Amid Syria Chaos, Israelis Seek Gas Masks
Israeli gas mask kit distribution centers are facing increased demand in response to fighting in Syria.
Maariv and the Times of Israel reported that distribution centers have given out 3,700 masks per day on Monday and Tuesday, and 4.2 million total.
Haaretz reported, however, that 47 percent of Israel is still without masks. On average, since 2010, the distribution centers have given out 2,200 kits per day.
The increased demand comes as Israeli leaders fear that Syrian chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Hebollah, a terrorist group in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday that the transfer of such weapons would be a “clear casus belli,” according to the Times of Israel.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
