ISSUES

At CUFI, we are focused on several key issues with the goal of defending Israel’s strength, security, and sovereignty.

If you want to keep up with all things Israel, sign up for CUFI’s Daily Briefing – our daily news roundup created exclusively for CUFI members. Every morning, Monday through Friday, receive an email with some of the top headlines in the news so you are always informed and ready to debunk lies with the truth.

Hamas

Jews, Christians, Muslim Work Together After Hurricane to Provide Kosher Meals for Orthodox Jews

The floodwaters rose so high, that people found that snakes had moved in, ready to greet them when they returned home. From reports by people of faith, however, one ancient reptile didn’t take part in the housewarmings. The Primordial Serpent, real or allegorical, kept its distance from lots of the affected area.

Perhaps it fled in revulsion of...

Israeli Society

Ancient Hebrew Seals From Judean Kingdom Unearthed in Jerusalem Excavations

A collection of First Temple-period seals has been discovered during excavations in Jerusalem’s City of David.

Several of the seals are emblazoned with Hebrew inscriptions, and dozens of the ancient seals reference the names of officials from the Judean kingdom who lived before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, including “Pinchas” and...

US-Israel Relationship

Israeli Aid Teams Deploy to Florida’s Hardest-Hit Areas in Wake of Hurricane Irma

Israeli rescue and humanitarian aid groups have deployed to the hardest-hit areas in Florida, including the Florida Keys and Naples areas, in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which struck last weekend.

In the Florida Keys, teams from the Israel Rescue Coalition (IRC) and United Hatzalah brought aid and medical assistance as well as much needed water...

Incitement

Family and friends of murdered American: Pass the Taylor Force Act

“Taylor was very outgoing. No dislikes, no agendas. Enjoyed playing the guitar, an Eagle Scout… he was basically an all-American kid. He made sure that everyone around him felt good,” Stuart Force told the Haym Salomon Center, speaking about his son, whose life was taken by a Palestinian terrorist last year.

“He would have made a great...

Israeli Society

Israel Approves ‘Gospel Trail’ Cable Car to Enhance Christian Tourism

Israel’s cabinet on Sunday approved the construction of the “Gospel Trail” cable car that, when completed, will run between Upper Nazareth and the lower slopes of Mount Tabor in order to enhance access to Christian tourist sites in the area.

The project in Israel’s northern region is a collaborative effort between Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv...

US-Israel Relationship

16 years on, US and Israel mourn 9/11 attacks, laud anti-terror alliance

Holding photos and reading names of loved ones lost 16 years ago, 9/11 victims’ relatives and others marked the anniversary of the attacks at Ground Zero on Monday with a solemn and personal ceremony.

In Israel, an estimated 500 people gathered at the KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund’s “Living Memorial” in the Jerusalem Hills at the US Embassy’s...

Israeli Technology

Intel to equip NFL stadiums with Israel-made replay technology

US chip giant Intel Corp. said Thursday it has outfitted eight National Football League stadiums in the US with high-definition cameras that will allow fans to see the game from every angle and create 360-degree highlights for a more action-packed experience.

The cameras — which are ready for the 2017 season — are equipped with Intel’s “freeD”...

Issues

Taylor Force Act Targeting Palestinian Authority Terror Payments Receives Procedural Boost in Senate

A bill before the US Senate that targets the Palestinian Authority’s policy of paying salaries and benefits to terrorists and their families received a major boost on Thursday, with the announcement that the legislation has been included in a larger package of bills that deal with spending on foreign operations.

The move means that the bill —...

Israeli Society

Israeli rescue team ready to provide Mexico earthquake aid

Israel-based international aid agency iAID’s Search & Rescue team have prepared their specialist equipment and are ready to fly to areas of Mexico affected by Thursday night’s powerful earthquake.

The earthquake of magnitude 8.1 struck late on Thursday near Mexico’s southern coastline, killing at least twenty-six people, triggering small...

