Israel's Illegal Immigrants Problem

 Nadene Goldfoot

"A 37 year old terrorist, who entered Israel illegally from his village in Samaria, rammed his car into a 68 year old man in Beit She'an (in northern Israel), killing him," evidently on purpose.

Palestinians generally require specific permits from Israeli authorities to enter Israel legally for work or other exceptional humanitarian reasons, and these permits are often limited in number. For those without permits, illegal entry methods include: 

• Breaching the barrier: Individuals often use ropes or makeshift aids to climb over sections of the Israeli West Bank barrier where there are breaches or known weak points.
• ** circumventing checkpoints**: While there are official checkpoints, many illegal entrants bypass these by finding unsecured routes, particularly in rural or less monitored areas along the "seam line" separating the West Bank from pre-1967 Israel.
• Smuggling: Smugglers are also involved in facilitating the movement of people across the border. 

Israeli officials report that thousands of Palestinians attempt to enter Israel illegally each month using these methods. Security forces work to thwart these attempts, with arrests of large groups being a regular occurrence. 

The map above shows Samaria, in Hebrew-Shomron), the northern land and Judea the southern including Jerusalem. ; which had been the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel that was founded in about 880 BCE by King Omri of Israel; built on a hill bought from Shemer (I Kings 16:24).  The site was 7 miles NW of Shechem, now Nablus, and was on an isolated elevation dominating a wide countryside consisting of 25 acres. The name, Samaria, is also applied to the entire northern region of the central Highlands of Eretz Yisrael. 

The Assyrians, led by King Shalmaneser V and completed by Sargon II, conquered Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, around 722 BCE after a three-year siege, leading to the deportation of many Israelites and the settlement of foreigners in the region, creating the people known as Samaritans.   

It was later passed to the Neo-Babylonian Empire, then the Persians, and was rebuilt by Herod the Great as Sebastia. 

 The Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE (Common Era), specifically on the 9th of Av (around August 30th) during the First Jewish-Roman War, marking a catastrophic event that ended the Second Temple period and reshaped Jewish history. Roman forces under General Titus besieged the city and set fire to the Temple after months of fighting. 

Jews got control of the biblical region of Samaria (referred to by Israel as Judea and Samaria) back after the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel captured it from Jordan, restoring Jewish authority over the area for the first time since the Second Temple's destruction, leading to the re-establishment of Jewish communities there.

 A short time later our 37 year old terrorist rammed into a 16 year old, lightly injuring him. 

The terrorist then drove onto Highway 71 toward the Ein Harod area, where he rammed a vehicle carrying a 19-year-old woman near Kibbutz Tel Yosef. The woman, Aviv Maor of Kibbutz Ein Harod Ihud, managed to flee her car, but the terrorist chased her and stabbed her to death.                                       

The terrorist then drove toward Afula, where he was stopped near the city and neutralized by a security guard.  Afula is located in the Jezreel Valley (also known as the Valley of Megiddo) in the Northern District of Israel, in the region historically known as the Lower Galilee, not in Samaria or Judea. It is often referred to as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its central location. While Afula is geographically separate from the regions of Judea and Samaria, it is close to the administrative border with the northern West Bank (Samaria region), which has made it a target of terrorist attacks in the past.

Afula, Israel, had a population of approximately 64,578 in 2023, though recent estimates for 2025 place it around 54,250, with figures varying slightly depending on the source and date. It's a diverse city in the Jezreel Valley, known as the "Capital of the Jezreel Valley," with a predominantly Jewish population alongside Arab residents and immigrants from places like Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union, and Latin America.

Resource:

israelAM

https://bible.ucg.org/bible-commentary/2-Kings/Fall-of-Samaria;-Rest-of-Israel-deported/

So Goes Our Kosher Delis of New York With Jewish Rye

 Nadene Goldfoot                   

Watch out New York, you might find your Jewish Delis being attacked by not serving Jewish rye as part of their Pastrami sandwiches!  That has already happened to me eating a rye and Pastrami sandwich with that swirly-looking dark bread name unknown.  It wasn't half as good, either. Mustard and pickles go with a pastrami sandwich on Jewish rye.  

