the Tzofim Friendship Caravan returns to the US]( By Gavriel Fiske Teen Israeli scouts to spend more than two months putting on 160 shows in America for Jewish and non-Jewish communities; due to security concerns, their shows won’t be publicized Explainer Emanuel Fabian [‘Operation Arnon’: How 4 hostages were freed from Hamas captivity in central Gaza]( Daylight mission to surprise captors; special forces concurrently raid two buildings where hostages held by Palestinian families; rescue vehicle breaks down after coming under fire [Op-Ed / Rescue brings rare cause for Israeli joy, before hearts return to 116 hostages still held]( By David Horovitz [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing June 8: Day 246 – Dramatic daytime IDF operation rescues 4 hostages]( By ToI Staff Op-ed David Horovitz [Why Israel needs the hostage-ceasefire deal, and must be wary if Sinwar takes it]( Political and security chiefs recognize the urgency of saving the hostages, and the wider potential of a deal, but Hamas’s monstrous leader is bent on more than survival [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing June 9, Day 247: Could the daring IDF rescue reframe hostage negotiations?]( By ToI Staff Reporter's notebook [Aggressive IDF – and PA – operations keep West Bank flashpoint quiet after October 7]( By Lazar Berman Despite last week’s deadly ramming attack, violence is significantly down around Nablus and Huwara after the Samaria Regional Brigade adopted new, more aggressive posture [Saudi Arabia largely removes negative portrayal of Israel from its school curriculum]( By Gianluca Pacchiani In marked shift from the past, Saudi textbooks no longer define Zionism as ‘racist,’ indicating progress towards a ‘warm peace’ such as that with the UAE, expert says [Interview / Palestinian activist wants both sides to see the conflict through each other’s eyes]( By Gianluca Pacchiani [After weeks in hospital, Bedouin girl wounded in Iran attack makes TV appearance]( By Gianluca Pacchiani [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( Interview [After Oct. 7, UK journalist Hadley Freeman believes ‘the progressive left hates Jews’]( By Robert Philpot The New York-born writer comes out with a new essay on the antisemitism emerging after the Hamas atrocities in Israel, and how it’s rooted in a hypocritical and myopic ideology Hadley Freeman [The progressive left hates the Jews]( Reporter's notebook [Determination and grit at a somber NYC Israel Day parade, led by families of hostages]( By Jordana Horn [Why Mexico’s center-right Jewish community didn’t vote for its first Jewish president]( By Ariela Lopez Top Ops Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard [Shavuot’s dairy dilemma]( Today’s milk industry challenges the Torah-based ethics we were taught and our understanding of what it means to keep kosher Daniel G. Saunders [The Nazis weren’t ’white supremacists’]( They wanted an Aryan race that was pure in blood, not white of skin. To not know this is to not understand the Holocaust Suzie Navot [Can Haredi students keep avoiding army service? We’ll know soon]( A deep dive into the Supreme Court hearing on when recruitment must start and whether yeshivas can still get public funding Gary Rosenblatt [A hallowed space in downtown New York]( The sensitively curated intense Nova Music Festival Exhibit immerses its visitors in that day, from blissful dancing to the horrors at sunrise Reporter's notebook [Best offense is good self-defense: Fighting antisemitism gets physical at Jewish confab]( By Canaan Lidor Emigration projections and gun permit discussions are at the center of an international event held in the Netherlands under the shadow of anti-Jewish violence [In Israel, US Chabad women campus emissaries commiserate over their annus horribilis]( By Maya Zanger-Nadis [Political climate sparks ‘notable increase’ in attacks on Israel’s Christians – NGO]( By Lazar Berman Interview [In Germany, threats to Holocaust memory come from both ends of the political spectrum]( By Matt Lebovic [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( 2024 Paris Olympics [On complex world stage in Paris, Israel’s Olympians hope to stay focused on sport]( By Amy Spiro Despite security threats and concerns over provocations, Israeli officials say goal is to bring home 4-5 medals at 2024 games, upping state grant to gold medalists to NIS 1 million [Hostages’ families share favorite Shavuot recipes as they hold out hope for loved ones]( By Jessica Steinberg Hostages forum releases cookbook ‘Shavuot of Longing, Their Recipes on Our Table,’ as part of fundraising efforts to secure the freedom of those held captive in Gaza [Still life / Images of Israelis fighting for hostages displayed at Habima Square]( By Jessica Steinberg [Lock art / On London’s Lovelock Bridge, artists call for hostages’ release]( By Jessica Steinberg Environment [Dead Sea oasis’s new visitor complex showcases efforts to save unique ecosystem]( By Sue Surkes Einot Zukim Nature Reserve – also known by its Arabic name Ein Feshkha – has a new standout desert-life education center that blends in with the surrounding cliffs [Inside story / How Israel worked to renew Gaza’s water supply amid the war, with help from locals]( By Aviv Lavie [World Environment Day 2024 / KKL-JNF moves from massive planting to target-driven, sustainable management]( By Sue Surkes ToI podcast [What Matters Now to archaeologist Jodi Magness: Ever-changing, eternal Jerusalem]( By ToI Staff To mark Jerusalem Day, we speak with the ‘Jerusalem Through the Ages’ author and learn about the archaeological record of the peoples who have resided in the Holy City Archaeology [Mosaic floor of early Christian prayer hall to be displayed at US evangelical museum]( By Gavriel Fiske The Megiddo Mosaic, discovered in 2005 on the grounds of a prison in northern Israel, to get first public showing at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC [Face off / 9,000-year-old stone mask from Hebron Hills on display at Israel Museum]( By Gavriel Fiske [Rashi was right: Machine learning confirms unique status of some Talmudic tracts]( By Gavriel Fiske [Archaeology / Flint tools for butchering deer were developed in Israel 400,000 years ago – study]( By Gavriel Fiske Testimony [How one police officer saved dozens from certain death in Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7]( By Maya Zanger-Nadis Sharing his story with army and police, Eyal Aharon tells how he charged into battle to save his sons when they fled the Supernova massacre and found themselves surrounded by terrorists [Domestic violence rates nearly doubled since Oct. 7. Eight women were murdered in 2024]( By Diana Bletter [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2024 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved