THE FRUM THINKER

David Morris: IS LAG B'OMER OUT OF CONTROL?

2012-05-06T08:03:00.002+03:00

As every kid knows, Lag B'Omer is a celebration on the 33^rd day of the counting of the Omer. This marks the last day of the plague which wiped out 22,000 pupils of Rabbi Akiva.

Lag B'Omer is also the anniversary of the death of R.Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar and 'father' of Jewish Mysticism. Rabbi Shimon was the leading (surviving) student of Rabbi Akiva, and was an oft-quoted Tannaic leader, being the fourth most quoted voice in the Mishna.

Here in Israel, Lag B'Omer is most popularly celebrated by the lighting of bonfires as well as joining the throngs making the pilgrimage to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's tomb in Meron in the Galilee. In recent times, the bonfire lighting tradition has also spread to the Diaspora.

At this point, all seems well and healthy about Lag B'Omer – good clean fun.

You can call me a kill-joy, but unfortunately there is a dark and less happy side to the Lag B'Omer festivities...

In my opinion, these come in four categories:

The danger of children being abused
The danger of severe burns & other injuries
Kids 'borrowing' carts from supermarkets
And the wholesale stealing of anything made of wood.

Taking these one-by-one:

Risk of Child Abuse: On a recent visit to the Child Protection Center ("Mercaz Hagana") in Jerusalem, they told me that the night of Lag B'Omer is their annual nightmare.

Consider (for a moment) that you are a child abuser.

Now picture a night where thousands of kids go out, with close-to-zero parental/adult supervision, all night, scattered throughout the neighborhood, sleeping in the open – unfortunately, Lag BaOmer is a pedophile's dream come true.

Incidents of rape and molestation of children peak on Lag B'Omer.

What Can You Do About It:

Speak with your children before Lag B'Omer.

Along with a physical safety message (see Dr Halberstad's letter below), also open an (age appropriate) discussion about their sexual safety.

Please note that there have been a spate of attacks by strangers on children in our neighborhood. B'H, some of those attackers have been arrested – but others are out there.

IMHO, there is no purpose in young children returning home at dawn.

So have a to-be-home-time, with a stated and agreed consequence to your kids returning home any later than that hour. If their friends ask why they're going home (“it’s only midnight!”), tell your kids they are welcome to blame you, their parents. "My parents said I must be home by such and such a time, or I'll get into big trouble".

Explain why they should always stay with their chosen group (friends, youth-club, school, shul, family, whatever) and only move between groups accompanied by at least one friend. They must never be on their own on the night of Lag B'Omer (accept when walking from A-to-B on a well lit and busy street).

If an older person (more than two years their senior) who is not a part of their group, approaches them and asks them to help them, such as to move wood, to find something in the bushes, to show them to a place they "can't find", and even if they offer your child a reward (sweets or money) or they tell your child it is a great mitzvah to help them, teach your children how to politely say "I can't help you. I am with Such & Such a group tonight."

(Roll play this with your kids – and create other scenarios).

Even though 'stranger danger' is a serious concern, there's a actually a much larger risk of your child being abused by someone he (and probably you) trusts. (Only one-in-ten acts of child abuse are perpetrated by strangers).

Here’s some good practical advice by Rabbi Yakov Horowitz:

There are four basic messages that children need to internalize in order for any abuse prevention program to be truly effective:

1. Your body belongs to you

2. No one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable

3. No secrets from parents

4. Good touching/bad touching

Please educate yourself before speaking to your children so that your discussions generate light and not heat. Additionally, it is important for you to know – and to share with your children – that although “stranger danger” is a genuine concern, the vast majority of molesters are family members or people well-known to the children.

As Teaneck Police Chief Michael Bruno brilliantly said during a talk he gave on child safety, “We need to train our children to consider the “it” (the inappropriate action being done to them) not the “whom” (regardless of the relationship or stature of the individual who is doing it).

There are free resources available on our website www.kosherjewishparenting.com, the Los Angeles-based Aleinu Safety Kid Program: http://www.aleinu.net/AleinuChildSafetyInstitute/safetykid.aspx , and you can get a free DVD with abuse prevention information by contacting Ohel at http://www.ohelfamily.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=722&Itemid=852 Here are links to two videos Project YES released to educate you, and help you have these discussions with your children:

Video: Speaking to your Kids about Personal Safety: http://vimeo.com/25322132

Burns & Other Injuries: This is a posting written by Dr Moshe Halberstad of Terem Medical EmergencyCenter, and a resident of Ramat Bet Shemesh:

As Lag B'Omer approaches, it is worth noting that last year at Terem Urgent Care I saw a striking number of injuries associated with Lag B'Omer that were directly related to a lack of parental supervision.
Here is a partial list of some of the unfortunate injuries/illness commonly seen in association with this holiday.

1) Eye injuries/facial burns- involving severe burns to the cornea and face, resulting from bursts of sparks that commonly occur when unsupervised children attempt to add wood at close range to unstable,
poorly built fires. Almost all children were at the time being "supervised" by siblings. In addition to causing excruciating pain, such injuries can result in impaired vision and disfigurement.
In a six-hour period last year on Lag B'Omer, I referred more patients for emergency Opthalmologic and/or Plastic Surgery consultation due facial/opthalmic burns than in the two years I spent working in the Bronx.

2) Lacerations/ splinters/ puncture wounds- Severe cuts resulting from children attempting to gather/split/ assemble wood for bonfires, often from jagged wood pieces containing nails, staples, etc. Also seen were a number of severe lacerations related to climbing over fences and sharp objects into construction sites to collect wood or build a fire

3) Breathing issues- children with asthma or other chronic respiratory issues are particularly at risk on the night of Lag B' Omer, as anyone who walks outside and smells the air can imagine.

This year, it is therefore strongly recommended that all children who attend/build bonfires do so with parental supervision. Younger children in particular should not be permitted to be in close proximity and certainly not be allowed to approach and help "manage" the fire. Collection of wood and bonfire construction should also not
be done haphazardly (not to mention illegally). Last year I met many distraught parents who did not supervise their children and "never thought it could happen to their child." It is my hope that this year many of these injuries can be prevented.

Wishing all of you a happy and safe holiday.
Moshe Halberstadt, MD

While on the issue of physical safety, I would like to give kudos to the excellent annual Keren Yosef + Ezrat Achim fire safety campaign leading up to Lag BaOmer.

Borrowing Shopping Carts:

Let’s call a spade a spade.

It has become socially acceptable for kids to stealshopping carts for Lag BaOmer.

(The excuse that they ‘borrow’ them, only works if they obtain permission from the store owner, and then the kids return the shopping cart afterwards – neither of which happen)

I frankly find this astounding.

We spend so much time and resource teaching our kids the very highest standards of behaviour, before Man and G-d.

And then, whoosh! It’s a free for all, everyone's stealing other people’s property.

Shoplifting. Looting. Call it what it is.

In the name of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Rabbi Akiva??!!

I simply don't understand why our frum society smilingly tolerates this...?

(Picture for illustrative purposes only)

Stealing Wood: Ditto for the wholesale quantities of wood, which is often stolen from building sites, from people’s private yards, and from other kids.

Another issue, by the way, is the environmentaldamage caused by thousands of bonfires throughout the country, not to mention real danger for asthma sufferers.

In short – Lag BaOmer has become “hefker” night – a reckless abandonment on an enormous sale.

I propose that the time has come to rein in some of this excess.

There should be a central source of wood for burning (Iriya + KKL).
Designated (safe) places for bonfires (Iriya plus Fire Dept)
Curfew time (parent groups patrolling and police)
Encouragement of relatively few group bonfires, rather than vast numbers of small private initiatives. (system of permits?)

Hopefully, such minimal controls would result in a safer and more ethical/educational Lag BaOmers for all!

Who wants to help get this in place before NEXT Lag BaOmer??

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Morris

Bet Shemesh, Israel

Nominated for the President of Israel's Prize 2010. Entrepreneur in the fields of charity and electro-optics. Established Lema'an Achai ("For My Brothers") the innovative community social services charity in Ramat Bet Shemesh, "Magen", the Bet Shemesh Child Protection Agency, and "Yad LeYedid" (A Hand to a Friend) charity helping impoverished families in Jerusalem. Owner/CEO of Scitronix Ltd is marketing sophisticated electro-optical products to high tech industries in Israel. Blogs at: http://tzedek-tzedek.blogspot.com/

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Alan Edelstein: AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

2012-04-06T09:00:00.001+03:00

Secretary Clinton Holds a Press Availability After Friends of Syrian People Meeting – Photo US State Dept

I just completed my great eight day cross-country adventure. I agreed to drive my son's 1998 Subaru from Sacramento to him in Washington, D.C. The last time I did this drive alone was 42 years ago in my 1974 Ford Pinto (puky mustard color, white landau top, four-on-the-floor stick shift, $3,450 out the door), and the last time I did it at all was with my wife in 1977 in the same Pinto.

The trip reminded me of just how big and beautiful the U.S. is. Gorgeous desert, beautiful snowy mountains, breathtaking sunsets. Even the lightening and wind and rain were beautiful in a scary, wish-I-wasn't-driving-through-this way.

Perhaps because I am old enough to remember the innocent America of JFK's inauguration before his assassination, the Vietnam War, the King assassination, and Watergate, the big and beautiful America evoked for me the great and good American ideals that I grew up with. An America that stands for freedom, for helping others, for doing good.

After 30 years in and around politics, I am often surprised to find that I still have a reservoir of idealism when it comes to America and its goodness. I am usually taken aback when the realization that I still am idealistic hits me. And this usually happens when a little bit more of my idealism is chipped away. I am surprised that there is something there to chip at, but there always is.

While marveling at the beauty of America, and the bigness of America, and the greatness of America, and how nice a lot of Americans are, I could not help feeling that chipping sensation. It just kept gnawing at me. As much fun as I was having, and as exhilarated as I felt, I felt a helplessness, and a bit of shame.

That's because for the eight days I was having a blast enjoying America, the sounds and scenes of Syrians being slaughtered by their own government were constantly with me. (Thank yous to Anderson Cooper of CNN and NPR.) When I wasn't watching or hearing about them, I was thinking about them.