                                               

   Kosher Deli from 1950's in south Williamsburg, New York, one of many

Rye bread is considered "Jewish" because it was a staple in Eastern European Jewish communities, and immigrant bakers brought the tradition to the United States. Rye bread originated in Eastern Europe, where rye grain thrived in cold, harsh climates that were less suitable for wheat.  

It became a hallmark of Jewish American deli culture, known for specific characteristics like the use of caraway seeds and an egg wash, though its actual rye content often decreased over time in the U.S.   For Ashkenazi Jews, rye bread became a dietary essential—nutritious, affordable, and perfect for Shabbat meals or weekday sustenance. Immigrants brought their love of rye to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it quickly became a hallmark of Jewish American food culture.   This hearty, slightly tangy staple has been a cornerstone of Jewish delis, the perfect partner to corned beef, pastrami, or lox, and a timeless favorite for generations. But where did it come from?

      

Out here in Oregon, we have labeled, "Jewish rye" bread, knowingly a littledifferent from other ryes.  Notice in the picture above that it is a lighterrye.  So, the easy answer is that a rye bread is “Jewish” if one could routinely find it on the shelves of the bakeries that anchored Jewish neighborhoods in New York Boston, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and everywhere else eastern European Jews settled. Usually, that bread was some variation on the light, caraway-seeded ryes or the dark, artificially-colored pumpernickels that most people think of as “Jewish.” 

                                      

This is a corned beef on rye at Judah's  in Portland, and if it hasn't

moved yet is at:  Judah's Delicatessen is located at 5235 NE Sandy Blvd. in Portland, OR 97213. It is a food cart in the Rose City Food Park, a deli in the Rose City Park neighborhood of Northeast Portland. (Our old Jewish neighborhood was in the SW side)  Same thing that

happened to New York has happened to Portland in Jewish neighborhoods.  

  The number of traditional kosher delis in New York has significantly declined due to a combination of economic and demographic factors, such as rising rents, high meat costs, and a suburban migration of Jewish populations. While many classic delis have closed, some are adapting by offering modern takes on Jewish food, while others, like Liebman's Deli, continue to operate as traditional establishments. 

Jews are worried about New York's new mayor.  Mamdani's campaign was animated by an array of local economic issues. But in Israel, his pro-Palestinian platform is all that matters.  Jerusalem:

The election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City's next mayor has sent a chill across Israel as people come to terms with the victory of a politician propelled by an outspoken pro-Palestinian message that is rare in US politics.  Israelis across the political spectrum fear that Mamdani's election -- in the city with the world's second-largest Jewish population — could foreshadow icier relations with the US, Israel's most important ally.  Support for Mamdani from almost one-third of Jewish voters only added to the pain.  “Very bad,” said Hana Jaeger, a Jerusalem resident, assessing the news the day after the election. “For the Jews, for Israel, for everyone, it's very bad. What else can you say?”

Jews had been slowly moving out of New York and others moved in that weren't Jewish.  Now those that are left are not able to keep the kosher delis open.  "The number of traditional kosher delis in New York has significantly declined due to a combination of economic and demographic factors, such as rising rents, high meat costs, and a suburban migration of Jewish populations. While many classic delis have closed, some are adapting by offering modern takes on Jewish food, while others, like Liebman's Deli, continue to operate as traditional establishments." 

• "Demographic changes: After World War II, many Jewish New Yorkers moved to the suburbs, leading to a decline in the dense Jewish neighborhoods that supported many delis."

