The activity of the Return the Hostages organization reveals the truth. This group operating ostensibly to free the hostages and return them home is nothing but a political body for all intents and purposes whose primary objective is to topple the Netanyahu government.
Releasing the prisoners is merely a secondary goal in the whole story. Whoever does not toe the line of the overriding purpose of the staff is eased out the door.
One of the activists revealed the story of the Smarno family in a press interview: Yonatan Smarno, HY"D, was seized and murdered by Hamas terrorists. His corpse is still being held in Hamas captivity. His father, Kobi Smarno, is a supporter of the Rightist government, and it seems that there is no greater sin in the eyes of the Return the Prisoners organization. His story was suppressed for a long time, including the family's political views despite its importance.
The interviewee tells: "I volunteered my services to the organization to work together for the purported goal of freeing the hostages, but at a certain stage, I discovered that there was a big story connected to the Smarno family which was being suppressed. Their son was murdered on the seventh of October. His body was snatched by an UNWRA worker in a UN vehicle.
"This story was kept a secret because of the family's political leanings. For months, it was held under cover. At one point, I decided on my own to release it at a press conference, and follow this up by a world tour to tell it to one and all. This is a story that was withheld for many, many months because of the political views of the family. They [the organization] continue to promote their own political agenda as they have been doing all along."
This volunteer, Liat Bell Sumar, continues with her revelation. "I am not a naive person, but after I arrived, I was asked what I intended to do 'the day after.' I didn't understand what they meant. 'I've come to volunteer', I said, but then understood that the people there were out to promote their own interests. The staff started out well but from what I keep on hearing now, it is not what it is made out to be."
Am Yisrael Chai
What has suddenly happened to a restaurant chain that suddenly decided to make its branches kosher?
One of the chief administrators explains: "It seems that the Israeli nation is alive and seeks to thank Hashem. We are receiving inquiries from new investors who seek to open new branches of restaurants within our franchise, most of them demanding that they be under kosher supervision.
"How to explain this? First and foremost, after the seventh of October, many Israelis have become more traditional.
"But there is an additional cause, and I quote: "I can rightfully state that the employees of most eateries in the country, and not primarily those of our chain, have become tired of working so hard over the weekend, working a seven day week. It comes out that they have to work from morning to night, including Friday and Saturday, and this is not always so simple. Some believe that it has to be this way, but the going phrase these days is: There is no reliance in parnassa gained from Shabbat and most of our chain employees simply want to live relaxed on the weekend."
And there is more to it. The flag store of the Super Pharma chain which was open on Shabbat in the Tel Aviv center, decided to close up on Shabbat simply because it was not profitable. The public stopped coming on this day and maintaining it open cost more than its income. Note that this branch was located in the very heart of the 'nonstop city' of Tel Aviv. Apparently, even there, the going adage prevailed that 'there is no reliance in Shabbat profits''.
Even the mall opened recently by the BIG chain with mass Shabbos desecration, has experienced a drastic drop of Sabbath shoppers. This is a very encouraging trend indicating that notwithstanding the massive media hullabaloo echoing the voice of the secular citizen, there is a definite public spiritual awakening within the Israeli public, far beyond what the media wants to admit. Is it then any wonder that those who wish to undermine the government are so worried?
