Big premiere in Israel! “…The event will continue if the alarm lasts no more than an hour…” – with these words, this play begins.

In November 2026, performances of the play “Odessa Alarm or How One Mishpucha Gathered in a Shelter” will take place in Israel with the participation of People’s Artists of Ukraine Oleg Filimonov and Diana Malaya. This is a tour across six cities — Haifa, Ashdod, Rishon LeZion, Be’er Sheva, Petah Tikva, and Netanya.

Formally — a comedy in Russian with an Odessa “pronunciation”.
In essence — a stage conversation about life during the war.

The play begins with a phrase that has long ceased to be a theatrical convention: “The event will continue if the alarm lasts no more than an hour…” This line sets the tone for the entire action. The audience immediately understands that it is not about a fictional alarm, but about the everyday reality of recent years.

Duration — 1 hour 40 minutes. Age restriction — 12+. Price range depending on the city — approximately 186–256 shekels.

Tour geography: cities, dates, audience

The performances are spread across the country — from north to south.

Netanya — Thursday, 05.11.2026, 19:00
Arik Einstein Auditorium, Netanya

Haifa — Friday, 06.11.2026, 19:00
Krieger Center for the Performing Arts, Haifa

Be’er Sheva — Saturday, 07.11.2026, 20:00
Tamuz Beit Ha-Musika

Rishon LeZion — Monday, 09.11.2026, 19:00
Mofet, Rishon LeZion

Haifa — Wednesday, 11.11.2026, 19:00
Beit-Nagler, Haifa

Petah Tikva — Friday, 13.11.2026, 19:00
Sharet, Petah Tikva

Ashdod — Saturday, 14.11.2026, 19:00
Matnas Duna-Yud, Ashdod

Tickets are already available –

https://nikk.kassa.co.il/announce/85289

Cast:

Husband – Oleg Filimonov, Ukrainian theater and film actor, People’s Artist of Ukraine, member of the KVN team “Odessa Gentlemen”, host of the TV show “Gentlemen Show”, “Filimonov and Company”, “Camera of Laughter” and others.
Wife – Diana Malaya, Ukrainian theater and film actress, People’s Artist of Ukraine, serves in the Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater named after V. Vasylko, starred in films “Deja Vu”, “Liquidation”, “Island of Unwanted People” and others.

The organizers emphasize: the production was conceived as a gesture of solidarity with the Israeli reality, where sirens and shelters are part of everyday life. That is why the tour in Israel is perceived not as a standard tour, but as an accurate hit in the context.

For the Russian-speaking audience of Israel, it is also a return to the Odessa cultural code — humor, intonation, family “mishpucha”, where in the cramped space of the shelter, characters suddenly reveal themselves.

Production team:

Scriptwriters: Alexander Tarasul, Viktor Yavnik, Evgeny Khait
Director: Igor Slavinsky
Assistant Director: Ekaterina Lebedeva
Set Designer: Emzari Kiknavelidze
Music Editor: Sergey Dmitriev
Choreography: Pavel Ivlyushkin
Vocals: Margarita Chernik
Lighting: Vladimir Dubovenko
Photo: Artem Pelevan
Producers: Alexander Tarasul, Viktor Yavnik, Evgeny Khait

What the play is about and why it emerged after 2022

War as a domestic backdrop

After February 24, 2022, Odessa found itself in the zone of regular missile attacks. Air alarms, infrastructure destruction, damage to the historic center — this is not an abstraction, but the backdrop in which artists continue to live and work.

Oleg Filimonov in a 2023 interview directly stated: comedy during war is not frivolity, but a way of psychological protection. According to him, if people are not given the opportunity to laugh, “one can go insane.” This position became the dramatic basis of the new production.

Diana Malaya during the same period continued to serve in the Odessa Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater named after V. Vasylko. In 2022, the theater relaunched its work in the format of “theater in a shelter” — rehearsals and performances took place in protected premises. This was a forced but principled step: cultural life does not stop.

“Odessa Alarm” as a stage response

The play is not about the front and not about politics. It’s about an hour in a shelter.

About a family forced to wait out the siren together.
About irritation, fear, domestic conflicts.
And about laughter that arises where it seemingly has no place.

In 2024, the play was shown in Odessa on February 24 — on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion. In 2025, it was already openly called “a comedy about life in wartime conditions.” This is not an advertising formula, but an accurate definition of the genre.

This is the material the artists are now bringing to Israel.

Helping Ukraine after 2022: the stage as a form of resilience

Public position and personal experience

Filimonov did not hide that his family experienced missile attacks in Odessa. In 2025, there were reports in the media that he installed a concrete shelter on his property — a measure of personal safety that shows the degree of reality of the threat.

This is not a declaration, but everyday life.

Theater work during the war

The Odessa Ukrainian Theater, where Diana Malaya serves, did not cease its activities after the invasion began. It switched to working in a shelter format, continued to release premieres and maintain its repertoire.

Maintaining the stage in a city under attack is also a contribution.
Not in the form of collections, but in the form of resilience of the cultural environment.

International tours as a continuation of the conversation

When a play about alarm and shelter takes the Israeli stage, it ceases to be a local story of Odessa. It becomes a shared experience.

In the middle of the material, NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers this tour not only as a poster but as a cultural bridge between Ukraine and Israel — two societies for which the siren and shelter have become part of reality.

The tours perform several functions at once:
support Ukrainian cultural visibility abroad,
create emotional contact with the diaspora,
transfer the conversation about the war from the plane of news to the plane of human experience.

Why this tour is important right now

The Israeli audience understands the dramaturgy of alarm without explanations.
The Ukrainian audience lives it every day.

“Odessa Alarm” does not try to explain the war. It captures its domestic layer — an hour in a shelter, where people remain themselves.

In conditions where news about the war becomes the backdrop, it is precisely such plays that remind us: culture does not fade into the shadows even under sirens.

And perhaps this is the main contribution of the artists after 2022 — to continue playing when it would have been easier to remain silent.

How to buy tickets

The performances are spread across the country — from north to south.

Netanya — Thursday, 05.11.2026, 19:00
Arik Einstein Auditorium, Netanya

Haifa — Friday, 06.11.2026, 19:00
Krieger Center for the Performing Arts, Haifa

Be’er Sheva — Saturday, 07.11.2026, 20:00
Tamuz Beit Ha-Musika

Rishon LeZion — Monday, 09.11.2026, 19:00
Mofet, Rishon LeZion

Haifa — Wednesday, 11.11.2026, 19:00
Beit-Nagler, Haifa

Petah Tikva — Friday, 13.11.2026, 19:00
Sharet, Petah Tikva

Ashdod — Saturday, 14.11.2026, 19:00
Matnas Duna-Yud, Ashdod

Tickets are already available –

https://nikk.kassa.co.il/announce/85289

…
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Beijing between Trump and Putin: Why China did not become the main arbiter of the war

In the past two weeks, Beijing has become one of the key diplomatic venues in world politics. First, Donald Trump arrived there, then Putin. Both visits were presented as major events, but in the end, it became clear: neither Washington nor Moscow received everything they expected from Xi Jinping.

For Ukraine, this is an important signal. China continues to talk about a ‘political settlement’ and a ‘constructive role,’ but does not call Russia’s war against Ukraine a war. In official Chinese rhetoric, it remains a ‘crisis,’ and in the joint formulations of Beijing and Moscow, the thesis about the need to eliminate ‘root causes’ is heard again.

This phrase is particularly important. The Kremlin uses it as a diplomatic cover for old demands: recognition of spheres of influence, pressure on Ukraine, limitation of its sovereignty, and the actual consolidation of the results of aggression. China does not repeat all Russian theses verbatim, but it also does not create real pressure on Moscow.

Macron warns Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Greece at the end of April, said that Europe is experiencing a moment when the US president, the Russian ruler, and the Chinese leader are effectively acting against European interests. According to him, this is a time when Europe needs to finally wake up.

Paris, meanwhile, continues to maintain a dialogue channel with Beijing, hoping that China can send signals to Moscow about the need to end the war. But the problem is that Beijing does not seem interested in really forcing Putin to peace.

For Israel, this plot is not distant. If China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are acting more closely, then the consequences of such a connection are felt not only in Kyiv or Brussels but also in the Middle East.

Doubts in US guarantees: Taiwan, NATO, and a worrying signal to allies

One of the main topics of Xi’s talks with Trump was Taiwan. For Beijing, this is a fundamental issue, especially against the backdrop of the American arms package for Taipei worth $14 billion, agreed upon in December 2025.

After visiting China, Trump effectively questioned not only the already approved defense support for Taiwan but also the US’s willingness to defend the island in case of an attack from mainland China. His words that America would have to ‘overcome 9500 miles’ to fight for Taiwan sounded like a signal to several capitals.

In Beijing, such statements are heard very attentively. In Moscow — too.

If Washington pauses aid to Taiwan, it hits the very idea of the reliability of American guarantees. For Europe, Ukraine, and Israel, the question is no longer just about Taiwan. The question is how firm the US commitments to allies remain at a time when the world is entering a new phase of power pressure.

Europe must defend itself

Meanwhile, the US continues to change its approach to European security. Even statements about additional American troops in Poland do not cancel the general line: conventional defense of Europe is increasingly seen as a task for Europe itself, and the US is ready to leave mainly nuclear deterrence.

This logic was previously voiced by Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, effectively questioning the traditional reading of NATO’s Article 5 on collective defense.

Against this backdrop, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte calls for preparing for further reductions in the American military presence in Europe. At the same time, the idea of buying more weapons from American companies is being discussed to keep Washington within the alliance. But many European countries want something else: to develop their own defense industry and reduce dependence on the US.

For the Ukrainian front, this means one thing: Europe must quickly move from statements to production, logistics, and long-term military solutions.

The Iranian factor, US weakness, and benefits for Moscow and Beijing

A separate line is the war in the Middle East and the role of Iran. According to American experts, US arms stocks were already under serious pressure even before the new escalation around Iran. The production of JASSM missiles, Tomahawks, and interceptors for Patriot can take years.

This creates a strategic problem. It is difficult for the US to simultaneously maintain tension in the Indo-Pacific region, support Europe, help Ukraine, and conduct a long campaign against Iran. Moscow and Beijing understand this.

Russia and China are helping Iran restore its military potential, and Iran itself remains a direct threat to both Israel and regional stability. Cheap strike drones, massive attacks, pressure on energy routes, and blocking the Strait of Hormuz show how expensive Western defense has become and how dangerous the cooperation of authoritarian regimes is.

That is why NANews — Israel News Nikk.Agency considers this story not only as a Ukrainian-European plot. For the Israeli audience, the entire chain is important: the Russian war against Ukraine, Chinese support for Moscow, the Iranian threat in the Middle East, and US fluctuations in ally security issues.

Putin did not get the pipeline, but kept the main thing

Putin’s visit to China also did not bring him complete success. Beijing again did not agree to the construction of the ‘Power of Siberia-2’ pipeline, which could help Russia compensate for the loss of the European gas market.

The design capacity of the pipe is estimated at about 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year. For Moscow, this would be a strategic lifeline. But China is in no hurry to pay for Russian desires and demands prices close to domestic Russian ones.

However, this visit cannot be called a failure. Putin maintained the status quo.

China remains Russia’s main economic rear, helps bypass Western sanctions, and maintains channels for the supply of dual-use goods. These channels are especially important for the Russian defense industry.

The main thing is that Beijing does not intend to pressure Moscow to ceasefire. If China really wanted to sharply change the situation, it could limit the export of critically important components and technologies. But there is no such decision.

Why Xi will not save Ukraine at the expense of pressuring Moscow

In the Trump administration, according to analysts, the idea remains that the US should be more of a mediator than a party that harshly pressures Russia. In this logic, Ukraine should make concessions, and Moscow can supposedly be torn away from China.

But this scheme looks weak. Russia is already deeply integrated into the anti-Western bloc, where China, Iran, and North Korea are next to it. The attempt to ‘tear’ Moscow away from Beijing at the cost of Ukrainian territorial concessions may turn out to be not a diplomatic maneuver, but a strategic mistake.

Especially since global energy instability works in Russia’s favor. If the Strait of Hormuz remains under pressure, if US allies pay the price for the crisis, if Washington is forced to soften certain sanction approaches to Russian oil, the Kremlin receives additional resources to continue the war.

Xi Jinping sees this. And therefore, he has no obvious incentive to force Putin to stop.

What remains for Europe

Europe has levers of influence on China, but they will have to be used more harshly. France is already warning Beijing that the destruction of European industry through unfair competition will ultimately hit China’s own access to the European market.

The European Commission is promoting ‘Made in Europe’ rules to protect jobs and reduce dependence on cheap Chinese imports. China, in response, threatens retaliatory measures, not offering a compromise.

This is the new reality. China is not going to voluntarily become a guarantor of a fair world for Ukraine. The US under Trump demonstrates unpredictability. Russia continues the war. Iran increases regional pressure. Europe is forced to grow up faster than it wanted.

For Israel, the conclusion is also obvious: in a world where allied guarantees become less automatic, security cannot be built only on promises. It is necessary to look at chains of interests, at the real actions of states, and at who, at a critical moment, helps the aggressor not with words, but with technologies, money, and time.

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On November 4, 1995, an event occurred that shocked all of Israel. The assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin became one of the most tragic moments in the modern history of the country and influenced its internal and external political processes.

Yitzhak Rabin had connections with Ukrainewhich go back to his family. Rabin was born in Jerusalem, but his ancestors came from Ukraine. His grandfather, Menachim Rabichov, was born in the village Sidorovichi, located in the Kyiv region. Rabin often referred to his Ukrainian roots in the context of Jewish diaspora and cultural identity.

In Odessa the street is named after Yitzhak Rabin.

We have already written about Rabin’s Ukrainian roots – “In the Ukrainian village where Yitzhak Rabin’s father was born, Putin’s soldiers looted the Israeli flag from the library, donated to the village by the state of Israel.”.

In September 1995, Yitzhak Rabin paid an official visit to Ukraine and met with President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.

IN joint statement was, “The Israeli side recognized that the existence of an independent and sovereign Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders is an important factor for strengthening stability in Europe and meets the interests of the entire international society”.

Yitzhak Rabin then addressed the public and the Jewish diaspora of Ukraine in the Kiev district of Nivki, on the territory belonging to the Jewish organization Sokhnut.

This was the last foreign trip of the Israeli politician and head of government.. Upon returning from Kyiv, on November 9, 1995, Yitzhak Rabin was shot dead in Tel Aviv Yigal Amirwho took revenge for the “peace agreements with Palestine.”

Communication between Israel and the Sidorovichs has resumed in 2011when, on the initiative of the head of the Limmud educational project, Chaim Chesler, in the village a memorial plaque was installed in honor of Nehemia Rabichev and his children.

The opening ceremony was attended by Nehemiah’s grandson and Yitzhak’s son Yuval Rabin.

“My father, like me, are natives of Israel. But in our family there were echoes of the place where my grandfather was born. For example, my father was very fond of Ukrainian borscht and dumplings. It’s very touching for me to visit my grandfather’s homeland – I’ve returned to my roots,” Yuval Rabin told the press in those days.

An Israeli flag was placed next to the memorial sign, and books about Israel and works of Jewish literature were donated to the village library at the local House of Culture.

The House of Culture planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Yitzhak Rabin on March 1, 2022. But this was not destined to happen. Five days before this date, on February 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

The village was on the way of the invaders on the way to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Having passed through the Chernobyl zone, Russian soldiers already entered Sidorovichi on February 25. 35 days of brutal occupation began.

Characteristic moment: Russian soldiers stole more than just washing machines before retreating from the village from the homes of civilians.

Putin’s soldiers stole the Israeli flag from the library, donated to the village during the opening of the memorial plaque. More details – https://nikk.agency/soldaty-putina-smarodjorili/

Let’s think about the symbolism of this action: Russian soldiers take away the Israeli flag as a trophy from a Ukrainian village.