US-Israel Relationship

ZAKA team helping with hurricane clean-up in Houston

The eight-member team will be joined by four more volunteers in the coming days, the organization said. The volunteers currently are assisting throughout the city with tasks ranging from clearing debris to delivering food.

The ZAKA volunteers were briefed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is overseeing the recovery efforts, and...

Hamas

45 years later, memorial to victims of Munich massacre to be unveiled

A memorial to the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics is to be unveiled on Wednesday, a day after the 45th anniversary of the attack.

The memorial is the result of a decades-long campaign by relatives of the victims of the massacre for a permanent memorial to the athletes at the site of the September 5, 1972...

Archeology

Jerusalem welcomed Jewish refugees 2,300 years ago, new finds show

Millennia ago, Jerusalem may have opened its doors to thousands of refugees from the north of the country. A new cache of First Temple bullae (sealings) discovered in an excavation at Jerusalem’s City of David shows a mixture of names from the Kingdom of Israel and Judah used on official bureaucratic correspondence dating from after the fall of...

Talking Points

Talking Points

Hurricane Harvey

In recent days, we’ve all been heartbroken by Hurricane Harvey’s tragic destruction. We weep for the 45 people who perished, and pray for the millions of people affected by this storm. Many have lost everything – their homes, businesses and houses of worship. In fact, CUFI’s Pearland City Director rescued the youth pastor of his...

Hamas

As floodwaters recede, Israeli disaster aid is in Houston for the long haul

Niv Rabino arrived home to Haifa earlier this week after completing a stint as head of IsraAID‘s mission on the Greek island of Lesvos. For nine months, Rabino oversaw the humanitarian aid organization’s intensive work supporting the medical and psychosocial needs of Middle Eastern and African refugees stuck in camps waiting for permission to...

US-Israel Relationship

Israelis Help in Oklahoma Tornado Relief Efforts

IsraAID, an Israeli-based international non-governmental aid agency, is on the ground in Moore, Oklahoma helping the victims of the tornado clean up and rebuild their lives. IsraAID has provided relief and assistance after the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, amongst many other natural...

US-Israel Relationship

Israel Rescue Coalition to send special crisis unit to Houston

A team of Israeli mental health professionals will arrive in Houston on Thursday morning to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.

The response effort was organized by the Israel Rescue Coalition, which is comprised of hundreds of volunteer responders primarily specializing in search and rescue operations. The IRC has been involved in major disaster...

US-Israel Relationship

Report: US Delegation Discussed Moving Embassy to Jerusalem With Netanyahu

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting last week with a high-level US diplomatic delegation, the issue of a moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was reportedly addressed by both parties.

The US team, led by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, included Trump’s international...

Hamas

Israeli aid group rushes to help flooded Houston

A team of volunteers from an Israeli aid group were making their way to Texas on Tuesday, seeking to provide emergency assistance to relief efforts as a massive storm pummeled the city with severe flooding.

Seven members of the IsraAID non-governmental organization flew to Houston, where they will join three other members of the group who were...

Incitement

In Meeting With Kushner, Abbas Defiantly Vows to Continue PA Terror Payments Policy, Palestinian Newspaper Report

A leading Palestinian newspaper published an account on Monday of a tense encounter between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Ramallah last week.

Al-Quds, a Jerusalem-based newspaper that is close to the PA, reported that Kushner had raised the issue of the...

Israeli Society

Israeli Actress Gal Gadot Says Her Holocaust Survivor Grandfather Helped Her Relate to the Values ‘Wonder Woman’ Stands For

Israeli actress Gal Gadot had an easy time relating to what Wonder Woman — the superhero she plays on the big screen — stands for because of what her late Holocaust survivor grandfather taught her, she told Rolling Stone magazine in its latest issue.

Gadot’s grandfather was 13 when Nazis invaded his native country of Czechoslovakia. His father...