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Hi Reader,
It's June 1st, and summer is officially knocking. Youth groups are wrapping up, the school year is winding down, and people are heading to the beach. The kids in my neighborhood threw a full carnival this week โ noise, games, the whole thing.
And yet, the north is still getting hit with missiles and drones around the clock. Trump and Netanyahu are deep in negotiations with Iran. Last summer, war broke out right around this time. School trips got canceled. Plans evaporated overnight.
So there's this feeling right now โ a hesitant celebration. People are going outside, making plans, doing things. But everyone's doing it while also glancing up at the sky wondering what tomorrow brings.
Which is exactly why this community exists. Because in between the worry and the waiting, there is so much life. Full, intentional, don't-take-it-for-granted life. And that's what we're here for. Let's get into it. ๐
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From The Ground
The neighborhood kids had a carnival this week. Loud, joyful, completely chaotic. Watching them run around like the world is completely fine โ because for them, in that moment, it was โ I thought: this is the whole point. Not ignoring what's hard. Just refusing to let it cancel the good stuff. That's not naivety. That's resistance. ๐ฎ๐ฑ
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Love & Resilience - Mazel Tov
He Stood Under His Chuppah on the Farm He Rebuilt
Yosef Chaim was severely wounded in Be'eri on October 7th. bH, this week he stood under his chuppah โ on the farm he established before the war, and returned to in S'de Ephraim. The hills, the flowers, the crutches, and the biggest smile. Life, stubbornly and beautifully, continues. ๐
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A Bat Mitzvah Beit Shemesh Will Never Forget
Nearly three months after a devastating missile strike took the life of Oren Katz z"l and eight other residents, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of his daughter Liraz.
Public figures, neighbors, volunteers, businesses โ the whole community showed up to make sure she had the night of her life. This is what Am Yisrael does. We hold each other in both the heartbreak and the happiness. โจ
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Rivals. One Umbrella. Tefillin.
Ahead of the State Cup Final at Teddy Stadium, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans wrapped tefillin side by side at a stand in the Machane Yehuda Shuk. That image says more than I could write in a hundred posts.
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The Sons of October 7 Are Going to the World Cup
Shai Graucher and his team have spent the past two and a half years caring for the orphans of October 7 โ children who lost their fathers in the massacre. This week, he surprised some of those boys with something their fathers would have loved to see: a trip to America for the FIFA World Cup. ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ
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Jewish Heritage Night Is Happening All Over America
Baseball stadiums across the country are partnering with local Jewish communities for Jewish Heritage Nights this summer. Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster Counties. Boston. Lehigh Valley. Rochester. Big leagues and small. It's nice to see it happening everywhere โ large cities and small towns showing up for the Jewish community. ๐
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โจ๐ Site Spotlight of the Week ๐ฅพโจ
BEAUFORT CASTLE, SOUTHERN LEBANON
History Made at Beaufort Castle
I need to tell you about Beaufort Castle.
For those who don't know it โ this fortress has loomed over northern Israel for decades. During the First Lebanon War in 1982, Israeli forces captured it from the PLO in one of that war's most costly battles. Israel held it as a military outpost through the Security Zone years, until withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000. The moment Israel pulled out, Hezbollah hoisted their flag over the castle walls. For many Israelis, that image never left.
This past week, for the first time since 1982, IDF forces took control of Beaufort Castle. The Golani Brigade, the 7th Brigade, and Givati forces โ operating under the code name "Marom Harim," Heights of the Mountains.
One of the Golani commanders who was there wrote about it afterward. He described years of planning, countless postponements. Then, just 24 hours before execution, the order cut through the air. Plans for Shabbat dinner, a Friday at the beach, a concert โ all instantly replaced with route planning, target selection, and final force coordination.
25 years after that Hezbollah flag went up. Our boys took it down.
Some moments in Jewish history you just have to sit with. This is one of them. ๐ฎ๐ฑ
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๐ฃ Join Us - June 9: First Ever Community Event with Israel Good News
Packing Good Vibes and Food Boxes
We're doing something together. Israel Good News Only is partnering with Meir Panim for a volunteer morning โ packing food for families who come to pick it up. Tuesday June 9th, 8:30-11AM, Or Akiva (near Caesarea). Spaces are limited and registration is required. Come be part of something beautiful.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/hvEhFN4p8b7xrLQE8 ๐ฅฆ๐
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Thank you for being part of this light.
Each story you read, share, or forward keeps that light moving.
Thatโs what Israel Good News Only is all about โ connection, courage, and a little more hope in everyoneโs inbox.
See you next week,โ
Sam Kramer
โFounder, Israel Good News Only
P.S. Share good news or photos with me directly โ just REPLY with a "Hi ๐๐ป" and tell me where in the world you're reading this. I'd love to hear from you.
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