When the history of the village of Sidorovichi became known Ambassador of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodskyhis reaction was immediate. On behalf of the ambassador, an Israeli flag was delivered to the village – instead of the flag that was stolen by the Russian occupiers; medicine was also delivered.

The liberated Ukrainian village that gave Israel such prominent figures now has an Israeli flag again.

Political career and peace efforts

Rabin began his career at the Palmach, which became the basis for the Israel Defense Forces. In 1948, during the War of Independence, he showed outstanding leadership qualities, which helped him take the post of Chief of the General Staff in 1967, during the Six Day War.

Rabin was first elected prime minister in 1974, but his first reign was hampered by an economic crisis and internal conflicts. In 1992, Rabin again headed the government and began the process of peacefully resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. He became a symbol of hope for peace by signing the Oslo Accords in 1993, which recognized the existence of Israel and the PLO.

Rabin, Arafat and Shimon Peres were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for their efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict. These agreements were the first step towards more stable relations between Israelis and Palestinians, but caused bitter disputes and divisions in Israeli society. Rabin was criticized for negotiating with “enemies” and became a target of far-right groups.

Murder and its consequences

Rabin’s assassination occurred after he spoke at a rally in support of the peace process. Yigal Amir, a far-right extremist, shot and killed Rabin, claiming that he was defending Israel from its peace accords. The killing came as a shock to the country and the world, sparking widespread protests and expressions of grief among Israelis.

Immediately after his death, the square where the murder took place became a place of mourning. People lit candles, left flowers and wrote graffiti on the walls. Tel Aviv Mayor Roni Milo announced the renaming of Kings of Israel Square to Yitzhak Rabin Square. This event marked a turning point in Israel’s history and changed the way the world viewed itself.

Memory of Rabin

Rabin left a legacy that lives on in Israeli memory. Many institutions bear his name, including schools, avenues and monuments. The Rabin Heritage Center was built in Tel Aviv to house documents and artifacts related to his life and work.

Knesset cancels Rabin memorial ceremonies at family request: ‘Now is not the time’

For the first time in 2024, the Knesset will not hold a special meeting dedicated to the anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said Rabin’s family had asked the Knesset not to hold any ceremonies this year because of the war. This year, ceremonies in memory of Rabin were supposed to take place on November 13. This is the day of the assassination of the Prime Minister according to the Jewish calendar.

Rabin’s daughter Dalia sent a letter to the Speaker, President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu calling for the cancellation of events marking the anniversary of her father’s assassination.

“Israel is now dealing with serious challenges and threats that have befallen it since October 7. Since the war has dragged on and there is a risk of its expansion, I believe that now is not the time to hold large ceremonies. It will be enough to honor the memory of Yitzhak Rabin with restraint,” wrote Dalia Rabin-Philozof.

Conclusion

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin was not only a tragedy for Israel, but also a symbol of hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. His legacy continues to inspire new generations of Israelis to seek paths to peace and reconciliation. It is necessary to remember this tragedy and its consequences in order to avoid history repeating itself.

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September 22, 1939 an event took place that they still try not to remember in Russia – a joint parade of Nazis and communists in Brest. It was a symbol of cooperation between two totalitarian regimes, which became a dark spot in the history of World War II.

It is especially important to realize that the alliance between the USSR and Nazi Germany in 1939 also contributed to one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century: HolocaustThe Nazis used the resources they received from the Soviet Union to wage war and establish control over territories where they would later begin the extermination of millions of Jews, Roma and other minorities.

The parade in Brest symbolized the victory over Poland, a country in which about 3 million Jews. This parade was just one of the scenes preceding the tragedy, when German troops would later occupy Polish territories and set up a system of concentration camps there, including Auschwitz And TreblinkaPoland itself, divided and oppressed by two regimes, witnessed the mass extermination of its citizens.

The Soviet Union, collaborating with the Nazis in the early years of the war, turned a blind eye to the repressions against Jews and other minorities. Moreover, after the war ended, it actively hushed up the Holocaust, promoting the version that the victims of the war were exclusively Soviet citizens, thereby ignoring the scale of the Nazi genocide.

Today, when some countries try to deny or distort historical facts, such as the Holocaust or the Soviet-Nazi alliance, it is important to remember the lessons of the Brest parade. Totalitarian regimes, if not stopped in time, can lead to irreversible tragedies, and cooperation for short-term gain can lead to large-scale catastrophes, as happened in 1939.

Meeting on the Bug

September 1, 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II. Seventeen days later, under the pretext of defending “blood brothers,” the Soviet Union joined the aggression. About 30-50% of the defenders of Brest were Ukrainians and Belarusians, who fought to the last, but soon both armies captured the city.

According to the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Brest was given to the USSR. However, before the German troops were to leave the city, the two regimes decided to demonstrate their brotherhood to the public by staging a joint parade – a parade that was to become a symbol of the alliance.

Friendship Parade

On September 22, 1939, at 2:00 p.m., in front of the flagpole with the Nazi flag, the commanders of the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, General Guderian And Brigade Commander Krivosheincame out onto the wooden platform. The procession began with the passage of German equipment, followed by Soviet equipment.

After the parade, the command of the two armies held a banquet. Toasts to the health of Hitler and Stalin were loudly sung, and soldiers from both sides fraternized, smoked cigarettes and drank beer. They were united by the joy of the joint partition of Poland. The Nazi flag was replaced by the Soviet one, as a symbol of the new government.

However, the Germans did not leave for long. After just two years, June 29, 1941Brest was again captured by the Nazis, becoming a symbol that this “union” was temporary, and the friendship put on display concealed preparations for future betrayals.

The Forgotten Truth

Soviet historiography carefully avoids mentioning collaboration with the Nazis from 1939 to 1941. After all, the USSR not only became an accomplice in unleashing World War II, but also actively helped Nazi Germany, supplying it with oil, copper, grain and timber in huge quantities. During this period, the Soviet Union handed over to the Nazis 856 thousand tons of oil, 14 thousand tons of copper, 1.4 million tons of grain and more than a million tons of timber.

Parade or march?

The facts of the meeting of Soviet and Nazi troops are not in doubt, but there is disagreement over what to call this event – a parade or a march. Historian Alexander Dyukov insists that it was a “routine march” because military formalities were not observed. However, it is clear that it was a military show, demonstrating the alliance of two totalitarian regimes who wanted to show the world that they were acting in concert.

Brest historian Vasily Sarichev states: “If this is officially recognized as a parade, then this will be a sanctioned recognition that Hitler and Stalin, the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, acted together, demonstrating their unity.”

Propaganda campaign

Soviet propaganda always tried to hush up or distort the events of September 22, 1939. In Germany itself, this parade was actively filmed by Nazi propagandists, making it a show for the domestic audience and a message for the West, especially for England and FranceThe moment when Nazi and Soviet troops marched together was supposed to be a clear signal: “We are allies.” However, the Soviet side preferred to call it a “ceremonial procession” or ignore the event altogether.

Yuri Tsurganoveditor-in-chief of the magazine “Posev”, emphasizes: “Modern Russian propaganda is trying to erase this episode from memory, because it destroys their myth about the Great Patriotic War, where the USSR is depicted as a liberator and a victim of aggression.”

Poland – a victim of two tyrannies

For Poland, the events of September 22 are just one episode in a series of tragedies that began with the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. According to Andrzej Nowakprofessor at the Jagiellonian University, “September 17, 1939 is the day when the USSR stabbed the Polish army in the back, becoming an accomplice in the destruction of Poland.” This blow became the final step on the path to the liquidation of the Polish state.

Projection onto today’s realities: the union of two regimes

When one recalls the joint parade of Nazis and Soviets in Brest, one cannot help but see parallels with contemporary world events. Today, many authoritarian regimes, like those led by Hitler and Stalin, are seeking allies to consolidate their power and suppress freedom in other countries. These new coalitions, as in the past, are based on implicit support for totalitarianism, with the suppression of human rights and the destruction of democratic values ​​becoming a common goal.

In the 21st century, for example, Russia has close ties with countries such as Iran, China, and North Korea. These regimes, supporting each other, oppose Western democracies, seeking global influence through confrontation and destabilization of the international order. Russia, like the USSR in the past, is again playing a double game, participating in international conflicts, supporting authoritarian regimes, and interfering in the affairs of other states.

Iranwith its nuclear ambitions and anti-Semitic rhetoric, is similar to the Nazi regime in its aims and methods, while receiving support from Russia in the form of weapons and political support. Russia, unleashing a full-scale war in Ukraine and seeking geopolitical expansion, once again finds itself in the role of an aggressor, as in 1939. The parallels between how the USSR helped Germany then and how Russia now supports terrorist organizations and authoritarian regimes are obvious.

Modern parallels and the role of the international community

The parade in Brest is not just a historical fact, it is a warning that any alliances built on violence and suppression will sooner or later lead to disaster. The international community should not turn a blind eye to the emerging alliances of totalitarian regimes, as was the case in 1939. Every step, every concession to aggressors and dictators leads to new wars and new genocides.

Ukraine, which is now at the forefront of the fight for its independence, understands this lesson better than anyone. That is why it is fighting not only for its freedom, but also to ensure that the world does not repeat the mistakes of the past. Totalitarian regimes always seek allies to strengthen their influence, but it is international support for democracies, the alliance of Israel, Ukraine and the Western world that must become a bulwark against resurgent threats.

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“Not About the War”: The book of Jewish defender of Ukraine Maksym Shvartsman was presented in Chernivtsi on the 3rd anniversary of his death at the front - July 21, 2026 - Новости Израиля

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Syria participated in foreign exercises for the first time after Assad

Syrian military took part in the international exercises EFES-2026 in Turkey — this became a significant signal for the entire region after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.

The exercises took place in the Izmir area, including the Gulf of Izmir and the Doganbey range. According to Turkish and regional sources, representatives from about 50 countries participated, including NATO members — the USA, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and other states. In total, more than 10,000 military personnel were involved, about 1,305 of whom were from Turkey’s partner and allied countries.

For Damascus, this is not just a military episode. It is the first appearance of the Syrian army on a major foreign platform of this level after the change of power and the beginning of the restructuring of security institutions.

What exactly did the Syrian military do

According to Janes, Syria sent a small group to EFES-2026: 20 military personnel and 11 observers. They participated in elements of air assault training and sniper shooting. Other reports also mention armored maneuvers, but this detail more often appears through secondary sources, so it is more accurate to present it as part of reports on the program rather than as a definitively confirmed fact.

SANA wrote that Syrian participation is related to the Ministry of Defense’s desire to gain experience in joint exercises, study coordination methods, training organization, and modern approaches to army operations in a multi-level combat environment.

Chief of the Syrian General Staff arrived in Turkey

The event was given additional political weight by the arrival of the Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian army, Major General Ali al-Naasan. According to SANA, he arrived in Turkey on May 20, 2026, along with a group of officers and met with the Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish army, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.

The visit was related not only to observing the final phase of EFES-2026 but also to demonstrating a new level of military contact between Ankara and Damascus.

Why this is important for Ankara

Turkey is showing that after Assad’s fall, it intends to play a key role in shaping the new Syrian military architecture. Previously, Reuters reported that Turkish-Syrian military cooperation already includes training, consultations, technical support, and the use of Turkish infrastructure for training Syrian military personnel.

For Ankara, this is part of a broader strategy: controlling the northern Syrian direction, exerting pressure on Kurdish forces, limiting Iranian influence, and establishing Turkey as the main external partner of the new Syrian government.

What this means for Israel

For Israel, Syria’s participation in EFES-2026 is not an ordinary piece of military news. It concerns a country that, after many years of war, Iranian influence, and internal collapse, is trying to rebuild its army, gain international legitimacy, and integrate into new regional formats.

NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency views this episode primarily through an Israeli lens: if the new Syrian army strengthens under Turkish patronage, it could change the balance in the northern direction, including the Golan Heights, Lebanon, the Kurdish factor, and the residual influence of Iran.

At the same time, it should not be hastily concluded that Syria has already become a full-fledged military partner of NATO. Formally, it is about participation in Turkish international exercises, where NATO armies, partner states, and new regional players were present. But the very fact of Syrian military presence on such a platform shows: Damascus is no longer as isolated as it was under the previous regime.

New Syria seeks a place between Turkey, the West, and the region

After the fall of Assad’s regime, Syria under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa is gradually returning to international formats. Reuters has already reported on the expansion of Syria’s contacts with the G7 and the partial revision of sanctions policy regarding new Syrian institutions.

Against this backdrop, EFES-2026 looks like a military symbol of the same trend: the new Syrian government is trying to show that it can be not only an object of crisis but also a participant in regional security.

For Israel, the main question remains open: will this restructuring of Syria become a factor of stabilization on the northern borders or, over time, create a new, more organized, and less predictable challenge.

…
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In our section “Jews from Ukraine,” we will tell the story of the heroic act of Yuri Lifshits, a Kyiv native who stopped the “death train” heading to Auschwitz and saved over 100 Jews. His story is an example of heroism and courage that continues to inspire people to fight against injustice.

On April 19, 1943, an event took place in the Belgian Resistance that became a true act of heroism and a symbol of resistance to the Nazi regime.

It was the day when Yuri Lifshits, along with two companions — Robert Mestriaux and Jean Francklemont — attacked a train carrying over 1600 Jews from the transit camp Mechelen to Auschwitz. Using minimal resources — one pistol and breaking tools — they managed to stop the train and free the prisoners. This heroic act became the first and only case of a mass escape from the “death train” during World War II.

Details of the operation: “Attack on the 20th convoy”

On April 19, 1943, Yuri Lifshits, armed with only a pistol, organized the attack on the 20th convoy that was transporting prisoners to Auschwitz. Lifshits and his two companions — Robert Mestriaux and Jean Francklemont — managed to stop the train with the help of their tools and pistol. Despite the lack of weapons and the numerical superiority of the enemy, they acted decisively.

“The 20th convoy”, also known as “Train No. XX” (fr. Vingtième convoi), was a train that transported deportees from Belgium, occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II.

The reason for the operation was the testimony of William Herskovitz, an Auschwitz prisoner who managed to escape from the camp and, after reaching Antwerp, contacted the Belgian Resistance. Herskovitz’s account is one of the earliest testimonies of Auschwitz’s atrocities.

On April 19, 1943, The 20th convoy left the transit camp Mechelen, carrying 1631 Jews, including men, women, and children. For this transport, not regular passenger cars were used, but freight cars with windows covered in barbed wire. Additionally, there was a special car (Sonderwagen) in the convoy, carrying 19 people — 18 men and one woman. These people were members of the Resistance and escapees from previous transports. To ensure their immediate destruction upon arrival at Auschwitz, their clothing was marked with a red cross. However, three of these prisoners managed to escape, and the fourth was shot on the spot.

At the same time, a group of young people from the Belgian Resistance, including Yuri Lifshits, a Jewish doctor from Kyiv, and his friends — Robert Mestriaux and Jean Francklemont — armed with one pistol and an improvised red lantern, managed to stop the train between the municipalities of Bortmeerbeek and Haacht on the Mechelen — Leuven route. Despite the presence of one officer and fifteen soldiers from the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo-SD), they managed to open one of the wagons and free 17 people.

Some other prisoners escaped without the help of the Resistance. The train driver, Albert Dumon, assisted the escapees by trying to move as slowly as possible between Tienen and Tongeren, stopping whenever possible, allowing people to jump off the train and avoid fatal consequences.

As a result, 233 people escaped from the train. However, 89 were caught and sent on later trains, 26 people were killed or died while falling from the train. Only 118 survived, hiding in Belgian families until the end of the war. The youngest of the escapees was just 11 years old — Simon Gronowski. Also among those saved was Regina Krochmal, an 18-year-old Resistance nurse who cut the wooden bars before the train’s air vent and jumped out of the train.

On April 22, 1943, the train arrived at Auschwitz, where the selection took place. Of the 521 people left for work, only 150 survived to the end of the war. The remaining 874 prisoners were immediately killed in gas chambers. Among the women, 70% were killed immediately, and the others were used for medical experiments.

