Ashley Biden Files for Divorce From Her Jewish Husband

Hello! It's been quite some time since I posted here. It is not that there is nothing to blog about. One might say that there is too much to blog about. So much has happened in the past few years in Israel. However, I have been busy with other things, and this blog has been more or less dormant.

So what made me decide to take the time out to post here? Good news! Ashley Biden (yeah, the one with the diary) filed for divorce from Jewish husband, Howard Krein:

Former first daughter Ashley Biden this week filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, according to reports.

I posted about the so called "marriage" way back when. Go ahead, read the post. It's a good one!

Hopefully Dr. Krein learned from his mistake and will find a nice Jewish girl to marry.

Our New Year is the First of Tishrei, Not January 1st!

Here is an interesting survey conducted by the Jewish People Policy Institute:

The annual debate in Israel about the placement of Christmas trees in malls or hotels – this year in Ashdod – shouldn`t fool anyone. For most Israeli Jews, the holiday season is celebrated in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, not in December. For a significant majority of Israeli Jews (78%), December 31st is considered a “completely ordinary day.” Only 2% say that they conduct “soul searching” on the New Year, and only 6% say that December 31st feels like their “real New Year`s Eve.”

The JPPI is releasing this data as part of its #IsraeliJudaism research project, based on an extensive survey of Israeli Jews. A new book based on the research: #IsraeliJudaism, a Portrait of a Cultural Revolution, was published a few weeks ago by Dvir Publishing.

I remember the Friday before January 1, 2000. A radio journalist called a random person on the telephone and asked him how he will be celebrate the new millenium. The person answered that he will do what he does every Sabbath: go to the synagogue and have a regular festive Sabbath meal with his family! The journalist was clearly disappointed with such a Jewish answer.

The survey contains some more interesting information. Read the rest!

(Hat tip: Arutz 7)

Getting Into the Israel Independence Day Mood

Do you want to get into the Israel Independence Day mood? This clip should help you out:

The Six Day War: An Event of Biblical Proportions

Wow! It's been 50 years since the day when Israeli troops liberated Jerusalem. Among other things, that means that I am getting old!

Much has been written and said about the Six Day War. One aspect of that war, which I believe is not stressed enough, is that we are dealing with an event of Biblical proportions. Something "really huge", as President Donald Trump might say.

Although prophecy has temporarily disappeared from the Nation of Israel, Divine Providence's guiding hand has not. In fact, through the annals of the Jewish People, the Creator of the world is revealed. "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, thine elders, and they will tell thee" (Deuteronomy 32:7). It's a mitzvah to learn Jewish history. Doing so increases one's understanding of the Divine.

History is being made here in the Land of Israel. One can sit back in his armchair and watch it on the screen, or one can be part of it.

Israeli Resilience

The Muslims, in addition to the blood that they are shedding all over the world, have been on a knife wielding murder rampage here in Israel for the last two months. But the Jews in Israel are not cowering. They are defending themselves and carrying on with their lives.

Here are a couple of cases demonstrating that Israeli resiliency. The first case is the one of Leah Bowman. Leah was the tour guide that was attacked by an Arab who smashed a bottle on her head. Undaunted, she returned to the scene of the crime and is continuing to guide tours:

But, of course, I was left with a dilemma: I have been guiding in all areas of Jerusalem for years, feeling safe to go and explore, and loving it! What do I do now? Should I continue to do this? Thinking through everything that had happened, I realized that actually, the area very is safe with all the police and army all throughout the city, and the cameras. And more than that, I decided that I’m not going to let terror keep me away from what I love to do, and all the more so, Jerusalem and guiding throughout Israel. I will continue to learn, explore, and guide in every corner of the city and the country: Gush Etzion, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, and in Southern Israel, showing visitors the inspiring history, and about the security situation.

Learning about the history, archaeology, and Biblical sources is very empowering. With all of the problems we are facing in Israel and around the world, I think that the healthiest response is to take the opportunity to strengthen ourselves in our knowledge, commitment to what we believe in, and physically (and yes, I’ve signed up for an awesome program of self-defense classes for women in Jerusalem!)

Just a week after the attack, I was back in the exact same place giving a tour, and was able to say the blessing thanking God for doing a miracle for me in this place, and I can say that on my birthday, my life was renewed for me.

Leah has a blog that can be seen here.

The next case is that of Raz Bibi. Raz Bibi is a border patrol policeman who was stabbed and critically wounded by and Arab terrorist in May. Now Raz is back in uniform:

Roughly a month after the attack he was discharged from hospital and directly went to the Kotel (Western Wall) to pray and offer thanks for his miraculous recovery. Following another few months of heavy rehabilitation he once again showed his heroism by electing to return to active duty in the capital.

"From the moment when I opened my eyes in the hospital I knew I would return to wear the uniform of the Border Police. Today I'm happy that I returned to serve alongside my comrades in arms," Bibi was quoted as saying by the police.

"And who is like Thy people, like Israel..." (2 Samuel 7:23). "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad...(Exodus 1:12). We are here to stay!

Moshe Feiglin and Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer on the Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People

Sorry, but this is in Hebrew. From this debate you can see how important this law really is:

Netanyahu in Congress

I did not hear his speech. However, from all reports, he really wowed the crowd:

Interrupted dozens of times by standing ovations, after minutes-long applause as he entered the chamber, Netanyahu also said that there are 300 million Arabs in the MIddle East, but the only ones who are free are Israeli citizens.

I saw some excellent analysis in the jblogosphere:

Netanyahu’s Job Well Done

Israel: My Land, and that of the Jewish People

So, Bibi, Let Me Get This Straight...

The More Israel Offers, The More The Arabs Demand

Personally, I do not agree with everything that Bibi said. What is good is that he is not willing to give anything until all of the issues with the Arabs have been resolved. The "land for terror" policy of past Israeli administrations has been put to rest.

It seems to me that President Obama cannot ignore the great support that Bibi enjoys in the Congress. I think that he also understands that what he said in the Cairo speech, in retrospect, was an error:

Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction – or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews – is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.

On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.

This disgusting attempt to equate the suffering of the "Palestinians" with the holocaust is fraudulent on so many different levels! Among them being is that if the Arabs did not try throwing the Jews into the sea, they would not have been dislocated! Most Israelis understand English. When the heard such outrageous demagoguery from Obama, they wrote him off as a friend of Israel. His attempt to give legitimization to the pathetic J-Street lobby was also a blunder.

I think that Obama also understands that forcing Bibi to impose a "building freeze" and the bellicose reactions of Mrs. Hillary Clinton every time that Israel wants to build an apartment building in Jerusalem did not win him any friends here. What's more, it did not cause any flexibility on the side of the Arabs: it only increased their appetite for more.

The Republicans seem to be having trouble fielding a serious candidate for President of the United States. We could likely end up with four more years of Obama. Let's hope that the President has learned from his mistakes. Let's hope that he understands that Jews in the land of Israel are neither occupiers nor colonialists. We are an ancient nation that has returned to its homeland! Let's hope that he has learned to differentiate between the friends and the foes of the American People.