The Law for Preventing the Harming the State of Israel By Means of Boycott – 2011

The Israeli left and MSM are having a fit, shrieking away at this law . Unfortunately, the media does not provide enough objective information about the law for one to form an informed opinion about it. Feeling the frustration of many, I have translated the law into English. Now you can decide if the law is good or bad:

The Law for Preventing the Harming the State of Israel By Means of Boycott – 2011

1. Definition

In this law, "a boycott on the State of Israel" - intentional abstention from having an economic, cultural, or academic relationship with a person or other responsible body, only because of its connection to the State of Israel, one of its institutions or an area that is under its control, that has the ability to harm it economically, culturally or academically.

2. Boycott – Civil Injustice

a.) one who knowingly advertises a public call to place a boycott on the State of Israel, and according to the contents of the call and the circumstances under which it was advertised there is a reasonable possibility that the call will bring about the placing of a boycott, and the advertiser is aware of the mentioned possibility, has committed a civil injustice and the laws of damages will apply to him.

b.) With regards to paragraph 62a of the laws of damages [new version] one who caused the breaking of an obligatory contract by means of calling for the placing of a boycott on the State of Israel will not be seen as one who acted with adequate justification.

c.) If the court finds that an injustice was committed intentionally according to this law, it may obligate the perpetrator of the injustice with the payment of compensation that is not dependent on the amount of damage (in this paragraph, exemplary damages); in its coming to determine the amount of exemplary damages, the court will take into consideration, among other things, the circumstances of the committing of the injustice, its graveness and scope.

3.) Instructions Concerning to Limiting Tenders

The Minister of Finance, with the agreement of the Minister of Justice and with the approval of the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, is allowed to set instructions with respects to limiting the participation in a tender of one who has knowingly advertised a public call for the placement of a boycott on the State of Israel or of one who obligated himself to take part of the mentioned boycott, including an obligation not to purchase goods or services that are produced or provided in the State of Israel, in one of its institutions, or in any area under its control; in this paragraph "tender" – a tender that must be conducted according to the law of the obligation of tenders, 1992.

4) Instructions Concerning Preventing Benefits

a) The Minister of Finance, with the counsel of the Minister of Justice, is permitted with respect to one who knowingly advertised a public call to place a boycott on the State of Israel, or with respect to one who obligated himself to take part of the mentioned boycott, that

1) It will not be seen as a public institution with regards to paragraph 46 of the income tax law.

2) It will not be eligible to receive funding from the Council of the Arrangement of Sport Gambling according to paragraph 9 of the Law to Arrange Gambling in Sports, 1967. The activation of the authority according to this subsection requires the agreement of the Minister of Culture and Sport.

3) It will not be considered a public institution according to paragraph 3a of the Law of the Foundations of the Budget, 1985 with respect to receiving support according to a paragraph of the budget; the activation of the authority according to this subsection requires the agreement of the Minister that the government has determined to be responsible for that paragraph of the budget, as is specified in subsection (2) of the definition of "responsible for paragraph of the budget" that is in the mentioned law.

4) He will not be eligible for guarantees according to the Law of Guarantees from the State, 1958.

5) He will not be eligible for benefits according to the Law of Encouraging Capital Investments, 1959 or the Law to Encourage Research and Development in Industry, 1984; the activation of the authority according to this subsection requires the agreement of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Employment.

b. in the activation of his authority according to subsection (a), the Finance Minister will work in accordance to the guidelines established for this matter with the agreement of the Justice Minister and the approval of the Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee. However, if the mentioned guidelines were not established, that does not harm the authority according to subsection (a)

5. Implementation

The Minister of Justice is responsible for the implementation of this law.

6. Inception

The inception of paragraph 4 is 90 days from the day of this law's publication.

I think that the law is excellent and long overdue. How about you?

Haveil Havalim #321

Check out this week's edition at Esser Agaroth.

Social Stratification in the Orthodox Jewish Community: FFBs, BTs, and Geirim (PartIV)

You may want to read parts 1, 2, and 3 of this series.

For the fourth and final(?) installment in this series we'll examine the do's and don'ts of integrating into the Orthodox community for BTs and converts. This is what I thought of offhand:

DO's:

1) Find a community that you feel comfortable in. Look around. There are so many different communities to choose from, especially here in Israel.

2) Attend classes - there is so much to know and one is never done learning. Learning halacha will give you the parameters of accepted Jewish behavior and will prevent you from being weird (see don'ts). Be sure to know the difference between the required law and added stringencies.

3) Find a rabbi that understands you and where you are coming from. Some rabbis are book-smart but not people-smart. Even the ones that are people-smart do not necessarily know how to deal with BTs and converts.

4) Find a spouse that is ready to grow together with you. The community is family oriented. "Be fruitful and multiply!"

DON'Ts:

1) Don't be critical of others. You may see FFBs being lax in their Mitzvah observance. First of all, are you sure? Perhaps he has a source for his behavior that you are not aware of? Although there is a mitzvah of reproof one must know how to do it so that it will be accepted. In general, people do not like to receive criticism, especially from newbies.

2) Don't be weird. For example, the synagogue is not a place to conduct "Primal Scream Therapy". Alternatively, if you cannot help but be weird you will have to find a weird spouse and a weird community to accommodate you.

3) Don't be unrealistic. "HaMakir Et Mekomo", knowing ones place, is one of the fourty eight things that the Torah is acquired with (Avot 6:6). You are probably not going to be the next Gaon of Vilna. Chances are that the Rosh Yeshiva will not pick you to marry his daughter.

That's what I came up with. Welcome to the community.


יִשְׁמַע חָכָם, וְיוֹסֶף לֶקַח

Givat Shaul VII: Sherira Gaon Street

Givat Shaul VI: The View From Rabbi Pinchas Kehati Street

The road to Tel Aviv:



Can you see Jameel?



Lifta on the right:

Social Stratification in the Orthodox Jewish Community: FFBs, BTs, and Geirim (Part III)

Before reading this check out parts 1 and 2.

For the third post in this series we'll play matchmaker.

Meet Oren. He grew up secular in Tel Aviv. After serving in the IDF, he spent a year in touring around the world. After checking out various different religions and cults he decided to look into Judaism. He returned to Israel and enrolled in a Yeshiva for BTs. He learned with great diligence for two years, advancing very well in his studies and religious observance. Now he is 24 years old and looking for a shidduch (a match).

Meet Feige. She grew up FFB in Jerusalem. She learned in a Beis Yaakov school and seminary. The only boys that she has ever talked to are her brothers. She is now 20 years old and also looking for a shidduch.

Would you set these two up for a date? I do not think that I would. If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, Oren and Feige are from two different galaxies! For the good of them both I would try finding for them mates with similar backgrounds.

Our next candidate is Betty. She is a very sincere convert that grew up in Amsterdam. She speaks Dutch, English and French fluently. She decided to convert to Judaism after visiting Israel. Presently she is learning in a BT seminary in Jerusalem, and is picking up Hebrew quite well.

Now meet Yankel, a FFB from B'nai Brak. He also knows three languages: Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic. He has been learning Torah and only Torah all his life. He does not know which country Amsterdam is in. The only woman he has ever talked to is his mother. That is because all of his seven siblings are boys.

I think you get the idea. Oren, with his worldliness, could be a good match for Betty. Yankel and Feige sound like a match that was decreed in heaven forty days before the embryos were formed. I would not suggest putting Yankel and Betty together. It is possible that such a match could succeed, but I do not think that it is probable.

All of the above is clearly logical for anyone familiar with the orthodox community and with the institution of marriage therein. The problems start when fantasy trumps common sense. I once heard about an Israeli BT that was unwilling to date anyone who was not a FFB from a certain Hasidic sect. That is a silly and unrealistic position for him to take.

An unfortunate by-product of this social stratification is a feeling among certain Geirim and FFBs that the community does not desire them. Sometimes they ask themselves, "Why do they always set me up with BTs and Geirim? Do the FFBs think that they are too good for me?"

Well, every community does has its snobs. However, the real reason is according to what I wrote above. Remember, FFBs are different! That is something that every matchmaker should take into account.

HH #320

Here!

Givat Shaul V: Chaim Vital Street Facing North

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed: Why Rabbis Refused Police Summons

Very, very good!

Social Stratification in the Orthodox Jewish Community: FFBs, BTs, and Geirim (Part II)

Before reading this check out Part I, especially if you do not understand the abbreviations used in the title of this post.

The purpose of this post is to take a closer look at the FFBs. In a previous post I described the FFBs as people who do not know what bacon tastes like. By that I meant to say that FFBs are different. They remind me of what F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about "the rich":

"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different."

I think that Fitzgerald hit upon something which is really quite obvious. The way one grows up affects one's psyche. Someone who was born and raised rich is going to be fundamentally different from one who acquired wealth later in life. I think the same thing is true when we are dealing with FFBs. They are "different" than BTs and Geirim. They grew up Jewishly "rich". Their psyche, their inner spiritual world was built differently.

However, I do not think that FFBs necessarily "think that they are better than we are" or any other of the negative traits that Fitzgerald ascribes to the rich. Perhaps some do think that way. Others highly respect BTs and Geirim, as they have internalized what the Torah has to say on these matters.

In any case, FFBs are different. While I was memorizing the chords and lyrics of pop songs they were memorizing mishnayot. While they were staying up late Thursday night learning Torah (a practice known as "mishmar" in yeshivot), I was...never mind.

Yes, I am familiar with the Talmudic statement,

במקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין, צדיקים גמורים אינם עומדין

"In the place where BTs stand, the completely righteous are not standing(Brachot 34B)"

From this we see that BTs have a certain advantage over the FFBs. However, the issue is not "who is better?". The above quote from the Talmud actually strengthens my case: it shows FFBs and BTs are different.

So, what is the nafka mina? How do these differences affect our lives, and how do we deal with them? I hope to deal with that in the future, with God's help.

Givat Shaul IV: Rabbi Yisrael Najara Street

Looking South:


Looking North:

כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאד

Social Stratification in the Orthodox Jewish Community: FFBs, BTs, and Geirim

I thought that I would write about a subject that is often dealt with on other blogs: social stratification in the Orthodox community. There is stratification based on community (Ashkenazi, Sefardi etc.), and ideology (Hasidim, Mitnagdim, National Religious, Modern Orthodox, etc.). I may touch upon these, however the main focus of this post (and some upcoming ones) will be stratification that is a manifestation of when you "joined the club." Here we have three main groups:

1) FFBs ("Frum From Birth"): These are people who were born into Orthodox Jewish families and have been practicing Jews all their lives. These are they guys that don't know what bacon tastes like.
2) BTs ("Balei Teshuva"): People who were born Jewish but were born into families where Torah observance was weak (i.e. they did not keep the Sabbath, dietary laws, etc.). Later on in life these people embraced Orthodox Judaism. I belong to this group.
3) Geirim (converts). People that were not born Jewish but out of their own free will converted to Judaism according to Jewish law.

I think that most reasonable Orthodox Jews will admit that stratification based on the three groups mentioned above does exist. It has different manifestations, particularly but not limited to the shiduchim that one is offered. However, the degree of stratification varies depending on which community one belongs to. What is true in the Modern Orthodox community in Kew Garden Hills is not necessarily true for the National Religious community if Ofra, or by the Vizhnitz Hasidim in Haifa.

How should one deal with the above mentioned social stratification? Personally, I do not believe in waging wars against windmills. What's more, I am not convinced that the phenomenon is always negative.

I hope to give examples of what I mean in future posts.

ובנה ירושלים עיר הקודש במהרה בימנו

Who do the territories belong to?

Will Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin Get Divorced?

Now that Anthony Weiner has lost his job in Congress, is he going to lose his wife as well? Is the humiliated Huma going to give Weiner the boot? That is the question that many who have followed this bizarre case are asking themselves.

The truth is, according to Jewish law, Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin are not married. A Jew cannot marry a non-Jew. Period. According to the Torah, their current lifestyle is a simple case of promiscuity, to put things mildly as possible.

My guess is that Huma and Tony are going to be parting ways in the near future. Huma thought that she married an up and coming Congressman who was on the way to becoming the Mayor of New York City. Now her "husband" has become a walking joke! Such an embarrassing situation is no doubt unbearable. Huma has little use for such a disgraced has-been. He's not President Bill Clinton. She will show him the door quicker than most people think.

Chances are that they would have broken up in a few years time anyway. As is well known, intermarriages are recipes for domestic strife and confused children. The Weiner-Abedin union is no exception. I wonder what baby Weiner will think when he/she hears the imam say that his/her father is "a descendant of apes and pigs"?

If I am correct this will also be for Anthony Weiner's good. As long as he is "married" to Huma he cannot make amends with his Maker. Once she is gone, the gates of teshuva will be wide open for him. Will he enter?

Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress: For Real!

About a week ago I published a fictional post, "Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress". Well, the post has been fulfilled, that is to say, the resignation part.:



BTW, I found the heckling extremely distasteful.

I've written a few posts about Weiner. People have arrived at these posts using a variety of search terms:

weiner resigns
weiner leave of absence
Anthony Weiner requests leave of absence
"anthony weiner" resigns
"weiner resigns"
+weiner +resigns
Anthony Weiner and yarmulke
anthony weiner beard
anthony weiner leave of absence
Anthony Weiner Photos Amos
anthony weiner resign
Anthony Weiner resigns
did anthony weiner change his name?
weiner resign june 10
weiner resigns?
anthony weiner hebrew name
anthony weiner name
Weiner resigns
"weiner resigns"
anthony weiner
Anthony Weiner name change
Anthony Weiner site:blogspot.com
anthony Weiner why is his first name Anthony if he is Jewish
congressman weiner changes name
did Rep Weiner shorten his name
did anthony weiner change his name?
did wiener change his name
WEINER AND JEWISH JOKES
what a name weiner
what is congressman anthony weiner's father's name
what should congressman Weiner's first name be changed to
Weiner resigns
anthony weiner j-street
anthony weiner's family life
google anthony weiner gentiles

The Weiner chronicle is not over. I am interested to see if any other aspects of my fictional post will come true. Time will tell.

Givat Shaul III: Yesh!!!

It started as "Birkat Rachel", afterwards it was called "Alef", and now it is "Yesh".

Givat Shaul II

Givat Shaul Street looking west:


The sun is going to set soon...minchah, minchah.

Givat Shaul

Givat Shaul Street looking eastward:

Some Pics From Dimona

I was in the town of Dimona recently. Yeah, that's the place with the nuclear reactor near by. It's a nice town and here are a few pics:





This shot was taken from inside the Yeshiva high school. Nice mural:



This is the exit gate from the Yeshiva high school, with a very educational message written above it:

Should Rep. Anthony Weiner Change His Name?

I have already mentioned that Rep. Anthony Weiner can leverage Weinergate to his advantage. He has a golden opportunity to reexamine the way he has led his life until now. Now that he is officially taking a leave of absence in order to address his problems, let's hope that he will find a rabbi who will give him the spiritual guidance that he really needs. He must realize that the only cure is to lead a Torah-true life. If he is able to make the change, he could be one of the great Jewish heroes of our generation.

Ever since the Weinergate scandal broke the Internet is just full with "Weiner" jokes. One gets the impression from him that he has had to bear such jokes for many years:

"It seems like what happened someone somehow got access to my Twitter account and tweeted a joke, I guess, when your name is Wiener you get some of those sometimes."

The truth is that there is nothing wrong with the name Weiner. It means "wine merchant" in Yiddish.

That being said I'll address the question in the title of this post: Should Anthony Weiner change his name? Before we answer let's take a look at what Maimonides has to say (Laws of Return 2:4):

מדרכי התשובה להיות השב צועק תמיד לפני ה', בבכי ובתחנונים, ועושה צדקה כפי כוחו, ומתרחק הרבה מן הדבר שחטא בו. ומשנה שמו, כלומר שאני אחר ואיני אותו האיש שעשה אותן המעשים; ומשנה מעשיו כולן לטובה, ולדרך ישרה. וגולה ממקומו--שגלות מכפרת עוון, מפני שגורמת לו להיכנע ולהיות עניו ושפל רוח.

A rough translation:

Among the ways of repentance is for the penitent to always raise up his voice before God, in crying and supplication, and to give charity according to his ability, and distance himself a lot from the matter that he sinned in. He changes his name, as if to say I am another and not the man that did those deeds. And he changes all of his deeds for the good, to the straight path. He exiles himself -- for exile atones for sins, because it causes him to be submissive and to be modest and humble.

As long as this guy calls himself Weiner people are going to associate him with this scandal. According to the Maimonides it would be a good idea for Weiner to change his name, along with the other aspects of Teshuva. What name would I suggest? Well, instead of Weiner he call himself Yeinan, the Hebrew word for wine-maker. Instead of Anthony he could choose the name Yosef. Remember, Yosef is the one who was able to overcome the temptation of Potiphar's wife.

Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress

Anthony Weiner is taking a leave of absence from politics in order to learn Judaism at an Israeli rabbinic academy. Rep. Weiner, looking sporting a turquoise yarmulke and the beginnings of a scraggly beard, looked relaxed as he explained his latest move.

"One of my lady Tweeter followers sent me a link from some blogger in Jerusalem. I can say with certainty that what the guy wrote really made an impression on me. After consulting with my wife Huma, we decided that we are on our way to Jerusalem."

When asked why he does not stay in New York to learn at a local rabbinic academy, Weiner replied,"For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

What does Huma think about this? According to Weiner she said, "For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."

Disclaimer: this post is entirely fictional, at least at this point in time.

How Rep. Anthony Weiner Can Leverage Weinergate

One might think that the disgraceful Weinergate scandal and the pathetic attempted cover-up spell the end for Anthony Weiner. I beg to disagree. This entire debacle can be a positive turning point for the man!

I know what you are thinking: This guy must be kidding! After all the Weinergate narrative is as follows: Anthony Weiner is a young and rising star in Congress, the pride of his family, "My son the congressman". The man is married to an aide to Secretary of State Clinton, giving him even more traction in the Democratic Party. Things are looking good for him until his deplorable "virtual relationships", complete with foul-mouthed chats and immodest photos, are revealed to the public. His political future and the future of his marriage seem to be in doubt. What can be positive about that? A true "from riches to rags" story!

I would like to offer an alternative Weinergate narrative: An American-Jew grows up, like so many of his generation, knowing almost nothing about Judaism. He engulfs himself in the pursuit of power, money and physical pleasures. Weiner leads an immoral life for decades, culminated by marrying a gentile. From a Torah point of view, this man is not a success, and that is an understatement. Then he gets caught indulging in virtual debauchery. This is a true "from rags to filthy rags" story.

However, in spite of everything, Anothony Weiner can leverage this situation. What seems to be an unfortunate turn of events is a blessing in disguise! It is a wake up call for Anthony Weiner. Anthony Weiner, ayeka? Where are you? Perhaps it is time to reconsider the way you lead your life? Come home, Anthony Weiner! Leave your false concepts of success, and leave your gentile wife! Take some time off to learn in a yeshivah, to find out who you really are! Weinergate may be the best thing that ever happened to you! It all depends on what you do with it.

Weinergate, Shavuot and the Zohar

As I was waiting for the chazan to start chazarat hashatz this morning I took a look at Sefer HaZohar. I opened up it up to this week's Torah portion and this is what I found:

וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר. דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלוֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת וְגוֹ', רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (תהלים יט) וְהוּא כְּחָתָן יוֹצֵא מֵחוּפָּתוֹ וְגוֹ'. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְעֵי בְּהוֹן, וְיָהַב לְהוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא דִּקְשׁוֹט, אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי, דְּבֵיהּ אָחִיד בַּר נָשׁ (ס''א ירית) חַיִּין לְהַאי עָלְמָא, וְחַיִּין לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתְּדַל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְאָחִיד בָּהּ, אִית לֵיהּ חַיִּין (ס''א אחיד בחיין). וְכָל מַאן דְּשָׁבִיק מִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאִתְפְּרַשׁ מֵאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּאִלּוּ מִתְפְּרַשׁ מֵחַיִּין, בְּגִין דְּהִיא חַיִּין, וְכָל מִלּוֹי חַיִּין, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי ד) כִּי חַיִּים הֵם וְגוֹ'. וּכְתִיב (משלי ג) רִפְאוּת תְּהִי לְשָׁרֶךָ וְגוֹ.

A very rough translation:

Meritorious is Israel's portion, for the Holy One blessed be He desired them, and gave them the Torah of truth, the tree of life, that in it a man grasps life in this world, and life the the world to come. And every person that exerts himself in Torah learning and grasps it, he has life. And every person that abandons the words of Torah, and separates himself from the Torah, it is as if he has separated himself from life, for she (the Torah) is life, and its words are life, as it is written,"For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh" and it is written, "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

What an appropriate passage to come across the day before Shavuot!

But what does this have to do with Weinergate? There seems to be a difference of opinion if Congressman Anthony Weiner is really a Jew. In any case, his father certainly is.

When one is attached to Torah he is attached to life, to the source of life. When one distances himself from the Torah, he separates himself from the source of life. He (or his offspring) will eventually descend to the depths of depravity, as seen from Congressman Weiner's tweets and attempted cover-up.

I admire Congressman Weiner for coming clean and admitting his wrongdoing. If Congressman Weiner is really a Jew, he should go the full path of Teshuvah, which would include separating himself from his gentile wife.

Interesting Links

מאיר שלו לא עומד בסטנדרטים של עצמו

IDF Homefront Command to Hack "Kosher" phones

More Than Cheesecake and Blintzes

Lebanese writer: "Would we want to be treated like we treat the Palestinians?"

Beam Me Up, Scotty!

What in the world is going on in Scotland?

The European Jewish Congress spoke out on Tuesday against reports that Israeli books and products have been banned or distinctively marked in several districts in Scotland, near Glasgow.

According to reports, the ban was initiated two and a half years ago, shortly after Operation Cast Lead. At the time, the West Dunbartonshire Regional Council, located west of Glasgow, approved a bill that called to boycott goods produced in Israel. West Dunbartonshire was later joined by the large Scottish city Dundee, which decided to issue a recommendation to boycott all goods produced in Israel.

Legal advisers instructed Dundee’s mayor to refrain from legally enforcing the boycott in order to avoid future lawsuits. Instead, the municipality now plans to distribute posters throughout the city, in which they call on its approximately 150,000 residents to refrain from buying Israeli goods. The municipality will also apply a special mark on Israeli products in order to make them easily identifiable.

Dave at Israellycool seems to be having an interesting dialog with a member of the West Dunbartonshire Regional Council. Check it out.

Well, I'm going to boycott the Scots in return. I'll never buy another kilt or bagpipe again!

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.

HH #317

You can find this week's issue here.

The Obama Plan Not Grounded in Middle East Reality

U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama has finally made his long awaited policy speech. Here are the relevant parts to us Israelis according to Arutz 7:

So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.

As for security, every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself – by itself – against any threat. Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security. The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated.

These principles provide a foundation for negotiations. Palestinians should know the territorial outlines of their state; Israelis should know that their basic security concerns will be met. I know that these steps alone will not resolve this conflict. Two wrenching and emotional issues remain: the future of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees. But moving forward now on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation to resolve those two issues in a way that is just and fair, and that respects the rights and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians.

Let's take a look at the major points:

"The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps"

This has been rejected by the Arabs many times in the past. Why would they agree to it now? As for our security:

"As for security, every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself – by itself – against any threat. Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security. The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated."

This is also a joke. Even now, where the "Palestinians" are autonomous without a state, they have violated all agreements with regards to security. Weapons are being smuggled through the Egyptian border as well as other places. Who is going to prevent this after they have a state? Who will keep this state "non-militarized"? The phrase "resurgence of terrorism" is also inexact, to say the least. It implies that the terror has ceased, and we have to prevent a resurgence. The truth is that the terror has not ceased even for a minute. And finally:

"Two wrenching and emotional issues remain: the future of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees. But moving forward now on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation to resolve those two issues in a way that is just and fair, and that respects the rights and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians."

Are we really going to give up our land only to leave the Arabs with two excuses, Jerusalem and "the right of return" to continue terror? Sorry, I don't buy it!

It is about time that Mr. Obama gets to know exactly who he is dealing with:

The Super Nakba is Coming

Who knows what V-E Day is?

Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) commemorates May 8, 1945 (in Commonwealth countries; May 7,1945), the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not until May 9, 1945. On 30 April Hitler committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin, and so the surrender of Germany was authorized by his replacement, President of Germany Karl Dönitz. The administration headed by Dönitz was known as the Flensburg government. The act of military surrender was signed on 7 May in Reims, France, and ratified on 8 May in Berlin, Germany.

This was a very happy day for those that fought Nazi Germany:

In the United Kingdom, more than one million people celebrated in the streets to mark the end of the European part of the war. In London, crowds massed in Trafalgar Square and up The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the Palace before the cheering crowds. Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) and her sister Princess Margaret were allowed to wander anonymously among the crowds and take part in the celebrations.

In the United States, President Harry Truman, who turned 61 that day, dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than a month earlier, on 12 April. Flags remained at half-mast for the remainder of the 30-day mourning period. Truman said of dedicating the victory to Roosevelt's memory and keeping the flags at half-staff that his only wish was "that Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day." Massive celebrations also took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and especially in New York City's Times Square.

However, Germany's unconditional surrender, along with the death of the Fuhrer, was a Nakba, a tragedy for the Nazis.

Similarly, the founding of the State of Israel was a Nakba for the local Arab population along with the neighboring Arab countries. They started a war with the newborn Jewish state and lost. As former Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy remarked, the Arabs are like a child that murdered his parents. Afterwards at his trial, he pleads to the judge for mercy since he is an orphan! The Nazis started a war in 1939, and the Arabs in 1948. Both the Nazis and Arabs lost, but not before causing misery everywhere they had trodden. The barbarity of the Arabs and the Nazis brought tragedy upon themselves and others.

The so called "Palestinian narrative", their ridiculous claim to victim-hood, is a bizarre combination of lies, fantasies, and half-truths. The ability to put forth such a narrative and keep a straight face is a sign of evil. Lies are evil and those that spread them are evil. This includes Mr. Barak Hussein Obama, the president of the United States of America. He officially adopted the "narrative" at his infamous speech in Cairo and made it the cornerstone of American policy in the Middle East. In doing so he put himself in the same league as the "truthers" and the "birthers" . He is smart enough to know better (or is he?).

The vast majority of Germans have given up Nazism. The dream of the Third Reich has vanished, except in the minds of a few skinheads. In contrast, the vast majority of Arabs are entirely unrepentant. The opposite is true: they have become bolder in words and in actions. The violence associated with this year's Nakba day is evidence that the dream to destroy Israel still ferments in the depraved Arab psyche.

Perhaps "...the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full" (Genesis 15:16), but it must be getting there. My guess is that the Arabs' perpetuation of lies, acts of theft, murder and sexual assault, here in the land of Israel and abroad are setting the stage for Divine retribution. The "Arab Spring" will heat up and become the Arab Hell. Get ready for the Super Nakba.

Update!: What an appropriate clip![Hat tip]

Itamar Yeshiva: Remembering the Massacre, Continuing to Build

This Week's HH

Here!

Danny Rosen's Frivolous Lawsuit Gets Dismissed

This was expected:

The Haifa District Court rejected a lawsuit by Danny Rozen, husband of late Haifa police chief Ahuva Tomer, filed against Interior Minister Eli Yishai.

Rozen sued the state and Yishai for NIS 3 million in January, and demanded Yishai's resignation over what he said was criminal negligence of the Israel Fire and Rescue Service.

In its reply to the law suit, the state said Tomer had lost her life while carrying out her police duties, and that the law grants the state immunity from paying damages sustained during police service.

The State's reply expressed "understanding for the pain over this tragic disaster. At the same time ... the lawsuit should be rejected because of the state's immunity to damages ... and the police service of the deceased [Ahuva Tomer]."

Tomer died in December, four days after suffering burns over 90 percent of her body when she rushed to save lives of prison wardens in a burning bus during a fire that consumed the Carmel forest.

Eli Yishai, chazak ve'ematz!

Parashat Kedoshim: You are What You...See

The expression, "you are what you eat" is well known. If you want to be healthy, you have to eat fresh and nourishing food. Where did the phrase come from?:

Ger. Mann ist was Mann isst, man is what man eats; cf. the philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-72) in Jacob Moleschott Lehre der Nahrungsmittel: Für das Volk (1850) ‘Advertisement’: Der Mensch ist, was er isst, Man is what he eats. The saying is sometimes attributed to the French gastronome Anthelme Brillat-Savarin who wrote in his Physiologie du Goût (1825): Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es, Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

The Torah prescribes a strict diet for the Jewish People. According to the "The Path of the Just", we are dealing with a spiritual version of "you are what you eat":

The sin which comes third after theft and illicit relations in respect to desire is that of forbidden foods - whether thos; that are ritually unclean, or an admixture containing them, or a combination of meat and milk, or suet, or blood, or food cooked by gentiles, or the utensils of gentiles, or the wine used in ther libations, or their drinking-wine. Cleanliness in relation to all of these requires great scrutiny and self-strengthening because there is a lust in the heart for good foods and because one must sometimes suffer a monetary loss as a result of admixtures and the like. The prohibitions concerning forbidden foods also involve many details, as is reflected in all of the commonly known laws that are treated in the Halachic writings. One who is lenient in relation to these laws when he has been instructed to be stringent is destroying his soul. As is stated in the Sifra (Shemini), " `Do not sully yourselves with them, becoming unclean with them' (Leviticus 11:43) - if you sully yourselves with them, you will, in the end, partake of their uncleanliness." Forbidden foods carry uncleanliness itself into a person's heart and soul until the holiness of the Presence Blessed be He departs and withdraws from him, as is also stated in the Talmud ( Yoma 39a), " `...becoming unclean with them' - do not read `becoming unclean with them,' but `becoming dull with them.' " For sin dulls a man's heart in that it causes to depart from him true knowledge and the spirit of wisdom that the Holy One Blessed be He gives to the Saints (as it is said [Proverbs 2:6], "For God gives wisdom"), and he remains beastly and earthy, immersed in the grossness of this world. Forbidden foods are worse in this respect than all other prohibitions, for they enter into a person's body and become flesh of his flesh. In order to instruct us that this applies not only to unclean beasts or to earth creatures, but also to those animals, which, though in the "clean" category, are ritually unclean, Scripture tells us (Leviticus 11:47), "To distinguish between the unclean and the clean," upon which our Teachers of blessed memory comment (Sifra ad loc.), "There is no need to point up the distinction between an ass and a cow. What, then, is the meaning of `between the unclean and the clean'? - between what is unclean to you and what is clean to you; between the cutting of most of the windpipe and the cutting of half. And what is the difference between most and half ? - a hairs-breadth." The reason that they concluded in this manner ("And what is the difference between `most' ... ") is to show how amazing the power of the mitzvoth is, that a hair's-breadth constitutes the difference between uncleanliness and cleanliness itself.

Anyone possessed of sense will regard forbidden food as poison, or as food with which some poison has become mixed. Would anyone allow himself to partake of such food? If there were any room for suspicion or even the slightest doubt, he would certainly not permit himself to eat of it; and if he did, he would be regarded as an absolute fool. Forbidden food, as we have explained, is poison itself to the heart and soul."

I claim that "you are what you see, what you hear, and what you read". Whatever your mind is dealing with, that is "you" at that very moment. This is perhaps one of the reasons that our sages said, "Thoughts of sin are worse than the sin itself (Yoma 29A)". The sin itself may be performed by one's hands, mouth, or whatever. This is a serious matter in and of itself which requires teshuvah. However, "thoughts of sin" go much deeper, entering the intimate recesses of one's inner being.

This is why it is so important to be close to Torah scholars, to invest time in learning Torah. Then one's mind is occupied with positive things: mitzvot, ethics, midot, holiness (Leviticus 19:1-2):

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.

Of course, the opposite is also true: If one hangs around with fools, scoffers, and/or slanderers, takes part in their conversations, and reads their books (or blogs), one fills his mind with filth and vulgarity. That is what his mind is occupied with, and to a certain degree that is "him" at that very moment. Holiness and impurity cannot dwell together.

God has clearly put two paths before us. We shall chose holiness and life.

The Liquidation of Osama Bin Laden: US Army Kills Human Shield

Cheers! The evil Osama Bin Laden bites the dust!

"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; and when the wicked perish, there is joy.(Proverbs 11:10)"

Today is a happy day for the civilized world, and a sad one for Muslim extremists.

Readers, please take note. The U.S. Army has no problem when it comes to human shields. If they are in the way, just kill them!:

U.S. troops were at the compound for less than 40 minutes. In addition to bin Laden, three adult males were killed, including bin Laden's adult son and two couriers.

Bin Laden did not go peacefully, according to officials. He resisted arrest and was killed in a firefight as U.S. troops entered the compound. One woman was killed when she was used as a human shield, U.S. officials say, and two women were injured in the raid.

It seems to me that we have a pretty high rate of collateral damage here. Assuming that all the men killed were terrorists and that the woman were civillians, 20% of those killed were civilians.

Remember this the next time that the hypocrites Obama and/or Hillary complain about collateral damage caused by the IDF.

Israel Nabs the Murderers of the Fogel Family

INN:

Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) lifted a gag order on the investigation of the massacre at noon Sunday (5 a.m. EDT). The terrorists were indentified as Amjad Awad, 19, and Hakim Awad 18, residents of Awarta, an Arab village neighboring the Jewish community of Itamar, where the Fogel family lived.

The teenage terrorists, who are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), were assisted by at least six others, four of them from Awad’s family.

It seems that the Awad family has a rich history of terrorism:

The father of one of the murderers of the Fogel family at Itamar had served in jail for terror, and an uncle involved in the 2002 terror attack on same community.

Two teenagers were arrested for the massacre of five members of the Fogel family. The father of high school student Hakim Mazen Awad was active in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization and previously had been jailed in Israel.

Awad and Amjad Awad carried out the brutal murders at Itamar, the same community where Hakim Awad’s uncle was involved with the 2002 terrorist attack that killed five people. He was killed the following year in a clash with IDF forces.

After the murders of the Fogel family, another uncle of Awad, who also was a PLFP terrorist and had served a prison sentence for terror, enlisted other relatives to burn the attackers’ bloodstained clothes.

Passover, Jewish Identity and Freedom

Passover is the holiday of Jewish continuity and identity. The retelling and reliving of the Exodus from Egypt is a ritual that has been conducted annually by the Jewish people for over 3,300 years. It is deeply ingrained in our psyche and being. Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to ask ourselves how much we know about Torah, our nation and history. How is it that a Jew can be a well learned in many areas but completely in the dark with regards to Jewish learning? How can a Jew be an expert in cosmology or microbiology and be an ignoramous with regards to himself? How can one neglect his very essense and waste his time watching baseball/football/basketball games on television?

Passover is also the holiday of freedom. It's a good time for one to check how free he really is. Are we free to do what we really believe? Or do we alter our behavior because we are afraid what the neighbors/gentiles/co-workers/etc. will say? Are we enslaved to bad habits and/or character traits? Are we prisoners of physical desires or passions? It is time to break free of such shackles of bondage!

Click here for other Passover related posts.

If Moses Had Facebook

HH #312

Here!

Judge Goldstone and the Metzora

This coming Shabbat we will read about the purification of the Metzora. The Hebrew word Metzora is commonly translated as leper, and Tzara'at as leprosy. However, the affliction, as described in the Torah, seems to have nothing to do with leprosy.

Our sages taught us that one who engages in slander contracts tzara'at. They saw the word Metzora as an acronym: Motzi Shem Ra, a disparager.
How is such a person to be dealt with?:

45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry: 'Unclean, unclean.' 46 All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his dwelling be.

He is sent outside of the city to dwell alone, where he will have nobody to socialize with except for others of his ilk. Then he will have time to comtemplate the damage that he caused and hopefully repent.

It is hard not to see the similarity between Judge Richard Goldstone and the Metzora. He has been ostracized by most of the Jewish community because of the outrageously defamatory "Goldstone Report". He was sent out of the camp, where he dwells with his supporters, a diverse collection of Jew-hating slanderers, the filthiest dregs of humanity.

Unfortunately, Goldstone remains "unclean". His so-called retraction of his libel is a vain exercise in disingenuousness:

We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report. If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.

Nonsense! He willingly took part in an openly impartial investigation by an openly biased group. This was not a problem of not knowing the facts; the problem was not wanting to know the facts. Judge Goldstone, who exactly are you trying to fool?

The damage has been done. Goldstone's half-hearted reconsideration of his "report" is far too little, far too late. Judge Goldstone will go down in imfamy, a paradigm of one that chased honor, only to have it flee from him.

Extra credit: Read this!

Machon Meir Interviews Bereaved Father of Ruth Fogel z"l

Listen to Rabbi Yehuda Ben Yishai:

Another Tsunami Video

This will put the fear of God in your heart:

My Non-Jewish Boyfriend

I am really happy that Aish HaTorah puts up articles like this about intermarriage. You can see from the comments that they generate that they really strike a chord. Here's a taste of the article:

“So, Dad, if our heritage is so special, and we have to be a light among the nations, and my entire future depends on it, why do I eat McDonalds, and why on earth don't we keep Shabbat?!”

More silence. This time, it was my father that spoke. “I don’t know. I guess I never thought that far,” he admitted, somewhat ashamed.

For the first time ever, I had stumped my brilliant lawyer father.

Sivan Rahav Meir Interviews Tamar Fogel

Tamar Fogel, the 12-year-old girl from the Jewish settlement of Itamar who discovered the murders of her parents and three siblings when she came home last Friday night from her youth movement, speaks with Israel's Channel 2 during her shiva for her family:

Gene Simmons and Signs of Redemption in the Land of Israel

One of my favorite Haftarot, perhaps my favorite, is the haftara for Parashat Parah, which we read last Shabbat. Here's the whole thing in English (Ezekiel 36: 16-38):

16 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 17 'Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings; their way before Me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. 18 Wherefore I poured out My fury upon them for the blood which they had shed upon the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols; 19 and I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 20 And when they came unto the nations, whither they came, they profaned My holy name; in that men said of them: These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of His land. 21 But I had pity for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they came. {P}

22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord GOD: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye came. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep Mine ordinances, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will save you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. {S} 33 Thus saith the Lord GOD: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by. 35 And they shall say: This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. 36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate; I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. {S} 37 Thus saith the Lord GOD: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. 38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed seasons, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the LORD.' {P}

To sum things up: The nation of Israel sinned and God scatters us among the nations. However, this causes a desecration of God's name. The nations see the Jews among them, and they misinterpret this as God lacking the ability to save His nation and land(see Rashi). Therefore, in order to sanctify His name, God brings us back to the land of Israel. Has not this prophecy been fulfilled in our time?

However that is not all! God purifies us and gives us a new heart to keep His commandments. This is also in the process of being fulfilled! Little by little, it is happening before our eyes! If you don't believe me, maybe you will believe rocker Gene Simmons. He visited Israel recently and this is what he had to say:

“One thing that’s striking is that I never remember seeing so many yarmulkes here. It’s all of a sudden teeming with hassidim – hassidim, but I don’t believe ’em,’ said Simmons, like a rapper. “I’m used to Israel as a secular place where people just are Israelis.

I much prefer it as a modern, not-so-archaic-looking place.”

Well Gene(or should I call you by your real name, Chaim), like it or not, that's the way things are. God is giving us a new heart, and we are coming back to our roots. The Teshuvah revolution is underway. Chaim, it's time to return home!

Japs and Jews

Yaak asked, "Did the 10 Lost Tribes Make Their Way to Japan?"