Due to the escape from the train, many prisoners died upon arrival at the camp, which became one of the most tragic consequences of this operation.

Yuri Lifshits: The Resistance Hero Who Saved Hundreds of Lives

Yuri Solomоновich Lifshits (September 30, 1917, Kyiv, Ukraine — February 17, 1944, Schaerbeek, Belgium) was a Jewish doctor, a fighter in the Belgian Resistance, who became famous for his heroic act that saved the lives of over 100 Jews and went down in history as one of the heroes of the fight against the Nazi regime.

Yuri Lifshits was born in Kyiv in a Jewish family. His father was a military doctor serving in the Russian army, and his mother came from a wealthy family of Kishinev Jews. She received an education at Sorbonne and worked as a teacher. The Lifshits family often moved, giving Yuri the opportunity to experience different cultures and languages. In 1928, the family moved to Munich, and later — to Kyiv.

When Yuri was 11, his parents divorced, and his mother, with two sons, moved to Belgium, to the city of Charleroi. Yuri continued his education in Belgium, enrolling in the medical university of Brussels, where he became a student of the medical faculty.

Yuri Lifshits continued his education in Brussels, where he successfully graduated from the medical faculty. In 1940, after the capitulation of Belgium to Nazi Germany, the country began a harsh occupation. The Nazi authorities introduced numerous anti-Semitic laws, including a ban on Jews working in medical institutions. However, despite these restrictions, Yuri did not stop his work in the medical field.

After the occupation, Yuri Lifshits began working at the Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels, where he saved many people despite the threat of arrest. In the same year, Yuri joined the Belgian Resistance, realizing that the Nazis were preparing the “final solution to the Jewish question.”

In 1942, when the Nazis began to deport Jews to concentration camps, Yuri Lifshits realized that to save Jews in Belgium, decisive action was needed. He joined the anti-fascist Resistance group, preparing actions to save Jews. Yuri understood that time was running out, and every action could be decisive for the fate of many people.

His knowledge of medicine, courage, and determination led him to participate in one of the most famous operations of the Belgian Resistance.

Arrest and Execution of Yuri Lifshits

After a successful operation, Yuri Lifshits was arrested by the Gestapo on May 14, 1943, but managed to escape using trickery. However, two months later, on June 26, 1943, he was caught again. Yuri was subjected to brutal torture and, despite everything, refused to wear a blindfold before execution.

On February 17, 1944, Yuri Lifshits was executed by firing squad in Schaerbeek, near Brussels.

Memorial to Yuri Lifshits

The memory of Yuri Lifshits and his comrades’ heroic act was immortalized in Belgium. In 1993, a monument was erected in Brussels, dedicated to his heroic act and the memory of all Holocaust victims. In 2023, a Holocaust memorial was also opened in Brussels, where the names of Resistance heroes, including Lifshits, are commemorated.

Why is Yuri Lifshits’ Heroic Act So Important?

The heroic act of Yuri Lifshits became an example of courage and resistance to Nazism. His actions saved over 116 lives, and his example inspires the fight against injustice. His act reminds us that even a small group of people acting at a decisive moment can change the course of history and save many lives. It is important to remember such acts of heroism so that they are never forgotten.

Yuri Lifshits and His Role in the History of Ukraine and Israel

The heroic act of Yuri Lifshits became significant not only for Belgium and the Jewish community, but also for Ukraine and Israel. This Kyiv native became a symbol of the fight for freedom and justice, and his act became an important part of the historical memory of two peoples — Ukrainian and Jewish.

On the platform of NAnews – Israel and Ukraine news, we continue to highlight such important events and remind about the heroism of people who fought for a bright future despite enormous threats.

In our section «Jews from Ukraine», we remember not only the heroic act of Yuri Lifshits, but also his key role in history, reminding us of the significance of each act of resistance in the fight against Nazism. His heroism will remain in the memory of those who fought for life and freedom, despite all obstacles.

…
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On May 18, 2026, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine announced the opening of the first higher Jewish religious educational institution in independent Ukraine. The new yeshiva was built in Anatevka — a Jewish ‘miracle town’ that, since the beginning of the great war, has become not only a place of help and refuge but also a symbol of the continuation of Jewish life in Ukraine.

For Israel, this news resonates particularly strongly. It is not just about a building, a campus, or an educational project. It is a story of how the Jewish community of Ukraine, living under the threat of Russian attacks, is not limited to survival but is creating infrastructure for the future — for Torah, education, spiritual leadership, and generational connection.

A yeshiva laid under the sounds of war

According to the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, the construction of this project was a ‘great miracle.’ The first stone of the future yeshiva was laid at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion when columns of Russian tanks were moving towards Kyiv, and artillery and missile strikes were unceasing.

At that moment, as the rabbi recalls, no one could know if the residents of Anatevka would survive and if the community itself could continue to exist in its previous form. But it was then, together with the residents and refugees of Anatevka, that the decision was made to start construction.

Why this became a spiritual act of resistance

For Jewish tradition, studying the Torah is not just education. It is the foundation of spiritual protection, community strength, and its internal resilience.

The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine emphasized that in difficult times, the constant study of the Torah, the fulfillment of commandments, and service to the Almighty acquire special significance for the blessing, spiritual strength, and protection of Ukraine.

This formulation is important for the Israeli audience as well. It does not sound like a political declaration but a religious logic: when the usual security collapses around, the community responds not with fear but by building a place where future rabbis, teachers, and spiritual leaders will learn.

What was built in Anatevka

The new yeshiva complex is created in a modern style and, according to the organizers, is equipped to high standards. It is not a temporary facility or a symbolic classroom but a full-fledged educational center designed for long-term operation.

The building has spacious study halls, comfortable dormitories, a large kosher kitchen, a dining room, a library, recreation areas, and a swimming pool.

A particular detail that especially shows the Ukrainian reality of 2026 is the presence of a reliable shelter. Students will be able to continue their studies even during shelling and air raids.

An educational institution for children from different European countries

According to the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, children from all over Europe will study in the new yeshiva. This turns the project into an international Jewish educational center, not just an internal initiative of the Ukrainian community.

For the Jewish world, such a step has a separate significance. Ukraine, despite the war, remains a place where Jewish religious life is preserved and developed. This is especially noticeable against the backdrop of destruction, migration, loss of homes, and the constant threat from Russia.

That is why NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers the opening of the yeshiva in Anatevka not only as news of the Jewish community of Ukraine but also as an important signal for Israel: the connection between the Ukrainian and Jewish people today is manifested not only in the memory of the past but also in the joint construction of the future.

Who attended the opening and why it is important

The opening was attended by representatives of Ukraine’s top leadership, chief rabbis of Ukrainian cities, and spiritual leaders from different countries around the world.

Such a composition of guests shows that the project in Anatevka is perceived more broadly than a local initiative. It has become an event at the intersection of religious, social, and state agendas.

Jewish life in Ukraine has not stopped

The main message of the rabbi’s statement is crystal clear: despite the war and all difficulties, the Jewish community of Ukraine not only preserves its life but also builds its future.

A special emphasis was placed on peace, friendship, and mutual respect with the Ukrainian people. For the Israeli reader, this is an important detail because Ukrainian-Jewish relations are often discussed through the tragic pages of history. Anatevka shows another side — lively, modern, and creative.

The opening of the yeshiva in such a context becomes not just an educational event. It is a response to war, attempts at destruction, and the pressure of fear. Where the enemy would like to see emptiness, a study hall appears. Where people might only think of fleeing, a place for future generations is being built.

What this project means for Ukraine, Israel, and the Jewish world

The new yeshiva in Anatevka can become a center from which future rabbis, teachers, and spiritual leaders will emerge. They will carry the Jewish tradition, help communities, teach children, and maintain the connection between generations.

For Ukraine, it is a sign that Jewish life remains part of its social fabric even during the war.

For Israel — a reminder that Jewish communities outside the country continue to need attention, solidarity, and respect. Especially where they live near the front, help refugees, and simultaneously continue to educate children.

And for the entire Jewish world, Anatevka today sounds like a symbol: even under rockets, one can build not only shelters but also schools, not only save the present but also invest in the spiritual future.

…
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In Haifa, legal assistance is often needed not when a case has already reached court, but much earlier — after a traffic accident, a workplace injury, a dispute with an employer, a debt issue, a divorce, the purchase of an apartment, the preparation of a notarized power of attorney, or the resolution of a status issue in the country.

Haifa: when a legal issue should not be postponed

In Haifa, legal issues rarely appear “out of nowhere.” Usually, there is a specific situation behind them: a person has been involved in a traffic accident, suffered an injury at work, faced a refusal from an insurance company, is in a dispute with an employer, is trying to recover a debt, is preparing family documents, or is getting ready to purchase real estate.

At first glance, it may seem that many things can be handled independently. Call the insurance company. Speak with the employer. Download a contract template. Trust a verbal promise. But in Israel, the result often depends on what exactly is written in the document, when the application was submitted, what evidence has been collected, and what position a person took at the very beginning.

That is why a lawyer in Haifa is needed not only when a case reaches court. In many situations, professional consultation is important before a person signs a document, sends a letter, agrees to a payment, or misses a deadline.

In Haifa, legal assistance is provided by Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits.

Office address:
Derech HaAtzmaut 43, Haifa, 4th floor

website – Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits.

Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits has been a member of the Israel Bar Association since May 1999. The website also states: member of the Israeli Ministry of Justice since June 2010, arbitrator judge since November 2024.

For the client, this is convenient: legal assistance, notarized document preparation, and support in legal disputes can be received in one place. The specialist’s website also lists strong trust markers: 25+ years of practice, 24/7 support, 98% satisfied clients, and the phrase “Professional legal defense. 25 years of successful practice in Israel.”

It is also important that cases are handled in Hebrew, Russian, and English.

For Haifa, this is not a minor detail, but a practical advantage. The city is home to repatriates, long-time residents, entrepreneurs, families from different countries, and people with documents from Israel and abroad. In legal matters, a person must clearly understand what they are signing, what rights they have, what risks exist in the contract, and what is happening in their case.

Why a local attorney-notary in Haifa matters

Haifa is a large city with a port, industry, hospitals, universities, offices, construction, a real estate market, and active business life. Here, legal questions are often connected to everyday reality: roads, work, medicine, housing, family, debts, and documents.

For residents of Haifa, the Krayot, Nesher, Tirat Carmel, and the Northern District, the legal service itself is not the only thing that matters. It is also important that the specialist is accessible, speaks in a language the client understands, receives clients nearby, and understands how matters work within the Israeli system.

When the issue concerns a traffic accident, an injury, a notarized power of attorney, the purchase of an apartment, a labor dispute, or debt collection, it is often necessary to quickly show documents, discuss details, sign papers, or receive a clear action plan.

That is why searches such as “notary in Haifa,” “traffic accident lawyer in Haifa,” “labor dispute lawyer in Haifa,” “debt collection in Haifa,” or “lawyer for buying an apartment in Haifa” are not just searches for a service. Behind them is a situation in which a person needs a solution, not general words.

Traffic accidents, bodily injury, and public transport accidents

After a traffic accident, a person usually thinks about the car, the hospital, the insurance company, and immediate expenses. But if there is pain, injury, limited movement, treatment, lost workdays, or a long recovery process, the situation quickly becomes a legal matter.

A traffic accident lawyer in Haifa helps determine which documents need to be collected, how to document bodily injury, how to communicate with the insurance company, and why it is not advisable to sign agreements whose meaning is not fully clear.

An accident involving a bus, taxi, company car, or other public transport can be especially confusing. An injured passenger does not always understand who is responsible for compensation, where to turn, which medical documents to keep, and how to prove the connection between the accident and the deterioration of health.

The topic of bodily injury is broader than a road accident alone. It may involve falls, accidents, injuries in public places, animal attacks, occupational diseases, and other situations in which a person suffered harm and needs compensation.

NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency notes: in bodily injury cases, the main mistake is waiting for everything to “somehow work out.” The earlier medical documents, photographs, witness statements, and initial reports are collected, the easier it is to reconstruct the events and assess the prospects for compensation.

Workplace injuries, occupational diseases, and compensation

Haifa and northern Israel mean industry, the port, construction, warehouses, shops, medical institutions, offices, transportation, and the service sector. That is why workplace injuries are not uncommon here.

A work-related injury can occur not only in a factory or on a construction site. Sometimes it happens during an ordinary workday: a fall in the office, a back injury caused by physical strain, an accident on the way to an assignment from the employer, an injury to an arm or leg, or deterioration of health due to working conditions.

Occupational diseases are a separate topic. They do not always look like a sudden incident. Sometimes harm accumulates over months or years: due to repetitive movements, physical workload, noise, chemical substances, stress, or another work environment.

In such cases, it is important to properly document the incident, collect medical certificates, establish the connection to work, and understand which payments may be due. A mistake at the beginning may affect compensation later.

There are also situations involving children and public places. Compensation for injuries in schools, kindergartens, and public spaces is a separate area where much depends on the circumstances of the incident. A child may be injured in an educational institution, during a walk, in a class, or while under the responsibility of an institution.

An adult may be injured in a shopping center, building entrance, street, parking lot, staircase, public building, or another place where safety should have been ensured. In such cases, it is necessary to understand who bears responsibility, what evidence exists, and whether compensation can be claimed.

This also includes people injured by animal attacks. If there is an injury, treatment, scars, psychological consequences, or loss of working capacity, this is no longer just an unpleasant incident, but a possible legal case.

Medical negligence and claims against insurance companies

Medical negligence is one of the most sensitive topics. A patient may face an incorrect diagnosis, delayed treatment, an error during a procedure, a wrong prescription, insufficient information, or another action that caused harm.

Such cases require evidence, not emotion. It is not enough to say, “the doctor made a mistake.” Medical documents, treatment history, expert opinions, causation, and the possible amount of damage must be examined.

Claims against insurance companies are no less important. A person may pay insurance for years, but after an incident receive a refusal, a delay, a partial payment, or a dispute over the amount of compensation. This may relate to traffic accidents, injuries, loss of working capacity, medical expenses, private policies, life insurance, and other situations.

A lawyer helps review the terms of the policy, assess the insurance company’s position, prepare a demand, conduct negotiations, or file a claim if that is necessary to protect the client’s interests.

Citizenship and status in the country

For many Haifa residents, legal questions are not only connected to courts. Sometimes the main issue is citizenship and status in the country. This may involve obtaining citizenship, confirming rights, the status of family members, documents for government authorities, residence procedures, and other matters on which a person’s normal life in Israel depends.

Such issues often arise for families, repatriates, and people whose documents are connected to several countries at once. When a person does not understand which documents are needed, how to submit an application correctly, what to do in case of delays, or how to explain their situation, legal consultation helps them avoid acting blindly.

Here, work in three languages — Hebrew, Russian, and English — is especially important. Documents may be in one language, explanations may be needed in another, while authorities require precision in a third.

Enforcement proceedings, debt collection, and protection from banks

Debts quickly become a source of pressure. One person lent money and cannot get it back. Another performed work, issued an invoice, received a check or promissory note, but there is no payment. A third person has become a debtor or guarantor and received a lawsuit from a bank.

Enforcement proceedings and debt collection require consistency. Documents, deadlines, the amount, the basis of the debt, the possibility of negotiations, applications to the relevant authorities, and control over further actions all matter.

A lawyer can represent the client’s interests in enforcement proceedings, handle debt collection, collect checks, promissory notes, and invoices, as well as negotiate with creditors to close cases.

But legal assistance is needed not only by creditors. Protection of debtors and guarantors from bank claims is a separate and complex area. Sometimes a person signed a guarantee without fully understanding the consequences. Sometimes a debt increased due to interest and expenses. Sometimes there is an opportunity to settle the debt, agree on payments, or close the case on more acceptable terms.

In debt matters, silence almost always works against the person. The sooner the legal position is clear, the more room there is for negotiation and defense.

Labor law: employees, employers, and labor courts

Labor disputes in Israel often begin with very specific issues: unpaid salary, unpaid benefits, improperly handled dismissal, unpaid severance compensation, changed working conditions, no final calculation, or a lawsuit being filed.

