Author: Карабас Барабас

On August 2, 2026, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Reuven Asman, spoke about the matzah production operating in the country, which is sent to Jewish communities worldwide under the Made in Ukraine label. The Rabbi reported that he visited one of the production sites in Uman. Another matzah bakery operates in Dnipro.

According to Moshe Asman, the enterprise is currently expanding and looking for new employees. The published announcement mentions a salary of approximately 60 to 80 thousand hryvnias per month, free housing, and the opportunity to work in a team, a significant part of which consists of Ukrainians with Jewish roots.

According to the official NBU exchange rate on August 3, 2026, the declared salary of 60–80 thousand hryvnias corresponds to approximately 4.1–5.5 thousand shekels per month. For Ukraine, this is a high level of pay: the offer is about two to two and a half times higher than the average salary in the country, and considering free housing, it looks especially attractive for production workers. However, it is unclear from the announcement whether the amount is before or after taxes.

“Few people know, but a matzah bakery has been operating in Ukraine for many years, making matzah for the whole world under the Made in Ukraine brand,” the rabbi wrote.

NAnovosti studied the history of the enterprise and found that it is most likely about the company “Tiferet HaMatzot” — Tiferet HaMatzot, producing handmade kosher matzah in Dnipro and Uman. This is not a seasonal small bakery, but a Ukrainian production created more than two decades ago, whose products are indeed purchased in Israel, the USA, the UK, and other countries.

What the enterprise offers to new employees

According to Moshe Asman’s publication on August 2, 2026, vacancies are open in production. The rabbi specifically emphasized that the labor of employees is “valued with dignity.”

The announcement lists the following conditions:

Conditions	What is reported
Salary	About 60–80 thousand hryvnias per month
Housing	Provided for free
Cities	Dnipro and Uman
Production	Handmade kosher matzah baking
Reason for recruitment	Enterprise expansion

However, the publication does not specify specific professions, shift duration, number of working days, registration procedure, or whether the amount is before or after taxes. Therefore, the salary and free accommodation should be correctly presented as the conditions stated in Moshe Asman’s announcement.

Contact numbers were published.

The number of the Dnipro enterprise is also listed in the open catalog of Ukrainian companies. It is reported that the private enterprise “Tiferet HaMatzot” was officially registered on December 4, 2002, and its main activity is the production of bread and bakery products.

More than 20 years of Ukrainian matzah

The history of “Tiferet HaMatzot” began in Dnipro in the early 2000s. According to Chabad org, its own matzah production in the city was launched in 2002. Before that, the Jewish community of Dnipro, like many other communities of the former Soviet Union, received matzah mainly from Moscow. After the restoration of Jewish religious life in independent Ukraine, the situation changed: Dnipro not only provided itself with matzah but also sent it abroad.

According to Ukrainian registration data, the enterprise was legally registered in December 2002. In a number of publications, the opening of the production site is attributed to 2003. Thus, by 2026, the production has been operating for about 23 years.

The project developed as a family business associated with the Stambler family. In 2021, a second production branch was opened in Uman — a city that occupies a special place in Jewish life in Ukraine and annually receives tens of thousands of Hasidic pilgrims. The management of the new site was associated with Mendy Stambler.

How much matzah is produced in Dnipro and Uman

Public data on volumes differ as they relate to different years, seasons, and production sites.

In February 2022, just before the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, management reported that about 90 people worked at the two enterprises. The production plan for that year was approximately 100 tons of handmade matzah.

Most of the products were intended for export to the countries of the former Soviet Union, Western Europe, and other regions. A separate part was intended for 160 Jewish communities that were part of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.

In February 2024, the head and founder of the Dnipro enterprise, Stella Umanskaya, said that only the site in Dnipro produces about 60 tons of matzah per year. Among the supply directions, she named the USA, Israel, France, Belgium, Italy, and Hungary.

In reports after the Russian missile strike on Uman in December 2025, a figure of about 70 tons of products was mentioned. Probably, different figures reflect the volumes of a specific site, a separate season, or the entire production association. Therefore, the most accurate general formulation is as follows: Ukrainian enterprises annually produce tens of tons of handmade matzah, and the declared total plans in certain years reached 100 tons.

Ukrainian matzah is sold in 14 countries

In December 2023, Ukrainian Forbes reported that the products of “Tiferet HaMatzot” are exported to 14 countries.

Among the main markets were named:

• Israel;
• USA;
• United Kingdom;
• France;
• Belgium;
• Italy;
• Portugal;
• Canada;
• Mexico;
• Argentina;
• Australia;
• Hungary.

The enterprise gained fame thanks to the combination of Ukrainian wheat, manual labor, and strict kosher control. Ukrainian matzah was present in the markets of Israel and the USA even in the early years of the bakery’s operation. In a publication by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from March 2004, it was reported that a significant part of the products was sent to Israel, Western Europe, and the United States.

For the Israeli audience, this story is especially important. A product without which Passover is unimaginable has been produced in Ukraine for many years and reaches the tables of Israeli families. This is one of the little-known but real examples of economic and cultural ties between Ukraine and Israel.

As NAnovosti — News of Israel notes, the Made in Ukraine label in this case means not just the country of origin. Behind it are Ukrainian wheat, jobs for representatives of Jewish communities, and the preservation of religious tradition during the war.

Why handmade matzah must be prepared in 18 minutes

“Tiferet HaMatzot” primarily produces handmade shmurah matzah. The word “shmurah” translates as “guarded” or “carefully controlled.”

The process begins with the control of wheat and flour. It is necessary to prevent the grain from coming into contact with moisture, which could lead to fermentation. Only two main ingredients are used in the bakery — flour and water.

After they are combined, a strict countdown begins. From kneading the dough to completing the baking, no more than 18 minutes should pass. Workers quickly knead the dough, divide it into parts, roll out thin round sheets, pierce them, and send them into a hot oven.

A large timer is installed at the Dnipro enterprise, counting down each production cycle. After the batch is completed, work surfaces and tools are thoroughly cleaned so that dough residues do not start to ferment and do not get into the next batch.

The work requires high speed and precise coordination. That is why experienced employees are of particular value to the enterprise: a sequence violation or delay can make the entire batch unsuitable for use on Passover.

Production continued after the start of the full-scale war

As early as February 22, 2022, two days before the full-scale Russian invasion, the bakery management reported that they were trying to produce as much matzah as possible in advance in case of transport stoppage and supply disruptions.

At that time, representatives of the enterprise stated that even in the event of the start of a major war, they would try to maintain production, as Jewish communities must receive matzah for Passover.

These words turned out not to be an exaggeration. Production indeed continued to operate during air raids, power outages, and Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.

A Russian drone nearly destroyed the bakery in Dnipro

On the evening of March 29, 2023, Russian drones attacked Dnipro. One of the drones broke through Ukrainian air defense and hit an enterprise located next to the main Dnipro matzah bakery.

Surveillance cameras inside the building recorded a bright flash. The explosion shook the bakery, after which the electricity went out. A large fire started at the neighboring facility, threatening production and stocks of already prepared matzah.

Ukrainian rescuers managed to stop the spread of the fire. The matzah bakery itself survived and continued preparing products for Passover.

A missile fell 50 meters from the bakery in Uman

The second production site was threatened on December 26, 2025, when Russian troops launched a missile strike on Uman.

According to Ukrainian authorities, six people were injured in the attack, including two children. Residential buildings and other infrastructure were damaged in the city.

Later, representatives of the Jewish community reported that the missile fell approximately 50 meters from the “Tiferet HaMatzot” matzah bakery. At that moment, dozens of employees were inside.

The blast wave knocked out windows, damaged the main entrance, and the technical equipment in the yard. None of the enterprise’s workers were injured.

Thus, both sites — in Dnipro and Uman — have been in close proximity to Russian strikes during the years of the full-scale war.

Not just a religious product, but also jobs

The matzah bakery was conceived from the very beginning not only as a production project. It became a source of permanent employment for representatives of the local Jewish community.

As early as 2015, journalists wrote that the enterprise provided stable work for dozens of Jews and non-Jews in the region, where the economic situation was complicated by Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. For many employees, the bakery was not a temporary seasonal job but a permanent place of work.

Moshe Asman’s new publication shows that this social aspect has been preserved. Now the enterprise offers a salary that significantly exceeds the average income in many Ukrainian regions and also provides housing.

At the same time, potential employees should separately clarify the terms of the employment contract, schedule, probation period, salary after taxes, and requirements related to observing kosher rules.

Why this story is important for Israel

The story of “Tiferet HaMatzot” connects several topics at once: Jewish tradition, Ukrainian production, international export, and the life of communities during the war.

Matzah from Dnipro and Uman:

• is sold in Israel and the USA;
• is supplied to European Jewish communities;
• is distributed free of charge among some needy Jews in Ukraine;
• creates jobs in Dnipro and Uman;
• continues to be produced despite Russian attacks;
• preserves the technology of handmade shmurah matzah.

