Friday Wrap: Lemons, Sandstorms, Haredi Riots, and Iran War, Again?

When it rains it pours...

This is the third week of delivering a short summary of what grabbed attention in Israel since the previous Friday. I’d love to hear from you directly. Do you enjoy this new feature? Premium subscribers can comment on the post.

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Answer at the end of this dispatch.

In chronological order, from Saturday, February 14.

Sahara Sandstorm

Last Saturday, a wicked sandstorm blew in from the Sahara Desert, making the air quality in much of Israel the worst in the world for a day or two. Wish I’d taken a photo. The air was thicker than the thickest fog.

On Sunday, everything was coated in a fine brown dust, but the haze was much lighter and the air quality improved significantly.

Riots in B’nei B’rak

Also on Sunday, hundreds of ultra-orthodox men rioted in the B’nei B’rak suburb of Tel Aviv. Two female IDF soldiers, in uniform, went to make a house call on a soldier who was off-duty – possibly recovering from an injury. Word spread quickly and throngs of fundamentalist haredi Jews converged on the location where the soldiers were trapped. They had to be rushed to safety by a phalanx of police officers.

For the rest of the day and into the night these men continued to express their displeasure; overturning dumpsters, setting a police car and motorcycles alight.

This particular neighborhood – and many others, are, in effect, “no go” zones for uniformed IDF soldiers. Many of the residents are anti-Zionist and reject any participation in the defense or service of the state. There is a lot more to this highly sensitive issue, and we have covered it extensively for years in these pages.

Twenty some young men were arrested and detained overnight. They were released from custody the following day.

What they were charged with and the terms of their release are not known. Seriously. But I am determined to find out and have already begun. Such information, one would expect, would be easily accessible. It is not.

This X post and video tell you what you need to know. At the beginning of the video embedded in the X post you can see the uniformed soldiers being rushed from the crowd, protected by police officers.

In the coming weeks, maybe months, I will drop a podcast focusing on how these men were treated by the justice system. And why. Stay tuned. This will also be a major issue in the elections this year: why 15% of the population is haredi, and growing very quickly. Their refusal to serve is simply unsustainable.

Embed with IDF in the Gaza Strip

My National Post column ran on Tuesday, where I wrote about a trip to an IDF base in the yellow zone (Israeli controlled) of the Gaza Strip. I was embedded with the IDF along with a group of international journalists. You can read that piece at the link below. We have included the first few paragraphs here:

GAZA STRIP — For several hours on Thursday afternoon, I was embedded with the Israel Defence Forces, deep inside the Israeli controlled “yellow zone” of the Gaza Strip. The “yellow line,” which is marked with yellow flags, demarcates the Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas under the terms of the ceasefire negotiated in October 2025.

It is impossible not to see the flags. There are many and they are bold. And yet, on an almost daily basis, Hamas terrorists attempt to cross the line and attack IDF troops.

Briefing a small group of foreign media at an IDF base overlooking the town of Dir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, IDF spokesperson Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani said that attempted attacks on this particular base had all been repelled successfully.

“Hamas remains very active targeting our troops … and trying to rearm. We have found tunnels, IEDs and new weapons that they have deployed in this area,” he said.

These small, hastily erected IDF bases run along the length of the yellow line. The berm surrounding the base I visited was built following repeated Hamas attacks.

IDF soldiers serving at these bases effectively monitor a “forward security zone,” creating a geographic buffer between Hamas and Israel. As long as Hamas remains armed and hostile, this narrow strip of land is imperative for Israeli security.

Iran: Attack? No Attack?

This past week, Israelis have been laser-focused on the volatile situation in the region. Will America attack Iran? Nobody knows but everyone thinks somebody else knows. My column on this state of suspension in which we find ourselves living is online now in the National Post.

Here’s a preview. You can read the full column at the link below:

SDEROT, Israel — Sometimes it’s the GPS. You enter a destination a half-hour from your location, and it directs you to a neighbourhood in Beirut. Or Amman.

It’s one of many signs.

For more than a month now, Israelis have been carrying on with day-to-day life while expecting a massive U.S. attack to be launched on Iran at any moment.

Article content

We are pelted with random newsflashes foretelling disaster.

Wednesday evening, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned all Poles in Iran to leave immediately, saying they may not have that option in a day or two.

Thursday night, the U.S. Embassy in Israel reportedly arranged for immediate evacuation of American exchange students in Israel, who had been scheduled to fly out on Saturday.

Israel’s Home Front Command reassures the civilian population that the country is on the highest alert. But that we should go about our lives “normally.”

In this column, I make reference to my incredible olive oil lemon squares – a NYT recipe that I’ve customized……and as I write this dispatch a neighbor just dropped off a bag of lemons from his tree…..ensuring a supply of the dessert that has taken my kibbutz by storm.

Look at this bounty.

Imagine the smell…..freshly picked lemons……some things will never get old for this Canadian girl. Who knew that February could be like this?!?!?

The recipe will be in next week’s Friday wrap. Next level…..

Shabbat shalom. Have a peaceful weekend.

The view from my deck/outdoor office. This. Is February. Who knew?!?!?

And the three states with zero STLV subscribers: Alaska. West Virgina. And South Dakota.

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