A labor dispute lawyer in Haifa can represent employees and employers in labor courts, assist with filing a claim or defending against one, and review compensation, payments, contracts, correspondence, and documents.

For an employee, it is important to understand what they are entitled to under the law and the contract. For an employer, it is important to reduce risks, prepare documents correctly, and defend themselves if a dispute has already begun.

In labor law, one cannot rely only on rumors. Every case has details: seniority, payslips, pension contributions, vacation pay, sick leave, notices, the actual schedule, correspondence, form of employment, and the conduct of the parties.

For Haifa, this is especially relevant. The city has many areas of employment: medicine, education, trade, transportation, industry, care work, construction, small business, and office work. Each field has its own conflicts, but the general principle is the same: documents and deadlines matter.

Family law: divorce, alimony, property, and mixed couples

Family law is one of the most personal and complex areas. A legal dispute here is almost always connected to emotions, children, property, the future, and personal security.

A family law attorney in Haifa may be needed when preparing a divorce agreement, in divorces of mixed couples, or in divorces without mutual consent, including cases where one spouse has left the country.

Alimony claims, division of joint property, recognition or contesting of paternity, agreements between cohabiting partners, and changes of first or last name are also important.

In such cases, it is especially important to speak with the client in a clear language. When a person is in conflict, they need not only a legal opinion, but a clear picture: what options exist, what can be demanded, what risks exist, and which steps are better avoided.

A family lawyer is not always needed for a war. Sometimes a well-prepared agreement helps reduce conflict, save time, money, and nerves.

Power of attorney, guardianship, and inheritance law

Power of attorney, guardianship, and inheritance law are areas where it is better to think in advance. Especially when the matter concerns family, elderly relatives, property, banking issues, or inherited real estate.

Services include preparing wills, dividing inherited property, protecting heirs’ rights, and preparing a valid power of attorney for legal and financial matters.

An enduring power of attorney is especially important. In Israel, it allows a person to determine in advance who will make decisions for them in the future if they cannot do so themselves.

This may concern finances, real estate, medical matters, personal affairs, and family. Such a document is especially important for people who want to prevent disputes between relatives in advance and ensure a clear order of action.

A notary may also visit the client at home by prior arrangement. For elderly people, people after injuries, illness, or with limited mobility, this can be a particularly important service.

Buying and selling real estate in Haifa

Real estate in Israel is always a serious transaction. Buying an apartment, selling property, renting, entering a real estate partnership agreement, or signing any contract related to an asset requires a legal review.

The Haifa real estate market is diverse. There are old buildings, new projects, inherited apartments, properties requiring renovation, investment apartments, family transactions, and complex registration situations.

A lawyer for buying an apartment in Haifa or selling property reviews documents, the rights of the parties, contract terms, payments, taxes, registration, mortgage details, the seller’s obligations, and risks for the buyer.

All types of contracts related to real estate are better prepared or reviewed before signing. After signing, correcting mistakes becomes much harder.

For the buyer, legal support protects money. For the seller, it protects against future claims. For real estate partners, it creates clear rules about who is responsible for what and how rights are divided.

Notary services in Haifa

A notary in Haifa may be needed for documents in Israel and abroad, family matters, powers of attorney, transactions, banking procedures, inheritance, and confirmation of facts.

Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits performs all types of notarial acts permitted by law.

These include authentication of signatures, notarization of powers of attorney and copies of documents, preparation and notarization of wills and affidavits, life certificates, and preparation and notarization of prenuptial agreements.

Certificates canceling previous notarial documents, parental consent for a minor to leave Israel, and other notarial acts may also be required.

In notarial matters, there are no small details. Name, date, wording, translation, signature, authority, and document status must be correct. Otherwise, the document may not be accepted exactly where it is needed most.

Our services

You can contact Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits through the website:

website – Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits.

The office is located at:

Derech HaAtzmaut 43, Haifa, 4th floor

Cases are handled in Hebrew, Russian, and English.

Traffic accidents and bodily injury

• Traffic accidents.
• Traffic accidents, including public transport accidents.
• Workplace injuries.
• Occupational diseases.
• Compensation for injured persons in schools, kindergartens, and public places.
• Victims of animal attacks.
• Medical negligence.
• Claims against insurance companies.
• Insurance compensation.

Citizenship and status in the country

• Citizenship applications.
• Status in the country.
• Legal support for documents and procedures related to residence and a person’s legal status in Israel.

Enforcement proceedings and debt collection

• Enforcement proceedings.
• Debt collection.
• Representation of the client’s interests in enforcement proceedings.
• Protection of debtors and guarantors from bank claims.
• Debt settlement.
• Negotiations with creditors to close cases.
• Collection of checks, promissory notes, and invoices.

Labor law

• Representation of employees and employers in labor courts.
• Filing a claim or defending against a claim.
• Severance compensation.
• All payments due to employees.

Family law

• Divorce agreements.
• Divorces of mixed couples.
• Divorces without mutual consent, including cases where one spouse has left the country.
• Alimony claims.
• Division of joint property.
• Recognition or contesting of paternity.
• Agreements between cohabiting partners.
• Change of first or last name.

Power of attorney, guardianship, and inheritance law

• Preparation of wills.
• Division of inherited property.
• Valid power of attorney for legal and financial matters.
• Enduring power of attorney.
• Protection of heirs’ rights.
• Notary home visit by prior arrangement.

Real estate purchase and sale

• All types of contracts related to real estate.
• Buying and selling real estate.
• Real estate rental.
• Real estate partnership agreements.
• Representation of interests when buying and selling property.

Notary services

• All types of notarial acts.
• Authentication of signatures.
• Notarization of powers of attorney and copies of documents.
• Preparation and notarization of wills and affidavits.
• Life certificates.
• Preparation and notarization of prenuptial agreements.
• Certificates canceling previous notarial documents.
• Parental consent for a minor to leave Israel.
• Other notarial acts permitted by law.

Frequently asked questions

When should you contact a lawyer after a traffic accident in Haifa?

It is better to contact a lawyer immediately after the accident, especially if there is pain, injury, a visit to a doctor, property damage, or a dispute with the insurance company. The earlier medical documents, photographs, details of the parties, and witness information are collected, the easier it is to protect the right to compensation.

When is a notary in Haifa needed?

A notary is needed for certifying signatures, powers of attorney, copies of documents, prenuptial agreements, affidavits, life certificates, parental consent for a minor to leave Israel, and other notarial acts permitted by law.

What is an enduring power of attorney in Israel?

An enduring power of attorney allows a person to determine in advance who will represent their interests and make decisions on personal, legal, financial, or property matters if they are unable to do so themselves.

Why is a lawyer needed when buying real estate in Haifa?

A lawyer checks the rights to the property, the contract, payments, registration, taxes, mortgage terms, and possible risks. This is especially important when buying an apartment, selling property, renting, or entering real estate partnership agreements.

Can a case be handled in Russian, Hebrew, or English?

Yes. Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits handles cases in Hebrew, Russian, and English. This is convenient for residents of Haifa and the Northern District who need to understand legal documents and the process without a language barrier.

In brief: when not to wait

If you live in Haifa or northern Israel and have faced a traffic accident, workplace injury, labor dispute, debt, family conflict, real estate purchase, notarized power of attorney, medical negligence, a claim against an insurance company, or a status issue in the country, it is important not to postpone consultation.

In many cases, the result depends on the first step: not signing unnecessary documents, keeping records, seeking advice in time, and understanding your rights before the conflict becomes more expensive.

For residents of Haifa, the Krayot, Nesher, Tirat Carmel, and the Northern District, this may be an address for resolving a wide range of issues: notary in Haifa, traffic accident lawyer in Haifa, bodily injury, workplace injuries, labor disputes, enforcement proceedings, debt collection from debtors, family law, representation in buying and selling property, enduring power of attorney, inheritance, citizenship, and status in the country.

Contacts of the attorney-notary in Haifa

You can contact Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits through the website:

website – Attorney-Notary Ilina Tsiperson-Yaslovits.

The office is located at:

Derech HaAtzmaut 43, Haifa, 4th floor

Cases are handled in Hebrew, Russian, and English.

…
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This is the first case in world practice where a street in a city outside of Israel has been named after a fallen IDF soldier.

A street in Kharkiv has been named after Sergeant of the Israel Defense Forces Alexei (Asher) Neikov, who saved dozens of children from death during a terrorist attack on a school bus. This was reported by Israeli journalist Shimon Briman in his article on the website “Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter”.

In September 1996, 17-year-old Alexei independently repatriated to Israel from Kharkiv. He was preparing to study at the Technion — dreaming of the department of astronautics and aerodynamics. But he decided to first serve in the IDF — the Israel Defense Forces.

On October 29, 1998, terrorists directed a car filled with explosives at two school buses carrying Jewish children near the settlement of Kfar Darom.

Israeli soldiers guarding the buses managed to turn their jeep across the road — and took the hit themselves. The children were unharmed, two soldiers were injured. One died. It was Sergeant Alexei (Asher) Neikov.

Sergeant of the Israel Defense Forces Alexei (Asher) Neikov — a hero, writes Shimon Briman, who saved dozens of children from death during an attack by Arab terrorists on a school bus, received the highest posthumous honor in his hometown: a street in Kharkiv — the second-largest metropolis in Ukraine, is named after him. This is the first case in world practice where a street in a city outside of Israel has been named after a fallen IDF soldier.

Kharkiv is located just 30 kilometers from the border with Russia and is subjected to daily rocket attacks from the aggressor country. The city, which had a population of one and a half million people before the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, has been defending itself not only on the front lines but also in the sphere of culture and ideology for the third year.

The toponymic commission of the Kharkiv municipal council recently decided to rename 367 street names, alleys, and squares associated with Russia and the USSR. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov signed this decision, and it came into effect on May 1, 2024.

Among the new street names are the names of 35 fallen defenders of Ukraine who were born in Kharkiv or defended the city; 13 of them were awarded the highest title of Hero of Ukraine.

In addition to the fallen Ukrainian soldiers and officers, the name of one Kharkiv native — Alexei Neikov, an IDF sergeant who died defending Israeli children in 1998, is now eternally glorified on the streets of Kharkiv.

Against the backdrop of anti-Semitic demonstrations and anti-Israel unrest on university campuses in the USA and cities in Western Europe, such a clearly pro-Israel step by the municipal council and mayor of Ukrainian Kharkiv deserves special respect.

As part of the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On the Condemnation and Prohibition of Propaganda of Russian Imperial Policy and Decolonization of Toponymy,” 510 street names and other toponymic objects have been renamed in Kharkiv since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

History laughed at Putin: the president of Russia attacked Ukraine using the beacon ideas of “protecting and spreading the Russian World,” but in reality, Putin led to a colossal reduction in the zone of influence of Russian culture and the Russian language.

In Kharkiv, which was previously considered the most Russian-speaking city in Ukraine, almost all names associated with Russia and the USSR, with Russian and Soviet culture, were erased from the map from 2022 to 2024. More and more residents of Kharkiv are demonstratively switching to the Ukrainian language, unwilling to speak the language of the occupiers.

“The author of these lines, writes Shimon Briman, has been following these renamings for almost two years. As a historian and author of the article “Kharkiv” in the Jewish Encyclopedia, in the summer of 2022, I prepared a list of 25 outstanding Jews in the history of Kharkiv at the request of the Jewish community. This list was submitted to the municipal council as options for renaming streets. One of the main names on this list was Alexei Neikov.

The name Neikov was supported by municipal council deputy Irina Goncharova-Bagalei and the chief rabbi of Kharkiv, Moishe Moskovich. Letters in support of this initiative were written by the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, public organizations “Israeli Friends of Ukraine” and “Orthodox Union Israel.”

Today I can proudly say that three personalities from this list of outstanding Jews have become streets in Kharkiv, where my childhood and youth passed.”

In addition to the name of Alexei Neikov, the names of architects Viktor Estrovich and Alexander Ginzburg, whose masterpieces still adorn Kharkiv, were also approved in the renaming list, despite being endangered by Russian missile and Iranian “shahid” attacks.

Viktor Estrovich was shot by the Nazis in December 1941 in Drobitsky Yar. Putin’s occupiers continued the tragedy of the Holocaust at this place in March 2022, shelling the memorial complex in Drobitsky Yar, where almost 15,000 Jews of Kharkiv, killed by Nazi occupiers, lie in two mass graves.

The outstanding urban planner Alexander Ginzburg led the Jewish community of the city after the liberation of Kharkiv from the Nazis in 1944-1945, under pressure from Stalin’s punitive organs.

The irony of today, writes Shimon Briman, is that some Jewish or quasi-Jewish names were removed from the map of Kharkiv in the spring of 2024 during the liquidation of Russia’s legacy. Thus, four (!) Birobidzhan passages, named after the “Jewish Autonomous Region” of the Russian Federation, were renamed.

The street of Isaac Dunaevsky, a Soviet composer-Jew of the 1920s-1950s, was also renamed. Kharkiv did not forgive Dunaevsky, who studied and began his career in this city, for such pro-communist songs as “My Moscow,” “My Wide Native Land,” “Oh, It’s Good to Live in the Soviet Country,” “Song of Stalin,” “Song of Kakhovka.” Especially in wartime, when this Moscow tries to expand its possessions by barbaric methods at the expense of a neighboring country, and Kakhovka was captured by Russian occupiers who blew up the Kakhovka Reservoir in southern Ukraine.

But, writes Shimon Briman, let’s return to the fate of the Kharkiv Jewish youth Alexei Neikov, which connected Ukraine and Israel.

He studied for several years at Jewish school No. 170 under the leadership of Grigory Shoikhet, then graduated from the senior classes of the religious-Zionist lyceum “Sha’alvim,” which at that time had the highest percentage of graduates repatriating to Israel in the world.

Now, after the renaming of the former Gastello Street, Jewish secondary school No. 170, which has a room in memory of Alexei Neikov, will be located on a street named after its student Neikov.

In September 1996, 17-year-old Alexei arrived in Israel without his parents. He was preparing to study at the Technion — dreaming of the field of astronautics and aerodynamics. But he decided to first serve in the IDF — the Israel Defense Forces.

On the tragic day of October 29 (9th of Heshvan) 1998, at 07:30 am, Arab terrorists directed a car filled with explosives at two school buses carrying 48 Jewish children near the settlement of Kfar Darom in Gush Katif.

Israeli soldiers guarding the buses managed to turn their jeep across the road — and took the hit themselves. The children were unharmed, two soldiers were injured. One died. It was Sergeant Alexei (Asher) Neikov — forever a 19-year-old new repatriate from Kharkiv.

The evening before, Asher called home.

“Tomorrow I have my first combat mission: to escort a bus with children. I’ll be in the first jeep.” “Why necessarily in the first?” — his mother worried. “Because in the first. I decided so.”

Thanks to his feat, in the children he saved, who have grown over 25 years, more than 120 of their own children — young Israelis — were born. So, Asher Neikov preserved lives for them too. Some of them named their children in his honor with the names Asher and Ashrat. They still maintain contact with the soldier’s parents — Klara and Semen Neikov, who live in Haifa.

In memory of Neikov, a Torah scroll was written for the synagogue in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom, which was destroyed in 2005 by order of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during the so-called “disengagement from the Gaza Strip.” The Jewish settlements destroyed then later became bases for Hamas terrorists, against whom Israel is now waging a heavy war.

The children he saved and who grew up created a touching video clip “Children of the Ninth of Heshvan” in memory of Sergeant Neikov in 2014.

In 2022, Neikov’s parents were presented with a portrait of Alexei, assembled from hundreds of photographs of the saved children, their families, and the children born to them.

“Naming a street after our student Asher Neikov is a huge achievement! At first, I couldn’t believe that in the conditions of war, Kharkiv remembers a person born in the city who became a true hero of Israel. Therefore, I perceive this decision of the municipal council and Mayor Igor Terekhov as a historic event and as an important stage in the context of Ukraine-Israel relations,”

– Israeli rabbi and lawyer Shlomo Asraf, who was the founder and spiritual leader of the “Orthodox Union” Center in Kharkiv and the religious-Zionist lyceum “Sha’alvim” from 1993-2009, told me, writes Shimon Briman.