For NAnovosti — News of Israel, it is especially significant that the enterprise continues to expand after strikes that could have completely stopped production. Ukrainian matzah has become not only a product for the international market but also a symbol of preserving Jewish life in a country experiencing a full-scale war.

Moshe Asman’s publication on August 2, 2026, effectively opened up to a wide audience a little-known part of Ukrainian-Israeli relations. On store shelves or on the festive table in Israel, there may be matzah, handmade by Ukrainian workers in Dnipro or Uman — under air raid sirens, with all religious requirements observed, and with the label Made in Ukraine.

On April 2, 1917, the Provisional Government officially abolished religious and national restrictions in the former Russian Empire. For Jews, this meant the end of the Pale of Settlement — one of the most well-known systems of state discrimination in European history. Formally, the document was adopted on March 20, 1917, according to the old style, which is April 2 according to the new. It was this act that closed an era in which origin and faith determined where a person could live, what they were allowed to do, and to what extent they were recognized as a full-fledged resident of the country.

For the Israeli audience, this date is important not as a museum reference.

It is important because it shows the mechanism of anti-Semitism in action. First, the state declares the Jew a “special case.” Then it draws boundaries of permissible existence on the map. Then this administrative discrimination begins to affect education, trade, property rights, career, mobility, and security.

The history of the Pale of Settlement is not only about the past of the Russian Empire but also about how power turns the Jewish question into a tool of governance, suspicion, and pressure.

How the empire created an anti-Semitic geography

The Pale of Settlement did not arise out of nowhere.

After the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the second half of the 18th century, Russia acquired vast territories along with a large Jewish community. It was about 900,000 Jews who found themselves inside the empire after the partitions of Poland. The Russian authorities, who previously did not want to allow a mass Jewish presence within their old borders, decided not to equalize these people in rights but to allocate a special residential zone for them.

This is how the Pale of Settlement was formed. In 1783, 1791, and 1794, Catherine II issued decrees restricting the commercial rights of Jews to territories recently annexed from Poland and the Ottoman Empire. Later, this regime turned into a stable system: the Jewish population could be used in the new western and southern lands but was not allowed free integration into central Russia. Even in the descriptions of historians, it is clear that economic calculation and traditional anti-Jewish prejudices were combined here.

It is important to understand the scale.

The Pale of Settlement was not a small enclave but a vast area of almost 500,000 square miles, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. It included large parts of present-day Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, and other territories. But the large size did not make this regime softer. On the contrary: it was a gigantic zone of limited existence, within which additional prohibitions also applied. Jews were often forbidden to settle in certain municipalities, especially in rural areas, and living outside this zone was generally not allowed.

What the Pale of Settlement did to Jewish life in the lands of present-day Ukraine

For Ukraine, this history is especially important because a significant part of the Pale of Settlement passed through Ukrainian provinces.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the Pale included, in particular, the Kyiv, Podolia, Volhynia, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kherson, Yekaterinoslav, and Taurida provinces. According to the 1897 census, 4,899,300 Jews lived there — 94 percent of the entire Jewish population of the Russian Empire. Of these, 82 percent lived in cities, towns, and shtetls, and in the urban structure of the region, Jews made up 36.9 percent. In other words, the empire not only limited geography. It forcibly formed a special social world of crowding, forced urbanization, and constant legal vulnerability.

It was from this environment that the shtetls of Eastern Europe, familiar from family memory and Jewish literature, grew.

But this picture cannot be romanticized.

The shtetl was not a freely chosen form of life but largely a consequence of legal pressure. The Pale of Settlement directed Jews into trade, crafts, intermediary professions, small urban businesses because access to land, wide resettlement, and many other forms of normal economic life were restricted by law. Later, under Alexander II, exceptions appeared for some merchants, craftsmen, educated people, and those who served in the army, but this did not cancel the main principle: freedom for a Jew was considered not a right but a rare exception.

Such a system almost inevitably generated violence. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new wave of pogroms swept across Ukraine. After Kishinev in 1903 and Gomel in 1903, a series of attacks also engulfed Ukrainian cities, and in 1905, major pogroms occurred in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Yekaterinoslav, Kyiv, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Simferopol, and other places.

When the state singles out a group as “alien” for decades, public violence receives a ready ideological framework.

It is no coincidence that millions of people began to leave. Between 1881 and 1914, about two million Jews left the tsarist empire and went to the West, primarily to the USA. This was an exodus not only from poverty but also from a political regime that explained to Jews from generation to generation that they lived in the empire conditionally, under supervision, and according to separate rules.

For many families in Israel, the memory of this era has been preserved not in textbooks but in the biographies of grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And therefore, in the material for NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency April 2 is not an abstract anniversary, but a date that is still heard in the family history of the Jewish East of Europe.

Formally, the system began to crumble during the First World War.

In 1915, significant parts of the Pale turned into a frontline zone, many Jews fled east, and the authorities were forced to lift some residence restrictions almost everywhere except the capitals. But legally, the point was only put by the Provisional Government in the spring of 1917. From that moment, the state no longer had the right to divide residents by national-religious criteria in matters of residence and civil rights.

Why this story resonates again today when it comes to Putin’s Russia

Of course, modern Russia is not the 19th-century Russian Empire, and a literal Pale of Settlement does not exist today.

But the historical logic of anti-Semitism has not disappeared. It has simply changed form.

If earlier the authorities restricted Jews through maps and laws, today they increasingly use the Jewish theme as a political tool, a propaganda plot, and a language of suspicion. The US State Department, in its report on religious freedom in Russia for 2023, wrote about the rise of openly anti-Semitic rhetoric in the public space. And in January 2024, the State Department released a separate material on how successive occupants of the Kremlin used anti-Semitism for disinformation and propaganda.

One of the most famous examples is the words of Sergey Lavrov in May 2022, when he, responding to a question about the Jewish origin of Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed that Hitler allegedly had Jewish roots. Israel called this an unforgivable lie and summoned the Russian ambassador, and the German government’s commissioner for combating anti-Semitism also condemned this statement. It was not about a marginal figure from the street, but about the foreign minister of a nuclear power.

A year later, Putin himself went even further.

In June 2023, he publicly stated that Zelensky was allegedly “a disgrace to the Jewish people.” This was said about the President of Ukraine, whose family is directly connected to the history of the Holocaust and whose Jewish origin has long been known. This approach is important not only for its crudeness. It shows the very principle: the Kremlin again turns to the theme of Jewishness not as a real human identity but as a tool for political humiliation, substitution, and manipulation.

In the fall of 2023, this atmosphere went beyond television rhetoric. In Makhachkala, an anti-Semitic crowd stormed the airport in search of passengers from a flight from Tel Aviv. People were “caught” right after arrival, and then Putin blamed the West and Ukraine for what happened, without providing evidence. A few days later, Reuters separately wrote that local Jews felt particularly vulnerable after these events. When the authorities play with xenophobic myths for years, they cannot seriously pretend that outbreaks of street hatred arise on their own.

In the summer of 2024, Dagestan was again at the center of events: armed attackers attacked a synagogue and a church in Derbent, as well as facilities in Makhachkala. Reuters noted that the synagogue caught fire, and the former chief rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldschmidt, after these events, spoke about the worsening situation of Jews in Russia, ongoing anti-Semitism, and that many would be better off leaving the country. This is no longer a dispute about words. It is a matter of the physical safety of Jewish communities.

There is also another important symptom — pressure on Jewish organizations.

In 2022, the Russian Ministry of Justice demanded the liquidation of the Russian branch of “Sohnut,” a structure associated with the repatriation of Jews to Israel. Reuters noted at the time that many in Israel saw this as a political signal against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine and deteriorating relations with Jerusalem.

This episode itself is not equal to the Pale of Settlement, but it clearly shows the old habit of the state: Jewish autonomy, Jewish connections with the outside world, and Jewish self-organization are perceived as something that can be controlled and suspected at any moment.

That is why April 2, 1917, sounds modern again today.

Then not just an old norm was abolished, but the very idea that a Jew should live by separate rules. In the empire, these rules were drawn on the map.

In Putin’s Russia, they are more often drawn through propaganda, hints, conspiracy theories, xenophobic mobilization, and selective pressure. The form has changed, but the logic is recognizable: Jewishness is again turned not into part of normal civil life, but into a political object. And therefore, the memory of the abolition of the Pale of Settlement is not only about the past. It is also a way to more accurately see what is happening now.

Heading ‘Jews from Ukraine’ on the website NAnews #JewsofUkraine reveals inspiring stories of outstanding Jews whose destinies and achievements connect Ukraine and Israel

In Ukraine, a memorial sign was installed on the facade of the house in Odessa at 9 Malaya Arnautskaya Street, where Chaim Bialik lived in 1907.

The Jewish community of Ukraine shaped the personality and work of the poet and Zionist Chaim Nachman Bialik, who became the national poet of Israel. His life is the story of the unification of the Jewish culture of Ukraine and Israel.

Chaim Nachman Bialik was born on January 9, 1873 in the village of Ivnitsa, near Zhitomir, in the Volyn province (now Ukraine).

Ukraine at the end of the 19th century was the center of Jewish culture and traditions. It was in this environment that Bialik’s personality was formed, who drew inspiration from the shtetls and the rich spiritual life of the local Jewish communities.

His father, Isaac Joseph, was engaged in the timber trade and mill business, but died when Chaim was only 7 years old. After this, he was raised by his grandfather Yakov Moshe Bialik, who became for him a symbol of Jewish wisdom and spirituality.

Bialik began his education in cheder, and in his youth he independently studied literature and philosophy. He later studied at the famous Volozhin Yeshiva in Lithuania, where he delved into the study of Jewish traditions.

In the 1890s, Bialik began publishing his first poems and poems, which quickly brought him recognition. In Odessa, he became an active participant in the cultural life of the Jewish community and founded a publishing house “Moriah”which contributed to the development of Hebrew literature.

After the revolution and difficult years in Soviet Russia, Bialik emigrated to Palestine, where he devoted himself to the development of Jewish culture. He actively participated in the work of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the theater “Habima” and other key projects.

Bialik died on July 4, 1934 in Vienna, but his legacy lives on today, inspiring millions of people.

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Jewish Ukraine: cradle of inspiration

Ukraine at the end of the 19th century was the center of Jewish culture and traditions. It was in this environment that Bialik’s personality was formed, who drew inspiration from the shtetls and the rich spiritual life of the local Jewish communities.

• Ivnitsa and Zhytomyr:

  Here Bialik absorbed the atmosphere of Jewish family life, which became the foundation of his worldview.

• Odessa as a cultural center:

  Odessa was the place where Bialik not only developed his creativity, but also participated in educational and publishing projects. It was here that he finally established himself as a poet and thinker.

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Chaim Nachman Bialik in Odessa: creativity and cultural influence

Odessa became a real center of inspiration and intellectual growth for Chaim Nachman Bialik. This city, with a thriving Jewish community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, provided him with opportunities for literary, publishing and social activities.

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Literary environment

Odessa was home to many prominent Jewish writers and thinkers, with whom Bialik actively collaborated:

• Mendele Moyher-Sforim – “the grandfather of Jewish literature”, whose work inspired Bialik.
• Sholom Aleichem – a famous author who created works in Yiddish.
• Yehuda Leib Peretz – one of the leaders of the Jewish Enlightenment.

These connections helped Bialik deepen his understanding of Jewish culture and enrich his own creativity.

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Publishing house “Moriya”

One of Bialik’s most important projects in Odessa was the founding of a publishing house “Moriah”.

• Purpose of the publishing house: popularization of Hebrew and creation of educational literature.
• Books: publication of textbooks, works of art and translations.

Bialik saw Moriah as a tool for the revival of Jewish culture through literature and education.

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Literary activity

In Odessa, Bialik wrote many of his significant works:

• Poems that reflected the suffering and hopes of the Jewish people.
• An essay on the revival of Hebrew as a literary language.
• Translations including Cervantes’ Don Quixote and Schiller’s poems, which he adapted for Jewish audiences.

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Odessa as a center of Zionism

Odessa was a key center of the Zionist movement, and Bialik actively participated in its activities.

• He supported the idea of ​​​​the return of Jews to Eretz Israel.
• Participated in discussions on issues of Jewish education and culture.
• He was part of the preparations for the Zionist congresses, where issues of national revival were raised.

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Departure from Odessa

After the 1917 revolution, increased anti-Semitism and restrictions on the Jewish intelligentsia made staying in Odessa dangerous. In 1921, thanks to the petition of Maxim Gorky, Bialik emigrated.

“Odessa will forever remain the place where I found the voice of my people,” – he wrote.

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Heritage of Odessa

Odessa became for Bialik a place where he was able to combine Jewish traditions and modern ideas, laying the foundation for the revival of Hebrew literature. Today, his activities in this city remain a symbol of the unity of the cultures of Ukraine and Israel.

Zionism and the work of Bialik

Chaim Nachman Bialik was not only a poet, but also a staunch Zionist. He actively participated in the Zionist congresses (1907 and 1913) and believed that the revival of the Jewish people was possible only through the return to the homeland of their ancestors – Eretz Israel.

“Jewish culture is a bridge between the past and the future. We must revive our identity to gain strength.” – he wrote.

Bialik celebrated Jewish life, the ideals of the Enlightenment and Zionism, and his work became an important part of the cultural heritage of the Jewish people.

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Jewish culture of Ukraine in the works of Bialik

In his poems and poems, Bialik reflected the life and traditions of Jewish Ukraine. His works are filled with shtetl motifs, Jewish wisdom and pain for the suffering of the people.

• In a poem “Violinist” he celebrates the spirit of Jewish music heard in the shtetls.
• In the poem “Dead Trees” Memories of village life, full of difficulties and hopes, are conveyed.
• His essays talk about the need for spiritual revival and preservation of traditions.

Motives	Examples in Bialik’s work
Traditions of Judaism	Poems about the wisdom of the Talmud and spiritual quests
Love for Ukraine	Lyrical poems about the “native land”
The pain of the Jewish people	Poems dedicated to pogroms and tragedies

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Moving to Palestine: a dream come true

In 1921, Bialik moved to Palestine, where he continued his cultural and literary heritage.

• He initiated the creation Technion and participated in the theater “Habima”.
• His poems were included in school curricula, and his songs became the anthems of the Yishuv.

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Bialik’s legacy

1. House Museum in Tel Aviv:

   His works, letters and documents are collected here.

2. Bialik Prize:

   Awarded annually for outstanding achievements in literature.

3. Memory in Ukraine:

   Bialik’s grandfather’s house in Zhitomir has been preserved as a symbol of his connection with his homeland.

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Conclusion

Chaim Nachman Bialik is a symbol of Jewish culture who connected Ukraine and Israel in his work. His life inspires us to preserve traditions and build a bright future for the Jewish people.

Read more about great Jews from Ukraine at NAnews – Israel Newswhere we talk about what unites our peoples.

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An unprecedented public dispute has erupted in Israel between Defense Minister Israel Katz and the IDF command. On the evening of August 2, 2026, Katz announced on the “Patriots” program on Channel 14 that the new commander of the Central Military District should be Major General David “Dado” Bar-Kalifa, who will replace Major General Avi Blut.

However, almost immediately after the minister’s speech, the army press service reported that his statement was not coordinated with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. The IDF emphasized: Blut continues to command the Central District, enjoys the full confidence of the Chief of Staff, and decisions on replacing generals should be made in accordance with established procedures.

On the morning of August 3, Katz’s office tried to shift the focus. Representatives of the minister stated that he allegedly did not announce the immediate dismissal of Blut, but only confirmed a future personnel rotation proposed by the Chief of Staff himself back in the spring.

As a result, several questions were at the center of the scandal: who appoints generals in Israel, can the defense minister publicly announce the successor of the current commander without coordinating the timing with the Chief of Staff, and is a military commander obliged to abandon a professional security decision if it contradicts the minister’s political line.

What exactly did Israel Katz say

During an interview on Channel 14, Katz sharply criticized Avi Blut for his actions in the case of settler Tal Inon Dardik.

The minister stated that the commander of the Central District and the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office went to court contrary to his policy. Katz acknowledged that the general might have had legal authority for such a step, but emphasized that military command should consider the decisions of political leadership.

After this, Katz announced that he decided to implement the appointment of Major General Dado Bar-Kalifa to the position of commander of the Central District.

“I announced that I decided to implement the decision — to appoint Major General Dado Bar-Kalifa as the commander of the Central District,” the minister said.

Katz described Bar-Kalifa as a representative of the “generation of heroes and victory” and expressed confidence that he would pursue a more aggressive policy.

From the context of the television appearance, it could be concluded that Katz decided to replace Blut due to disagreements over the Dardik case. This is why the first reports from Israeli media presented the statement as an announcement of the general’s resignation live on air.

The IDF publicly opposed the minister’s version

The reaction of the army press service followed almost immediately.

The IDF stated that the defense minister’s words were not coordinated with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. The army separately emphasized that Avi Blut continues to command the Central District “in a complex environment, professionally, courageously, and selflessly.”

“Major General Avi Blut enjoys full confidence,” the statement said.

In addition, the IDF reported that the Chief of Staff does not intend to change commanders in key positions during the current sensitive period. If a decision on a personnel replacement is made, it must be made by the Chief of Staff, after which it will be approved in accordance with existing rules.

This statement was essentially a public refutation of the defense minister’s words. The army command made it clear that there was no agreed decision on the immediate termination of Blut’s powers.

For the Israeli security system, such an exchange of statements is extremely unusual. As noted by NANews — News of Israel, disputes between the defense minister and the Chief of Staff have occurred before, but they were usually discussed in closed meetings, not in a live television broadcast.

Katz stated that it was not about dismissal

After the sharp reaction of the IDF, Katz’s office presented a different version of events.

According to the minister’s representatives, back in late April 2026, Eyal Zamir recommended appointing Dado Bar-Kalifa as the next commander of the Central District. The Chief of Staff allegedly asked Katz to interview the candidate.

In June 2026, the minister met with Bar-Kalifa and concluded that he was a suitable candidate. Therefore, the statement on air, according to Katz’s office, was not about the immediate dismissal of Blut, but about appointing Bar-Kalifa during the next personnel cycle.

Thus, the parties are essentially talking about different things.

Katz’s position	IDF’s position
Zamir recommended Bar-Kalifa back in April	The minister’s statement on August 2 was not coordinated
The minister has already interviewed the candidate	Blut continues to command the district
The appointment should take place in the next personnel cycle	Currently, there are no plans to change key commanders
Katz does not consider his words an immediate dismissal	The official decision must be made by the Chief of Staff

The main dispute, therefore, concerns not only Bar-Kalifa’s candidacy but also the timing, the order of announcing the decision, and who had the right to publicly announce the future replacement.

Who appoints generals in the IDF

The assertion that generals are appointed exclusively by the Chief of Staff is incomplete. But the defense minister cannot unilaterally appoint or remove a district commander.

According to the current system, the Chief of Staff determines candidates for positions at the major general level and presents the chosen candidate to the defense minister. The minister acts as the approving authority.

The State Comptroller of Israel indicated that the Chief of Staff is the body that appoints officers starting from the rank of colonel, and the defense minister approves such appointments. For positions at the major general level, the process takes place directly between the Chief of Staff and the minister: the former determines the candidate, the latter must approve it.

Therefore:

• Katz cannot independently appoint a new district commander without the Chief of Staff’s decision;
• Zamir cannot finalize the appointment without the minister’s approval;
• both parties must agree on the candidate, timing, and order of assuming the position;
• announcing the decision live on air does not replace the official personnel procedure.

The State Comptroller also previously noted that the procedure for appointing major generals was not fully formalized and largely relied on the established practice of negotiations between the defense minister and the Chief of Staff.

This is why the current public dispute has created such a dangerous precedent: each side can claim that the other is interfering with its authority.

The case of Tal Inon Dardik

The immediate reason for the confrontation was the case of settler Tal Inon Dardik.

An administrative restraining order was in effect against him, signed by the commander of the Central District on the recommendation of the Shin Bet. Such orders can prohibit a person from being in certain areas of Judea and Samaria, returning to a specific outpost, contacting certain people, or moving freely.

The decision can be made based on closed intelligence materials that are not always fully provided to the suspect and his lawyers.

Dardik was prohibited from being at the farm outpost where he lived. After violating the order’s conditions, he was detained. Therefore, formally, he was in custody not because of administrative detention without trial, but because of the alleged violation of the administrative restraining order.

According to a Shin Bet document published by Israeli media on July 22, 2026, Dardik is suspected of involvement in violence, abuse, and severe sexual humiliation of a Palestinian.

The police reported that during the investigated incident, a group of Jews attacked Palestinians, among whom were women and children. Several victims, according to the investigation, were tied up, and four required medical assistance. The mere existence of suspicions does not mean that Dardik’s guilt has been established by the court.

No ordinary criminal indictment was filed against him. This is why the security services used administrative measures, relying on closed information about the alleged danger.

Why the commission lifted the restrictions

The military appeals commission did not find Dardik innocent and did not reject the Shin Bet’s intelligence materials.

The dispute concerned whether the commander of the Central District had the right to require Dardik to serve house arrest at his mother-in-law’s house. The commission ruled that a relative cannot be forced to provide her home for the execution of an administrative restriction.

The army was offered to find another realistic solution. This could be another agreed apartment or separate housing that the state would have to rent to enforce the order.

Thus, the commission’s decision was primarily procedural. It did not mean that Dardik was found not involved in the alleged violence or that the Shin Bet abandoned its assessment of his danger.

The minister visited Dardik in custody

Even before the current conflict, Katz took an extremely unusual step — personally met with Dardik at his place of detention.

Along with the minister, reserve Colonel Avichai Tanami, appointed by Katz as a special coordinator for working with the so-called “hill youth,” attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Dardik was offered several alternative options for house arrest. However, he refused them and demanded to be allowed to stay either in his own home or in his parents’ house. At that time, Dardik was on a hunger strike.

On July 28, 2026, Katz stated that due to deficiencies in the order’s issuance, it should not be extended, and the problem should be solved “by other means.”

However, this statement did not mean the immediate cessation of existing restrictions. According to Ynet, the order was calculated to last until the end of 2026. In addition, the appeal of the prosecutor’s office and the Central District concerned not Katz’s decision on future extension, but the court’s requirement to find an enforceable alternative to the current house arrest.

Blut and the prosecutor’s office continued to consider Dardik potentially dangerous and appealed to the Jerusalem District Court, trying to maintain the restrictions in another form.

It was this step that Katz called actions contrary to the minister’s policy.

Avi Blut remains the commander

As of August 3, 2026, Avi Blut has not been officially dismissed and continues to hold the position of commander of the Central District.

He assumed the position in July 2024, replacing Major General Yehuda Fuchs, who commanded the district for about three years.

Blut comes from the religious Zionism community, wears a knitted kippah, and previously held positions as commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, commander of the commando brigade, commander of the “Maglan” unit, and military secretary to the prime minister.

Therefore, the current dispute is difficult to present as a usual confrontation between a right-wing government and an allegedly “left-wing” army general. In reality, it is about a deeper question: is a district commander obliged to follow the professional assessment of the IDF and the Shin Bet, even if this assessment contradicts the defense minister’s policy.

Reaction of the opposition and the settler movement

Katz’s statement was criticized by representatives of the opposition and former high-ranking military officials.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that the government is trying to “dismantle the IDF from within.” Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot called the incident an unprecedented decline in relations between political and military leadership and emphasized that the army should not become a tool for party primaries.

Reserve Major General Ofer Winter also criticized the manner in which Katz announced the commander’s replacement.

Notably, representatives of the settler movement also spoke out against the way Katz announced the replacement of the commander.

The head of the Beit El local council, Shay Alon, stated that the unexpected announcement live on air without coordination with the Chief of Staff harms the settlements and the fight against terror. The Judea and Samaria Settlements Council also supported Blut, noting his results in countering terrorist structures.

At the same time, Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech from the “Otzma Yehudit” party supported Katz. She stated that Blut allegedly paid more attention to prosecuting settler activists than fighting Palestinian terror and acted contrary to the elected leadership’s policy.

Why this conflict is more important than the fate of one general

The dispute over Avi Blut and Tal Inon Dardik goes far beyond a single personnel appointment.

Political leadership has the right to determine Israel’s overall defense policy. However, operational decisions about specific threats are made by professional structures — the army, the Shin Bet, the police, and the prosecutor’s office.

If a minister can force a military commander to abandon a security assessment due to political pressure, there is a risk of politicizing IDF decisions. But if the army command can completely ignore the orders of the elected minister, the opposite problem arises — the erosion of civilian control over the armed forces.

As emphasized by NANews — News of Israel, the stability of the Israeli system depends not on the victory of one side, but on adherence to procedure. The Chief of Staff must professionally select candidates, the defense minister must approve appointments and determine overall policy, and decisions on specific cases must be made based on law and verifiable security assessments.

At the moment, Katz considers Dado Bar-Kalifa the future commander of the Central District. The IDF, in turn, states that Blut continues to perform his duties and his replacement is not planned in the near future.

Until the parties agree on an official personnel procedure, the minister’s statement on television remains a political declaration, not a completed appointment.

Kyiv collective “Bow Nashir” continues to amaze: Ukrainian students perform songs in Yiddish and Hebrew, creating a unique cultural bridge between Ukraine and Israel.

But what is behind this project? Why do students, many of whom are not Jewish, choose such an unusual musical path?

I told this story Eduard Doks, from Kyiv, specially for Vesti

The Sholom Aleichem Museum in Kyiv became a place where famous Jewish songs were heard. Students Department of Vocals, Kyiv University named after Boris Grinchenko presented a program including compositions in Yiddish and Hebrew.

One of the most memorable performances was Roman Stukalo’s performance of the famous Israeli song “Shema, Yisrael”. It was followed by Yiddish songs such as “Afn veg shteit a boym” And “Oifn prypichek brent a firel”performed by students David Zagorulko and Anastasia Troshchinskaya.

David’s older sister, Dasha Zagorulko, and Anastasia Grishchenko supplemented the program with Israeli hits such as “Tzel etz tamar le oh yareah” And “Yerushalayim shel zaav”.

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History of the group “Bow Nashir”

The Bow Nashir team was created in 2010 on the basis of the Beiteinu Jewish community center. Its artistic director is Svetlana Gmyrina, senior lecturer at Boris Grinchenko University of Kyiv.