A commenter named Moriah
left a link to the following video, which is quite interesting:

Purim and Responding to the Itamar Massacre

Here's a great article. I particularly liked the following:

Suddenly my mind screeched to a halt. I realized that all efforts to make sense out of this Jew-hater’s canard missed the basic point: Causes A, B, and C do not result in Jew-hatred. Rather Jew-hatred is the cause, and the result is the distorted, often baseless, and even absurd accusations that the Jews are guilty of this or that crime.

Amateur Video of Tsunami in Noda, Japan

The pictures say it all:

Glenn Beck on the Itamar Massacre

Very well put:

Kissinger Calls For Pollard's Release

Here is the text of Henry K.'s letter to President Obama:

March 3, 2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I would have written this letter sooner but for a long trip abroad, from which I have just returned. While I was gone, I gave much thought to the question of clemency for Jonathan Pollard. At first I felt I did not have enough information to render a reasoned and just opinion. But having talked with George Shultz and read the statements of former CIA Director Woolsey, former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman DeConcini, former Defense Secretary Weinberger, former Attorney General Mukasey and others whose judgments and first-hand knowledge I respect, I find their unanimous support for clemency compelling.

I believe justice would be served by commuting the remainder of Pollard’s sentence of life imprisonment.

Respectfully yours,
Henry A. Kissinger

Check out Kissinger's biography at Wikipedia. Here is something that I never new about him:

Kissinger underwent basic training at Camp Croft in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he was naturalized upon arrival. The Army sent him to study engineering at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, but the program was canceled, and Kissinger was reassigned to the 84th Infantry Division. There, he made the acquaintance of Fritz Kraemer, a fellow emigrant from Germany who despite the age difference, noted Kissinger's fluency in German and his intellect, arranged for him to be assigned to the military intelligence section of the division. Kissinger saw combat with the division, and volunteered for hazardous intelligence duties during the Battle of the Bulge.[11]

During the American advance into Germany, Kissinger was assigned to de-Nazify the city of Krefeld, owing to a lack of German speakers on the division's intelligence staff. Kissinger relied on his knowledge of German society to remove the obvious Nazis and restore a working civilian administration, a task he accomplished in 8 days.[12] Kissinger was then reassigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps, with the rank of Sergeant. He was given charge of a team in Hanover assigned to tracking down Gestapo officers and other saboteurs, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star.[13] In June 1945, Kissinger was made commandant of a CIC detachment in the Bergstraße district of Hesse, with responsibility for de-Nazification of the district. Although he possessed absolute authority and powers of arrest, Kissinger took care to avoid abuses against the local population by his command.[14]

In 1946, Kissinger was reassigned to teach at the European Command Intelligence School at Camp King, continuing to serve in this role as a civilian employee following his separation from the Army.[15][16]

He was a fighter, not just an academia geek.

HH #307

Be sure to check out this week's Jblogosphere wrap-up:

Peace Now's Nightmare

Video: Jewish Farmer Protects His Well From Leftist Thieves

Read more about this here.

Jewish Boycott of Bank Leumi Pending?

From INN:

Bank Leumi, the main creditor of Jewish neighborhood Nof Tzion’s developers, has rejected an offer by Rami Levy and a partner to pay off its debts – and as a result, an Arab takeover again threatens the seamline Jerusalem area. Rabbis threaten a local boycott of Bank Leumi, and American Jews threaten a boycott abroad.

In light of the Bank Leumi rejection, Palestinian Authority semi-resident Bashir Al-Masri, represented by the same lawyer who advised Ariel Sharon during the Disengagement, Dov Weisglass, has redoubled his efforts to buy the lands of Nof Tzion.

Located to the east of Talpiyot and south of the Old City, the neighborhood was originally planned as a luxury project for wealthy apartment-seekers from abroad. When this did not pan out, the project was saved by the religious-Zionist public, for which its strategic spot, in terms of both Jewish-Arab demographics and a panoramic view of the Temple Mount and the Old City, increased its attractiveness. Thus, a new religious-Zionist neighborhood arose in eastern Jerusalem.

The first phase of the project was completed several years ago, and much has been written about the 90 families' satisfaction with their new neighbors and surroundings. However, they are now greatly apprehensive that if the project falls into Arab hands, the 180 planned units of Stages II and III of the project will not only not be built, but also that their own homes will become an unsafe and unviable Jewish enclave surrounded by Arab homes.

They have therefore threatened to take Bank Leumi – the guarantor of the project – and the Digal development company to court for backing down on their much-touted plans to ensure that the project is for the national-religious public.

Bank Leumi has rejected Levy’s offer, saying that it prefers to break up Digal altogether and sell its assets – including the land of Nof Tzion – to the highest bidder. This once again leaves the field open to Al-Masri. Al-Masri has also taken another step, seeking to buy out the shares of Digal.

A letter of intent to boycott Bank Leumi has already been signed by top rabbis in the religious-Zionist camp.

Rabbis Shmuel Eliyahu, Elyakim Levanon, Yehoshua Shapira, Zalman Melamed, David Druckman, Dov Lior, Yaakov Yosef and others issued a call to Bank Leumi customers to withdraw their monies if the project is sold to Al-Masri. The rabbis call on Bank Leumi to “support and accept the offer by Jewish interests to purchase the neighborhood lands and to save it from Bashir Al-Masri, who does not hide his intentions to build on Nof Tzion an Arab outpost in Jerusalem.”

Globes has reported in the past that if Bank Leumi would enable the sale of the Nof Tzion project to Al-Masri, it would be likely to face a widespread boycott in the United States. Several apartment owners in the project wrote to Bank Leumi as follows: “I have been involved in this project ever since it was presented to the public some eight years ago, and I am in contact with many of its American investors. These people have power and are very influential in their communities. We were under the impression that Bank Leumi would never work against the People of Israel - but we are now quickly concluding that this is not true. It appears that Bank Leumi is taking part in an act of treachery in allowing secret deals that will lead to the sale of Nof Tzion properties to Arab interests.”

Well, if Bank Leumi goes ahead with this treachery I will certainly close my account there.

Additional food for thought: the name "al-Masri" means "the Egyptian" in Arabic.

HH #305

This week's edition of Haveil Havalim is here.

Standing Up For Family Values

This lady entered the Knesset when Haim Ramon quit. A little bit different from the regular Kadima bunch I think:

MK Yulia Shamalov-Berkowitz of the Kadima party continues to criticize Israel's extremist feminist leaders in her stand for family values. Shalamov-Berkowitz told attendees at the Knesset Conference for Gender Equality on Wednesday, "Enlightened feminism has been hijacked by radical feminists. We call it 'the Feminist Jihad.'"

Shamalov-Berkowitz, who recently accused extremist feminist leaders of exaggerating claims of sexual harassment, and of hurting families by uncritically supporting programs for single mothers, said, "radical feminism pressures the 'enlightened' to fund organizations that harm the family."