Kharkiv resident Irina Sherstobitova, Asher Neikov’s English teacher at the “Sha’alvim” lyceum, noted:

“Every year we tell our students about his feat. The lyceum has a memorial board about Asher’s amazing act. A bright and righteous guy, polite and erudite, he spoke French, English, Russian, Ukrainian, and Hebrew, brave and physically fit, with an incredibly attractive smile. We must believe in the bright future that such brave guys as he give us.”

Klara Neikov, Alexei’s mother, received the news from Kharkiv with great gratitude.

“I just have no words. Thank you very much to everyone who supported this initiative. My husband and I would be happy to visit Kharkiv and unveil a memorial plaque on the street named after our son. If only the situation around the city improved, and if the war ended,” — Klara Neikov told me, writes Shimon Briman, in a phone conversation.

In the Israeli organization “Yad Le-Banim”, which coordinates work on commemorating fallen IDF soldiers, in response to my request, writes Shimon Briman, they replied that they are not aware of other cases of naming streets in cities outside of Israel after fallen Israeli soldiers, and that, likely, the decision of the Kharkiv authorities is the first example of this kind in the world.

The Kharkiv street in honor of Alexei Neikov will become another bridge of friendship and interpersonal connections, linking Ukraine and Israel — two countries fighting for the freedom, independence, and physical survival of their citizens.

This bridge works both ways. In the same days when the Kharkiv municipal authorities were deciding on renaming streets, the Kharkiv National University named after Vasyl Karazin was selecting the first laureate of the Mark Azbel Prize in theoretical physics.

We wrote about this — “The Prize of Israeli Scientist and Dissident Mark Azbel Will Help His Alma Mater in Kharkiv, Ukraine”.

This prize was established in the spring of 2024 in memory of the outstanding physicist — Professor of Tel Aviv University Mark Azbel, who began his scientific career at Kharkiv University.

Irina Kolodna from the Israeli city of Ramat HaSharon, the widow of the scientist, allocated $25,000 for five years to support young researchers at Kharkiv National University. The first laureate of the Azbel Prize became 39-year-old Dr. Zakhar Maizelis, a professor of the Department of Theoretical Physics; his award ceremony will take place on May 16, 2024, in honor of Israel’s Independence Day.

In all this, I, writes Shimon Briman, see great symbolism — and timeliness. Precisely now, when Ukraine and Israel are repelling attacks from the global axis of evil.

It was from Kharkiv that the BILU ensemble (1882) came — Jewish students of the University who were the first in the world to begin reviving the Land of Israel with their labor. It was the Kharkiv Zionist Conference (1903) that in an ultimatum demanded the creation of a Jewish state only on the ancient Land of Israel, rejecting the “Uganda Plan.”

It was the Kharkiv industrial giant “Turboatom” that refused in 1997 — at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Industry and Trade Natan Sharansky — to supply turbines for a nuclear reactor in Iran, which delayed the Iranian nuclear program for many years.

It was in Kharkiv in 2024 that for the first time in the world a street was named after a soldier of the Israel Defense Forces.

And it is precisely to Kharkiv National University that an award named after an Israeli scientist-physicist — a student of Academicians Landau and Lifshitz — comes from Israel.

…
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Video Aider Muzhdabaev from May 19, 2026, with the theme “Free-Palestinian” weapons of roZia. “From the river to the sea” — part of the Kremlin axis“ is built around one harsh thought: the modern anti-Israel hysteria in Europe, according to the author, does not exist separately from Russian propaganda, but works as part of a broader information war against Ukraine, Israel, and Western societies.

This is not just a conversation about slogans, rallies, or debates around Gaza.

Muzhdabaev connects several processes: attempts by Western media to equate the victim and the aggressor, the rise of ultra-left and ultra-right movements, TikTok propaganda, old Soviet anti-Zionist schemes, and current Kremlin narratives. At the center of his reasoning is the question of why Israel and Ukraine increasingly find themselves in the same attack zone by those who verbally speak of humanism but in practice repeat formulas beneficial to Moscow.

What this video is about

Aider Muzhdabaev begins with a topic that is painfully understandable today to both Ukrainians and Israelis: how media can change the optics of society.

After attacks on Russian territory, he says, part of the Western media begins to write about the suffering of Russians as if there is no cause-and-effect relationship, no full-scale invasion, no Ukrainian cities destroyed by Russian missiles, and no right of the victim to resist.

It is here that the author draws a parallel with Israel.

According to his logic, a similar mechanism is used against Israel: first, aggression and terror are taken out of the brackets, then attention is shifted only to retaliatory actions, after which the victim is gradually portrayed as the “new aggressor.” Thus, a convenient formula for propaganda appears: Ukraine is “to blame itself,” Israel “uses disproportionate force,” and the real source of violence disappears from the frame.

Why “Free Palestine” is compared to the “Russian world”

The main provocative line of the video is the comparison of the slogan “Free Palestine” in the current European street format with the ideology of the “Russian world.”

Muzhdabaev does not speak about the right of people to sympathize with civilians. His claim is directed at another construction: when, under the guise of protecting Palestine, hatred towards Israel is spread, Israeli security is denied, Hamas is justified, or an attempt is made to present a terrorist structure as an analogue of Ukraine.

For the author, this is a fundamentally unacceptable mixture.

Ukraine, in his view, is defending itself against Russian aggression. Israel is defending itself against forces that do not recognize its right to exist. And the attempt to put Ukraine in the place of Gaza, and Israel in the place of Russia, looks like a deliberate substitution beneficial to the Kremlin.

Kremlin axis: ultra-left, ultra-right, and the old Soviet matrix

One of the central ideas of the video is the convergence of extreme political flanks.

Muzhdabaev compares the ultra-left and ultra-right to two heads of one imperial eagle. Formally, they feud with each other, but on the issues of Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and the anti-Western agenda, they unexpectedly begin to sound almost the same.

The ultra-right often promote sympathy for Putin, isolationism, and the thesis “no need to help Ukraine.”

The ultra-left, according to the author, act differently: through pacifist slogans, anti-Israel marches, anti-Zionist rhetoric, and the constant demand to “stop the war” without distinguishing between aggressor and victim.

As a result, both streams work towards one goal — to weaken the ability of Western societies to distinguish defense from attack, the right to self-defense from aggression, a democratic country from a terrorist or imperial project.

Why this is important for Israel and Ukraine

For the Israeli audience, this topic sounds especially acute.

Israel has already faced a situation where, after a terrorist attack, international attention gradually shifts from the crime of the aggressor to the actions of the country that responds. Ukraine sees a similar process: Russian aggression continues, but more and more publications and comments appear where the cause of the war is no longer discussed, but the “too harsh” response of Kyiv.

In this context, NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency considers Muzhdabaev’s video as part of a broader discussion about how Russian propaganda works not only through direct Kremlin channels but also through foreign slogans, foreign protests, foreign media fatigue, and foreign emotionality.

The main blow, which the author speaks of, is directed not only against a specific country.

It is directed against the ability of society to maintain moral clarity.

What Aider Muzhdabaev is trying to show

The video is constructed as a warning.

Muzhdabaev says that young people are especially vulnerable to short emotional videos, TikTok narratives, and simple slogans, where a complex war turns into a picture: “weak against strong,” “victim against army,” “people against state.”

The problem is that such a picture easily becomes a tool of manipulation.

If you remove the context of October 7, remove the role of Hamas, remove the Russian invasion of Ukraine, remove missile attacks, kidnappings, terror, and the ideology of destruction, then any inverted scheme can be sold to the viewer. In such a scheme, Israel becomes a “colonial aggressor,” Ukraine — a “new threat to peace,” and Russia gets the opportunity to appear not as the source of the war, but supposedly as one of the sides of a global conflict.

This is what the author calls a dangerous loss of cause-and-effect connection.

The final meaning of the video

The main conclusion of Muzhdabaev can be formulated as follows: lies corrode society like acid.

First, it changes the language.

Then it changes the emotion.

Then it changes the moral map: the aggressor becomes a “complex side of the conflict,” the victim — “too harsh,” terrorists — “resistance,” and countries that defend themselves begin to be accused of daring to defend themselves at all.

Therefore, the video is important not only as a polemic around the slogan “From the river to the sea.” It is important as a conversation about how the Kremlin can use foreign protests, foreign media, and foreign naivety for one goal — to weaken support for Ukraine, demonize Israel, and blur the line between good and evil.

For Ukraine and Israel, this line is not theoretical.

It runs through the front, hostages, missiles, families of the deceased, cities under shelling, and the right of the people not to disappear under the pressure of those who want to rewrite reality by force.

Who is Aider Muzhdabaev and why his position is important for Israel

Aider Muzhdabaev is a Ukrainian journalist, publicist, media manager, and one of the prominent Crimean Tatar voices in the Ukrainian information space. He was born on March 8, 1972, in Tambov, is of Crimean Tatar origin, and after the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine, he took a consistent anti-Kremlin position. In 2015, he moved to Ukraine and became the deputy general director of the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR.

Before moving to Kyiv, Muzhdabaev worked for many years in the Russian press, including the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets,” where he was deputy editor-in-chief. His departure from the Russian media environment was not just a professional turn, but a political and moral choice against the backdrop of the annexation of Crimea, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the transformation of Russian media into a tool of Kremlin propaganda.

In Ukraine, Muzhdabaev became one of the public voices that constantly speak about Crimea, Crimean Tatars, Russian occupation, war, propaganda, and the responsibility of democratic societies in the face of aggression. For him, the topic of Russia is not abstract geopolitics, but a system of pressure, lies, and violence that is equally dangerous for Ukraine, Israel, and Europe.

Muzhdabaev’s connection with Israel also does not seem accidental. On January 29, 2026, his creative meeting took place in Tel Aviv at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, which is associated with the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel. The meeting was dedicated to the war, Crimea, Crimean Tatar resistance, Russian propaganda, and the collection of voluntary donations for the battalion named after Devlet I Giray.

For the Israeli audience, such a meeting had a separate meaning. Muzhdabaev addressed people who themselves live in a country with a constant threat of war, terror, and international pressure. Therefore, his conversation about Ukraine, Crimea, and Kremlin propaganda in Tel Aviv sounded not like a distant foreign policy topic, but as part of a common struggle of societies that defend their right to existence and security.

Muzhdabaev also has a personal Israeli line.

In one of his texts, he wrote that his sister Sonya moved to live in Israel, married an Israeli from Kyiv, and her child began studying in an Israeli school. This is an important detail: Israel for him is not only a political topic but also a real country where close people, families, children, repatriates live, and those who build a normal life against the backdrop of constant threats.

Muzhdabaev’s attitude towards Israel in his public comments is quite clear: he considers Israel as a country that defends itself, not as an aggressor. In the video about “Free-Palestinian” weapons of roZia, he places Ukraine and Israel in the same semantic row — as societies against which similar propaganda mechanisms work: substitution of causes and effects, equating the victim with the attacker, emotional pressure through media, and an attempt to destroy moral clarity.

That is why his position on Israel sounds not like an external comment of a commentator, but as a continuation of the general anti-Kremlin optics. Muzhdabaev sees in the anti-Israel hysteria not just a dispute about the Middle East, but a convenient tool for Russia: through slogans, TikTok, street marches, ultra-left and ultra-right movements, the Kremlin, in his opinion, tries to simultaneously strike at Israel, Ukraine, and Western societies.

…
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…
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Ukraine has already launched automatic exchange of Country-by-Country Reporting with 99 countries worldwide, but Israel remains among the states with which this mechanism has not yet come into effect.

This is important news not for the general audience, but for a specific circle: international corporate groups, tax consultants, lawyers, accountants, and businesses operating between Ukraine, Israel, the USA, the EU, and other jurisdictions.

According to the publication ‘Law and Business’ dated May 18, 2026, citing the State Tax Service of Ukraine, the automatic exchange of CbC reports is already in effect between Ukraine and 99 countries. However, between Ukraine and a number of states, including the State of Israel, such exchange has not yet begun to apply.

What happened and why Israel ended up on the list

CbC is the reporting of international corporate groups by country. Such reports disclose where the group earns income, where it shows profit, where it pays taxes, and in which jurisdictions it conducts real economic activity.

For tax authorities, this is one of the tools for controlling transfer pricing.

In other words, the state looks not only at an individual company within its country but at the entire international structure: where assets, employees, revenue, profit, taxes, and management centers are located. This helps to identify schemes where profit may be artificially shifted to more favorable tax jurisdictions.

Ukraine signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the automatic exchange of CbC reports on November 3, 2022, and it officially came into force for Ukraine on July 4, 2024.

But the mere signature under the multilateral agreement does not mean that the exchange automatically started with all countries simultaneously.

To launch the exchange between specific states, both parties must complete legal and technical procedures. Until this is done, the mechanism is temporarily not applied specifically in relations between these countries.

With whom the exchange is not yet in effect

In the Ukrainian list of countries and territories with which the automatic exchange of CbC has not yet come into force, Canada, Vietnam, Israel, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Gabon, Greenland, Haiti, Mauritania, and Morocco are indicated.

It is separately noted that Ukraine has not yet signed a bilateral agreement on the automatic exchange of CbC with the USA.

For Israel, this does not mean ‘tax isolation’ and certainly does not mean a lack of cooperation with Ukraine in other formats. It is specifically about the specific mechanism of automatic exchange of reports of international corporate groups by country.

But for business, the wording is still important.

If an international structure has Ukrainian and Israeli elements, owners, directors, and consultants need to understand which data is automatically transmitted, which is not yet transmitted through the CbC mechanism, and which may be requested or disclosed through other tax and legal channels.

Ukraine, Israel, and the transparency of international business

The Ukrainian-Israeli business connection has become much more noticeable in recent years. There are companies whose owners, management, employees, contractors, assets, or clients are located in several countries at once. Some of these structures are related to IT, trade, medical services, online services, consulting, real estate, logistics, and investment projects.

Against this background, tax transparency becomes not a technical topic but a part of business security.

Automatic exchange of CbC is primarily needed by large international groups. But its logic has a broader impact: states are increasingly checking where real value is created, where decisions are made, where people are located, and why profit ends up in one jurisdiction or another.

For Ukrainian businesses working with Israel, this means the need to build documentation, contracts, management logic, and tax position in advance. For Israeli companies with a Ukrainian direction — the same, only from the other side.

In the middle of this topic for NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency, the practical meaning is important: Ukraine and Israel remain connected not only by politics, war, repatriation, and humanitarian issues but also by business. And business in such a connection needs clear rules, predictability, and understanding of where ordinary planning ends and tax risk begins.

Why this is not a reason to relax

The absence of automatic exchange of CbC between Ukraine and Israel at the current stage should not be perceived as a ‘window of invisibility’.

Firstly, it is only about one type of reporting.

Secondly, the international tax environment is changing rapidly. What is not yet technically or legally launched today may start working tomorrow after the completion of procedures.

Thirdly, tax authorities can use other mechanisms for exchanging information, requests, documents from banks, audit data, open registers, corporate reporting, and materials submitted by the companies themselves.

Therefore, for international groups, the main conclusion is not that the exchange with Israel is not yet in effect, but that they need to prepare for a more transparent environment in advance.

What companies and consultants should consider

The State Tax Service of Ukraine recommends considering the current status of international information exchange when planning activities, preparing reports, and controlling transfer pricing.

For business, this means several practical questions.

It is necessary to understand whether the company is part of an international group, whether it falls under the CbC rules, where the parent structure is located, in which country the report is submitted, which group companies operate in Ukraine or Israel, and how functions, risks, assets, and profits are distributed.

It is also important not to confuse CbC with regular tax reporting. This is not a small business declaration and not a standard report of an individual company. It is a tool for large international groups, but it affects the overall culture of tax control.

