By: Shoshana Bernstein On Monday Evening, Erev Yom Kippur, a family vacation turned suddenly tragic for an Israeli family vacationing in the country of Georgia. Two children were tragically killed and two other members of the same family were seriously injured when their car plunged into a gorge in the remote mountainous of the Tusheti region in the northeast of Georgia. The crash site was extremely difficult to access and it took rescue workers three hours to rescue the injured family members. Eyal Zehavi, a Magen David Adom paramedic and a friend of Ohad Porat, also a MDA paramedic & brother to Noar, wife who was injured, called every medical Transport Agency in Israel and Europe to no avail. He was told nothing will happen until after Yom Kippur. A veteran paramedic, CEO of the Emergency Medical Center in Efrat and supervisor of the MDA Hazmat response team, Eyal understood quite well that the medical situation was dire. This transport was nothing short of pikuach nefesh. Having worked with VitalOne on a previous transport, he reached out to Isaac Lieder. “Impossible”, was the answer they kept receiving when inquiring with other agencies, but with VitalOne, when lives hang in the balance, the impossible is made possible. The first call came in to VitalOne at 9:04 am on Tuesday morning New York time, from Eyal Zahavi with an urgent request to transfer the injured back to Israel to ensure they could receive lifesaving medical attention. Having done a similarly timed transport just two years ago (http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking- stories/345214/vitalone-defies- the-odds- with-last- minute-transport.html), Isaac immediately realized the myriad challenges he was facing: all of Israel, including the airports close at 2:00 pm on Tuesday for the Nationally observed High Holy day of Yom Kippur. It was now 4:03 pm in Israel. Isaac was undeterred. Wasting no time, he reached out to his high level contacts in Israel including well placed individuals within the Civil Aviation Authority, Israel Airports Authority, Ministry of Transport, Prime Minister’s Office, and Israeli Foreign Ministry Situation Room. Lead Pilot, Captain Imri Ozer stated “I got a few calls regarding the situation, however Isaac from VitalOne gave the green light to make the impossible happen”. Permission was granted for a plane to depart from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport which required one thousand Gallons of jet (or 6700 Lbs. of jet fuel). What followed was an incredible flurry of joint effort and activity to save lives. Aggressive phone calls were needed to convince the fuel company manager himself to come down to the airport and fuel the jet personally earmarked for takeoff to Georgia. While these complicated aviation arrangements were being made, Isaac was busy assembling a tactical medical team consisting of: Dr. Ami Mayo, Director, Surgical Critical Care General & Trauma surgery Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa Level 1 Trauma Center, Major (Res) Special Operation Flight Surgeon, Israel Air Force, Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit 669 and Dr. Josh Schroeder, orthopedic surgeon Hadassah Hospital Jerusalem, Level 1 Trauma Center, as well as Chagai Bar-Tov MDA Tactical Flight Paramedic to join the flight. The VitalOne Contracted Medical Aircraft departed from an otherwise desolate Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday evening at 9:58 pm, heading to Tbilisi, Georgia. The moment the plane touched down in Tbilisi, the medical team headed directly to the hospital personally escorted by Bar Segal, Head of Security for the Embassy of Israel in Georgia. Four and a half hours of life saving measures were needed in order to stabilize the injured for the

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Hamas hails the suspension of Tel Aviv flights by many world airlines as a “great victory.” “The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel’s failure,” spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri says as traffic to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport slows to a trickle after a rocket hit close to the airport on Tuesday. (AP)

A “work dispute” has left hundreds of El Al passengers on four departing flights were stranded in Ben Gurion Airport Thursday. According to multiple reports, the pilots never showed up for work and they are not answering their cell phones. Their whereabouts are literally unknown. El Al management said that the pilots appear to be carrying out a protest motivated by a work dispute. El Al released a statement which apologized to the passengers who are suffering as a result of the delays and are taking action to get them to their destinations as fast as possible. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli airlines have gone out on strike in line with the threat announced by El Al, Arkia and IsrAir officials last week. This strike surrounds protests against the government’s Open Skies program. As a result of the strike that began Sunday morning 11 Iyar 5773, the airlines contacted passengers scheduled to leave on flights later in the morning, preempting the flights to permit them to set out for their destinations. Between 04:00 and 06:00 Sunday morning, 4,500 passengers were flown out of Ben-Gurion International Airport on one of 28 flights of the Israeli carriers. The cabinet on Sunday approved the Open Skies program, which will permit the entry of additional carriers and flights from Europe, which the Israeli companies feel will deliver a major blow to them. In line with the plan, airlines will be permitted to increase flights to and from Tel Aviv, a plan designed to increase competition towards lowering prices and improving service for travelers. The plan however is being opposed by the Israeli carriers. Labor representative Avi Edri announced he and his colleagues are not opposed to the plan or efforts to improve service, but not the way the current plan seeks to accomplish these goals. He feels the plan as it is today fails to take measures to protect the Israeli carriers and implementing the current version will deliver a “fatal blow” to the Israeli companies. Histadrut national labor federation leader Ofir Eini during the night sent an urgent letter to the prime minister seeking to persuade him not to move ahead with the current planned Open Skies program. Employees of the striking companies on Sunday morning traveled to Yerushalayim to hold a protest while the cabinet was convening in its weekly session to protest the expected passing of the plan. The protest became stormy as the participants confronted police in efforts to block the road. At least eight protestors were arrested. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] PRESIDENT OBAMA: Shalom. (Applause.) President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and most of all, to the people of Israel, thank you for this incredibly warm welcome. This is my third visit to Israel so let me just say tov lihiyot shuv ba’aretz. (Applause.) I’m so honored to be here as you prepare to celebrate the 65th anniversary of a free and independent State of Israel. Yet I know that in stepping foot on this land, I walk with you on the historic homeland of the Jewish people. More than 3,000 years ago, the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here, prayed to God here. And after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish State of Israel was a rebirth, a redemption unlike any in history. Today, the sons of Abraham and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the dream of the ages — to be “masters of their own fate” in “their own sovereign state.” And just as we have for these past 65 years, the United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend. As I begin my second term as President, Israel is the first stop on my first foreign trip. This is no accident. Across this region the winds of change bring both promise and peril. So I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds between our nations, to restate America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, and to speak directly to the people of Israel and to your neighbors. I want to begin right now, by answering a question that is sometimes asked about our relationship — why? Why does the United States stand so strongly, so firmly with the State of Israel? And the answer is simple. We stand together because we share a common story — patriots determined “to be a free people in our land,” pioneers who forged a nation, heroes who sacrificed to preserve our freedom, and immigrants from every corner of the world who renew constantly our diverse societies. We stand together because we are democracies. For as noisy and messy as it may be, we know that democracy is the greatest form of government ever devised by man. We stand together because it makes us more prosperous. Our trade and investment create jobs for both our peoples. Our partnerships in science and medicine and health bring us closer to new cures, harness new energy and have helped transform us into high-tech hubs of our global economy. We stand together because we share a commitment to helping our fellow human beings around the world. When the earth shakes and the floods come, our doctors and rescuers reach out to help. When people are suffering, from Africa to Asia, we partner to fight disease and overcome hunger. And we stand together because peace must come to the Holy Land. For even as we are clear-eyed about the difficulty, we will never lose sight of the vision of an Israel at peace with its neighbors. So as I begin this visit, let me say as clearly as I can –the United States of America stands with the State of Israel because it is in our fundamental national security interest to

A passenger on board an El Al flight from France to Tel Aviv last week was asked to step off the “Green Line” at Ben-Gurion International Airport for a random inspection of his luggage. When customs officials x-rayed his bags they were somewhat surprised to find two dismantled military drones. The man was taken for questioning. Officials learned that a number of years ago he purchased the drones from an Israeli company and sold them to Mexican police. He had them disassembled and flew with them here in the hope of having malfunctions repaired. The information provided by the traveler was verified and he was released from custody. Security officials are checking how he boarded a flight for Tel Aviv with suitcases stuffed with drone parts without being detected. El Al officials quickly released a statement that the airline conducts itself in strict adherence to security regulations set forth by Israeli agencies. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Asra Kadisha on Wednesday pushed to halt renovation work on Ben Gurion International Airport runways after the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered ancient Kevarim at the site. “Disorder in the area of the runways, or even close by, could disrupt flights to Israel,” an airline industry source said. “No airline will fly to an airport where there is violent disorder.” Renovation and widening work was recently begun on the runways to improve safety. One runway was due to be lengthened, which would enable one runway to be designated for takeoff and the other for landing. A few days ago, Antiquities Authority workers discovered the ancient graves at the site of the renovations. On Wednesday it appeared that Charedi figures had been informed. Initial investigations suggest that the newly discovered graves are not Jewish. However, the Airports Authority has begun receiving telephone calls which suggest a new “graves affair” is developing. The site of the graves was to be included in the renovation work only in the second stage, in over a year’s time. Nonetheless, the religious figures are demanding the work be halted now, for fear of harming the graves. The Airports Authority is investing some NIS 800 million ($210 million) into the renovation and extension works. Even though this site is within the “sterile” area of the airport, protected by a security fence and armed patrols, authorities fear Charedi groups may attempt to enter to prevent the work from continuing. The Airports Authority held an emergency meeting Wednesday, with the participation of Chairman Ovadia Ali and Director-General Kobi Mor. Various solutions were discussed in case the Charedi groups insisted that work be completely halted on the site. (Source: Ynet)