"The State of Israel is founded on the values of community and unity, but funds activities of organizations working to split the family and enshrine individualism," Shamalov-Berkowitz said, adding she thought the Jewish State should legislate to strengthen the organic family, including state subsidies for counseling. "Today only a family with means can go for marital counseling, but on the other hand, the cost of a divorce can run up to NIS 100,000 for each side. There is a huge money industry on the backs [of divorcing families]."

Shamalov-Berkowitz recommended providing new parents with parenting courses for free, allowing maternity leave for men independent of their wife's maternity leave, and a longer school day "to ensure the safety of children in a safe environment." Causing a media firestorm last month, Shamalov-Berkowitz attacked the trend of women's intentionally becoming a single mother and seeking benefits. "Its kind of a bon ton to be one [a single mother] - to make a baby outside the family and seek benefits from the state."

Here's an interesting film of her listening to Benny Katsover explaining the significance of the Shomron and Shechem.

Notes from an Ex-Agnostic

How does one make the leap from "lack of faith" to "faith"? Shoshana bares her soul in this interesting article:

I was driving down the road one bleak February morning, feeling immersed in a monochromatic world. The gray road snaked its way around a rocky gray hillside. To my left, a large gray river moved sullenly in its path. Gray concrete buildings blended into a sky that was – you guessed it – gray.

And then I asked myself a question: What if God exists?

Something within me shifted. Just a bit, but it made all the difference.

This day came after months of struggle. Actually, the struggle began many years before, while an undergraduate student at a Catholic university. A young woman of simple, unexamined faith who had considered becoming a nun, I embarked upon a double major of psychology and theology. I studied philosophy of religion, where I learned for the first time that there were arguments against the existence of God. I studied Freud, who wrote that religious beliefs are an illusion, a projection of our wishes and fears. And I was counseled by a priest, who ended up acting not very priestly.

Read the rest!

The Future of Egypt: Anybody's Guess

Now that the dictator Mubarak is out of power there is a lot of speculation about what lies ahead for Egypt. Some pundits say we are witnessing the dawn of democracy. Egypt will become a beacon of political enlightenment in an Arab world ruled largely by despots.

Others are almost sure that the Muslim Brotherhood will take over Egypt. The land of the Pharoahs is the way to becoming just a larger version of the Gaza Strip, Hamastan raised to the fifth power.

Still others foresee the army continuing to rule over Egypt if it is not satisfied with the results of the upcoming elections. The army is probably interested in seeing someone from its own ranks taking control of the nation, in the tradition of Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak.

Who is right? Perhaps none of the above. I think that the third option is the most likely. Time will tell.

It's Easy To Be A Jew

Some people say, "It's hard to be a Jew." I say, "It's easy to be a Jew!" Really, it is! You even don't have to sift the flour for the creepy-crawling things anymore. That is to say, the package of flour on the left was processed and packaged in such a way that it does not have to be sifted. What will they think of next?

HH #304

Here!

Former Vice President Dan Quayle to Obama: Free Pollard

Do you think Obama reads his mail?:

Dan Quayle, a former vice-president of the United States, has written to current U.S. President Barack Obama asking him to free Jonathan Pollard.

“I write this letter urging you to consider commuting the sentence of Jonathan Pollard,” the letter read. “I believe that a life sentence for the crime committed is very extreme. Though his crime was very serious, I hope you will once again look very carefully at this pending request.”

So far all the letters from all of the distinguished people that have written to Obama on this matter have not had an effect. Perhaps a letter from Jeremiah Wright will do the trick.

Dear President Obama: Release Pollard

Yet another letter winds up on the president's desk:

January 28, 2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500-0001

Dear Mr. President:

I was Counsel to the President in 1993-94. Along with Deputy Attorney General Philip Heymann, who has written to you regarding Jonathan Pollard, I also extensively reviewed the Pollard file while I served in the White House. I write this letter to state that I fully share the view expressed by Professor Heymann – as well as the other distinguished former public officials who have written to you – that the time has come for Jonathan Pollard’s sentence to be commuted.

I will not repeat the cogent reasons set forth in Professor Heymann’s letter except to say that I too believe that Jonathan Pollard has been appropriately punished for his conduct and that a failure at this time to commute his sentence would not serve the course of justice; indeed, I respectfully believe, it would be a miscarriage of justice.
Sincerely,

Bernard W. Nussbaum

The people who have reviewed the Pollard file have confirmed what I have been claiming on this blog for years: that the continued incarceration of Jonathan Pollard is a miscarriage of justice. Now that the issue at hand is so clear, what is President Obama waiting for?

Jblogosphere News

This week's edition of Haveil Havalim is here.

The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is here.

Jon Voight: The Pollard Case is a Result of Anti-Semitism

See the video here.

From Song to Song

Wow, such a great article, such great writing:

Ironic how I'd sung at least a dozen times in the Crystal Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel, and here I was in that same room attending a Jewish seminar. A 30-something rabbi, slight of build, in a yarmulke, beige polyester suit and a really, really red tie gets up and speaks about dating. I listen, comfortable in a conference-room chair at the back of the room. Then I listen leaning forward in the chair. Then I listen leaning forward in a chair a few rows closer, then move closer again... He's saying that "casual dating" is an oxymoron. An impossibility. He's saying, in short, that intimacy is not casual. It leaves its imprint on the heart and soul, and especially on the heart and soul of a woman. How non-PC!

Flash: I had known this, somewhere in the benthic depths of me.

The rabbi continues. He talks about why Jews should marry Jews… common sense reasons. The biggest question he addresses, however, is whether anything important inheres in being a Jew. I'd never, ever heard anyone ask, never mind address, such issues – not in the Hebrew School I'd detested in my youth, nor at home, where the refrain had been simply, "Don't marry a gentile." Uh…

Be sure to read the whole thing!

Arutz Sheva Interviews MK Einat Wilf

Somebody over at Arutz 7 doesn't seem to understand the severity of intermarriage. How else can you explain this interview with MK Einat Wilf? It starts by listing her credentials:

Dr. Wilf is a member of Ehud Barak's breakaway HaAtzma'ut or Independence Faction in the 18th Kenesset. She served as a lieutenant with the IDF's 'Shmoneh Ma'atayim' or Unit 8-200 in signals intelligence and decryption, holds a BA in Government and Fine Arts from Harvard University an MBA from SEAD in France and a PhD in Political Science from Cambridge University. She was a foreign policy adviser to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres. She replaced MK Ophir Pines-Paz as the 13th member of the Labor faction of 2009. MK Wilf has found herself at the center of controversy over Ehud Barak's recent decision to break from the Labor Party.

Of course there is a "minor" omission here. They forget to mention that her "husband" is a Gentile, German television personality Richard Gutjahr!

Instead of shunning this lady, they give her a microphone! Since I am a big fan of Arutz 7 it really pains me to say that this is just another example of a supposedly national religious group acting in a way that is neither national nor religious.