For companies with a Ukrainian-Israeli contour, it is especially important not to wait until the mechanism fully operates between the two countries. It is wiser to check the structure, intra-group agreements, pricing, management functions, and evidence of real economic activity in advance.

The Israeli angle: why the news is important right now

Israel is a country with a strong technology sector, international investments, and a large number of companies operating in several markets at once. Ukraine, despite the war, maintains a significant IT base, entrepreneurial activity, service exports, and connections with the diaspora.

At the intersection of these two economies, many hybrid structures arise: Ukrainian teams work for Israeli companies, Israeli entrepreneurs collaborate with Ukrainian contractors, some owners or specialists change their country of residence, and business continues to serve clients in different jurisdictions.

Here, tax transparency becomes a matter not only of law but also of reputation.

If a company operates carefully, documents decisions, shows the real logic of profit distribution, and does not try to mask artificial schemes, new mechanisms for exchanging information should not become a shock. If the structure relies on gray agreements, risks will increase.

While the automatic exchange of CbC between Ukraine and Israel is not in effect. But the direction of movement is already clear: the international tax system is becoming increasingly interconnected, and states are less willing to take businesses ‘at their word’.

For Ukrainian-Israeli companies, this is a signal not for panic, but for order.

…
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The ship with grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine once again could not unload peacefully.

The bulk carrier PANORMITIS, IMO: 9445021, left the anchorage of the Turkish port of Iskenderun. There are no official statements from the Turkish side at the time of publication, so the wording requires caution: it is not about a confirmed public decision by Ankara, but about the actual development of the situation around the ship, which did not receive the usual scenario of entry and unloading.

This was written on May 17, 2026, by Ukrainian expert on maritime logistics and shipping monitoring Kateryna Yaresko. In her message, she indicated that PANORMITIS left the anchorage of Iskenderun, and there are no official messages yet, but the situation looks as if Turkey refused to accept the ship carrying grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Yaresko separately reminded: this is already the second country that reacts to Ukraine’s appeal. Before this, the bulk carrier with stolen grain was not accepted in Israel.

According to the Ukrainian side and specialized maritime sources, PANORMITIS is associated with the transportation of grain, the origin of which Ukraine considers related to the temporarily occupied territories. It was previously reported that the ship was awaiting permission to enter Iskenderun after it could not unload in Israel.

This is already the second episode where the route of PANORMITIS encounters a serious reaction after Ukrainian appeals.

Before Turkey, there was Israel: Haifa did not become a point of unloading.

Initially, the bulk carrier found itself at the center of a diplomatic crisis around the Israeli port of Haifa. Ukraine officially asked Israel to detain the ship, check the documents, take cargo samples, and interrogate the crew, claiming that the grain on board was associated with Russian export from the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Later it became known that the cargo was not unloaded in Israel.

The Ukrainian side presented this as a result of Kyiv’s legal and diplomatic pressure. Publications also indicated that PANORMITIS carried about 25 thousand tons of grain.

For Israel, this story became sensitive not only because of the Ukrainian-Russian context. It concerns reputational, legal, and political risks: if the grain is indeed associated with the occupied territories, its acceptance could look like participation in the chain of legalization of products exported under war conditions.

That is why for the Israeli audience, this episode is more important than just one port incident. НАновости — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency has already noted that such deliveries can become a test for business, the state, and diplomacy: where “ordinary trade” ends and responsibility for the origin of the cargo begins.

The Turkish episode strengthens the signal for the market.

After Israel, PANORMITIS headed to Turkey. The Ukrainian side hoped that Ankara would not accept the disputed cargo if its origin was related to the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Now, after Kateryna Yaresko’s report on the ship’s departure from the Iskenderun anchorage, the situation looks like another practical result of Ukrainian pressure. Even without a loud official statement, the very fact of the impossibility of calmly accepting such cargo becomes a signal for traders, ports, insurance companies, and importers.

Why it matters

The story of PANORMITIS shows that grain from the occupied territories is no longer just a Ukrainian problem. It becomes an issue for every country where such cargo is attempted to be brought.

For Ukraine, it is a struggle not only for the harvest but also for proving that Russian occupation should not become a normal commercial scheme.

For Israel, it was a test of the ability not to become the final point of a dubious route.

For Turkey — a test of balance between trade, relations with Russia, relations with Ukraine, and its own role in Black Sea-Mediterranean logistics.

What remains unknown

There is still no official message from Turkey about the formal refusal to accept PANORMITIS. Therefore, the main confirmed conclusion now is this: after the refusal to unload in Israel, the ship came under Ukraine’s attention, approached Iskenderun, awaited a decision, and then, according to Kateryna Yaresko, left the anchorage.

If Ankara confirms the refusal officially, it will not just be a maritime detail, but a diplomatic precedent: two countries in a row have effectively refused to accept cargo that Ukraine associates with the occupied territories.

For now, the exact formula of this story is: there are no official messages, but the movement of the ship itself has already become news. Ukraine continues to track the route, and the market receives a clear signal — cargoes from the occupied Ukrainian territories can become toxic not only politically but also commercially.

…
“Not About the War”: The book of Jewish defender of Ukraine Maksym Shvartsman was presented in Chernivtsi on the 3rd anniversary of his death at the front - July 21, 2026 - Новости Израиля

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While the attention of the Israeli public is focused on the confrontation between Israel and Iran, the war in Ukraine does not subside. Russian missiles continue to strike Ukrainian cities, destroying both civilians and civilian infrastructure.

But amid the destruction, losses, and anxiety, there are also stories that inspire — especially for the Jewish community, both in Ukraine and in Israel.

One of the largest portals for the ultra-Orthodox audience in Israel, “בחדרי חרדים” (Behadrei Haredim), on June 20, 2025, published two stories from Kyiv that vividly reflect how Putin’s aggression affects Jewish life in Ukraine.

On one hand — the shelling and destruction of a Talmud Torah building in Kyiv.

We already reported about this on June 10, 2025 — in the photo — a burned Hanukkiah thrown by the explosion, Kyiv, Artem Business Center, Hlybochytska 4, June 10, 2025

On the other hand — the personal story of a Ukrainian soldier who, after witnessing the death of his comrades, discovered his Jewish roots and decided to undergo brit milah (circumcision).

These two events are about pain and hope, about war and faith, about sacrifice and choice. They touch on the deepest levels of how Jewish Ukraine experiences the war — and why it matters for Israel.

A soldier who became Jewish not by blood, but by choice

A young Ukrainian man, a musician and sound engineer by profession, was invited to a studio where a song for the Jewish community of Kyiv was being recorded. The project was coordinated with the participation of Rabbi Yaakov Bleich, whose work includes dozens of Jewish initiatives across the country.

During the recording, choir members noticed a kippah on the sound engineer’s head. The question came half-jokingly: “Are you Jewish by any chance?” The answer turned out to be unexpectedly serious:

“Yes, I’m Jewish. But I’m completely secular. I don’t know anything about religion. I just know I’m Jewish, so I wear a kippah.”

That initial interaction with the Jewish community did not go any further. The young man went to the front lines. But fate had already prepared a turning point that would bring him back to his true self.

Pain, explosion, and rebirth: how tragedy became a choice

A few weeks later, while on a combat mission with fellow soldiers, a Russian missile hit their position. It was one of the many shellings that Putin’s army relentlessly carries out on Ukrainian soil. Several of his comrades were killed instantly, and others were seriously wounded. He miraculously survived — with a hand injury, but alive.

This moment was life-changing. Having experienced fear, pain, and death firsthand, he realized he needed to rethink his life. While in the hospital, he told Avraham Bleich, the son of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine:

“With God’s help, I want to begin getting closer to Judaism.”

A week later, in a modest yet moving ceremony, he underwent brit milah. It was not just a formality. He took the name Moshe — in honor of Moshe Rabbeinu, as he explained: “Moshe gave the Torah, and now I want to accept it.”

This story is not just about a religious act. It is a story of inner transformation, one that happens not in a synagogue, but against the backdrop of war, under the sound of sirens, when a person searches for meaning to hold on to.

While some choose faith, others lose their home: the Talmud Torah attack

At the same time, a Russian missile struck the Talmud Torah building in Kyiv. Before the war, it was a place of education for children from Kyiv’s Jewish community, including students from the Chabad movement and others connected to Rabbi Bleich’s educational programs. The building, a spiritual home for dozens of families, was completely destroyed.

Photos from the site show severe destruction: collapsed walls, destroyed classrooms and prayer halls. Study materials, religious books, ritual objects — all buried under rubble.

“We are witnessing not just the destruction of buildings, but of spiritual centers. The destruction in Kyiv echoes what we experience in Israel from Iranian attacks. But in these moments, we see more Jews returning to their roots, despite everything,” said Rabbi Yaakov Bleich.

A shared front: Israel, Ukraine, and spiritual resistance

The website NAnews – Israel News emphasizes that such stories must not be overlooked. Because they concern what is most essential — the preservation of Jewish identity, even in the midst of total war. When a young man undergoes circumcision, despite his injury and recent trauma, it is an act of inner resistance, an act of faith, an act of belonging to the Jewish people.

When Jewish schools are destroyed — it’s not just about walls. It’s about how Russia attacks not only Ukraine but Jewish roots, education, and the future.

These moments make the closeness between the Jewish and Ukrainian peoples all the more evident. In recent years, cooperation between the communities of both countries has intensified. And the way Ukraine protects its Jewish institutions — even during war — is an example to the world.

Conclusion: Moshe’s path and a destroyed school — two faces of one war

A soldier no one had known became a symbol of spiritual rebirth. He didn’t just survive — he returned to his roots and became Moshe.

And the destroyed Talmud Torah in Kyiv became a symbol that the enemy destroys not only buildings, but meaning itself. But Jewish life continues — even under fire.

The website NAnews – Israel News will continue to report on such stories. Because in them lies the truth about war and faith, about the line between loss and rediscovery.

…
“Not About the War”: The book of Jewish defender of Ukraine Maksym Shvartsman was presented in Chernivtsi on the 3rd anniversary of his death at the front - July 21, 2026 - Новости Израиля

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On May 14, Ukraine commemorates the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainians who saved Jews during World War II. In 2026, this date gained special significance again: in Kamianets-Podilskyi, in Khmelnytskyi region, preparations are underway to unveil a monument to the Righteous Among the Nations — people who risked themselves and their families to save Jews during the Nazi terror.

In Khmelnytskyi region, 89 residents have been recognized as such. They are no longer alive, but their names are preserved in the Book of Memory, in museum archives, in family stories, and on the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations in Jerusalem.

For the Israeli audience, this topic is not a distant history from a Ukrainian region. It is part of the collective memory of the Holocaust, of human choice under conditions of absolute fear, and of those invisible threads that connect Ukraine, Israel, and the Jewish people.

Kamianets-Podilskyi prepares for the unveiling of the monument to the Righteous

In Kamianets-Podilskyi, there are plans to unveil a monument to the Righteous Among the Nations — Ukrainians, thanks to whom Jewish families were able to survive during World War II. According to Olga Nikitina from the Hesed Besht Foundation, the unveiling of the monument is tentatively expected in August 2026.

This is not just a new memorial object on the map of Khmelnytskyi region. For the city, where the history of the Jewish community was almost destroyed by the Nazis, such a monument becomes a sign of the return of memory to the public space.

During World War II, saving Jews was a deadly dangerous decision. If the Nazis found out that a person was hiding a Jew, punishment threatened not only the rescuer but also their family. That is why the title of Righteous Among the Nations is not a formal honor but a recognition of an act committed on the border of life and death.

89 names of Khmelnytskyi region

In Khmelnytskyi region, today, 89 people are known to have saved Jews. Among them are mentioned, in particular, the Shershunov, Larionov, and Pukasov families. Their names are connected not only with local history but also with the memory preserved in Israel — on the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations in Jerusalem.

There, in Yad Vashem, memory is expressed not only in documents. In the memorial space, trees are planted in honor of people who, during the Holocaust, chose not indifference but risk and mercy.

According to Yad Vashem data as of January 1, 2024, Ukraine ranks fourth among the countries of the world in the number of recognized Righteous Among the Nations. The Ukrainian list includes 2713 people. This is not dry statistics, but thousands of individual decisions: to hide, to feed, to warn, to lead out, not to betray, to remain human when the system demanded betrayal.

The Holocaust in Khmelnytskyi region: destroyed communities and memory of the ghettos

The history of the monument in Kamianets-Podilskyi sounds especially poignant due to the scale of the tragedy experienced by the Jewish community of the region. According to data presented on Ukrainian Radio Khmelnytskyi, during the Holocaust, about 150,000 Jews were destroyed in the territory of Khmelnytskyi region. In Kamianets-Podilskyi alone, there were 23,000 victims, among them about 1,500 children.

In Proskuriv, now Khmelnytskyi, the Nazis created two ghettos. One was called “professional” — it held doctors and other specialists. The other was a general ghetto for the Jewish population of the city.

In these places, people died not only from shootings. They died from hunger, cold, diseases, lack of water, and sanitary conditions. Therefore, the memory of the Holocaust in Khmelnytskyi region is not one date and not one memorial, but a whole map of destroyed families, interrupted traditions, and cities where Jewish life was forcibly cut short.

White tablecloth from the Proskuriv ghetto

In the Memory Museum at the public Jewish center “THIYA” in Khmelnytskyi, there is an item that speaks of tragedy more strongly than many official formulations. It is a white tablecloth crocheted by a girl named Ida behind the walls of the Proskuriv ghetto.

Ida was a teenager. She died in the ghetto. She had a friend, Marusya — a Ukrainian who visited her and was in love with Ida’s brother, Semen. At that time, Semen was fighting at the front. When he returned, he and Marusya got married.

For them, Ida crocheted a white tablecloth for Shabbat. In Jewish tradition, on Friday evening, when Shabbat begins, the table is covered with a white tablecloth. Even in the ghetto, in conditions of humiliation, fear, and hopelessness, Ida tried to preserve tradition because tradition is also a form of resistance to annihilation.

Later, the descendants of Semen and Marusya donated this tablecloth to the Holocaust Museum. Today it is kept in a glass cube — as an item that outlived its creator and became a testament to life, love, memory, and tragedy.

Why this memory is important today — for Ukraine and Israel

Olga Nikitina noted that it is especially important to talk about the feat of Ukrainians who saved Jews today, when Ukraine has been living in conditions of war for many years. War shows what a person is capable of: some choose fear, some indifference, and some help others, even when it is dangerous.

This thought today does not sound like a museum phrase. Repatriates from Ukraine, the Ukrainian community in Israel, families connected with both countries, well understand that the memory of the rescuers of Jews is not only a conversation about the past. It is a conversation about how a person behaves when there is someone else’s pain, someone else’s risk, and someone else’s death nearby.

NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers such stories precisely in this context: the connection between Ukraine and Israel is held not only on diplomacy, politics, or today’s news but also on human actions that survive generations. Ukrainians who saved Jews during the Holocaust left behind not a slogan but an example of personal responsibility.

Monument as a sign for the living

The future monument in Kamianets-Podilskyi is important not only for the descendants of the saved families. It is needed for those who live today near these places, walk the same streets, pronounce the names of cities and villages where entire Jewish communities once disappeared.

Memorials do not bring back the dead. But they prevent society from pretending that nothing happened.

In this sense, the monument to the Righteous Among the Nations in Khmelnytskyi region will speak of two things at once: the terrible price of the Holocaust and the people who at that moment refused to become part of the machine of destruction.

For Israel, such memory has special value. In Jerusalem, the names of the Righteous are already inscribed in the space of the national memory of the Jewish people. Now another sign of memory should appear in Kamianets-Podilskyi — on the land where the tragedy occurred and where there were people who dared to stop it, even for one family, one child, one neighbor.

That is why May 14 is not just a date in the Ukrainian calendar. It is a day when Ukraine reminds: alongside the history of destruction, there was also a history of salvation.

…
“Not About the War”: The book of Jewish defender of Ukraine Maksym Shvartsman was presented in Chernivtsi on the 3rd anniversary of his death at the front - July 21, 2026 - Новости Израиля

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Donald Trump’s visit to China was supposed to be a demonstration of American strength. According to the White House’s plan, the US president was to arrive in Beijing as a leader capable of speaking toughly with Xi Jinping — about trade, Taiwan, Iran, rare earth metals, and the new architecture of global balance.

In reality, it turned out differently.

China gave Trump a lavish reception, showed symbols of imperial and party power, provided plenty of beautiful images for the cameras, but on the main issues left Washington without a clear breakthrough. The focus of the negotiations was Taiwan — and it was on this topic that Beijing, judging by public signals after the meeting, achieved caution from the US, which has already caused concern in Taipei.

For Israel, this story is important not only as another episode of US-China confrontation. It shows how great powers bargain over allies, territories, routes, weapons, and future wars. In this logic, Taiwan, Ukraine, the Middle East, and Iran become parts of one large system of pressure.

Beijing gave Trump a ceremony, but not a victory.

Trump’s first visit to China in many years took place against the backdrop of great expectations. The American delegation included politicians, business representatives, and people associated with major corporations. China, on its part, focused on symbolism: reception, banquet, walks, closed spaces of power, demonstration of history, and personal access to Xi Jinping.

Such diplomacy is rarely accidental.

Beijing knows how to turn a ceremony into a political message. When a guest is shown the greatness of the state, ancient gardens, halls of power, and a long historical perspective, they are simultaneously reminded: China does not intend to behave like a junior partner. It sees itself as a civilizational center that can wait, pressure, and bargain for a long time.

According to The Guardian, the visit provided a lot of pomp and symbols, but few concrete results: key topics — Taiwan, Iran, trade, rare earth elements, and technological restrictions — remained without a convincing breakthrough.

What was left behind the beautiful picture

The Trump administration talked about possible major deals, including the purchase of Boeing aircraft and the expansion of trade agreements. But an important detail is that not all of Washington’s loud statements received the same clear confirmation from Beijing.

This is already a problem.

If one side talks about a ‘big deal,’ and the other prefers to remain silent or formulates everything much more cautiously, it means the negotiation result remains in question. For Trump, who builds his political style on the image of a dealmaker, such uncertainty looks weaker than the ceremonial photos from Beijing.

The Chinese side, on the contrary, had the opportunity to show internal and external audiences calm confidence. Xi Jinping received the American president on his territory, outlined red lines, and did not look like someone in a hurry to concede.

That is why the original Ukrainian material from TSN presents this visit as a failure for the White House: instead of negotiations ‘from a position of strength,’ Trump faced tough signals from Beijing on Taiwan and the future US-China balance.

Taiwan became the main nerve of the meeting.

The most sensitive issue — Taiwan.

Before and after the summit, it became clear that Beijing is seeking a revision of Washington’s approach to military support for the island. It concerns a large arms package for Taiwan: Reuters writes that after Trump’s statement that the decision on future supplies has not yet been made, Taipei once again emphasized the strategic importance of American weapons for deterring China.

This was a worrying moment.

For decades, the US maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity: it did not recognize Taiwan’s independence as a separate state in a formal diplomatic sense, but at the same time helped the island defend itself and did not allow Beijing to consider a forceful scenario safe. Now, the very fact of publicly discussing the arms package with Xi is perceived by Taiwan as a risk.

PBS reminded of an important detail: one of the ‘Six Assurances’ the US gave to Taiwan is that Washington did not agree to consult with Beijing on arms sales to Taipei. Therefore, any signals that China might influence such decisions are especially painful for the island.

Why Trump’s words were a cold shower for Taipei

After the negotiations, Trump did not give a firm answer on whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. He also stated that the decision on arms sales would be made later.

For diplomacy, this may sound like ordinary caution.

For Taiwan — like a dangerous pause.

The New York Post reported that Trump spoke about the need to ‘cool down’ the rhetoric between China and Taiwan and was in no hurry to confirm support for a new arms package. In the same logic, he used the topic of supplies as an element of negotiations with Beijing, rather than as a separate commitment to Taipei.

This is exactly what China is striving for: to turn Taiwan from a US partner into a subject of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

For Israel, this sounds familiar. Small and medium democracies in a dangerous environment always closely watch how great allies behave under pressure. Because the question is not only about weapons. The question is whether the ally considers your security part of their strategy or a bargaining chip in a larger game.

In this context, NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency sees the main risk of Trump’s Beijing visit not in the absence of a loud deal, but in the shift of emphasis: China tested how far the US is willing to go in caution if trade, rare earth elements, Iran, and global competition are on the table.

Why Beijing is waiting for Putin after Trump

Another important signal is Putin’s upcoming visit to China. In the original TSN material, this episode is presented as part of a broader picture: immediately after contacts with the American president, Xi is preparing to receive the Russian leader, and this enhances the symbolic effect.

Here, the sequence of meetings is not the only important thing.

China shows that it can talk to the US, bargain with them, receive Trump with maximum pomp — and at the same time maintain a strategic link with Russia. For Washington, this is an unpleasant reminder: Beijing does not intend to choose between dialogue with America and partnership with Moscow if it can use both directions in its interests.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, tensions around Iran, and threats in the Strait of Hormuz, this link becomes even more significant. Trump reported that he discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war with Xi, but, as follows from reports after the visit, Ukraine did not become the central topic of negotiations. The Guardian also noted that among the major issues of the summit were Iran, Taiwan, and trade, but no significant results emerged.

What this changes for Ukraine and Israel

For Ukraine, this picture is unpleasant: if Beijing feels that Washington is forced to consider China on several fronts at once, Moscow gains more room for maneuver. Russia remains for China not an equal partner, but a useful tool for pressure on the West.

For Israel, the risk is different, but the logic is similar.

When the US simultaneously tries to contain China, restrain Iran, support allies, manage trade competition, and prevent a new war around Taiwan, each region begins to fight for a place in the American agenda. The Middle East in such a situation does not disappear, but becomes part of a large overloaded board.

That is why Trump’s visit to China cannot be assessed only by banquets, handshakes, and statements of friendship. The main outcome is that Beijing managed to put Taiwan at the center of the conversation, did not give Washington an obvious diplomatic victory, and showed that its dialogue with the US does not prevent it from strengthening relations with Russia.

For Trump, it was a visit where the picture looked rich, but the political result turned out to be much poorer.

For Xi — an opportunity to demonstrate patience, control, and confidence.

And for Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel — another reminder: in the era of a new struggle of great powers, the security of allies depends not on beautiful ceremonies, but on whether a strong partner is ready to pay the price for deterring an aggressor before a new war begins.

…
“Not About the War”: The book of Jewish defender of Ukraine Maksym Shvartsman was presented in Chernivtsi on the 3rd anniversary of his death at the front - July 21, 2026 - Новости Израиля

Did Azerbaijan stop Israel’s vote on recognizing the Armenian genocide? - July 20, 2026 - Новости Израиля

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Thousands of forgotten Jewish cemeteries are scattered across Ukraine — from Lviv to Odessa, from Podolia to Transcarpathia. On their matzevot — ancient tombstones with inscriptions in Hebrew — one can still read the names of rabbis, craftsmen, women, and children whose lives ended in the last century. These stones are the last witnesses of an entire world that disappeared in the whirlwind of history.

Today, this world is beginning to be restored: researchers, students, volunteers, international funds. Ukraine is gradually reclaiming its Jewish memory — cleaning matzevot, erecting fences, deciphering inscriptions, learning to read the language of stone.

The impetus for a new wave of attention was an event in the Khmelnytskyi region — a seminar of the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF), held on October 21, 2025, at the Jewish cemetery in the town of Horodok. This is where our story begins about how history, which cannot be erased, is being revived.

Unique Seminar in Horodok

On October 21, 2025, in the town of Horodok, Khmelnytskyi region, a unique seminar was held on the territory of the local Jewish cemetery. The organizer was the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF) — European Initiative for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries, with the support of the German Foreign Ministry.

The event was conducted by researcher Yevhen Levinzon, a well-known specialist in Jewish epigraphy.

The seminar was attended by museum staff, local historians, students of the International Certification Program in Judaica, journalists, and local residents. They studied the inscriptions on matzevot — stone tombstones that tell the stories of people who lived here three hundred or more years ago.

Horodok became a symbol of a new wave of interest in Ukraine’s Jewish heritage. Here, as in many towns of Podolia, there was a large Jewish community before the war, founded back in the 17th century. According to Yad Vashem, in 1939, more than 2,500 Jews lived in Horodok — almost a third of the population. After the Holocaust, the community disappeared, and the cemetery remained the only witness to this history.

The seminar was accompanied by presentations of ESJF projects, including the International Jewish Cemetery Research Competition, which takes place in the fall of 2025. The organization reminded that in 2024, a new protective fence was installed here in Horodok, funded by Germany as part of a pan-European program for the preservation of Jewish necropolises.

The Scale of Jewish Cemeteries in Ukraine

Modern research records from 1,000 to 1,500 Jewish cemeteries and mass burial sites in Ukraine.

• According to ESJF, by 2024, 4,140 Jewish cemeteries were surveyed in just 10 Eastern European countries, about 1,500 of which are in Ukraine.
• The Jewish Heritage Guide confirms: in Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions alone — over 500 sites.
• As early as 2005, the “Lo Tishkach” report recorded 731 cemeteries and 495 mass burial sites.

The highest concentration is in the western regions: Galicia, Volhynia, Podolia, Bukovina, Transcarpathia.
In the central and eastern regions (Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk), large urban necropolises of the 19th–20th centuries have been preserved.

The Largest Jewish Necropolises in Ukraine

Chernivtsi — one of the largest cemeteries in Eastern Europe (area 14 ha, about 50,000 burials). Founded in 1866, it is still in operation and has been state-protected since 1995. Here rest rabbis, professors of Chernivtsi University, poets, and public figures of Bukovina.

Lviv — New Jewish necropolis on Zolochivska Street (founded in 1855). Despite the destruction of World War II and the Soviet period, some tombstones — especially from the 18th–19th centuries — have been preserved.

Kyiv — Lukyanivka Jewish Cemetery, opened in 1866. There are memorial sections dedicated to Babi Yar. Many burials have been studied as part of the “Jewish Memory Map” project.

Odessa — New Jewish Cemetery, founded in 1885, became the largest in the south of the country. Here are the graves of Rabbi Yakov Leibovich, actor Beni Krik, the Schwartzman and Brodsky families.

Drohobych — 18th–19th-century cemetery, where matzevot with rare baroque motifs and inscriptions in Hebrew and German were discovered. Some monuments were restored with the support of ESJF and volunteers from Poland and Israel.

Horodok (Khmelnytskyi region) — the cemetery is known for its unique 17th–19th-century tombstones made of Podolian limestone. Symbols of Kohanim (hands in blessing), Levites (pitchers), carved images of birds, and wreaths are found here. In 2024, ESJF installed a metal fence and an information stand with a QR code leading to a map of the cemetery. Today, Horodok is considered a training ground for students of the Judaica program and local historians of Podolia.

Matzeva: The Language of Stone and Codes of Memory

Matzeva (Heb. מצבה) — a traditional Jewish tombstone, a “stone of memory,” installed on a grave shortly after burial.

Materials and Forms

• limestone, sandstone, less often granite or marble;
• usually a vertical rectangular slab, sometimes with an arch or rounded top;
• height — from 60 cm to 1.5 m; in the 18th century, Galician matzevot could be carved in the form of a portal or gate.

Language and Inscriptions

• inscriptions — in Hebrew, Aramaic, later German, Polish, Russian;
• the first lines — the abbreviation פ״נ (“Here lies”);
• the concluding formula — תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים (“May his soul be bound in the bundle of life”).

Symbolism

Each drawing is a metaphor for the life of the deceased:

• hands in blessing — Kohen;
• pitcher with water — Levite;
• candles — woman;
• lion, deer, bird, tree — allegories of courage, sorrow, or valor.
  In Galicia and Podolia, there are complete narrative compositions with animals, musical instruments, and Torah.

Classification

1. Archaic (16th–17th centuries) — simple slabs without ornamentation.
2. Baroque (18th century) — rich carvings, plant motifs.
3. Galician and Podolian (19th century) — clear iconography, family signs.
4. Soviet period (20th century) — geometric shapes, sometimes portraits.

History of Studying Matzevot and Jewish Necropolises

Interest in Jewish epigraphy in Ukraine arose as early as the 19th century.
In the 1840s, Rabbi Ber Meir Shik published the first decipherments of inscriptions in Transcarpathia.
At the end of the 19th century, researcher Shimon Dubnov included descriptions of Jewish cemeteries in his “History of the Jewish People in Russia and Poland.”
After the Holocaust, interest in the Soviet Union was almost lost.

Revival began in the 1990s:

• in 1993, the Society for the Protection of Jewish Monuments “Memorial” was established in Kyiv;
• in 1996, the first digital catalog of tombstones of the Brody cemetery appeared;
• since 2015, ESJF has been conducting systematic surveys of Jewish necropolises in Ukraine using drones and 3D models.

Modern academic centers (A. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Judaica Center in Kyiv and Lviv) offer courses in epigraphy, archaeology, and field research.
It is the students of these programs who participate in today’s seminars like the one held in Horodok.

International Initiatives and Education

ESJF works in partnership with the European Union, the German Foreign Policy Fund, and Ukrainian museums.
By 2024, the organization built more than 300 fences and registered the coordinates of all Jewish cemeteries in the country in an open database.

The International Interdisciplinary Certification Program in Judaica (Kyiv, A. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) prepares young researchers and teachers to work with Jewish heritage.
The course includes Hebrew, Yiddish, the history of Jews in Ukraine, epigraphy, and museum practice.

The International Jewish Cemetery Research Competition, announced in 2025, accepts submissions until December 1 in nine European countries. Winners will be invited to the Jewish Heritage Festival in Prague in the spring of 2026.

Conclusion

The seminar in Horodok is not a one-time event but part of a large movement to restore Jewish memory in Ukraine. Matzevot, carved in stone in the 18th century, are being read today by young researchers; cemeteries, where oblivion reigned for decades, are becoming open-air museums.

Ukraine is reclaiming the forgotten voice of Jewish heritage — and it is through projects like ESJF and the Horodok seminar that this heritage is gaining a second life.

Sources

JewishNews Ukraine — Seminar in Horodok, 2025

ESJF – European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative

Jewish Heritage Guide – Cemeteries Database

Jewish Heritage Europe – Ukraine Section

International Certification Program in Judaica (Kyiv)

Ukrainian Jewish Encounter – Essay on Cemeteries

Wikipedia – Jewish Cemetery in Chernivtsi

Support from the State of Ukraine and Local Authorities

Ukrainian state policy and local self-government bodies are increasingly involved in the protection of Jewish cemeteries and matzevot — this direction is gradually becoming part of the state memory policy. The issue was first legally established back in 1998 when the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a decree prohibiting construction and privatization on the territories of former and existing Jewish cemeteries. This document was an important step in protecting necropolises from destruction and commercial development.

The Law of Ukraine “On Burial and Funeral Affairs,” adopted in July 2003, obliged local self-government bodies to survey old burial sites, keep records, and ensure preservation. Cemeteries with historical or cultural value are subject to protection as objects of national heritage.

From 2021 to 2024, more than a hundred memorial steles were installed at Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine, and several hundred more sites received permits for restoration or fence installation.

These initiatives are implemented with the participation of the Ministry of Culture, the Institute of National Memory, local administrations, and international partners. In many cities of western Ukraine — Lviv, Sambir, Berezhany, Brody, Chortkiv — municipalities include Jewish cemeteries in urban improvement programs. Local historians, schoolchildren, volunteers, and representatives of Jewish communities participate in these projects. They clear the territory, install plaques and QR codes, and create routes “in the footsteps of Jewish history.”

Today, we can talk about a gradual transition from individual volunteer actions to a systematic model of interaction between the state, local authorities, and public organizations.

Step by step, Ukraine is creating a foundation for Jewish cemeteries to become not places of oblivion but part of the national memory and respect for the history of all peoples who lived on its land.