Research:

Wikipedia

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/what-makes-rye-bread-jewish/#:~:text=The%20easy%20answer%20is%20that,think%20of%20as%20%E2%80%9CJewish.%E2%80%9D

https://www.google.com/search?q=what%27s+happened+to+kosher+delis+in+New+York%3F&sca_esv=3305bec65bd7fec6&sxsrf=AE3TifOn5dwQJeHMr_1lcaljRQeK4brCew%3A1763128241355&source=hp&ei=sTMXabKxE_-V0PEPtJfruQQ&iflsig

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/zohran-mamdani-very-bad-for-jews-israelis-react-to-mamdani-being-next-new-york-mayor-9597630

Ottoman Empire: What Was It and What Happened To It?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

Osman I or Osman Ghazi  died 1323/4) was the eponymous founder of the Ottoman Empire and was from the land of Turkey.  The Ottoman Empire existed from approximately 1299 to 1922. It began with the rise of Osman I in northwestern Anatolia and was formally abolished in 1922, with the Republic of Turkey was established the following year. 

 The Ottoman Empire was (first known as a beylik or emirate). While initially a small Turkoman principality during Osman's lifetime, his beylik transformed into a vast empire in the centuries after his death. It existed until 1922 shortly after the end of World War I, when the sultanate was abolished.

       Notice that Jerusalem and Damascus are in its power

The Ottoman Empire was a Turkic empire founded by Osman I in 1299 that grew to be a major world power, controlling vast territories across three continents until its collapse after World War I.

Jews lived in Asia Minor and had built a synagogue in the old capital of BRUSA when the Ottoman Empire was established there  by 1336.  Bursa is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in  the Marmara Region after Istanbul. 

Under Byzantine rule, The city prospered after the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built a palace there. the city then became a garrison city in 562, where imperial guards were stationed. Already by the mid-6th century, Bursa was known as a famous silk textile manufacturing centre. 

(Ottoman Empire) captured SALONICA in 1430 and CONSTANTINOPLE in 1453. Many Jews lived in these centers as well.  

After 1492 (when Columbus sailed) the sultans opened the gates of the Ottoman Empire generously to the threatened Jewish refugees from Spain and also to those later from Portugal and other lands .  Throughout the Ottoman period, most Jews resided in Kuruçeşme, Bursa's Jewish quarter, home to three synagogues. Etz Chaim (Eṣ Ḥayyim), the oldest, predated the Ottoman conquest, while the Gerush and Mayor synagogues were established by Sephardic newcomers.

Jews were favored immigrants, regarded as valuable trading and artisans, and also as a counterpoint to the potentially disloyal Christian minorities.  Flourishing centers were Istanbul (Constantinople) Adrianople, Smyrna (Izmir), and especially Salonica where the intellectual traditions of Sephardi Jewry were centered.  

The land named Palestine by the Romans in 135 CE was captured in 1517 and became part of the Ottoman Empire as was Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, etc.  The Sultans applied the normal Moslem code against the Jews but not strictly.  Persons such as Joseph Nasi and Solomon Ashkenazi were able to exercise great influence in the state. It became the 3rd largest country/Empire in the world after Russia and Austro-Hungary, numbering 350,000 in 1900.  Jews suffered from the loss of their power, becoming a part of another land, and they had been 2nd class citizens in the Ottoman Empire!  Discrimination against Jews in the Ottoman Empire included being classified as dhimmi (non-Muslim subjects), which required paying a special tax called jizya and subjected them to certain legal and social restrictions, such as limitations on clothing, housing, and the right to testify in court against Muslims. While the empire offered more tolerance compared to Europe, these regulations established Jews as second-class citizens, though the strictness of these rules varied depending on the time and ruler.  

 Its history is marked by periods of expansion, reaching its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, followed by a long decline characterized by military losses and internal struggles. The empire was replaced by the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.                                      

                                Jewish Turks

  That's because they had sided with the Axis in WWI(1914-1917) and losttheir land  to the Allies.  Suddenly, Great Britain and France received 30 year mandates over land of the Ottoman Empire to rule. 