I could not escape them. And I could not escape the fact that my country, "the leader of the free world" as our generation was brought up to think of it, was not doing much to stop Syria's murderous regime or to rally the "free world" to stop the slaughter.

And make no mistake. What is going on in Syria is not a war of any kind. It's not a civil war. It's not an asymmetrical war. As photojournalist Paul Conroy said last night on AC 360, the lopsidedness of this stain on the civilized world makes this nothing but a slaughter.

I am of the generation that grew up in the shadows of World War II, hearing that the world did little to rescue the Jews but it did, finally, stand up to the evil of Hitler. I can recall JFK standing up for universal freedom when he declared "Ich Am Berliner." And I recall Ronald Reagan demanding that that wall be torn down. Words, and actions if necessary, matter.

Where is the "leader of the free world" while Syrians are being slaughtered? I understand the hesitation to involve ourselves militarily, although the recent testimony by a member of the intelligence community before Congress that the fall of Assad would be the biggest setback to Iranian foreign policy in 25 years does provide ample justification for strong action, such as no-fly zones.

But, short of military action, there is much more we could be doing. For starters, the president could use what used to be called the bully pulpit. Instead of saying that the veto of a UN resolution by Russia and China hampers our ability to act, he should be loudly and publicly shaming those countries each day for their vetoes.

He could be taking strong action against those who supply arms, food, oil, and credit to Syria, and he could be loudly and clearly shaming them. Despite all of our problems, the United States is the strongest country in the world. Much power is derived from the perception that one uses it boldly and confidently, and that one is not afraid to be quite clear and unapologetic about it.

Yes, there are many nuances and possible adverse consequences to be considered. But sometimes nuances and adverse consequences are a rationale for inaction, an excuse for not deciding. Sometimes, if you want to be respected as being powerful and doing right, you speak up and you act and the chips fall where they may.

Most often, if you are doing right, the fallout is acceptable. In any event, it is better than the fallout from ceding to evil, from allowing murder when you have the ability to thwart it. It is better than giving up the mantle of "leader" to those whose motivations are less noble.

Of course, to do this you have to believe that you are noble, that your motivations are right, that you are the "leader of the free world," that you have special responsibilities.

I have questioned the rationale for the U.S. being involved in Libya. We had no strategic interest there. The president said we were involved in order to prevent the slaughter of civilians, that that is what America stands for. Noble motivations, indeed.

Well, now we have a slaughter, and yet we are doing next to nothing. Is the rationale for saving lives no longer compelling when it is more complicated and nuanced? Is our purpose no longer noble when there may be greater adverse consequences?

Are noble objectives not enough justification for action when you cannot "lead from behind?" Speaking of which, I haven't heard a more ridiculous oxymoron than "leading from behind" in a long time. How we operated in Libya may have been the right approach. It may have been strategically or tactically smart to let others take the lead. It may have been wise to manipulate, to prod, to convince rather than to lead. But we did not "lead from behind" anymore than one "pigs out to diet."

In the face of the massacre now occurring in Syria, "leading from behind" won't do it. The U.S. needs to lead strongly and forcefully. We can lead verbally. We can lead diplomatically. We can lead with economic resources and strategies. If our strategic interests are truly at stake and we have a once-in-25 year opportunity to set Iran back, perhaps we should lead militarily. But we should be doing something more than what we are now doing.

The president should be reminded that former President Clinton proudly recalls his leadership in saving lives in Bosnia by bombing Serbs, while he deeply regrets our failure to lead and to act to prevent the Rwanda massacres. There were complications, diplomatic concerns, world lethargy. So we did not act and lead. It is a stain on our history and President Clinton's legacy, and he regrets it.

As my once-every-40 years or so road trip again reminded me of what a great country America is, and of its special role in the world, I felt a stain developing. I felt and feel shame that we are allowing the slaughter to go on. There is much we could do to stop it. I hope we wake up soon from our lethargy. I hope we assert ourselves. I hope the President acts as only a real leader does, from the front. And I hope we do it soon.

Friends of the Syrian People Meeting in Turkey – photo by US Dept. of State

Josephine Levin: HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR AN EARTHQUAKE OR MISSILE ATTACK

2012-03-10T22:47:00.001+02:00

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Smoke from fires covers San Francisco after earthquake of 1906

Collapsed school El Salvador earthquake

G-d commands us through the Torah to do everything possible to make our lives safe. Careless and reckless behavior leading to loss of life can be judged in His eyes as tantamount to murder.

If we are properly prepared, then lives and property can be saved when disaster strikes. Here are some simple steps we can take before there is a major disaster like an earthquake or missile attack: Note: If you are warned about an incoming missile attack you must seek cover in a security room, bomb shelter or in the most secure room in your home (inner room without outside walls) or seek shelter in a stairway.

Most people are injured in earthquakes by falling, glass, debris, plaster, electrical wires and other objects. Do not let anyone sleep next to glass windows. Replace glass windows with plastic or safety glass. Put clear contact paper over your glass windows to prevent them from shattering. This can save eyes and lives, as flying glass can sever arteries and veins leading to massive bleeding and death. Do not let anyone sleep under heavy pictures, bookshelves, electrical appliances, heavy lighting fixtures or ceiling fans. Bolt firmly to the wall all cupboards, bookcases, buffets and wardrobes. Do not assume that something is too heavy to fall. On the contrary the heavier the object is the harder it will fall crushing anyone in its path.

Unless you are on a ground floor bordering open space, you are probably better off not trying to run outside. You can be injured by falling objects and electrocuted by falling electrical wires. Take refuge under a strong wood table. Even if the ceiling collapses, you will have enough air space under the table to survive until you are rescued. Store under the table a few cartons of bottled water, canned food and can opener, first aid kit, flashlight with extra diapers and food for infants, tissues, wipes, transistor radio and batteries. A cell phone is also useful and a covered pail for a makeshift toilet. Hold practice drills, so your children will know what to do if you are not at home. You should also have tools available to pry open jammed doors, windows and to dig yourself out (folding spade, crowbar, hammer, saw, screwdriver and pliers). If you cannot take refuge under a table then stand in a doorway.

Walls, foundations, columns and pillars of our homes can be re-enforced to help prevent the collapse of buildings.

Fires are one of the biggest dangers of earthquakes and missile attacks, and may be prevented by the following:

Disconnect all electrical appliances (except the refrigerator) from the sockets before going to sleep or leaving home.

You should also have on hand a water hose or fire extinguisher to put out fires. Caution! A fire extinguisher can give off dangerous vapors if used in a small enclosed area. Bags of sand, salt, baking soda and cat litter can be used to smother fires. Never throw water on an electrical fire! Water will increase the intensity of the fire and you could be electrocuted. You must always shut off the electricity at the fuse box before attempting to extinguish an electrical fire. Immediately following an earthquake or missile attack, you should shut off the electricity and the gas, whether or not you decide to evacuate your home.

If you live on an upper floor and have safety bars on the windows and balconies, make sure that at least one of these can be opened to serve as an emergency exit if your door is jammed, or if there is fire or smoke in the corridor. If there is fire or smoke in the corridor do not open the door! You can be engulfed by flames or overcome by smoke. If there is smoke in the corridor, place a wet rag under the door to keep smoke from seeping in and open all your windows for air.

If there is a fire in your home that you cannot extinguish, you must leave immediately. Wrap yourselves and your children in wet blankets. Never try to walk downstairs from an upper floor if there is heavy smoke in the hall; you will be overcome by smoke inhalation and die long before you reach the bottom. Never try to use an elevator after an earthquake or missile attack, even if the electricity has not been cut off. So how can you escape? If your home does not have a fire escape, you should consider buying a nylon ladder, which can be thrown out of the window and used to evacuate your family.

You should have at least a month’s supply of ready-to-eat food and bottled water for any kind of emergency. Suitable items are canned vegetables, tuna, sardines, chick peas, baked beans, powdered or canned milk, granola, dried fruits and nuts, peanut butter, power bars, canned and bottled fruits and juices, baby food and formula, pet food, vitamins, crackers and biscuits. Remember you may be in a situation with no electricity, gas or running water. A portable cooking grill with either canned gas or charcoal is a must. Buy some water-proof matches from a camping store, or keep some matches in a water-proof container. If you have mung beans, alfalfa, wheat berries or whole barley you can make sprouts in order to get some fresh vegetables for vitamins. You should also have at least a month’s supply of any prescription drugs that you or your family members need. Remember roads may be damaged or closed.

You must have a way of purifying water, especially if you are not able to boil water. Buy water purification tablets or a special water filter from a camping store. If you have the opportunity, fill up your bathtub and other containers to store water. If you have no bottled water, you can use water out of the tank above your toilet, but you must purify it. Even if you still have running water in your pipes, it may be contaminated and will need to be purified. If you are rationing water, try to avoid eating very salty foods, as these will only increase your thirst.

In case you will be unable to heat your home, it is a good idea to have emergency blankets (available from camping stores). These are tiny enough when folded to fit in the palm of your hand, but can be opened to give necessary insulation and warmth.

It is a good idea to have sleeping bags and a tent and a 72 hour kits for each family member in case you have to evacuate your home.

72 hour Kits should contain ID, water, medicines, emergency blankets, underwear, power bars, small cans of food, water purification tablets and/or filter, flashlight, transistor radio, extra batteries, camping knife, wipes, toilet paper, compass, can opener, small portable spade, duct tape, water-proof matches and first aid kit

Enroll in a first aid course. Everyone should know how to stop bleeding, treat shock, dehydration, burns, make splints, etc., and to administer CPR (cardio- pulmonary resuscitation).

ABOVE ALL TRY TO REMAIN CALM. PANIC IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH IN DISASTERS.

Pray, read Psalms and trust the LORD to help you. If you can boil water, drink calming herbal teas like Chamomile, Sage, Lemon balm (Melissa), Verbena and Motherwort. At homeopathic pharmacies you can buy Motherwort Leonurus Cardiaca tincture- ad 10 drops to a glass of water for a mild tranquilizer.

Mitt Romney: MY SPEECH AT AIPAC

2012-03-06T16:55:00.001+02:00

Mitt Romney today delivered remarks to The American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference. The following remarks were prepared for delivery:

Thank you for the opportunity to address the AIPAC Policy Conference. And thanks to Teddy and Ed, who have been great friends, supporters, and teachers over the years.

I regret that my Super Tuesday travel schedule prevents me from being with you in person. But while I can’t be with you, I stand with you. I share your commitment to a strong and secure Israel. And I salute your tireless work to strengthen our alliance.

This year, we are gathering at a dangerous time for Israel and for America. Not since the dark days of 1967 and 1973 has the Middle East faced peril as it does today. This is a critical moment. America must not – and, if I am President, it will not – fail this defining test of history.

The current administration has distanced itself from Israel and visibly warmed to the Palestinian cause. It has emboldened the Palestinians. They are convinced that they can do better at the UN – and better with America – than they can at the bargaining table with Israel. As President, I will treat our allies and friends like friends and allies.

In recent days and weeks, we’ve heard a lot of words from the administration. Its clear message has been to warn Israel to consider the costs of military action against Iran. I do not believe that we should be issuing public warnings that create distance between the United States and Israel. Israel does not need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace. It needs our support.

Israel’s democratically elected leaders will always be welcomed and respected by my administration. Israel’s current prime minister is not just a friend; he’s an old friend. We worked together over 30 years ago at the Boston Consulting Group. He is a leader whose intellect and courage I admire – and whose family’s sacrifice I profoundly respect. In a Romney administration, there will be no gap between our nations or between our leaders.

I have seen Israel by land and by air. I have seen its narrow waist, and its vulnerability to positions on the Golan Heights. I have spent time with families in Sderot who have been terrorized by rocket barrages from Gaza. I have walked the streets of Jerusalem, seen schools pocked by rifle rounds fired from the foreboding hills that nearly surround it. I would never call for a return to the ’67 lines because I understand that in Israel, geography is security.

I have studied the writings and speeches of the jihadists. They argue for a one-state solution—one all-dominating radical Islamist state, that is. Their objective is not freedom, not prosperity, not a Palestinian state, but the destruction of Israel. And negotiating and placating such jihadists will never, ever yield peace in the Middle East.

I recognize in the ayatollahs of Iran the zealot refrain of dominion. Their passion for the martyrdom of Arab youth is matched only by their cowardice in avoiding it for themselves. Nuclear ambition is pursued by Iran to dominate, to subjugate, and to obliterate. A nuclear Iran is not only a problem for Israel; it is also a problem for America and the world.

We may not know when Iran will secure sufficient fissile material to threaten the world, but the IAEA warns that that the hour is fast approaching.

In the Gulf, Iran prepares to close the Strait of Hormuz, to hold hostage 20 percent of the world’s oil. In their nuclear laboratories, they prepare the means to hold hostage the entire planet.

Iran has long engaged in terrorism around the world, most recently in Georgia and in Thailand. In Washington, DC, Iran plotted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador by bombing a Georgetown restaurant. Iran has deployed Hezbollah and Hamas and armed the insurgents of Iraq and Afghanistan, killing our sons and daughters. They war against America.
Yet, the current administration has promoted a policy of engagement with Iran. The President offered to sit down with Ahmadinejad during his first year in office without preconditions. He sat silent as Iranian dissidents took to the streets of Tehran, not wanting to disrupt the potential opportunity for dialogue with Iran’s fanatical tyrants. This President not only dawdled in imposing crippling sanctions, he has opposed them.

Hope is not a foreign policy. The only thing respected by thugs and tyrants is our resolve, backed by our power and our readiness to use it.

Of course, the administration’s naïve outreach to Iran gave the ayatollahs exactly what they wanted most. It gave them time. Whatever sanctions they may now belatedly impose, Iran has already gained three invaluable years.
There are some in this administration who argue that Iran’s leaders are “rational,” and that we can do business with them. The President speaks of common interests. Let me be clear: we do not have common interests with a terrorist regime. Their interest is in the destruction of Israel and the domination of the Middle East. It is profoundly irrational to suggest that the ayatollahs think the way we do or share our values. They do not.

I will bring the current policy of procrastination toward Iran to an end. I will not delay in imposing further crippling sanctions, and I will not hesitate to fully implement the ones we currently have. I will make sure Iran knows of the very real peril that awaits if it becomes nuclear. I will engage Iran’s neighbors. I will station multiple carriers and warships at Iran’s door. I will stand with the Syrian people who are being mercilessly slaughtered. I know that the fall of Assad would not only be an important victory for liberty, but also a strategic blow to Tehran.

As President, I will be ready to engage in diplomacy. But I will be just as ready to engage our military might. Israel will know that America stands at its side, in all conditions and in all consequence.

Of course, American strength abroad depends upon our strength at home. My economic plans will buttress our capacity to project power. And as President, I will repair and strengthen our military. President Obama wants to shrink our Navy, our Air Force, and our contingent of fighting men and women. I will expand them. A military in retreat invites adventurism by the world’s worst actors, just as we are seeing today. A strong and superior military is the best ally peace has ever known. I do not seek military superiority solely for the purpose of winning wars. I seek it to prevent wars.

As President, peace will be my solemn goal. A peace based not on empty assurances, but on true security and defensible borders. This will require American strength, and a demonstration of our resolve. That’s why, as President, my first foreign trip will not be to Cairo or Riyadh or Ankara. It will be to Jerusalem.

We will make clear to the world that Israel’s continued existence as a Jewish state is a vital national interest of the United States.

I believe the right course is what Ronald Reagan called “peace through strength.” There is a reason why the Iranians released the hostages on the same day and at the same hour that Reagan was sworn into office. As President, I will offer that kind of clarity, strength, and resolve.

In a Romney administration, the world will know that the bond between Israel and America is unbreakable – and that our opposition to a nuclear Iran is absolute. We must not allow Iran to have the bomb or the capacity to make a bomb. Our enemies should never doubt our resolve and our allies should never doubt our commitment.

This is a critical time, and AIPAC has a vital voice. Together, let’s achieve peace for the region and ensure a secure future for Israel – and America.
God bless America, and God bless our friendship with Israel.

Varda Littmann: THE STONES, THE FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE KOSEL/KOTEL MA'ARAVI - WESTERN WALL OF THE SECOND TEMPLE, JERUSALEM

2012-02-29T11:06:00.001+02:00

Photo by Rimonah Traub

When we come to the Kosel (Western Wall of the Second Temple) we may be so engrossed in our tefillos (prayers) that we do not notice the numerous birds flying close by and the plants growing out of the stones of the Wall. The Kosel—spiritual home to millions — is built of stones that serve as the physical home for various animals and plants.

The rows of stones that are on the level of the Kosel Plaza have what is called a “Herodian signature,” i.e., frames of delicate “margins” and smooth “bosses.” They were built by Herod, the Roman appointed king of Judea, circa (1st century B.C.E.), and extend down for about another 20 feet below the present ground level. The further up that the Wall goes, the smaller the stones become. This is because different layers were added throughout the centuries. Each row of stones is slightly set back from the row beneath it. This method achieves the illusion of a perfectly straight wall. Had the stones been exactly aligned, the Wall would have appeared to be leaning forward.

Different stones of the Wall (even in the same row and of the same time period) have fared the weather beatings of thousands of years. Along the Kosel walls there are many timeworn nooks and crannies, which seem as if they were especially carved out to receive the notes and letters of millions. These indentations are attributed to the fact that even though limestone was used, the builders used both mizzi meleke (the stone of kings) and mizzi hilu (sweet rock) when they set the wall. meleke is soft and easy to chisel, yet hardens when exposed to the atmosphere and becomes highly durable. The thin-layered mizze hilu is easily quarried and worked. The workers also did not set the stones in the same grain direction. When the wall was first built, no difference in materials could be discerned, but over the course of time, as weather conditions played their role, the dissimilarity became apparent.

Dove in the cleft of the rock on the Western Wall - Photo by Rimonah Traub

There are many cracks and clefts in the Kosel stones that are used by birds as a nesting spot. Among the birds that come are jackdaws, swallows, house sparrows and the common swift. Pigeons and doves also abound. It is said that birds have a sixth sense for holiness, and visitors to the Kosel Hama'aravi will notice the profusion of birds that inhabit the area.

Doves on Barclay's Gate on the women's side of the Western Wall - photo by Rimonah Traub

Small lizards are also seen darting among the stones.

The rocks of the Western Wall support at least six distinct plants. Henbane is the most common plant found growing in the wall. Its Hebrew name is shikaron, a form of the word “drunkenness.” The name is thought to derive from the poisonous, intoxicating substance contained within the plant. The Egyptians smoked henbane to obtain relief from toothache, while the first hospitals in Eretz Yisrael utilized it as an anesthetic. Today, alkaloids derived from henbane are used in anti-spasm medications and painkillers.

Thorny Capers growing on the Western Wall - photo by Rimonah Traub

Podonosma orientalis called matsits suri in Hebrew is a typical rock plant and the second most common plant in the Wall. It is able to penetrate stone with its roots in order to extract water. The Sicilian snapdragon, called la ari sitsili, in Hebrew is often found on the higher sections of the Wall. This plant often roots in cracks between the stones of a wall and on fences. The Kosel is also host to the Horsetail knotgrass, called shvatvat anaf in Hebrew, which is mentioned in the Talmud (Shabbos 14) as an antidote for snakebite. Phagnalon, called in Hebrew tzamarnit haslayim, is a small plant that can also be found scattered along the Wall.

....................................

Varda Littmann lives in Jerusalem and has a column in Hamodia and in the English Update. Her blog Let us Tour Eretz Yisroel can be viewed at the following link: http://littmann613.blogspot.com/

Photographer Rimonah Traub's beautiful photos can be viewed on her blog:

Lens on a Fertile Land - Israel Photography

http://israelcamerafocus.blogspot.com/

Josephine Levin: ISRAEL CAN ONLY DEPEND ON OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

2012-02-24T14:31:00.001+02:00

Sun shining through the clouds over Jerusalem - photo by Josephine Levin

Daily Israel is bombarded with two messages. One message is that Iran that has publicly called for the total destruction of Israel and the Jewish people has or will soon have nuclear weapons of mass destruction. In fact, according to a recent Jerusalem Post article, the Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for the destruction of Israel to take place before the year 2014! The second message is that whatever Israel decides to do–just do not strike at Iran!

Last year John Bolton, the former Bush administration ambassador to the UN, said Israel had only until August 21, 2010 to stop Iran. This was the date that Russia would begin loading nuclear fuel rods into the Iranian reactor. After that Mr. Bolton claimed the situation would be at the point of no return because any attack that would occur after the rods were loaded into the reactor would cause radiation to escape into the atmosphere and possibly into the waters of the Persian Gulf. Mr. Bolton claimed that Israel's prior strikes on the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak 1981and the attack on the Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 took place before the nuclear fuel rods were loaded into the reactors.

Has Israel really had the opportunity to strike at Iran but missed it? Here are some facts: The shortest route for Israeli planes to strike at Iran is to fly over Jordan and Iraq to Iran. Since 1991 the US operated a no-fly zone over Iraq and no one could enter these skies without the express permission of the United States, So If Israel missed the opportunity to strike at Iran before it would be too late, then who in fact is to blame for this? Surely Mr. Bolton must have known that Israel would have needed the permission of the United States to fly over Iraq to attack Iran. At the end of 2011 the official agreement between the US and Iraq that allowed for this no‑fly zone was due to expire and so there is speculation that now Israel may strike at Iran. Iran has stated that no matter who attacks them they will retaliate against Israel. They are now also threatening a pre-emptive strike if they determine their enemies are planning to harm them.

An Israeli strike today that might result in environmental radiation contamination or other damage to the Persian Gulf would not only stop the flow of oil out of Iran, but also could hamper the flow of oil from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and all the other oil rich countries on the Persian Gulf. This might bring about an apocalyptical scenario where all the nations of the world will not only condemn Israel at the UN, but might send foreign troops here and/or even attack Israel. It might be that Israel will have no choice and will go this route to destroy Iran's nuclear program and be willing to face the consequences.

Israel today has to try first of all to figure out a way to strike at the Iranian nuclear infrastructure without harming any of the surrounding oil rich Gulf nations. In other words the world could survive without Iranian oil, but not without the oil from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and all the other oil rich Gulf countries. There have been some mysterious explosions and assassinations and plane crashes that killed Russian and Iranian nuclear scientists who were working on the Iranian bomb. Also there have been attacks by a Stuxnet virus that crippled Iranian computer systems connected to their nuclear program. Perhaps a technical way will be found to permanently shut down Iran's nuclear program.

The only other real hope Israel has is that G-d might do something to stop Iran by some kind of natural disaster. Iran is one of the most earthquake prone countries on the face of the earth. Iran could experience massive earthquakes and tsunamis that could destroy their reactors. Ironically, Japan had promised to build earthquake proof nuclear reactors in Iran (Teheran Times July 2, 1010; NewsOnJapan.com), but in March, 2011, Japan was struck with a massive earthquake and tsunami that crippled its own nuclear reactor at Fukashima. Japan is still battling to save its crippled reactor and so far has not built the promised nuclear reactors in Iran.

Iran also has several dormant volcanoes that could erupt. Mt. Damavand,

located 50 kilometers northeast of Teheran, is cone shaped and is the highest mountain in Iran and in the Middle East. Even though it is silent, steamy gasses still pour out of its crater and there are hot springs in the area.

Also, G-d could judge and punish Russia and all the other nations aiding Iran by sending earthquakes, bad weather, flooding, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, etc. Volcanic eruptions that darken the skies can also make no-fly zones like those that happened with the eruptions of the Icelandic volcano in 2010. A massive solar eruption could shut down electrical grids and/or the Internet. Last, but not least, our great G-d could do something else known only to Himself to save Israel and all of mankind from a war with weapons of mass destruction.

In truth Israel can depend on no one but our Father in heaven.

Alan Edelstein: EGYPTIAN DEMOCRACY STARTING TO LOOK MORE LIKE AN ISLAMIST ASCENDANCY

2012-01-23T17:55:00.001+02:00

Only 20 days to the one-year anniversary of the day I started my countdown to Egyptian democracy. With all the euphoria about the "Arab Spring" and the many predictions of the imminent creation of democracy in Egypt and other Arab countries, I somewhat cynically initiated my countdown, giving the Egyptians one year to establish their democracy.

How is it going? Well, the run-up to the elections, during which the Egyptian army has ruled, did not inspire confidence. With the continuing violence, repression, arrests, attacks on Christians, and invasions of the offices of pro-democracy non-profits, Egypt did not look like it was on the verge of democracy.

However, the elections were held and it appeared that the atmosphere was generally free and non-violent. The result, on the other hand, leaves many questions. With the Muslim Brotherhood at almost half of the seats and the even more radical Salafists at nearly a quarter, the Islamists now have over two-thirds of the seats in the Parliament.

Elections alone do not make for a democracy. A free society before and after does. Dictatorships are often elected democratically. The question is whether that will be the last democratic election.

Despite the declarations by some in the Brotherhood that they intend to respect individual rights and pluralism, there is little in the Brotherhood's ideology and history that gives a ring of truth to those statements. Moreover, their brothers in the Salafist movement do not even pretend to have an intent to live by pluralistic, democratic principles.

The Obama Administration, along with many others, was apparently surprised by the ascendancy of Islamist parties in Egypt and elsewhere in the wake of the "Arab Spring." So it appears the Administration is now adopting the posture that the Brotherhood is not so immoderate after all.

The Administration appears to be betting on the hope that the Brotherhood is true to its word when it says it will be tolerant of diverse views and a democratic environment. There is no evidence to support any such moderation by the Brotherhood, but there is apparently an inexhaustive supply of Western hope and naivety.

Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood's progeny and the reigning power in the Gaza Strip, took partial control in democratic elections. They subsequently wrested complete control from their rival Fatah by extremely violent means, throwing Fatah members out of windows and shooting them in the legs. Torture and repression are now commonplace in Gaza.

Here is a January 20th report by Hugh Naylor, foreign correspondent for Abu Dhabi's National newspaper, illustrating the current state of democracy as practiced by Hamas:

'Hamas security forces - up to 100 policemen and masked men in civilian clothes - stormed an apartment building in Beit Lahiya in Gaza on Saturday where Shiite Muslims were gathered to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson. They dragging (sic) out 15 men, whom they then beat with truncheons and denounced as infidels. "The police showed everyone black Shiite headbands and were yelling to the crowds, 'Look at these kafirs [unbelievers]!'," said Yasser Ziada, 23. "It was like they were putting on a show for us, beating them in front of everyone."

'The main allies of Hamas - Iran and Hizbullah - are predominantly Shiite, or in the case of Syria's Alawites, an offshoot of Shiism. Saturday's crackdown on Shiites - occurring as Hamas dismantles its headquarters in Damascus - may be an indication that the tectonic political shifts underway since the Arab Spring may be affecting Gaza. Hamas is seen to be gravitating towards newly empowered Sunni Islamist groups in the Arab Spring countries of Egypt and Tunisia, opening opportunities for hard-line Hamas members to settle sectarian scores, said Hani Habib, a political analyst in Gaza.

In a statement released after the assault, the Interior Ministry in Gaza admitted carrying out the operation. "Gaza and Palestine in general is a society that believes in Sunni Islam," adding that there were "no Shiites in Palestine." Mustafa Sawaf, an official at the Culture Ministry, noted, "We are a Sunni society, so Hamas felt like it had to take action against them." He added that Saturday's attack was "dramatized [by Hamas] to show people in Gaza that it does not tolerate Shiites."

This from the Son of the Muslim Brotherhood. Inspiring. Hamas "had to take action" to show it is Sunni. So the appropriate action, according to the Ministry of Culture, is to beat the living daylights out of people with different beliefs. Very democratic. Is this an illustration of the "moderation" some see in the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas?

I don't think I will be booking my trip to democratic Egypt quite yet. I'd rather take my chances on a cruise.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••
Alan Edelstein, a new Oleh to Israel, is a 30 year veteran of California government and politics and a founder and former senior partner of a highly successful lobbying firm. He lives in Jerusalem and is President of Edelstein Strategies, a communications, strategy development, and governmental affairs consulting firm. He blogs at www.edelsteinrandomthoughts.com.

Yechezkel Gordon: PREVIEWING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY- EXCLUSIVEANALYSIS AND PREDICTIONS

2012-01-09T20:23:00.001+02:00

WHAT: The New Hampshire primary

WHEN: January 10, 2012

ANALYSIS: The Iowa caucuses turned out to have quite a dramatic finish, with a mere eight votes separating the first place Mitt Romney and second place Rick Santorum. Ron Paul finished a disappointed third, followed by Gingrich, Perry, and Bachmann. Following her last place finish, Michele Bachmann dropped out of the race, leaving only six GOP candidates left to compete in New Hampshire.

2008 RESULTS:
REPUBLICANS:
John McCain- 37%
Mitt Romney- 31%
Mike Huckabee- 11%
Rudy Giuliani- 9%
Ron Paul- 8%

DEMOCRATS:
Hillary Clinton- 39%
Barack Obama- 36%
John Edwards- 17%
Bill Richardson- 5%

THE CANDIDATES: Here's a rundown of the Republican candidates that will be on the ballot for the New Hampshire primary, and what it will take for them to win.

Mitt Romney: The former Governor of neighboring Massachusetts, has had his sights set on the New Hampshire primary for quite some time. He's consistently polled in the high thirties to low forties in a state that favors more moderate Republican candidates, with an open primary system that allows Independents to vote as well. His eight vote victory over Santorum in Iowa can only help him in New Hampshire, but the real question is wether or not he'll be able to win the South Carolina primary, a state that favors more conservative candidates, and has a solid track-record of picking the eventual GOP nominee. Elections are all about momentum, which means the bigger his margin of victory is Tuesday night, the better his chances are of winning the first-in-the-nation southern primary at the end of the month.

Rick Santorum: After his shocking virtual first place finish in the Iowa caucuses (where he lost to Romney by only 8 votes), Santorum has effectively overtaken Newt Gingrich as the conservative alternative to Romney. His campaign received quite a boost from his Iowa shocker in both fundraising and media exposure, and has also landed him a much more prominent role in the debates. New Hampshire's moderate electorate doesn't exactly suit Santorum's strong conservative social record, which means he was never really expected to win New Hampshire, so as long as he does well in the primary and finishes ahead of Gingrich, he'll be able to take much of his Iowa momentum into South Carolina where he'll have a chance to become the new national conservative leader.

Ron Paul: Iowa was his best shot at winning, and he failed to do so. He has the money and support to stick around for a while, so don't expect him to drop out anytime soon. His libertarian domestic policies and isolationist foreign policies have attracted a loyal young following that will give him a good shot at second or third place. He has absolutely zero chance of winning the Republican nomination, and the only real question with him is wether or not he'll make a third party run in the November election.

Newt Gingrich: Regardless of how his Presidential campaign ends up, he has successfully revived his seemingly dead political career, and turned himself into a powerful political force that has to be reckoned with. He has consistently stood out at the debates as a highly intellectual individual with original ideas who won't put up with the mainstream media's partisan nonsense. He has enough money and support to stay in the race through the Florida primary at the end of the month, but he faces the difficult task of competing with the surging Santorum for the conservative voters in New Hampshire and more importantly South Carolina. If he finishes ahead of Santorum in New Hampshire, it will give him some much needed momentum going into South Carolina, but if ends up in last place (not including Perry) in NH, it will cement the notion in many people's minds, that the only reason he stayed in the race after his fourth place Iowa finish, was to maintain a platform with which he can get even with Romney for all the negative ads he ran against him.

Jon Huntsman: Of all the candidates, he has the most at-stake in this primary. After skipping the Iowa caucuses to focus completely on campaigning in New Hampshire, Huntsman has to hope that there's a big turnout of Independents and Democrats to give his campaign a much needed boost. His poll numbers have started to rise in the latest polls conducted in the last few days, but it's highly unlikely that he'll be able to pull off a near-tie for first place with Romney like Santorum did in Iowa. The best he could hope for at this point in time, is a top three finish, wether or not that will be enough for him to stay in the race is yet to be seen. In the end of the day, his biggest liability with Republican voters is that he worked for President Obama the past few years as the Ambassador to China, not exactly the pedigree GOP voters are looking for in a candidate to take on Obama this November.

Rick Perry: He shocked the political world (and perhaps himself) by staying in the race after his second to last finish in Iowa. Apparently, he decided to give his once-thriving but now-dormant campaign one last chance for revival in South Carolina's first in the south primary. He has officially decided to skip the New Hampshire primary and instead focus completely on the South Carolina primary at the end of the month.

PREDICTION: There's no need to worry about another suspense filled eight vote victory, since Romney will easily win this primary by at least 10%. The only other sure thing is a last place finish by Perry who isn't officially competing in this primary. That leaves it to Paul, Santorum, Huntsman, and Gingrich to fight over the 2-5 slots.

Aron Adler: A LETTER FROM AN ISRAELI RESERVE SOLDIER

2012-01-09T15:54:00.001+02:00

My name is Aron Adler.
I am 25 years old, was born in Brooklyn NY, and raised in Efrat Israel. Though very busy, I don’t view my life as unusual. Most of the time, I am just another Israeli citizen. During the day I work as a paramedic in Magen David Adom, Israel’s national EMS service. At night, I’m in my first year of law school. I got married this October and am starting a new chapter of life together with my wonderful wife Shulamit.

15-20 days out of every year, I'm called up to the Israeli army to do my reserve duty. I serve as a paramedic in an IDF paratrooper unit. My squad is made up of others like me; people living normal lives who step up to serve whenever responsibility calls. The oldest in my squad is 58, a father of four girls and grandfather of two; there are two bankers, one engineer, a holistic healer, and my 24 year old commander who is still trying to figure out what to do with his life. Most of the year we are just normal people living our lives, but for 15-20 days each year we are soldiers on the front lines preparing for a war that we hope we never have to fight.

This year, our reserve unit was stationed on the border between Israel, Egypt and the Gaza Strip in an area called “Kerem Shalom.” Above and beyond the “typical” things for which we train – war, terrorism, border infiltration, etc., - this year we were confronted by a new challenge. Several years ago, a trend started of African refugees crossing the Egyptian border from Sinai into Israel to seek asylum from the atrocities in Darfur.

What started out as a small number of men, women and children fleeing from the machetes of the Janjaweed and violent fundamentalists to seek a better life elsewhere, turned into an organized industry of human trafficking. In return for huge sums of money, sometimes entire life savings paid to Bedouin “guides,” these refugees are promised to be transported from Sudan, Eritrea, and other African countries through Egypt and the Sinai desert, into the safe haven of Israel.

We increasingly hear horror stories of the atrocities these refugees suffer on their way to freedom. They are subject to, and victims of extortion, rape, murder, and even organ theft, their bodies left to rot in the desert. Then, if lucky, after surviving this gruesome experience whose prize is freedom, when only a barbed wire fence separates them from Israel and their goal, they must go through the final death run and try to evade the bullets of the Egyptian soldiers stationed along the border. Egypt’s soldiers are ordered to shoot to kill anyone trying to cross the border OUT of Egypt and into Israel. It’s an almost nightly event.

For those who finally get across the border, the first people they encounter are Israeli soldiers, people like me and those in my unit, who are tasked with a primary mission of defending the lives of the Israeli people. On one side of the border soldiers shoot to kill. On the other side, they know they will be treated with more respect than in any of the countries they crossed to get to this point.

The region where it all happens is highly sensitive and risky from a security point of view, an area stricken with terror at every turn. It’s just a few miles south of the place where Gilad Shalit was kidnapped. And yet the Israeli soldiers who are confronted with these refugees do it not with rifles aimed at them, but with a helping hand and an open heart. The refugees are taken to a nearby IDF base, given clean clothes, a hot drink, food and medical attention. They are finally safe.

Even though I live in Israel and am aware through media reports of the events that take place on the Egyptian border, I never understood the intensity and complexity of the scenario until I experienced it myself.

In the course of the past few nights, I have witnessed much. At 9:00 PM last night, the first reports came in of gunfire heard from the Egyptian border. Minutes later, IDF scouts spotted small groups of people trying to get across the fence. In the period of about one hour, we picked up 13 men - cold, barefoot, dehydrated - some wearing nothing except underpants. Their bodies were covered with lacerations and other wounds. We gathered them in a room, gave them blankets, tea and treated their wounds. I don’t speak a word of their language, but the look on their faces said it all and reminded me once again why I am so proud to be a Jew and an Israeli. Sadly, it was later determined that the gunshots we heard were deadly, killing three others fleeing for their lives.

During the 350 days a year when I am not on active duty, when I am just another man trying to get by, the people tasked with doing this amazing job, this amazing deed, the people witnessing these events, are mostly young Israeli soldiers just out of high school, serving their compulsory time in the IDF, some only 18 years old.

The refugees flooding into Israel are a heavy burden on our small country. More than 100,000 refugees have fled this way, and hundreds more cross the border every month. The social, economic, and humanitarian issues created by this influx of refugees are immense. There are serious security consequences for Israel as well. This influx of African refugees poses a crisis for Israel. Israel has yet to come up with the solutions required to deal with this crisis effectively, balancing its’ sensitive social, economic, and security issues, at the same time striving to care for the refugees.

I don’t have the answers to these complex problems which desperately need to be resolved. I’m not writing these words with the intention of taking a political position or a tactical stand on the issue.

I am writing to tell you and the entire world what’s really happening down here on the Egyptian/Israeli border. And to tell you that despite all the serious problems created by this national crisis, these refugees have no reason to fear us. Because they know, as the entire world needs to know, that Israel has not shut its eyes to their suffering and pain. Israel has not looked the other way. The State of Israel has put politics aside to take the ethical and humane path as it has so often done before, in every instance of human suffering and natural disasters around the globe. We Jews know only too well about suffering and pain. The Jewish people have been there. We have been the refugees and the persecuted so many times, over thousands of years, all over the world.

Today, when African refugees flood our borders in search of freedom and better lives, and some for fear of their lives, it is particularly noteworthy how Israel deals with them, despite the enormous strain it puts on our country on so many levels. Our young and thriving Jewish people and country, built from the ashes of the Holocaust, do not turn their backs on humanity. Though I already knew that, this week I once again experienced it firsthand. I am overwhelmed with emotion and immensely proud to be a member of this nation.

With love of Israel,

Aron Adler writing from the Israel/Gaza/Egyptian border.

•••••••••••••••••
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: This letter was written back in November 2011 and published then by various publications. I just recently came across it and decided to post it now for the benefit of the readers of The Frum Thinker.

Here are some pictures you probably won't see anytime soon in your local liberal media:

Rena Baldinger: CALM BEFORE THE CROWDS- EXPERIENCING BEN YEHUDA AND GEULA PEACEFULLY

2012-01-09T14:44:00.001+02:00

There are times and circumstances where you find yourself in a familiar place, yet the location has a surprisingly different feel than usual. As I made my way to the Misrad Hapnim (Ministry of Interior) for my early morning appointment, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at my chance to be inside the infamous building. The Ministry is known for its long lines, rude customer service, and strict rules (who ever heard of rules being listened to in this country? Bent, maybe, but not listened to). By the time I got out of there, I was ready for some major winding down. So I headed where most teenagers head on a typical night to just chill; Ben Yehuda. However, this was not the same Ben Yehuda that you and I got to know as students; nope, it was a place bustling while stores didn’t even open yet. It was a wide street with pretty squares that hosted beautiful greenery. It was a street that trucks were actually driving down…who knew cars, let alone trucks, were even allowed down that road? It was a place that housed an idle truck with a cheery Israeli heaving out huge bunches of fresh flowers for the local shop. It was a place where I was able to enjoy a quiet, peaceful breakfast without the constant boisterousness.

Moving on towards Geula, which I have never seen empty or quiet, I was even further surprised. I didn’t see familiar faces on street corners with cups in their hand, banging a rhythm with the jingling coins. I didn’t see bus stops filled to capacity, so much so that passersby are forced into the streets along with the very close-to-the-edge buses. I didn’t even see popcorn popping in their machines every other store. It was a whole new world, and I truly began appreciating the serenity and the quaintness that comes along with the street if you just get there at the right time (no, that time is not Friday afternoon). I realized that it doesn’t have to be a one-time opportunity either. Try it out; get moving in the Old City in the hours where you’ll actually have a chance to admire the slippery stones and the paths that lead dozens of different ways.

One thing that is important to realize in planning your trip of discovery: don’t explore places that are usually quiet. The way to go is to be in those areas that normally exceed the decibel level of a boom box. Bring yourself to the liveliest of places at the right time, and you will be able to experience the ultimate tranquility.

Yonatan Sredni: THE TENTH OF TEVET- SIEGE THE DAY!

2012-01-05T13:56:00.001+02:00

On Tuesday evening I waited for the bus from Bnei Barak to Jerusalem, but made a conscious effort to let the ‘regular’ bus # 400 go buy and boarded the ‘mehadrin’ bus #402. I chose the 402 because it gets to the capital quicker, not because I was making any kind of ‘statement’. When the 402 arrived I boarded and sat in aisle seat next to a Haredi gentleman near the front of the bus, but felt quite uncomfortable. I turned my head towards the back of the bus, looked past the rows of men, and saw a few women in the rows behind the back door, but the very last rows were empty. One male soldier, who had boarded with me, had taken a seat in the empty second to last row, so I, feeling quite bold, got up and headed to the last row of elevated seats which I had to myself. As I observed the bus from the back row, men in the front, a few women in the back and me in the rear, I realized something - nobody cared!

Granted, if I were a woman and had insisted on sitting in the front of the bus, a heated ‘discussion’ might have erupted. But a man sitting in the back of the bus was of no consequence to the passengers in front of me. It reminded me of a scene from a silly movie about a car race where one of the drivers rips off his rear-view mirror and proudly declares, “Whatever is behind me is not important!”

Today is Asarah B’Tevet (Tenth of Tevet), a ‘minor’ public fast day on the Jewish calendar, which commemorates the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia - an event that began on that date and ultimately culminated in the destruction of the First Temple (on Tisha B’Av). The 10th of Tevet seems to get very little public attention. Perhaps it is because it has always been a ‘minor’ fast day, not in the ‘big leagues’ of major fasts like Tisha B’Av. Also, as a ‘dawn to nightfall’ fast which falls in the winter time, it barely lasts twelve hours, and therefore comes and goes virtually unnoticed.

According to Kings II, on the 10th day of the 10th month (Tevet), in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign (425 BCE), the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, began the siege of Jerusalem. A year and a half later, on the 17th of Tammuz in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign (427 BCE), he broke through the city walls. The siege ended with the destruction of the Temple three weeks later, on the 9th of Av, the end of the first Kingdoms and the exile of the Jewish people to Babylon. The Tenth of Tevet is thus considered part of the cycle of fasts connected with these events, which includes: Shivah Asar B’Tammuz (17th of Tammuz) and Tisha B’Av (9th of Av).

In reality, the events of the Tenth of Tevet were only the beginning. The really ‘important’ or major events didn’t begin till the events of the 17th of Tammuz, which culminated with the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B’Av. So, I can ‘almost’ understand those who have a ‘rear-view mirror’ response to the Tenth of Tevet.

But recent events in Israel have changed my opinion about the Tenth of Tevet. A different kind of ‘siege’ is taking place. It may have started out as a curiosity, a few signs in Haredi neighborhoods demanding that women walk on the other side of the street, but it has evolved into something much bigger. An eight year old girl in Beit Shemesh was accosted on her way to school for not being dressed ‘modestly enough’. A female soldier was verbally harassed for refusing to go to the rear of a public bus. But perhaps the biggest shock of all was the use of young Haredi children dressed in striped concentration camp uniforms and yellow stars in last Saturday night’s counter-protest. By evoking the Holocaust, a taboo has been broken and a thick red line has now definitely been crossed.

After the establishment of the state of Israel, The Chief Rabbinate of Israel chose to observe the Tenth of Tevet as a "general kaddish day" for the victims of the Holocaust, many of whom lack identifiable yahrtzeits (anniversaries of their deaths). The somber fast day of the Tenth of Tevet is the proper time and place to invoke the memory of those who died in the Holocaust, and not at a sectoral public protest like last Saturday night.

But fast days are not just about fasting. In fact, we are taught that if one fasts and prays, but does not do ‘chesbon nefesh’ (soul searching) and engage in T’shuva (repentance), the fasting is meaningless. Jewish public fast days were established as a time for introspection and reconciliation. It is a time for examining ourselves and our society. It is a time for looking back in our rear-view mirror and looking forward towards where we are headed. If the Tenth of Tevet teaches us anything, it is that the first signs of trouble matter. The siege of Jerusalem began on Tenth of Tevet, but it lasted over a year. During the time of the siege I’d be willing to bet that many thought it would pass with time and nothing would come of it. The Hebrew expression, still used today for many troubling current situations, ‘Na’avor gam et ze’ (‘This too shall pass’) comes to mind. But the Tenth of Tevet, although it may be a ‘minor’ fast day, is anything but minor. We need to see the signs when the ‘siege’ begins; we need to recognize where things are headed and set things right before it’s too late. We can’t just wait and hope for it to pass. We cannot refuse to look backwards and simply disregard what is behind us in our past. Pardon the pun, but we need to ‘siege the day’!

•••••••••••••••
Yonatan Sredni was born and raised in northern California (Palo Alto), but has lived in Israel since 1994. He has a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MA in Creative Writing from Bar- Ilan University. His short stories, most of which combine his passion for baseball with Jewish themes, have been published online in Cyclamens and Swords and The Jewish Magazine. His short essays and op-ed articles have appeared in The Jerusalem Post and Israel National News.

Yechezkel Gordon: QUOTABLE QUOTES- A COLLECTION OF CLEVER QUOTES FROM THE POLITICAL WORLD

2012-01-05T11:30:00.001+02:00

The following quotes have been collected from around the web and put together for your enjoyment:

“The man who could not beat Obama teamed up with the man who could not even beat McCain, what a deadly combination.”
- Rush Limbaugh mocking Romney for his endorsement from McCain on Wednesday

"Hamas is not a political organization that conducts terrorism. Hamas is a murderous, genocidal terrorist organization to the core."
- Mark Regev, the spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

"I don't think a liberal Massachusetts governor is going to be able to relate to folks as well as the guy who grew up as the grandson of a coal miner."
- Rick Santorum explaining why he can appeal to America better then Mitt Romney in a NBC News interview

"They pick corn in Iowa, they pick presidents in New Hampshire.”
- Jon Huntsman explaining to CBS why he decided to skip the Iowa caucuses.

••••••••••••
GOT QUOTES?
If you stumble upon a clever quote that you feel would be appropriate for this column, please send them to: yechezkelgordoncolumnist@yahoo.com

Yechezkel Gordon: PREVIEWING THE IOWA CAUCUSES- EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS AND PREDICTIONS

2011-12-30T12:50:00.001+02:00

WHAT: The Iowa Caucuses

WHEN: January 3, 2012

ANALYSIS: After months of debating and campaigning, the first in the nation caucuses will officially usher in the 2012 election. The Republican field is narrowed down to seven candidates, and by the time the GOP convention is held in the summer, one of them will stand alone as the Republican candidate for president who will take on President Obama in the general election, for the honors of occupying the White House the next four years.

2008 RESULTS:
REPUBLICANS-
Mike Huckabee (34%), Mitt Romney (25%),
Fred Thompson (13%), John McCain (13%),
Ron Paul (10%),
Rudy Giuliani (4%), Duncan Hunter (1%)

DEMOCRATS-
Barack Obama (38%), John Edwards (30%), Hillary Clinton (29%),
Bill Richardson (2%),
Joe Biden (1%)

ANALYSIS: The importance of the first in the nation caucuses has been debated over the years. 2008 proved to be a mixed bag. Huckabee won on the Republican side and that was the last we heard of him until he got a job on Fox News. McCain finished in fourth place and went on to become the eventual nominee. On the Democrat side it was a whole different story. Obama's shocking first place finish, catapulted him to the front of the pack and he's never had to look back since. Previous years have proven more prophetic though. John Kerry won in 2004, Al Gore and George W. Bush won in 2000, and they all went on to become the nominee for their respected parties.

THE CANDIDATES: Here's a rundown of the Republican candidates that will be on the ballot for the Iowa caucuses, and what it will take for them to win.

Mitt Romney: The good news is, he was the front runner in the beginning of the race and he's still the front runner now. The bad news is, it's more a result of his competitors weaknesses then his strengths. He's proven to be a very good debater, and the weak economy plays to his strength as a former CEO and the executive who turned the Utah Olympics into a great economic success. New Hampshire has long been considered his home turf, and if he wins Iowa or comes in second to Paul, he's all but sure to win in NH, and cary that momentum into a South Carolina victory where he already has the endorsement of it's popular Governor. In short, his competitors have only one realistic shot of beating him, and that's in the socially conservative Iowa, if they fail to do that, the race is all but over.

Newt Gingrich: His poll numbers soared earlier this month following a string of strong debate performances and the collapse of Herman Cain's campaign. But the spotlight brings with it scrutiny, and for Gingrich that meant getting pounded for the past few weeks by everyone else on the campaign trail and with blunt TV ads painting him as a lifetime politician turned lobbyist, who will do and say anything to advance his career. He needs to do better then Romney to give himself a chance to win NH. If he doesn't finish in the top three, it will spell the end to his campaign.

Ron Paul: Throughout the campaign, Paul has maintained a strong showing in Iowa. He's known to have the most loyal supporters, and his anti- government stance has helped him expand his support from four years ago. He has the extensive groundwork and organization needed to win in Iowa, and the latest polls indicate that he has a very good chance of doing just that. Recently, his various controversial positions have come out, including racist and anti-Semitic statements in newsletters under his name that were published in the 1990's. He may win in Iowa, but if he does, it will be due to the support of Democrats and Independents, but very few Republicans.

Rick Santorum: As a social and economic conservative, Santorum decided to go all out in Iowa. While his competitors were crisscrossing the country campaigning and fundraising, he went house to house all across Iowa until he managed to visit all 99 counties. His strategy has shown signs of success recently when he received endorsements from two prominent evangelical leaders and from the Iowa Secretary of State. For Santorum, there's a lot at stake in this election. Unlike his conservative competitors Perry and Bachmann who have their current jobs as Governor and Congressman to fall back on should they loose, Santorum would be forced to find a private sector job to help pay off his debt from the campaign. Santorum has a consistent conservative track record throughout his political career in the House and Senate to help him appeal to the conservative Iowans. He'll either shock everyone with a surprising top three finish, or he'll be forced to drop out of the race with a poor showing. A big time endorsement from Iowa Congressman Steve King or another prominent Republican can make all the difference.

Michele Bachmann: A solid conservative that can boast about her victory in the Iowa Straw Poll this summer, but that's about all. Her numbers have tanked ever since Perry joined the race, and she'll need to do well in Iowa to stay in the race. She's fighting for the same conservative evangelicals as Perry and Santorum, and if the three of them split the evangelical vote it will give Romney a good chance of winning.

Rick Perry: His poor debate performances and frequent slip- ups have overshadowed his strong conservative record as Governor of Texas. Finishing below Santorum or Bachmann in the caucuses will put him on a one way ticket back to Texas.

Jon Huntsman: Early in the campaign, he said he would not compete in the more conservative Iowa, and instead would make his start in New Hampshire, which comes second on the nominating calendar. Thus, no matter how poorly he does he'll still be around for the NH primary.

PREDICTION: Unless Santorum pulls off an unbelievable come from behind victory, or Paul manages to convince enough Democrats and Independents to caucus for him, Romney will be the one delivering the victory speech in about a week from now.

Josephine Levin: BASHING- THE CRUSADE AGAINST THE ORTHODOX JEWS IN ISRAEL BY THE LIBERAL LEFT MEDIA AND POLITICIANS

2011-12-30T10:49:00.001+02:00

Has anyone ever seen a headline like this? Secular Jew murders his wife or secular Jew robs bank or secular Jew abuses a child?

However, these kinds of headlines we have all seen. Jewish settler murders wife in front of 6 children, suspected charedi pedophile arrested, Ethiopian oleh kills his wife, Russian immigrant suspected of murder, etc.

Some years ago it was rumored that the grandson of the head of a leftist political party murdered a man in cold blood. There was no mention in the press of a possible relationship between the young killer and the head of a leftist political party who had the same surname. Perhaps these rumors were unfounded but just imagine though if the son of a prominent settler leader or charedi rabbi murdered someone? Would the press also try to protect the parent's good reputation?

There is, in short, a double standard by the press in Israel when it comes to charedim, settlers, and new immigrants.

Sadly many of the National Religious are jumping on this same bashing bandwagon. The truth is that 99% of the charedi population are decent, law-abiding citizens who only want to live and let live.

Entire populations of decent law abiding citizens are smeared by this kind of bashing. Today a handful of hooligans called the Sicarii sicaristim are causing all kinds of problems against charedi, national relgious and secular Israelis, but the press labels them as charedi rather than sicarii and bashes all charedim.. The sicaristim in fact glued the Gerer rebbe's door so that the Gerrer rebbe was not able to leave his home to pray in the synagogue on Hoshana Raba. A sicarii leader was later beaten up and hospitalized probably in revenge.

Now here is something to consider. The head of the Kadima party,Tsipi Livini made it clear after the last elections that she would never join a government that contained members of the Shas religious party. Shas, by the way, is the main reason this government cannot consider dividing Jerusalem or returning Israel's holy places to the Palestinians or handing them over to some kind of international rule by the Vatican and the UN.

So is it coincidental that now when rumors of early elections are circulating, that leftists are purposely provoking the charedim by boarding busses usually with a photographer and journalist not far behind to deliberately cause a public outcry against them? One of them in fact joined Tsippi Livni in a a march for women's rights to sit in front on busses, etc. The charedi rabbis say the reason men should sit in front is not because men are superior to woman - just the opposite. They feel that they, as men, are in fact inferior when it comes to temptations. So women can see the men but the men cannot see the women.
This is not discrimination - this is purely for reasons of modesty.

Most charedi busses take much longer to reach a destination than the regular busses because they wind around all the charedi neighborhoods. It takes 20 minutes longer just to leave or enter Ashdod if one boards a charedi bus instead of a regular bus. There is no advantage to riding one, especially if one is in a hurry to get to work, back to an army base or to just get home.

By the way married couples often sit together on the Ashdod haredi busses - they sit in the middle! It is apparent that many of the bashers have never ridden on a charedi bus.

The National Religious people should wake up. The only way we can have another major disengagement is if Shas and Israel Beitenu will be removed or leave this present government. So stop your bashing. Everyone is repulsed by men who spit, throw excrement and call little Jewish girls shiksas, but why brand and bash an entire population because of a few hooligans? The mother of the daughter spat upon by hooligans in Bet Shemesh refuses to meet with the Shas mayor Moshe Abutbul of Bet Shemesh (reported in the press). Why? He has invited her to meet with him and she refuses his offer.

Frankly, the major rabbis should get together and excommunicate the Neturei Karta and the Sicaristim or somehow do more to disassociate themselves from them.

If Kadima replaces Shas and Yisrael Beitenu we will have another hitnatkut although on a much bigger scale than the disengagement from Gush Katif. A house divided cannot stand. We could not stand up against the Romans when we were divided by all kinds of in-fighting and causeless hatred between Jews over 2000 years ago when we lost the Temple and went into exile. The kind of bashing today and hatred between us will cause us to lose the Temple Mount again, so wake up. Unite. Reach out to each other and of course separate yourselves from the minority extremists who spit on children and who attack army bases. We do not want to lose the Temple Mount again.

Isi Leibler: THE NEW YORK TIMES HATES ISRAEL

2011-12-16T16:11:00.001+02:00

The brouhaha over a recent New York Times column by Thomas Friedman highlights the newspaper’s increasing hostility toward Israel. Today, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the editorial policy of the NYT toward the Jewish state is virtually indistinguishable from the blatant anti-Israeli hostility promoted by the U.K.-based Guardian or the BBC.

Fortunately, the broader American public opinion has never been more supportive of the Jewish state than today. The only exceptions are the liberals, some of whom have become increasingly disenchanted with Israel and now tend to identify with their European counterparts and their excessive bias against Israel. This manifests itself on U.S. campuses and to some extent in far-left sectors of the Democratic Party. It represents the source of the tensions that have evolved between Israel and the U.S. following the election of Barack Obama.

One of the principal long-term contributing factors to the erosion of liberal support can be attributed to increasing vitriolic hostility against Israel displayed in the pages of The New York Times. This trend climaxed with the election of Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been subjected to a constant and unprecedented barrage of fierce personal and political condemnations from its editorials and leading columnists.

Despite Jewish ownership, throughout its history, The New York Times has rarely displayed affection or sensitivity toward Jewish issues. As far back as 1929, during the Arab riots in Palestine, the local Times correspondent, Joseph Levy, boasted that he was a committed anti-Zionist.

There is ample evidence that during the Holocaust, news of the slaughter of the Jews was relegated to the back pages allegedly out of cowardly concern that undue clamor about the plight of the Jews might reinforce the anti-Semitic claim that the war against the Nazis was a Jewish war.

Since the creation of Israel, the NYT could be said to be "fairly objective." But from 1967 onward, this evolved into sharp criticism. However, it seems to me that since the election of Netanyahu, the editors have embarked on a determined all-out campaign to undermine and demonize the Israeli government whilst invariably providing the Palestinians with a free pass.

A constant stream of unbalanced editorials have blasted Israel for the impasse and mercilessly attacked the government. It continuously "put the greater onus” for the failure of peace negotiations on Netanyahu "who is using any excuse to thwart peace efforts" and "refuses to make any serious compromises for peace."

Its columnists and Op-Ed contributors have done likewise. For a newspaper purporting to provide diverse opinions, I believe it rarely publishes dissenting viewpoints from its editorials and in-house columns, which only find fault with the Israeli government. One notable exception was Likud MK Danny Danon, to whom the NYT provided a column in which he expressed a viewpoint far to the Right of the government which simply amounted to a cheap effort to discredit the government by conveying a far more hardline position than the reality.

Its principal columnists Thomas Friedman, Roger Cohen (both Jews) and Nicolas Kristof have been leading the charge in castigating Israel and unabashedly praising the Arab Spring.

In a recent column, Kristof described a dinner with a PR savvy group of Muslim Brotherhood activists. Kristof approvingly quoted them, claiming that their support was strong "for the same reason the Germans support Christian Democrats or Southerners favor conservative Christians.” He also postulated that "conservative Muslims insisted that the Muslim Brotherhood is non-discriminatory and the perfect home for pious Christians – and a terrific partner for the West." Kristof concluded, "It's reasonable to worry. But let's not overdo it … Our fears often reflect our own mental hobgoblins.”

Kristof did not meet the Muslim Brotherhood chief cleric, Sheikh Yusuf al Kardawi, the organization’s most powerful religious leader, an evil anti-Semite who supports the murder of Jews.

Roger Cohen is another regular columnist whose undisguised hostility toward Israel has led him to condemn the Jewish state's "obsession with the [Iranian] nuclear bogeyman" and praise Turkey's anti-Semitic Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan while condemning Israel for not apologizing to the Turks over the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident.

Virtually every recent Op-Ed published on Israel has been hostile. Last month, the NYT published a piece which went to the lengths of challenging Israel’s position on gay rights. In May, PA President Mahmoud Abbas published an Op-Ed falsely accusing Israel of initiating the war in 1948 by expelling Palestinian Arabs and obligating Arab armies to intervene. Initially, the NYT refused to publish Goldstone’s withdrawal of apartheid and war crimes charges against Israel, only doing so some months later after it had appeared in the Washington Post.

But it is Thomas Friedman's most recent column that is the most outrageous.

In his uniquely arrogant manner, over the past few years Friedman has been consistently mirroring NYT editorials castigating Netanyahu, whom, in my opinion, he loathes, and alleging that Israel has become "the most diplomatically inept and outrageously incompetent government in Israel's history." He accused Netanyahu of choosing to protect the Pharaoh rather than support Obama who aided the “democratization” of Egypt. He went so far as to say that Netanyahu was "on the way to becoming the Hosni Mubarak of the peace process."

Last February, after being in Tahrir Square, Friedman exulted that the “people” had achieved "freedom" and were heading towards democracy. He dismissed concerns that the Muslim Brotherhood would become a dominant party.

In his latest column he broadly condemned all aspects of Israeli society, even quoting Gideon Levy, the Ha'aretz correspondent, whom many Israelis regard as being more aligned with the Palestinian campaign against Israel than his own country. He described Levy as "a powerful liberal voice" and quoted him alleging that Israel is becoming a failed democratic state.