Svetlana Viktorovna says:

“We select complex and beautiful compositions that require serious vocal training. This is excellent practice for students, and an opportunity for listeners to get in touch with the Jewish musical tradition.”

A special feature of the project is that most of its participants do not have Jewish roots. However, some students learn about their origins through participation in the group.

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Why is this important for cultural connections?

The performance of songs in Yiddish and Hebrew in Ukraine symbolizes not only the preservation of Jewish culture, but also the strengthening of ties between Ukraine and Israel.

According to research, before the Holocaust, about 3 million Yiddish speakers lived in Ukraine. Today in Ukraine the language Yiddish is taught at the academic level at the Kiev-Mohyla Academybut its use in everyday life is extremely rare.

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Table: Contribution of “Bow Nashir” to the development of culture

Indicator	Description
Base	2010 at the Beiteinu base
Supervisor	Svetlana Gmyrina
Repertoire	Songs in Yiddish and Hebrew
Participants	Students of Grinchenko University
Performances	Holidays, concerts at the Sholom Aleichem Museum

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Reviews and prospects

Director of the Sholom Aleichem Museum Irina Klimova highly appreciates the performances of the group:

“Bow Nashir concerts are always an event. Young performers sing with such soul that you want to listen to them again and again.”

However, according to Svetlana Gmyrina, the band has not yet had the opportunity to perform outside of Ukraine or record studio albums.

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Jewish culture in Ukraine: revival through music

Today “Bow Nashir” is more than just a musical group. This is a symbol of how young Ukrainians, through Jewish music, find new cultural connections and restore historical memory.

As noted NAnews – Israel Newssuch projects help strengthen relations between our peoples and help to better understand each other.

Read more about similar initiatives on the website NAnews and stay tuned for news that connects hearts.

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Jews from Ukraine, including from Galicia, played a significant role in the formation of modern Israel.

One of the iconic stories was the founding in 1920 of the first Zionist commune, Beitaniya Illit, associated with the Shomer HaTzair youth movement. This was not just an experiment, but a whole philosophy that formed the basis of many future kibbutzim.

Young Jews from Galicia, inspired by the ideas of returning to the Land of Israel, came here to build a new life. They were united by belonging to the Shomer HaTzair movement, based on the principles of collectivism, equality and labor.

The commune collapsed after 8 months of difficult trials, but gave birth to dozens of kibbutzim and leaders of Israel.

Commune Beitaniya Illit was located in the Lower Galilee, not far from the Kinneret, at the intersection of roads to Kibbutz Alumot.

In 1964, a memorial dedicated to the Shomer HaTzair movement and the 73 kibbutzim founded by members of this movement was opened here. that’s where it is on the map.

The tent-like monument was designed by architect Yechiel Arad. From the top of the memorial there is a panoramic view of the Jordan Valley, Kinneret, Golan Heights and Hermon.

It was here, in 1921, that an experiment that became a legend in the history of Zionism was completed.

He told me about him in detail Shimon Briman for the website (Ukrainian) “Ukrainian-Jewish Zustricha”.

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How it all began: the idealism of young Galicians

In the spring of 1921, the experiment, which went down in history as the “Galician project,” was completed.

In the summer of 1920, the “Galician landing” of 131 people arrived in Galilee. These were young men and women, many of whom left Lvov and other cities of Western Ukraine. Their main goal was to create a new type of Jewish society.

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Problems and challenges of the commune

The youth faced many difficulties. Life in Betaniya was full of challenges:

• Harsh living conditions: tents and temporary shelters did not protect from strong winds and winter cold.
• Lack of food: food was meager, and physical labor was exhausting.
• Conflicts in the group: participants discussed each other’s personal qualities, which often led to quarrels and tension.

Constant lack of resources, disease and internal conflicts eventually led to the collapse of the commune in the spring of 1921. However, its members became the founders of many kibbutzim in Israel.

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Leaders of the “Galician wave” and their contribution

Name	City of origin	Contribution to Israel
Dov Opper	Zolochev	Organizer of “Shomer Ha-Tza’ir”, died in 1920.
Arie Alweil	Bibrka	Artist, founder of the heroic style in art.
Meir Wald (Yaari)	Przemysl	Leader of the Shomer HaTzair movement, member of the Knesset.
Benjamin Freivogel	Stanislavov (Ivano-Frankivsk)	Founder of Kibbutz Beit Alfa, trade union leader.
David Horowitz	Drohobych	First director of the Ministry of Finance, head of the Bank of Israel.
Aba Khushi	Turk	Mayor of Haifa, leader of the Land of Israel Workers’ Party.
Shmuel Golan	Pidvolochisk	Founder of the Israeli school of psychoanalysis.

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How it all ended

Beitaniya, the first commune of the world’s first Zionist youth movement, Shomer HaTza’ir, disintegrated after eight months of difficult trials, but gave birth to dozens of kibbutzim and leaders in Israel. Almost all the leaders and participants in this experiment were Jews from the cities and towns of Galicia.

It was from this region of modern Ukraine that at the end of July 1920, an organized “landing party” arrived in the Land of Israel – 131 people, familiar from the meeting in the Shomer Ha-Tzair groups, all 18-20 years old. Most are boys, the rest are girls.

They left their parents and abundance to return from the diaspora to their land. They left the comfort of the city for hard work. They were inspired by the idea of ​​​​creating a New Man – a free Jew in their ancient homeland.

After the collapse of Beitaniya Illit, its members descended into the valleys of Galilee and became the founders of many kibbutzim. Despite the difficulties, the experiment was not in vain – it laid the foundation for future Zionist settlements.

The kibbutzim created by these idealists became not only economic, but also cultural centers of young Israel. Their ideas of collectivism and work inspired new generations of Zionists.

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Historical heritage

Betaniya-Illit remains a symbol of courage, self-sacrifice and faith in ideals. Today, when we talk about the relationship between Ukraine and Israel, it is important to remember how Jews from Galicia contributed to the building of the modern Jewish state.

Our website NANews – Israel News emphasizes that the story of Betaniya is an example of how courage and the desire for freedom can change the future of an entire people.

More in the section “Jews from Ukraine”.

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American conservative blogger and great friend of Israel, Laura Loomer, showcased the Ukrainian P1-SUN interceptor drone, designed to destroy Russian Shahed drones, to her audience of over 2,000,000. During her visit to the SkyFall facility, she signed two such devices, leaving a message for Iran on one of them.

The post appeared on July 31, 2026. In it, Loomer linked Russia’s war against Ukraine with Iran’s actions in the Middle East, discussed Russian intelligence assistance to Tehran, and separately explained the unusual unofficial nickname of the Ukrainian interceptor.

Laura Loomer: many do not understand the connection between Russia and Iran

Loomer began her post by reminding about the origin of the weapons Russia uses against Ukraine:

“A lot of people don’t know this, but many of the missiles and the drones that Russia uses to attack and kill Ukrainians come from Iran… especially the Shahed drones.”

Translation:

“Many people don’t know this, but a significant portion of the missiles and drones that Russia uses to attack and kill Ukrainians come from Iran… especially the Shahed drones.”

The main part of this statement concerns the Shahed. These strike drones were developed in Iran. Subsequently, Russia not only received ready-made devices but also organized its own mass production of modified versions, which it calls ‘Geran’.

The Russian armed forces launch thousands of such drones at Ukraine every month. Initially, the Shahed were relatively slow devices with a propeller engine, but Russia is gradually adding new communication systems, guidance, and jet engines. The speed of some new variants can reach about 500 kilometers per hour, significantly complicating their interception.

Loomer’s wording about missiles requires separate clarification. In 2024, the US announced the transfer of short-range ballistic missiles Fath-360 from Iran to Russia. In 2025, reports emerged about the preparation of deliveries of corresponding launchers. However, information about the mass use of specifically Iranian missiles against Ukraine remains less certain than the evidence of Shahed usage.

Russia helps Iran find American targets

Loomer further wrote:

“Those are the same drones Iran is using to murder US soldiers with assistance from Russia, as Russia is providing Iran with satellite imagery to target and murder Americans in the Middle East.”

Translation:

“These are the same drones that Iran uses to kill American servicemen with the assistance of Russia, as Russia provides Iran with satellite images to find targets and kill Americans in the Middle East.”

The statement is formulated extremely harshly, but it is based on published information about Russian-Iranian intelligence cooperation.

In March 2026, Reuters, citing sources, reported that Russia was providing Iran with information about the location of American ships and aircraft in the Middle East. In April, the agency published data from Ukrainian intelligence, according to which Russian satellites were photographing military bases, infrastructure facilities, and other potential targets in the region, and the obtained information was transmitted to Tehran. Western and regional sources also noted an increase in Russian satellite activity.

However, it cannot yet be claimed that the specific death of each American serviceman is directly related to a Russian satellite image. Public materials confirm the transfer of intelligence information and technologies but do not allow for the reconstruction of the full chain of preparation for each individual Iranian strike.

‘This one is for you, Iran’

Loomer said that during her visit to the SkyFall production, she was given the opportunity to sign two devices:

“When I was inside the @SkyfallUA drone facility, I signed two of the P1-SUN drone interceptors.”

Translation: “When I was at the SkyFall facility, I signed two P1-SUN drone interceptors.”

On one of them, she wrote:

“On one of them, I wrote, ‘this one is for you Iran.’”

Translation: “On one of them, I wrote: ‘This one is for you, Iran.’”

The blogger did not reveal to whom the second message was addressed:

“I won’t say just yet who I signed the other one for.”

Translation: “I won’t say yet who I signed the second one for.”

There is no confirmation that the device signed by Loomer is going to be sent directly to the Middle East. Most likely, it is a symbolic gesture: the Ukrainian P1-SUN was created to destroy drones of Iranian origin, which Russia uses to attack Ukrainian cities.

But this gesture also has practical significance. After the start of large-scale attacks by Iran on American forces and US allies, Middle Eastern countries showed great interest in Ukrainian counter-drone measures. According to Reuters, Ukraine discussed possible deliveries of interceptors to the United States and Qatar, and Ukrainian manufacturers declared their readiness to export part of the production without compromising their own defense.

What the P1-SUN represents

P1-SUN is a Ukrainian interceptor drone by SkyFall. Its task is to detect an aerial target, catch up with it, and destroy it during flight.

It is not a replacement for Patriot, Arrow, or David’s Sling systems. P1-SUN is primarily intended to combat drones, against which launching an expensive anti-aircraft missile may be economically disadvantageous.

In July 2026, SkyFall presented the new P1-SUN Jetkiller modification at the Farnborough Airshow. It was created to combat faster jet versions of Russian Shahed.

According to the manufacturer, by July 21, the basic P1-SUN had destroyed over 5,500 Russian Shahed. Reuters emphasizes that it is impossible to independently verify all this statistics. The company also claims that the P1-SUN Jetkiller has already passed combat tests and destroyed more than ten jet targets. The start of mass production of the new version was planned for August 2026.

Why such an interceptor is more advantageous than an anti-aircraft missile

The cost of P1-SUN for Ukrainian forces is about a thousand dollars, depending on the configuration. For comparison, one Shahed-136 can cost from 50 to 100 thousand dollars, and a PAC-3 missile for Patriot is about 4 million dollars.

This does not mean that one type of weapon can simply replace another. Patriot is primarily intended for intercepting ballistic and aerodynamic targets, which a small drone cannot handle. However, using a multi-million-dollar missile against a relatively cheap drone creates an extremely unfavorable cost ratio of attack and defense.

P1-SUN is supposed to cover a cheaper level of air defense. Interceptors can operate together with aviation, mobile fire groups, electronic warfare means, and classic anti-aircraft systems.

According to Ukrainian military data, in February 2026, interceptor drones provided about 70% of drone destructions in the Kyiv area. SkyFall also created its own academy, where training a new operator takes about three weeks.

What the expression “Penis drone” means

The most unusual part of Loomer’s post concerns the unofficial nickname of the device:

“In Ukraine, the P1-SUN has been nicknamed the ‘Penis drone’, because when it lands, it ‘Fks’ whoever it touches.”**

Translation: “In Ukraine, the P1-SUN is nicknamed ‘Penis drone’ because when it lands, it ‘has’ whoever it touches.”

It is important to understand: “Penis drone” is not an official name and not a technical term of SkyFall. The official designation of the device is P1-SUN.

The joke arose because the name P1-SUN, when read quickly, resembles a Ukrainian colloquial word denoting the male genital organ. An additional reason for jokes was the elongated shape of the device.

Loomer added her own crude explanation to the wordplay: supposedly, the device is called that because of what happens after its collision with the target. Technically, the expression ‘when it lands’ is also not quite accurate. P1-SUN is not supposed to calmly land on an enemy drone — it approaches the aerial target and destroys it.

Therefore, in the material, it is correct to use only the official English designation P1-SUN, and the expression “Penis drone” should be cited exclusively as Loomer’s quote and an explanation of the military meme.

Harsh address to Iran and Putin

Loomer concluded the publication with another emotional statement:

“Get FKD Iran! Get FKD Putin! Get FKD Communists and Jihadists! Get FKD Woke Reich!”

Translation with preserved meaning:

“Get FKD Iran! Get FKD Putin! Get FKD Communists and Jihadists! Get FKD ‘Woke Reich’!”

The abbreviation FKD is used instead of a crude English expletive. The last expression — “Woke Reich” — refers to Loomer’s internal American political rhetoric and is not directly related to the characteristics of P1-SUN.

The publication is not written in a diplomatic or military style. It is an emotional political post aimed primarily at an American conservative audience.

Why Loomer’s change of position was noticeable

Laura Loomer does not hold an official position in the US administration, but she is considered an influential supporter of Donald Trump and has a significant audience among MAGA movement supporters.

Previously, she sharply criticized Ukraine and spread claims that coincided with Russian propaganda. After her trip to Ukraine, Loomer publicly stated that she had been misled by materials she read on social media and Telegram.

In an interview with the Associated Press, she admitted that she previously believed Russian statements about the alleged existence of a Nazi state in Ukraine. According to her, personal acquaintance with the country, communication with people, and being present during Russian attacks changed her position.

On July 23, 2026, the First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Serhiy Kyslytsia, met with Loomer. Together they visited the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Assumption Cathedral, damaged by a Russian drone. Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed a personal conversation with her and noted the significance of American audience representatives seeing the consequences of Russian strikes with their own eyes.

For Ukraine, such a turnaround is important precisely because of Loomer’s audience. She addresses Americans who are skeptical about military aid to Kyiv and offers them another argument: Ukrainian technologies can already protect not only Ukraine but also American forces from Iranian weapons.

Why the P1-SUN story is important for Israel

For Israel, Russian-Iranian military cooperation is not an abstract problem. Iranian Shahed technology, improved by Russia in the context of a major war, can return to the Middle East in an updated form.

Russia receives Iranian developments, tests them against Ukrainian air defense, changes designs and methods of application. At the same time, according to published intelligence assessments, Moscow helps Iran with satellite images, cyber capabilities, and drone technologies.

Ukraine, in turn, has accumulated unique experience in repelling massive Shahed attacks. This is not only about individual interceptions but also about creating detection systems, training operators, distributing targets, and organizing mass production of cheap defense means.

NAnews — News of Israel notes: P1-SUN cannot replace Israeli air defense systems but can become an additional layer of protection. This is especially important during massive attacks when the enemy tries to overload the defense with a large number of cheap targets and force Israel to expend expensive missiles.

The signature on the P1-SUN became a political message

There is no reliable information about the further fate of the two devices signed by Laura Loomer. It is unknown whether they have already been transferred to specific units and participated in combat sorties.

But the meaning of the inscription “This one is for you Iran” is clear even without this. Ukraine shows that the weapon created to protect against Russian attacks can be in demand by all countries threatened by Iran and its associated forces.

Behind the crude joke about “Penis drone” lies a serious technological and strategic story. Russia and Iran exchange weapons, intelligence capabilities, and combat experience. Ukraine responds by creating mass and relatively cheap interceptors. And Laura Loomer tries to convey to her audience that the security of Ukraine, the US, and Israel is significantly more interconnected today than many Americans are used to thinking.

As NAnews — News of Israel emphasizes, Ukraine in this story is no longer just a recipient of foreign aid. It becomes a source of technologies and experience that can save the lives of American servicemen, Israelis, and residents of other Middle Eastern countries.

Jewish American actor, director, and screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg, known for films such as “The Social Network,” “Now You See Me,” “Zombieland,” and “Real Pain,” has arrived in Ukraine as a volunteer for an international humanitarian mission.

As of August 1, 2026, Eisenberg is in the Lviv region, where a program of psychological and creative support for children and adolescents affected by the consequences of the full-scale Russian aggression is being implemented.

The actor did not arrive for the filming of a new feature film, a premiere, or an official ceremony. He joined the project The Campfire Project, which the American organization conducts in collaboration with the Polish-Ukrainian humanitarian organization Folkowisko. The main work takes place in the village of Nahachev in the Lviv region, near the border with Poland.

The project began preparations long before the actor’s arrival.

The official story of the current mission did not begin in the last days of July.

On July 1, 2026, the organization Razom for Ukraine introduced the participants of its I’mMortal Fellowship program. Among the selected projects was the initiative Gathering Around the Fire: Arts, Healing, and Resilience.

The partners of the project were named as The Campfire Project from New York and Folkowisko Ukraine from Nahachev in the Lviv region. The program was initially designed for local children and families, as well as for people forced to leave other regions of Ukraine. It included theater, music, dance, visual arts, and psychological support methods that take into account the traumatic experience of war.

Simultaneously, the organizers planned training for Ukrainian teachers, psychologists, social workers, and representatives of humanitarian organizations. They are to be provided with methods that can be used after the American team’s visit.