37,000 Jews emigrated to Israel after 1948.  There were 20,000 Jews in the country in 1990, with about 18,000 in Istanbul, 1,500 in  Izmir,and smaller communities in Edime, Brusa, and Ankara. Their distinction, spiritual and cultural, had now disappeared. Some have even found their way to Portland and Seattle, having been in the fish business.  

                    A recent Jewish wedding in Turkey

 There are an estimated 14,000 to 26,000 Jews living in Turkey today, with the majority residing in Istanbul. This population is a mix of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews, who trace their roots to different parts of the world. Oh yes, an after-thought;  Turkey has a population of 86,000,000 .TheirMuslim population is 78,000,000-84,400,000 and that makes up 97.8%of the country.  

Turkey has become Israel's enemy, and Erdogen is their leader of it.  As of today, November 9, 2025, relations between Turkey and Israel are at a historical low, characterized by a complete breakdown in diplomatic ties and fierce rhetoric from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan's attitude is intensely hostile towards the current Israeli government, driven primarily by Israel's military actions in Gaza, which he has repeatedly labeled a "genocide" and a "shame of humanity".  as the false claims of the news tell today.  

• Severed Diplomatic Ties: Turkey formally severed all diplomatic relations with Israel on November 13, 2024, and recalled its ambassador. There are currently no ambassadors in either country. Arrest Warrants: The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office announced on November 8, 2025, that it has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli officials, accusing them of "genocide and crimes against humanity" in Gaza.  Trade Embargo: Turkey halted all direct trade with Israel in May 2024, stating the embargo will only end after a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid is ensured. Airspace Closure: Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft. Legal Action: Turkey has officially joined South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 
• Turkey wants to be the country selected to guard the terrorists in Gaza. Of course, they would then have easy passage into the land of Israel for a take-over.  How clever of them!  
• So has Qatar, who aided and abided terrorists to kill Jews through Qara-dawi, Egyptian preacher who  was told to leave and sought a home  in Qatar.
• News snippets indicate that Turkey has historically been a strong supporter of Hamas (which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States) and does not consider it a terrorist group. Turkey has also expressed interest in playing a role in Gaza's future security arrangements, as have other nations like Qatar, but no such plan as described by the user is in effect or has been officially proposed. 

Resource:

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Ottoman-Empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursa

The Changes in Brooklyn and New York City Through the Ages

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               
                                                

    Brooklyn, New York , the most Jewish spot on earth, they once said of it.   

Brooklyn, New York !  How was it that so many Jews came from there?  It seemed to me that all Jews from New York came from Brooklyn.  I met one from there and married him, here in Portland, Oregon.

By 1910, New York City became the world's largest Jewish city, as more than 1 million Jews accounted for 25 percent of the city's population. As of 2023, about 960,000 residents of New York City, or about 10% of its residents, were Jewish.  

 New York is much more than Manhattan, and this area is a great proof of that. In the heart of Brooklyn, south of Williamsburg, you'll find a neighborhood worth exploring.

Brooklyn  is a part of New York City, and it is one of the city's five boroughs. The other four boroughs are Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island.  

Brooklyn has the largest Jewish population in the United States, with a diverse mix of secular and religious Jews, including a very large ultra-Orthodox community concentrated in areas like South Williamsburg. The borough's Jewish history dates back to 1654, and it has been a major center for different movements, including the Satmar and Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic groups. Today, the Jewish population includes 600,000 people, with strong community organizations and institutions. 

Jews have congregated in Brooklyn due to a combination of factors, including a large influx of immigrants seeking refuge, the borough's affordability compared to Manhattan, the establishment of community infrastructure, and the development of a vibrant and distinct identity. Major waves of Eastern European immigration, especially after the late 19th century pogroms, led many Jews to settle in Brooklyn as an overflow from crowded Manhattan neighborhoods. Later, the arrival of Holocaust survivors and the development of specific religious communities, including Hasidic groups, continued to build and shape Jewish life in Brooklyn. 