…
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On the evening of May 14, 2026, Jerusalem Day begins in Israel. The holiday itself falls on May 15 — 28 Iyar 5786. According to the Hebrew calendar, this is 28 Iyar 5786 — the date when Israel commemorates the liberation of the Old City and the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War.

It is important not to confuse the two dates here. The historical event occurred on June 7, 1967: it was then that Israeli paratroopers entered the Old City and reached the Western Wall. But the state holiday in Israel is not fixed on the civil date of June 7, but on the Hebrew date — 28 Iyar. Therefore, every year on the regular calendar, Jerusalem Day falls on different dates.

In Israeli historical tradition, Jerusalem is more often associated not with a single exact founding date, but with the era of King David: around 1000 BCE, he made the city the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. Therefore, in Israel, people often speak of more than a 3000-year connection of the Jewish people with Jerusalem. Archaeologically, however, a settlement at this site existed even earlier — approximately from the 4th–3rd millennium BCE.

Jerusalem as a city of memory, rights, and responsibility

For the Jewish people, Jerusalem is not just a capital and not just an ancient city. It is a place around which prayer, memory, the national dream, and the very idea of return have been built for centuries.

Armies, empires, tribes, and rulers came to its walls, confident that they could take the city for themselves forever. Where are they today? The history of many of them has ended, but Jerusalem remains at the center of Jewish destiny.

That is why Jerusalem Day cannot be perceived only as a festive ceremony with flags, songs, and official speeches. It is a date that reminds Israel: the past cannot be handed over to those who want to erase the Jewish connection to the city.

After the proclamation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, Jerusalem was divided. The western part of the city was under Israeli control, while the Old City, East Jerusalem, and the main Jewish holy sites were under Jordanian rule.

Formally, after the 1948 war, rights of access to holy places were supposed to be maintained. In practice, Jews were unable to pray freely at the Western Wall for almost two decades. The Old City was closed to them, and the dividing line ran through the living fabric of the capital.

This was not just a political conflict. For the Jewish people, it was an open wound.

The Six-Day War and the path to the Old City

In June 1967, tensions around Israel escalated into the Six-Day War. The country faced threats on several fronts, and in the early days of the war, no one could know in advance what the outcome would be.

The Central Front, commanded by Uzi Narkiss, was of particular importance. His task was not only to control the direction of Jerusalem. He was responsible for one of the most vulnerable areas of the country — the region near Netanya, where the distance from the forward Jordanian positions to the Mediterranean Sea was just over ten kilometers.

For small Israel, this was a strategic “bottleneck.” A successful enemy strike in this area could split the country and pose a threat to the very existence of the state.

While decisive battles unfolded in Sinai and the Golan, the Central Front had to hold this critical area. But when it became clear that the Jordanians were not using the opportunity for such a breakthrough, Uzi Narkiss decided to act more boldly.

The offensive, begun as a military necessity, led Israeli forces to Jerusalem.

Paratroopers of Motti Gur and a phrase that entered history

In the battles for the city, Israeli paratroopers under the command of Motti Gur played a key role. Their advance to the Old City became one of the most powerful symbols of the 1967 war.

The phrase “The Temple Mount is in our hands” forever entered the national memory of Israel. But behind these words were not only emotions. Behind them were battles, fallen soldiers, the risk of commanders, and the understanding that this was a place that could not be replaced by anything in Jewish history.

Jerusalem was not just taken under control. The city, divided after 1948, became united again.

This victory was military, historical, and spiritual at the same time. Israel not only pushed the threat away from its borders but also returned to the places from which the Jewish people had been forcibly cut off for almost nineteen years.

When military victory requires political continuation

After the war, Israel took important legal steps. The Knesset passed laws that extended Israeli jurisdiction over the united Jerusalem. Later, in 1980, the Basic Law on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was adopted, where the city was proclaimed the united and indivisible capital of the state.

But this is where the main dispute begins, which has not lost its sharpness to this day.

The military campaign of 1967 ended with a brilliant victory. The Old City was liberated, East Jerusalem came under Israeli control, and access to the Western Wall was restored. However, the issue of the Temple Mount became a symbol of a more complex dilemma.

On one hand, it is the place where the Temple stood, the central symbol of Jewish rights to the Holy Land. On the other hand, after the war, Israel left religious management of the complex in the hands of the Muslim Waqf, seeking to avoid an immediate religious explosion.

Some see this as a manifestation of state caution.

Others believe that it was at this point that the military victory was partially weakened by a political decision.

For the Israeli audience, this dispute is important not as an abstract historical discussion, but as a question of today. Nikk.Agency — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency considers Jerusalem Day in this context: victory on the battlefield must be supported by clear policy, otherwise, the opponent begins to perceive concessions not as strength, but as doubt.

The main lesson of 1967

The Six-Day War showed that Israel is capable of acting quickly, decisively, and effectively even under mortal threat. But the subsequent decades showed something else: a military victory alone does not close the conflict if it is not followed by political consolidation of the result.

This applies not only to Jerusalem.

It concerns the entire Israeli security strategy. Victory must be understood by the enemy, allies, international organizations, and its own society. If after the battle there is a sense of temporariness, the enemy begins to wait for the next round.

That is why Jerusalem Day is not only a day of gratitude for 1967. It is a day when Israel asks itself again: is it enough to just remember the victory if its meaning is constantly challenged?

Jerusalem today

Today, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the city of the Knesset, the residence of the president, government institutions, religious centers, museums, archaeological parks, universities, and vibrant neighborhoods. It is not a museum decoration, but a city where history continues every day.

On Jerusalem Day, state ceremonies, commemorative events, prayers, reading of Hallel, marches with Israeli flags, and gatherings at the Western Wall take place. Ceremonies in memory of soldiers who died in battles for the city hold a special place.

There is joy in this holiday, but there is no lightness.

It is joyful because Jerusalem was united.

It is heavy because it was paid for with blood.

It is political because the issue of Jerusalem remains central to Israel’s security, diplomacy, and national identity.

Why this day cannot be reduced to just a ceremony

Jerusalem Day reminds us that history does not end with a beautiful phrase and a festive march. If a people does not explain to itself the meaning of its own victory, others begin to do it for them.

Jerusalem has never been a random point on the map. It has been and remains the center of Jewish history, prayer, and statehood. Therefore, the conversation about it always goes beyond municipal boundaries, archaeology, or diplomatic formulas.

The main conclusion of the Six-Day War is harsh but necessary: even the most successful military campaign can turn into an unfinished victory if the enemy does not recognize defeat and the state does not turn the army’s success into a sustainable political reality.

Jerusalem has withstood empires, conquerors, and those who tried to rewrite its history. But today its future depends not only on the past but on the clarity of present-day Israel.

Jerusalem Day is a holiday of liberation. But even more, it is a test: is the state ready to defend not only the city but also the meaning of its victory.

…
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On the eve of Passover in Jerusalem, one of the most unusual yet most formal ceremonies of the Israeli religious-state calendar took place again. On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the chief rabbis of Israel formalized the sale of the state’s chametz to Hussein Jabar from Abu Ghosh — the very person who, for many years, becomes, on paper, the owner of the country’s leavened property during the holiday. The official statement emphasizes that this is not only about the state’s chametz as an abstraction, but also about the chametz of ministries, government agencies, and those citizens who have authorized the rabbinate in advance to sell it on their behalf through an online form.

From the outside, this can be taken as a beautiful Israeli tradition with a touch of a joke: a Muslim becomes the “owner of the country’s bread” for a week.

But in reality, this is not folklore, but a working halachic and legal mechanism, without which state institutions, large warehouses, departments, and private owners would find themselves in a much more complicated situation before Passover. That is why this ceremony is conducted not symbolically in a square, but through documents, powers, a deposit, and the formal transfer of rights.

Why does Israel sell chametz before Passover at all

The basic reason is simple, but not always obvious to an outside observer.

According to Jewish law, during Passover, it is forbidden not only to eat chametz but also to keep it in Jewish possession. Moreover, the problem does not disappear if you simply remove the products from sight: rabbinical practice’s specific clarifications directly indicate that chametz that was in Jewish possession during Passover is forbidden even after the holiday ends.

Hence the solution that Israel has brought to a state scale. Chametz is sold to a non-Jew before the prohibition begins, and after Passover, it is usually bought back. For individuals, this could be a home supply, bottles of whiskey, pasta, or flour. For the state, it’s a completely different level: departmental warehouses, supplies in supply systems, food, and other categories of leavened property that cannot simply be massively destroyed without absurdity and direct losses.

Why Hussein Jabar became the buyer again

The story of Hussein Jabar is a separate part of this Israeli construct.

Jabar, a native of Abu Ghosh and a long-time employee of the Ramada Jerusalem hotel, has been performing this role for decades; according to him, it all started in 1995 when the then-chief rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau asked him to take on the purchase of the state’s chametz. Since then, he has regularly become the figure through which the state conducts the Passover sale.

What exactly they sell and what is included in this deal

This is where the confusion usually begins.

They do not sell “Israel as a whole,” not ministerial buildings, and not land as such. They sell exactly chametz — that is, leavened products from five types of grain that fall under the Passover prohibition. Basic clarifications include bread, pastries, dry cereals, pasta, many types of alcohol, and other products made from fermented or leavened grain.

On a state scale, this means not just a box of cookies in some office.

The current official statement refers to the chametz of the state, ministries, government structures, and also the chametz of private individuals who have pre-authorized the rabbinate through the website. In earlier official statements from the Chief Rabbinate, specific objects such as state emergency reserves, police, and prison service were also listed. That is, we are talking about quite real food and warehouse remnants in large volumes.

And another important detail that is often overlooked. They sell not only the “contents of boxes” in the household sense. Classic forms of chametz sale provide that the entire chametz in specified storage locations is included in the deal, even small remnants that no one would buy separately, and to strengthen the legal force of the deal, the buyer is given rights to access the premises where this chametz is located. Traditional formulations refer to the transfer of keys and even temporary rental of the storage premises themselves, so the deal does not look like an empty declaration.

Hence the practical rule that the rabbinate repeats separately: the sold chametz must be placed in a closed and marked place until the end of Passover. This is necessary because after the sale, it should no longer be used by the former owner, even if it physically remains in the same kitchen, the same warehouse, or the same departmental premises.

Otherwise, the whole point of the procedure is blurred.

How the cost of this chametz is calculated and where the “billions” come from

In public retellings, they love the phrase about “chametz worth billions,” sometimes even tens and hundreds of billions. But within the procedure, the assessment is not arranged like a newspaper headline. Official statements from the rabbinate indicated that during the ceremony, the buyer makes a deposit — in recent years, it was about 20,000 shekels — and already after Passover, the cost of the state’s chametz is assessed by three appraisers.

Only after this can a final settlement theoretically be made.

So the figure “billions” is not a random metaphor, but also not always the final account to the last shekel right on the day of the ceremony. Halachic texts, on which the logic of the sale is built, separately explain that the benchmark is the fair market value. If necessary, it is clarified after measuring or weighing the goods.

In one of the classic examples of sale, it is directly stated that the price is actually understood as the value that could be obtained on the local market, and the mechanism itself is equivalent to an assessment by “three people.”

That is why this deal should not be just theater. In the same texts, the buyer is given the right to enter storage places, receive keys, and even resell chametz to other non-Jews during Passover if he wishes. In practice, this almost never happens in the dramatic form that the mass press loves, but the legal logic is important: the sale must be formalized as real, not as a joke, otherwise, it loses both religious and legal force.

This is the Israeli paradox, which from the outside looks almost like a national ritual surrealism. But NAnovosti — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency sees here not exoticism for the sake of a picture, but a point where an ancient prohibition, a modern state, digital services, and live Israeli bureaucracy unexpectedly work together — quite clearly, without unnecessary romance, and with a very specific practical meaning.

Where did this scheme come from and why hasn’t it disappeared

The roots of chametz sale are much older than the State of Israel.

One of the earliest mentions of such a practice is already found in the Tosefta: it describes a case with a Jew who went on a long journey and sold chametz to a non-Jew with the expectation that he could later buy back the remainder. Otherwise, after Passover, he risked being left without supplies.

On a small household level, this could still be solved simply — burn, throw away, eat in advance.

But as people acquired large stocks of grain, alcohol, flour, warehouse remnants, and commercial volumes, the complete destruction of goods began to mean serious economic damage. That is why the mechanism evolved: first as a private solution for merchants and stock owners, then as a standard procedure for communities, and in Israel — already as a formalized state practice.

Hence the answer to the main question that Israelis ask every year, especially those far from religious life: “Why not just throw it all away?” Because in reality, we are talking about a gigantic array of food and goods, partly state-owned, partly private, partly institutional.

The sale allows not to violate the Passover prohibition, not to destroy stocks unnecessarily, and not to turn holiday preparation into economic nonsense. That is why this strange-looking ceremony has such a stable status in Israel — and that is why it made the news again on March 31, 2026.

What is chametz, what exactly is included in it, and why is it treated so strictly on Passover

Chametz is not just “something flour-based,” but a very specific category according to Jewish law.

It refers to products from five types of grains — wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt — if they have come into contact with water and have fermented or started to leaven. In modern household examples, this is bread, rolls, cookies, grain-based alcohol (such as “Whiskey”), pasta, dry cereals, pizza, beer, and many other products that contain such grains or their derivatives.

Yes — ordinary vodka often falls into chametz, if it is made from grain: wheat, rye, barley, oats, or spelt. For Passover, this is considered a problem not because of the alcohol itself, but because of the raw material: if the alcohol is made from these grains, it is considered chametz.

But not all vodka is the same. Potato vodka is not chametz by itself, and vodka from corn or rice is not considered chametz, although for Ashkenazim, this may already touch on a separate custom regarding kitniyot. In any case, on Passover, such a bottle is taken only with a clear label Kosher for Passover, because additives, equipment, and the entire production process are also important.

Therefore, when in Israel they talk about selling chametz, it may not only be about a loaf of bread or a pack of spaghetti.

This category also includes larger stocks: flour from these grains, mixes, semi-finished products, warehouse remnants, grain-based alcohol, and industrial products where such components are present. It is important not to confuse chametz with kitniyot: rice, corn, legumes, lentils, and similar products are not considered chametz by themselves, although in Ashkenazi tradition many of them are also not eaten on Passover due to a separate custom, not because they are equated to chametz by the Torah.

In the Torah itself, the prohibition is directly and repeatedly prescribed. In the book of Exodus, it is said that before the holiday, leaven must be removed from homes, and during the seven days, chametz should not be in Jewish possession; it also says that chametz should not “be seen” and “be found” with you. In the book of Deuteronomy, the explanation of the meaning of matzah is added: it is the “bread of affliction,” eaten in memory of the hasty exodus from Egypt when the dough did not have time to rise.

This is where the answer to the question “why” comes from. On Passover, matzah becomes not just a permitted food, but a reminder of the Exodus and the fact that Jews left Egypt in haste. The prohibition of chametz is therefore connected not only with the kitchen but also with the memory of the event itself: Passover is arranged so that a person not only reads about liberation but literally experiences it through what is in their home and on their table.

Later halachic tradition has detailed what exactly to do with chametz before the holiday. Already the Mishnah in the tractate Pesachim begins the discussion with checking the house for chametz on the eve of the 14th of Nisan.

Then the Talmud develops these rules, Rambam in “Mishneh Torah” formulates the obligation to remove chametz before the prohibition moment, and the “Shulchan Aruch” establishes the practical order of checking and removing chametz from places where it can usually be found. So this is not only a biblical commandment but also a long, very specific legal tradition.

In practice, four main actions have grown out of this, familiar to religious and traditional Israel: chametz is searched for, removed, destroyed, or taken out of Jewish possession through sale to a non-Jew. That is why the state sale of chametz in Israel looks unusual only from the outside. Within Jewish legal logic, it is a continuation of an old norm: if chametz cannot be kept during Passover, it must either be destroyed or truly transferred to another owner.

…
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