In preparing this part of the program, materials from the World Health Organization and the Jameel Arts and Health Lab were taken into account. Thus, it is not about a one-time performance by celebrities in front of children, but an attempt to create a system that can continue to work with the efforts of Ukrainian specialists.

On July 5, Jesse Eisenberg first spoke about the upcoming trip.

Jesse Eisenberg publicly announced his intention to go to Ukraine on July 5, 2026 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

The actor said that he is organizing the trip together with his family. His wife Anna Strout works in the New York public school system and teaches art. According to Eisenberg, she was supposed to work directly with the children.

The couple learned about the program through American actress Jessica Hecht, one of the founders of The Campfire Project. Eisenberg then explained the distribution of roles very simply: his wife would teach, their son would communicate and play with the children, and he himself would film what was happening on his phone and document the camp’s work.

The actor emphasized that his family lives in comfortable conditions and believes it is right to use any real opportunity to help others. At the same time, Eisenberg did not exaggerate the significance of his participation and separately noted that volunteers cannot stop the war but can come and support the children.

This clarification is important: Jesse Eisenberg is not a professional psychologist or art therapist. He joined the mission as a volunteer, a member of the creative team, and a person documenting the project. Polish organizers also reported that he would participate in art classes and help the team develop methods for working with children who have experienced war trauma.

On July 27, the actor appeared in Polish Gorajec.

The next confirmed stage of the trip relates to July 27, 2026.

On this day, Polish Radio Rzeszów reported that Jesse Eisenberg arrived in the village of Gorajec in southeastern Poland. There is the base of the organization Folkowisko, which is involved in preparing the humanitarian mission.

Before crossing the Ukrainian border, the actor spent several days in Gorajec. He got acquainted with the work of Folkowisko, met with local residents, visited a historic wooden church, and attended a vintage car rally. The Polish publication was updated on July 30 when additional information about his further trip appeared.

Gorajec in this story turned out not to be a tourist stop. It was here that Eisenberg met the people and organization that, after the start of the full-scale war, created humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs on both sides of the Polish-Ukrainian border.

On July 29, it became known that the actor would work with children.

On July 29, 2026, the Polish Tygodnik Zamojski published details of the mission.

The publication reported that Eisenberg became a volunteer for the joint humanitarian and educational project of Folkowisko and The Campfire Project. In the following days, he was supposed to work with children growing up under Russian attacks, air raids, and a constant sense of danger.

President of Stowarzyszenie Folkowisko Marcin Piotrowski stated that the actor’s participation is an important gesture because children need people willing to give them their time, energy, knowledge, and attention.

On July 31, it was confirmed that Eisenberg was already in Ukraine.

On July 31, 2026, Ukrainian media and representatives of The Campfire Project confirmed that Jesse Eisenberg arrived in the Lviv region.

In the evening of July 31, TVP World also reported on the trip, calling it a joint Polish-American humanitarian initiative for Ukrainian children. The TVP publication appeared after several days of Eisenberg’s stay in Polish Gorajec and his subsequent move to the Lviv region.

What is happening in Nahachev.

The first main stage of the mission is called Therapeutic Arts Camp.

It is designed for one week. An international team of 12 artists, creative therapy specialists, and mental health professionals arrived in Nahachev. Jesse Eisenberg, his wife Anna Strout, and their son joined the program.

Children participate in theater workshops, dance and movement classes, draw, engage in visual arts, and receive individual psychological consultations.

The main task is not just to entertain the participants. Through creative work, children are helped to safely express fear, anxiety, anger, and other feelings that arose due to the war, forced relocation, loss of home, or prolonged life under the threat of Russian attacks.

Eisenberg himself explained the meaning of the project as follows: art should help people who were forced to leave their homes or are trying to cope with the consequences of the war to free and express their emotional life.

How many children are participating.

In reports published after the start of the camp, different numbers were mentioned.

On July 31, The Gaze reported on more than 70 children and adolescents. UA.NEWS indicated that 70 children are participating in the program. In later reports from Ukrainian media, it was already mentioned more than 80 participants.

Most likely, the number of children increased during the organization of the camp. The final consolidated figure has not yet been published by The Campfire Project, so it is more accurate to say that the program covered at least 70 children and adolescents, and according to some data, more than 80.

Among them are both residents of the Lviv region and families who relocated from other parts of Ukraine due to hostilities and Russian occupation.

After the camp, training for Ukrainian specialists will take place.

The mission does not end with the week-long camp.

Its second stage provides for a separate intensive seminar for Ukrainian teachers, psychologists, social workers, artists, and humanitarian organization employees.

Participants are to be taught methods of using theater, music, dance, and visual arts when working with trauma. The goal is that after the departure of American volunteers, help for children does not stop.

According to the organizers, the entire Polish-American-Ukrainian trip is designed for about two weeks: the first part is dedicated to direct work with children, the second to the training of local specialists.

This part makes the initiative particularly significant. The international team is not just conducting a temporary event but is leaving Ukrainian specialists with tools for further independent work.

The mission takes place against the backdrop of ongoing Russian attacks.

The program began at a time when Russian strikes on Ukraine did not cease.

On the night of July 30, 2026, when mission participants were already in the border region, Russian troops carried out one of the largest combined strikes on Ukraine. Russia used more than 70 missiles and over 280 strike drones.

Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions were under attack and threat.

Thus, the conversation about children’s war trauma for camp participants is not an abstract theory. Air raids, missiles, and strike drones remain part of the daily life of Ukrainian families.

Who created The Campfire Project.

The Campfire Project was established in 2017, during the Syrian migration crisis.

The organization was created by American actress Jessica Hecht and producer Jenny Gersten. They began using theater, music, dance, and other creative practices to support refugees and displaced people.

Subsequently, The Campfire Project conducted missions in Greece, Moldova, and Uganda, and in July 2024 launched a program for migrants in New York. The development of activities is carried out by psychologists, creative therapy specialists, and artists.

The current mission in Ukraine continues this work but takes into account Ukrainian culture and the specific experience of children living during the full-scale Russian war.

For NAnews — News of Israel, it is fundamentally important to note: this is not a promotional trip of a star, but a project that was prepared in advance and unites international specialists with Ukrainian organizations.

Why Ukraine has personal significance for Eisenberg.

Jesse Eisenberg was born on October 5, 1983 in New York in a Jewish family. His ancestors came from Eastern Europe, primarily from Poland and territories that are now part of Ukraine.

During the trip, Eisenberg said that part of his family survived World War II in Lviv. According to him, relatives were saved by people living near the place where the humanitarian mission is now taking place. Therefore, the trip to this region became not only a volunteer but also a deeply personal journey for him.

The actor’s relationship with his family’s history is especially vividly manifested in the film “Real Pain”, released in 2024.

Eisenberg wrote the script, directed, and played one of the main roles. The film tells the story of two American Jewish cousins who travel to Poland to reconnect with their family’s history and honor the memory of relatives who survived the Holocaust.

The basis of the film was real family memories of Eisenberg and his trip to Poland in 2008, when he visited the house that belonged to his relatives until 1939.

On March 4, 2025, Eisenberg received Polish citizenship.

Another important date was March 4, 2025.

On this day, Polish President Andrzej Duda officially handed Jesse Eisenberg documents granting Polish citizenship during a ceremony in New York.

The presidential office noted that the actor was born into a Jewish family, and his ancestors came from Poland, including Krasnystaw. Eisenberg himself linked obtaining citizenship with the desire to restore his family’s historical connection with Poland and contribute to improving relations between Jews and Poles.

The current trip to Ukraine became the next stage of this return to Eastern Europe — not only for exploring family history but also for helping people experiencing a new war.

Eisenberg’s connection with Israel.

Jesse Eisenberg is connected to Israel through his Jewish heritage, family history, and creative activities.

A particularly important event was his first visit to Israel in July 2014. At that time, Israeli cities were under rocket attacks, and many foreign performers and artists canceled planned visits.

Eisenberg did not cancel his trip.

On July 24, 2014, he appeared at the Tel Aviv theater “Beit Lessin”, where the premiere of his play “The Revisionist” in Hebrew took place. After the performance, the actor participated in a meeting with the audience. The play was written by him in 2013 and is dedicated to the meeting of a young American with an elderly relative who survived the Holocaust.

The visit took place shortly before the temporary ban by the US Federal Aviation Administration on flights to Israel. Despite the situation, Eisenberg stated that he had no doubts about the decision to come.

He called Israel a “wonderful country” and said that he had a very good week there. The actor’s words were met with applause by the Israeli audience.

During that trip, Eisenberg visited Jerusalem, Haifa, and Acre. He also said that he would like to see southern Israel during his next visit.

This story shows that his connection with Israel is not limited to a formal mention of Jewish heritage. In a difficult period for the country, Eisenberg personally came to support the Israeli theater and the presentation of his play in Hebrew.

From family memory to helping children.

In Jesse Eisenberg’s biography, several historical and human lines are intertwined.

His ancestors were Jews from Eastern Europe. A significant part of the family faced the Holocaust. The actor himself restores the connection with Poland, addresses Jewish memory in his work, visited Israel during rocket attacks, and now works with children growing up under the threat of Russian missiles and drones.

The current mission cannot return destroyed homes or lost loved ones to children. But it can provide them with a safe space, adult attention, and the opportunity to express feelings for which it is difficult to find words.

For NAnews — News of Israel, this trip is important in this context. Jewish memory in the case of Jesse Eisenberg becomes not only an appeal to the tragedies of the past but also a basis for concrete help to those experiencing war today.

On the Golan Heights, about 16 km from the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), there is a place that initially disappoints in person — and then suddenly overwhelms. Gilgal Refaim (גלגל רפאים) is translated in various ways: Wheel of Ghosts, Circle of Spirits, sometimes even Ring of Giants. And yes, it is called the Israeli Stonehenge — not because it “sounds nice,” but because the resemblance in idea and mystery is indeed persistent.

Especially in spring, when the Golan is green, the air is wet from the grass, and the first flowers emerge where there was mud yesterday, this structure seems not just ancient — it seems stubbornly alive. Massive. Too calm for something that is about five thousand years old.

And yet, getting there is not always easy: the road requires a decent car and a willingness to walk.

Here is a link to Google Maps – https://maps.app.goo.gl/sYoit28RBqSTPTaL9

Stones that look like “just a pile” from the ground

Gilgal Refaim consists of approximately 42,000 basalt boulders, with a total weight estimated at up to 40,000 tons. At eye level, it often looks like a chaotic heap of stones — without an “entrance,” without a beautiful composition, without a convenient sign saying “look here.”

But all the magic is that the structure is only readable from above.

There are five concentric circles, and the largest of them is about 156 meters in diameter. And this is one of those rare cases where the phrase “seen from above” is not a journalistic metaphor: in the modern era, the object was indeed recognized and described thanks to aerial surveys.

There is another detail that catches the eye: unlike the British Stonehenge, there are no hewn vertical pillars here. The Israeli version is made of unprocessed stones, piled on top of each other. As if it was important for the builders not to “show technique,” but to create mass. Perimeter. Boundary.

What the “Wheel” looks like and why it deceives from the ground

From the ground, Rujm el-Hiri often looks like a disorderly stone scatter. But from above, the main thing is visible: a system of concentric circles converging towards the center, where a tumulus is located.

Facts in numbers (according to the most common descriptions):

• More than 42,000 basalt boulders

• The outer circle is about 150–160 m in diameter

• The total weight of the complex is estimated at approximately 37,500–40,000 tons

• The dating is usually attributed to the turn of the 4th–3rd millennia BC (early Bronze Age), but ranges in sources may vary

When “it was discovered” and who took it on

Sometimes it is written that the object was “discovered from the air.” It is more correct to say this: after 1967, the monument was systematically recorded and described during surveys of the area, and then it became the subject of regular research, including excavations and mapping.

In recent years, geophysics and remote analysis of the terrain and structure have been added to the study.

Observatory, calendar, or… why was it built at all?

Scientists still do not have a single answer as to why this was built. There are many versions, and each sounds like a separate genre — from strict archaeology to biblical legend.

The most common explanations usually look like this:

Observatory. For a long time, it was believed that the openings and directions in the walls were related to the points of sunrise on the days of the summer and winter solstices. The version is beautiful, logical, almost “textbook.” But it has a weak point: recent studies, taking into account soil shifts and changes in the orientation of the structure over time, make this hypothesis more cautious.

Cult of the dead. In the center is a tumulus with a burial chamber. And here is an important nuance that makes the story even stranger: it is often indicated that the tumulus could have appeared about a thousand years later than the circles themselves. That is, the “heart” of the complex could have been added later — meaning the monument’s purpose could have changed.

Sky burial. This is a term for the practice where the deceased was left in an open place, and the flesh was eaten by birds — primarily vultures. This form of burial is known in the region in earlier periods. The version sounds harsh, even unpleasant — but that’s why it sometimes seems plausible: the ancient world did not have to be “beautiful.”

Gathering place for tribes. Perhaps it was a ritual center for nomadic peoples — a meeting point, negotiations, rituals, status demonstration. Stone as a “contract” that cannot be taken away.

Calendar. A similar idea: the place could serve as a primitive calendar and mark key points of the annual cycle — primarily solstices. This does not necessarily contradict the ritual version: in ancient societies, the calendar and cult were often the same.

Connection with giants. The Golan is a territory that biblical tradition associates with giants. Therefore, a tempting legend arises: supposedly, giants built it for giants, “tomb of giants,” and some even say “grave of Goliath.” This is no longer science, but mythology — but mythology that clings to the stones as tightly as moss.

Between spirits and Golgotha: why the name sounds so strong

The name Gilgal Refaim is not just “beautiful words.” It is itself like a hint that does not fully explain anything.

Gilgal (גִּלְגָּל) — circle, wheel. The root is associated with the idea of rolling, rotating, folding. In biblical language, “gilgal” is also a place where stones were set in a circle as a sign of memory. And yes, from a close root comes the word gulgoleth (גולגולת) — “skull,” from which the well-known word “Golgotha” grew. It is not a fact that this is a direct semantic bridge, but the feeling of “stones as memory” arises almost automatically here.

Refaim (רְפָאִים) — a complex word: both giants and spirits. In biblical texts, the Rephaim are an ancient people of giants who lived, among other places, on the Golan; in later poetry and tradition, they are already “shadows of the dead,” inhabitants of the underworld.

Therefore, there are so many translations: this name simultaneously holds two worlds — the physical and the “invisible.”

Why it’s important not to fall into “monographs about giant-occupiers”

Such places always attract not only archaeologists and historians. They are loved by writers, directors, esoteric enthusiasts — and, unfortunately, those who build pseudo-historical theories under a political slogan.

Gilgal Refaim sometimes appears in texts where authors confidently prove that “giants lived here in ancient times” and then draw conclusions not about archaeology, but about modernity. And here it is useful to at least understand the basics: what exactly is this object, what time is it from, how is it structured, why are there so many versions around it.

Because, no matter how you look at it, this stone structure is interesting in itself without any “additional tales.” Simply because it stands on the Golan — and is silent. And we are still trying to understand what exactly ancient people wanted to fix in basalt: calendar, memory, fear, power… or something for which we do not yet have words.

Chernikhovsky was born in Mikhailovka (Taurida Governorate), now the urban-type settlement of Mikhailovka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. On August 20, 2020, a commemorative plaque for Chernikhovsky was unveiled on the building of the Mikhailovka Local History Museum (Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine). On March 1, 2022, Mikhailovka was occupied by Russian aggressors.

Do you know who adorns the 50-shekel bill? Yes, yes, it is him — Shaul Chernikhovsky, whose name is immortalized not only on banknotes but also on the streets of Israeli cities.

He is often called “second after Bialik” among Israeli poets. But isn’t that a compliment?

Shaul Gutmanovich Chernikhovsky was an outstanding Jewish poet, translator, and doctor, whose creations in Hebrew had a significant impact on Jewish culture.

Born in Mikhailovka (Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine), he knew several languages and began translating Pushkin’s works into Hebrew in his youth.

At the age of 15, he continued his education in Odessa. With the support of Yosef Klausner, he began publishing poems. He then went to Heidelberg and Lausanne, where he studied medicine. Upon returning from abroad, he worked as a doctor in Melitopol and in Kharkiv Governorate.

During the First World War, he was also a doctor in a hospital (Serafimovsky Lazaret in Minsk). He was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus, third class, and the Order of St. Anna, third class.

After the war, he returned to Odessa and engaged in private medical practice. In 1922, he emigrated from Russia and settled in Berlin.

His poems and translations brought him wide recognition. He wrote poems in Hebrew (at that time, Hebrew was not yet fully restored as a spoken language and was often called the “ancient Hebrew language”). His poetry celebrates inner revival through Zionism, the liberation of the Jewish soul.

For modern Hebrew speakers, however, Chernikhovsky’s metrics are often difficult to perceive because the stresses in modern Hebrew differ from the language in which the poet wrote; the language itself has significantly changed, becoming a living means of communication.

In 1931, Chernikhovsky made a move that changed his life: he moved to Eretz-Israel. Here he not only contributed to medicine by compiling a dictionary of terms (Latin — Hebrew — English) but also continued to heal with words, working as a doctor in a school.

His pen was no less powerful than a scalpel, as he translated the epic poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey” into Hebrew, as well as “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” For translating the Finnish “Kalevala,” he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland in 1934. From 1936, Chernikhovsky represented Hebrew literature in the international PEN club and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1935 and 1937. He twice became a laureate of the Bialik Prize for Literature.

Twice (in 1935 and 1937) he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

He passed away in 1943 in Jerusalem, leaving behind a rich literary legacy.

Shaul Chernikhovsky is not just a name, it is a symbol. A symbol of love for his people, language, and culture. A symbol of tireless pursuit of knowledge and creativity.