                                 The Dutch West India Company (Dutch: Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie) was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. The company became instrumental in the largely ephemeral Dutch colonization of the Americas (including New Netherland) in the seventeenth century. From 1624 to 1654, in the context of the Dutch–Portuguese War, the GWC held Portuguese territory in northeast Brazil, but they were ousted from Dutch Brazil following fierce resistance.                                     

Peter Stuyvesant was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was provisionally ceded to the Kingdom of England.  The colony of New Netherland was located in what are now parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Dutch settlers laid the foundation for cities that still exist today. Beverwijck, once a center of the fur trade, is now Albany, New York. New York City was originally called New Amsterdam, and New Castle, Delaware was once known as New Amstel.

Jewish history in New York dates back to 1654 when 23 Jewish  refugees from Recife, Brazil, were stranded in a boat off of New Amsterdam and a man named Peter Stuyvesant didn't want Jews to land. Remember that the Mayflower ship from Holland arrived on North America-the Boston area, in 1620.   It turned out that New Amsterdam had a large company from Brazil there, who gave Peter his paycheck. So Peter had to allow them to land. Jews went through the usual difficulties;  being denied certain civic rights and had to have permission to engage in crafts.  These rights came to them gradually and the naturalization law accepted only on in 1715. 

At first they were not allowed to erect a synagogue, with the first mention in 1693. This was a Sephardi congregation, Shearith Israel, unique until an Ashkenazi synagogue, B'nai Jeshserun was founded in 1825.   

It took time but by 1812, there were 400 Jews in New York, probably with more Ashkenazis. Immigratioin from Europe grew in the 1820s and 1830's and the Jewish population in 1846 was 10,000! In 1854 there were 14 synagogues.   By the end of the 19th century, there were in New York, including Brooklyn, 250,000 Jews.  In 1927 there were over 1,000 synagogues,  and by 1940, over 2 million Jewish people.    Williamsburg, New York 

In recent decades the Jewish population has declined numerically and may continue to do so.  This is due to the limited immigration, departure to other regions such as Israel, or the USA, and especially the movement to suburban areas and neighboring towns.   The estimated Jewish population for Greater New York in 1992 was 1,671,000.  Their birth rate is slightly lower than among the general white population;  fewer Jews under 45 and more over 45.  Members in a family is lower than other people.  Housewives have a higher % than in the general population.  Jewish occupations are prominent among proprietors, managers, salesmen, office workers, and the liberal professions less in handicrafts, manual labor, and in the services.  Over 66% of Jews engaged in non-manual work, while the general population had only 50%.   

Jews go for education.  They have rabbinical colleges of all 3 trends (Yeshiva Univ., the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion).

New York has 650 Orthodox synagogues, besides private prayer houses,  150 Conservative, and 77 Reform by 1992.  They had 300,000 Jewish children of school-age from 6-15 of which half received a Jewish education.  

A problem showing up in recent decades is a growth in tension between Jews and Blacks in New York City.  It come about with Jews being landlords and Blacks being the renters and the expected problems. 

Large-scale Muslim immigration significantly increased after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, leading to major growth in the 1970s and beyond. 

• 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act: This act abolished ethnic quotas, paving the way for a massive increase in immigration from Muslim-majority countries.
• 1970s onwards: Waves of immigrants arrived from Asia and Africa, and in later decades, Muslim refugees from war-torn regions and skilled workers arrived from countries like Pakistan, Senegal, and Yemen. Many of these new immigrants settled in the outer boroughs.
• Jews usually voted for Democrats.  It was they, who allowed them in
• when FDR was President, they came to believe.  Franklin D. Roosevelt was president from 1933 to 1945. He served as the 32nd president and was the only president to be elected to four terms, serving until his death in office on April 12, 1945.  The differences then were that the Democrats were for the small businesses and the Republicans for the Big Businesses. Most Jews had to go into business for themselves because anti-Semitism prevailed everywhere and wouldn't hire Jews, so they had to become self reliant people.     Anti-semitism abounded then;  not allowing Jews into places like social clubs, wherever.  

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia