Israeli President Isaac Herzog began his state visit to Romania by leading commemorations marking the 85th anniversary of the Iași Pogrom, one of the darkest chapters of the Holocaust, where some 13,000 Romanian Jews were brutally murdered in the streets of Iași and aboard the infamous “death trains.”

At the city’s Jewish cemetery, Herzog attended a memorial ceremony and the reburial of 22 recently identified victims before touring the Iași Holocaust Museum, where he unveiled a memorial plaque honoring the victims and reaffirming Israel and Romania’s joint commitment to fighting antisemitism. “If you want to understand how cruelty can suddenly consume an entire society, you have to come here,” Herzog said.

Herzog praised Romania’s efforts to confront its Holocaust history and warned that the lessons of Iași remain urgent as antisemitism rises worldwide. He stressed that Israel is the only homeland and safe haven of the Jewish people, adding that remembering atrocities like the Iași Pogrom is essential to ensuring they are never repeated.

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It’s unknown what actions could theoretically be taken by Herzog to force a halt to the reform, and such moves would likely be illegal.

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

A group of anti-judicial reform protesters demanded that President Isaac Herzog “take action” to stop ongoing legislation aimed at overhauling the country’s legal system, accusing him of “lending a hand” to the destruction of the country by remaining in his role as a neutral party.

Demonstrators gathered in the northern Israeli town of Zichron Ya’akov as Herzog visited a former military base in the area, creating loud disruptions and chanting “Democracy!”

Herzog, who was under heavy security at the event, eventually went to speak with the protesters. He asked them to understand that he is still trying to facilitate a compromise agreement between the coalition and opposition parties.

הנשיא הרצוג יצא לשוחח עם מפגינים מחוץ לאירוע שבו היה בזכרון יעקב@yanircozin pic.twitter.com/hB7fzgba9v

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) August 9, 2023

“I hold dialogue with everyone who is ready to hold dialogue to guarantee that our democracy remains strong and stable,” Herzog told the demonstrators, according to Hebrew-language news reports.

However, Herzog repeated his previous hint that some left-wing political parties had sabotaged the talks, saying that “there are some of you that did not give us a chance, and it’s a shame. There was pressure from some leading figures and others.”

Several prominent anti-judicial reform figures have publicly called for the opposition parties to refuse to engage in negotiations with the government.

“How can you give a hand to a government that is so corrupt? If there’s no judicial system here, there will be anarchy,” one protester responded to Herzog, adding that “you must help protect the impartial judicial system.”

Another protester urged Herzog “to take action today,” though it’s unclear what that would look like, as Herzog’s role as president is largely ceremonial and politically neutral.

It’s unknown what actions could theoretically be taken by Herzog to force a halt to the reform, and such moves would likely be illegal.

The Supreme Court is gearing up to hold two hearings in September on recently passed judicial reform laws, the reasonability clause and the recusal law. Should the Court strike down or nullify those measures, which are both quasi-Constitutional Basic Laws, the move would likely trigger an unprecedented constitutional crisis in Israel.

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Naama Rosen Grimberg is replacing Brigadier General Alaa Abu-Rochen, a member of Israel’s Druze community who served in that position for the past three years.

By Gil Tanenbaum, TPS

History was made in the IDF on Sunday. At a ceremony held at the Presidential residence in Jerusalem Colonel Naama Rosen Grimberg became the first woman soldier ever to be appointed to the post of military secretary to the President of the State of Israel.

Rosen Grimberg was also promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

Upon receiving the rank, Brigadier General Rosen Grimberg became the sixth Brigadier General currently serving in the IDF.

Rosen Grimberg is replacing Brigadier General Alaa Abu-Rochen, a member of Israel’s Druze community who served in that position for the past three years.

The ceremony was held in the presence of President Yitzhak Herzog, IDF Chief of Staff Major General Aviv Kochavi, and members of the General Staff Forum. Senior officials of the IDF and the security establishment and the families of the incoming and outgoing military secretaries also participated in the ceremony.

The Military Secretary to the President serves as the link between the President’s House and the security system in all its branches: the army, the Shin Bet, the Mossad, the Israel Police, the prison service and more.

In this role, she will be trusted with the president’s updates on security matters and with handling his meetings with security officials. She will also coordinate the president’s visits to military positions in the field, as well as to all of Israel’s security agencies.

Rosen Grimberg has served in the IDF for 22 years, and for the past two years served as the intelligence officer of the Central Command. She made history in that role too as the first woman to serve as an IDF command intelligence officer.

She has previously held a series of command positions in a variety of units in the Intelligence Division of the IDF, including the Research Division, Unit 8200, the Northern and Central Command, and more.

Naama Rosen Grimberg, 40, is a married mother of two children and holds degrees in the history of the Middle East.

‘You arrived here only by merit’

During the ceremony, President Herzog thanked outgoing secretary Brigadier General Abu-Rochenin for his service and acknowledged how it has helped to advance the position of Druze in Israeli society.

Turning to Brigadier General Rosen Grimberg the President said, “Naama, you are making history here today as the first woman in a sensitive and important security position, and you arrived here [to this position and rank] only by merit.”

“[This is] thanks to your skills, your abilities, your achievements,” he added, “and the status you have carved out for yourself in a variety of roles in the Israel Defense Forces in general and the intelligence system in particular. Your personal story and your place of residence are also very moving.”

The President wished the general success in her new task and concluded his remarks by saying, “Many thanks to all of you and to the life of the IDF and the security system and to the life of the State of Israel.”

Brigadier General Rosen Grimberg also had the opportunity to say a few words at the ceremony. She commented on how for 22 years she served and commanded a variety of units in the Intelligence Division of the IDF, and was a partner in operative and strategic processes “designed to ensure the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Rosen Grimberg also had a few words of praise for President Herzog. “It is a great privilege for me to serve and work alongside the president of the country,” she said, “a man who made it his goal to unite Israeli society and works tirelessly for the future of the country and the Jewish people.”

“In my role as the president’s military secretary,” added the general, “I will do whatever it takes to faithfully represent the security activities at the president’s house and help advance the national and security interests of the country in Israel and the world and in the implementation of the president’s policies in the security system,” she said.

At the same time, I will continue to work with humanity and sensitivity to foster the relationship with the bereaved families, the wounded of the IDF and the security system, the families of the captives and the missing, victims and victims of hostilities,” she added.

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Her role entails maintaining the president’s ties with the security establishment, briefing him on security matters and handling his meetings on security-related matters.

By TPS

In a historic decision, President Isaac Herzog decided Monday to appoint Col. N. as the next Military Secretary to the President of the State of Israel and to promote her to the rank of brigadier-general.

Due to her military intelligence background, she is identified in the media only by the first letter of her name. Her photo is banned for publication.

The decision was made through an organized recruitment process and in coordination with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi.

Her role entails maintaining the president’s ties with the security establishment, briefing him on security matters and handling his meetings on security-related matters.

Col. N. will succeed Brig.-Gen. Alaa Abu Rukun, who has served in the role for the past three years. She has served in the IDF for 22 years, serving as IDF Central Command’s chief intelligence officer for the past year and a half. During her military career, she has held a series of commands in the field and in staff roles. N. is 40 years old, lives in central Israel, is married with two children, and holds degrees in the history of the Middle East.

Herzog congratulated Col. N. on her appointment and said he “trusts and am confident that she will be a welcome addition to my team of advisors, and that her professional and personal talents will bring tremendous value to the institution of the Presidency, the IDF, and the whole State of Israel. The glass ceiling is being smashed every day in Israel and I am proud that during my Presidency, another glass ceiling is being smashed, by a worthy and promising officer.”

He thanked Brig.-Gen. Alaa Abu Rukun for his devoted service at the President’s Residence and for his significant contribution to the IDF and the State of Israel.”

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