New Rabbi For the IDF?

Arutz 7 reports that DM Ehud Barak decided not to renew the appointment of Rabbi Avi Ronsky as the IDF's Chief Rabbi:

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has taken the unprecedented step of not renewing the appointment of Rabbi Avi Ronsky as the IDF's Chief Rabbi. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi accepted the Defense Minster’s decision despite his known respect for Rabbi Ronsky, military sources told Arutz 7.

The refusal to renew the appointment of a Chief Rabbi or Chief of Staff follows by four years the equally unprecedented move by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to refuse to renew the term of IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon because of his doubts over the policy of destroying Jewish communities in the Gaza area and withdrawing the military.

Who will replace Rabbi Ronsky? According to the same article:

Two probable candidates to succeed him are Rabbi Duki Ben-Artzi, a combat pilot, and Rabbi Rafi Peretz, who heads the pre-army Torah academy (mechina) in Yated, which was part of the destroyed Atzmona community in Gush Katif.

The Anti Torah Libel

Here's an abridged English version of the article I linked to last Friday.

Here you can see a video of the Hesder Rabbi Convention that was held today.

Rabbi Melamed: Standing Courageously for the Truth of Torah

1 Tevet 5770

If you have been following the controversy surrounding Ehud Barak's decision to remove the Har Bracha Yehshiva from the hesder program, you must read this article by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed. There is no substitute for a man's own words.

By the way, it is raining in Jerusalem!!!

Barak Removes Har Bracha From Hesder Program

Ehud Barak does an own goal: Barak Ousts Rabbi Melamed’s Yeshiva from ‘Hesder’ Program:

Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Sunday night he is throwing out the Har Bracha yeshiva, headed by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, from the Hesder yeshiva program. Barak charged the rabbi with “undermining democratic principles” and “inciting” students to refuse IDF orders to expel Jews from their homes.

The Hesder yeshiva program allows young men to service in the IDF for up to two years, instead of the usual three, and to learn at yeshiva for at least three years. The organization of the Hesder yeshivas has not commented on the historic decision by the Defense Minister, who also is chairman of the Labor party.

The move harms the army, an only strengthens Rabbi Melamed's claim of corruption in the upper echelons of the army.

Jpost Lies

See how the jpost editorial lies:

Radical settler Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, of the Har Bracha hesder yeshiva pre-army academy, instructed national-religious recruits to disobey orders that run contrary to the Land of Israel ethos. Though his institution is funded by the Defense Ministry (and Diaspora donors), Melamed let it be known that government officials would have to come to his mountain if they wanted to parlay; he would not come down to them.

Of course anyone familiar with Rabbi Melamed knows that he instructs his students to disobey any order that is contrary to Jewish law. The Rabbi has explained many times that the Torah has commanded us to settle the land of Israel. What's more, destroying Jewish towns in the land of Israel is a very serious sin. The silly editors of jpost are simply not telling the truth. The issue at hand is not "Land of Israel ethos". Shame on them for lying! Shame on them for making fools out of themselves!

Even Ha'aretz had to integrity to report that we are dealing with Jewish law and not "Land of Israel ethos":

Melamed has repeatedly urged troops to refuse to obey orders during the evacuation of settlements, and he reiterated this in his book.

"A simple halakha [law] is that it is forbidden for any person, whether a soldier or an officer ... to participate in the strictly forbidden act of expelling Jews from their homes and handing over any portion of the Land of Israel to enemies," he wrote. "Those who violate this violate several commandments of the Torah ... Moreover, anyone who considers the situation realistically knows with certainty that any such action encourages those who hate us and endangers the lives of many in Israel."

In another part of the book, Melamed wrote in favor of serving in the IDF, "in order to carry out the extremely important commandment of defending the nation and the land. However, we must reiterate that an order that facilitates an expulsion must be refused."

In response to the question, "What if many soldiers refuse; will that not cause the army to collapse?" Melamed wrote: "If many refuse, no such order will be given. At most, senior commanders will have to resign. On the contrary, it would be good if this happened. The majority of the senior officers are contaminated by politics. They are not commanders who can lead the army to victory, as was shown in the Second Lebanon War."

A Public Service Message

Channuka is almost here...do you know where your Menorah is?

The Hasmoneans Ruled Gaza and the Negev

Just in time for Channuka:

Israeli archaeologists have made a stunning historical discovery: a Hasmonean king conquered Gaza and the Negev, and for decades prevented the Nabateans of 2,000 years ago from using the Incense Road.

It was the Incense Road that the Nabataeans used to transport precious spices such as myrrh and frankincense to the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt.

According to Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus (Yannai) conquered Gaza in 99 BCE, and built a fortress with four towers inside an earlier Nabataean caravanserai (roadside inn). With the aid of this fortress, Yannai thus blocked all Nabataean activity along the Incense Road, and in effect forced them out of the Negev.

Alexander Yannai was the great-grandson of Matityahu, the Jewish High Priest who led the Hasmoneans in fighting for Jewish religious freedom and autonomy from the Seleucids (Syrian Greeks), as marked by the holiday of Chanukah.

IAA researchers are currently processing finds from archaeological excavations at sites located along the Incense Road that were previously exacavated by the late Dr. Rudolph Cohen of the Department of Antiquities. One such site is Horvat Ma'agurah, located on a ridge 3.4 kilometers west of Sde Boker. The site is situated at a strategic point overlooking Nahal Besor, where the Incense Road was located, connecting Petra with Gaza.

"We are talking about a revolutionary discovery that will redraw the maps of the region which describe that era and greatly increase the territory governed by the Hasmoneans," said Erickson-Gini, who serves as scientific editor of the excavation.

"Despite the evidence of the historial Josephus, according to which King Alexander Jannaeus conquered the southern coast of the Land of Israel and the harbor in Gaza -- which was of paramount importance to the Nabataeans -- and even further south, no clear archaeological proof of this has been found in the field. And it was because of this lack of proof that historians were inclined to dismiss the possibility that the Hasmoneans did indeed control the Negev," he said.

It is now clear that the Hasmoneans kept hold of the fortress located on the Incense Road -- the principal trade route of their Nabataean enemies -- until the year 66 BCE, thus blocking any enemy movement along the road between Halutza and the Northern Sinai. This cut off trade between Petra and the ports, dealing a death blow to trade throughout the Negev for decades.

The discovery also validates the claim that another Nabataean site -- Nessana, where a multitude of coins of Alexander Jannaeus were discovered -- was actually ruled by the Hasmonean king.

The Nobel Farce Prize

The Nobel farce prize: Obama Receives Nobel Peace Prize:

U.S. President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on Thursday after having spent less than a year on the job. "I accept this honor with gratitude and humility," Obama said at the presentation ceremony. "I have no clear solutions to conflicts around the world... What I do know is that we need to think differently and work hard. To find new ways to instill the vision of a just peace."

Many have pointed out that how ridiculous it is to receive a prize for "good intentions".

The article quotes a poll that indicates that the public doesn't buy it:

According to a survey conducted by the University of Kinifk, only 26 percent of Americans, and only 35.9 percent of Norwegians believe that Obama deserved to receive the award.

A Wild Ass of A (Wo)Man

This is what we are up against:

A Gas Chamber Named Chelsea Clinton

You've probably heard that Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hilary of White House fame, got engaged to a nice Jewish boy named Marc Mezvinsky:

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary are due their version of a "mazal tov" on the announcement that their only daughter, Chelsea, has become engaged to her longtime boyfriend, 31-year-old Jewish investment banker Marc Mezvinsky.

An e-mail sent following the Thanksgiving holiday confirmed reports Friday, with the interfaith pair aiming for a summer wedding.

While it does not appear that Chelsea will be converting to Judaism, she was seen accompanying Marc to Yom Kippur prayer services in September at the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She was raised a Methodist, though her father is a Southern Baptist.

If indeed Chelsea does not convert, any children born to the couple will not be Jews. In this way Marc Mezvinsky will part with thousands of years of Jewish history and tradition. In this way Chelsea will serve as a private gas chamber for Marc. After him his family tree will be Judenrein.

Don't get me wrong. I imagine that Chelsea is a fine lady. I have nothing at all against her. I have nothing against Marc either. He probably received the kind of upbringing that "makes Bernie run". However, intermarriage is death. Yes, death! It does not matter how common it is. After all, death is also common!

Some Jews are happy that Marc is going to marry a celeb. However, this wedding is really a funeral. Funerals don't make me happy.