What provoked the greatest indignation was his remark. "I sure hope that Israel's Prime Minister understands that the standing ovation he got in Congress this year was not for his politics. That ovation was bought and paid for by the Israeli lobby."

For a Jew, purporting to be a friend of Israel, to effectively endorse the distorted thesis relating to the Israeli lobby promoted by Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer is unconscionable. Friedman is effectively parroting a hoary anti-Semitic libel asserting that Congress has been "bought" by American Jews who represent 2 percent of the population and that the vast majority of the American public supporting Israel and Congress are simply stooges, manipulated or bribed by the Israeli lobby.

It places him on a par with the anti-Semitic attitudes promoted by Pat Buchanan and one may rest assured that Israel’s enemies will fully exploit his remarks as a means of discrediting American support for the Jewish state.

Friedman continued, suggesting that Netanyahu should test genuine American public opinion by speaking at a liberal campus like the University of Wisconsin, absurdly implying that far Left liberal campuses are more representative of American attitudes than the democratically elected Congress.

The New York Times editorials and columns like that of Thomas Friedman should not be treated lightly. They must be viewed in the context of the recent condemnations of Israel emanating from higher echelons of the Obama administration. Unless vigorously repudiated, these critiques will have a ripple effect with the potential of undermining the, up until now, prevailing bipartisan consensus over Israel.

　

Rena Baldinger: A WIDE VIEW OF A NARROW STREET

2011-12-15T16:52:00.001+02:00

Shortly before the light rail started charging its passengers, there was a mad rush to quickly get in however many rides one could possibly fit into a day. Being a good Jew, I made sure to take advantage of the free trips while it lasted.

On an ordinary day, and a most ordinary time, I got onto the light rail along with about 60 carriages complete with teary-eyed babies, all in one compartment. I had a long way to go and didn’t look forward to sharing my small space with so many strangers. Each stop only got worse and worse. I gained an insightful meaning of what panim-el-panim really meant.

To make things worse, we were headed right into the heart and center of Jerusalem. On a whim, plus a desire to get rid of the choking feeling that was threatening to overwhelm me, I stepped off at Machane Yehuda. I breathed in a very welcome breath of air, only to start choking once again by the smoke of a teenager lounging around just looking for someone to pick on. I quickly walked the other way and found myself with a front and center view of a very large, and very dead, fish. My head was spinning, and it hit me that I was in the smack center of the famed Shuk. Every step was another smell, another vendor telling you how cheap his fruit is, another despondent woman begging for coins.

By the time I got to the end of the shuk (or the beginning, depending on where you start from), I was desperate for something to take all the images and sensations out of my mind. Too much of it was giving me a headache. I jingled the coins in my pocket, took them out and counted 12 shekalim. I promptly headed towards the section in a candy store that held the green and red candied bricks they were famed for. I decided that, if nothing else, at least I would be able to have something to show for my trip. Never mind that I was late in getting home to dinner; the bricks would be worth it. I carefully stuffed candy into a bag (with a glove of course) and exhaled when the total came out to 12 shekalim. But it was ok, because the light rail was still free.

Yechezkel Gordon: EXCLUSIVE- MICHAEL SAVAGE SLAMS ORTHODOX JEWISH RABBIS FOR ATTENDING OBAMA CHANUKAH PARTY; DARES AUDIENCE TO REPORT HIM TO ADL FOR HIS COMMENTS

2011-12-13T01:31:00.001+02:00

Michael Savage, a conservative talk radio host, had some harsh words for the orthodox Jewish Rabbis that attended the annual Chanukah party at the White House last week together with President Obama.

On his show this past Friday (December 9th), that is syndicated across the U.S. in over 400 markets and heard by 8-10 million listeners a week, Mr. Savage wanted to know what deal these Rabbis received for attending the party with Obama and, "which sect of hasidim went there as quislings, to sell Israel down the river," singling out Satmar and Lubavitch as the possible culprits.

He started off criticizing the President for celebrating Chanukah two weeks early, saying Obama would never disrespect a Muslim holiday like that. But what really got him going was an off the cuff joke that Obama made at the celebration. Obama joked that he would give a kiss and a hug to everyone in attendance except for the Rabbis with the whiskers.

"Why wouldn't he ever say that to the guys with whiskers who practice Islam? Anyone have an answer to that? Anything with Muslims and Islam there like grim faced in the White House, they follow it to a tea, like they walk on glass." He continued, "But with Jews it's two weeks early, we'll light all the candles (and) we'll joke about you guys with beards. Alright come on up, let's break some Matzoh together. But sir it's not Passover? Never mind, come on have some Manischewitz, we like a good party over here ha ha ha."

That's when he turned his anger away from Obama and redirected it towards the Rabbis that attended.

"What do the Rabbis get for this, the guys with the whiskers, what deal did they get for going there? I don't get this because most orthodox Jews are pretty conservative. Don't they understand that Obama is the most anti-Israel President in history? So who are these quisling Rabbis who were there with the black coats? Which sect of Hasidim was there? Is there a Hasidic Jew listening? Which sect of Hasidim went there as quislings to sell Israel down the river? Anyone know? I don't know who the guys with the whiskers were. Was it the Satmar's, was it the Lubavitch, was it another group I never heard of?"

Apparently, Mr. Savage didn't realize that orthodox Jews don't listen to the radio or make phone calls on Shabbos, which starts at sunset on Friday. Thus, no one called in to respond to these comments that he made during the first hour of his Friday show, which airs from 6-9pm eastern time.

Finally, Savage dared his audience to report him to the ADL for his remarks.

"Go ahead, call up the ADL and see if I care, a lot of good they've ever done for me. They're not there when you need them, and they're there when you don't need them. That's all."

Isi Leibler: KUDOS TO FOXMAN

2011-12-09T15:30:00.001+02:00

For some months I have been highly critical of the failure of the American Jewish establishment leadership to speak out against repeated hostile policies and statements emanating from various branches of the Obama administration.

I also expressed concern regarding a joint public statement issued by Abraham Foxman, head of the ADL, and his American Jewish Committee counterpart David Harris, which many perceived as an attempt to stifle all political discussion related to Israel in the forthcoming presidential election. If implemented, it would have embargoed both positive or negative comment and discourse concerning policies adopted by parties and candidates in relation to Israel.

Last week, we were bombarded by three separate, appallingly biased and offensive statementsconcerning Israel, expressed by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman.

Not surprisingly, the ZOA and Jewish Republicans vehemently condemned these outbursts, but most of the Jewish leadership once again responded with deafening silence.

However, unlike his other Jewish establishment colleagues, Foxman, the effervescent ADL head, spoke out with vigor and dignity, condemning the offensive remarks and calling on the administration to distance itself from all three outbursts.

In a blazing op-ed in the Huffington Post, Foxman related specifically to Panetta’s remarks blaming Israel for the deteriorating situation with Turkey and Egypt. He stressed that Panetta’s remarks were not merely “inaccurate” but “disturbing and potentially dangerous," adding that “finding fault with Israel at a time of great instability and uncertainty in the region is particularly distressing.” He called on the White House to issue “a clear repudiation” because “if the secretary’s remarks are allowed to stand, this is likely to set in motion events that will exacerbate existing problems … and add fuel to the fire of an already raging region."

In a subsequent interview with the JTA, Foxman also condemned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks castigating Israel’s treatment of women making odious and utterly baseless analogies with the manner in which Iranians treat their women.

Foxman pointed out that, “This is a secretary of state who certainly doesn’t go out to the Arab Muslim world and criticize them for inequalities." “Sure," he said, “Israel is not perfect, human rights could use improvement, but my God, in comparison, I think it is inappropriate, it’s excessive." He described Clinton’s remarks as being “out of line."

Foxman noted that the remarks from all three members of the Obama administration reflected a common theme that came to the heart of the “problem we’ve had with this administration." The three of them are “putting all the onus on Israel and that’s with Panetta, with Hillary and with the ambassador” (referring to the U.S. ambassador to Belgium whose offensive remarks implied that Muslim anti-Semitism was a by-product of Israeli intransigence in the Middle East).

He was careful not to ignore the positive aspects of the administration’s attitude toward Israel such as the ongoing defense commitments which have brought the U.S.-Israeli military alliance to newfound heights. But, he pointed out that the attitude toward Israel is “bifurcated” and the administration has regrettably also “done more to politically distance itself from Israel."

This is not the first time that Foxman spoke out as a lone voice amongst mainstream American Jewish leaders. In the early stages of the Obama administration, he was the only Jewish establishment spokesman to criticize the president when he initially displayed his bias against the Israeli government. In August 2009, in a full-page advertisement in the New York Times, Foxman called on Obama to recognize that "the problem is not the settlements. It is Arab rejection … Mr. President, it's time to stop pressurizing our vital friend and ally."

In March 2010, Foxman was again one of the few Jewish leaders to condemn the histrionics displayed by the president and secretary of state against Jewish construction in the residential areas of Jewish East Jerusalem. He even went so far as to propose a protest march on Washington.

Nobody could accuse Foxman of being a hawk in relation to Israel and over the past six months he made a number of statements with which many of his less dovish Jewish constituents took great umbrage. But this does not negate the fact that when the chips were down and he believed red lines were being crossed in relation to the Jewish state, he was one of the few willing to courageously speak up against the Obama administration.

Once again, despite the fact that it may create major problems with those of his supporters who still blindly endorse all aspects of the Obama administration's policies, the former child Holocaust survivor who rose to become head of one of U.S. Jewry’s foremost organizations again proved to be a trailblazer. One can only hope that his courageous response will serve as an example for other Jewish leaders to emulate.

Rena Baldinger: IN ISRAELI CULTURE SILENCE IS GOLDEN

2011-12-08T16:39:00.001+02:00

The Full Five Finger Gesture is what I call the hand signal that is common to all Israelis. The tip of the thumb is pressed to the gathered tips of all other fingers. No words needed, just a little oomph of the hand. Language here is not just about words; it’s about body language, signals, and oftentimes silence that can be integral to the fibers of a culture.

Although I considered myself pretty much fluent in Hebrew as a result of an intense studying, I was still nervous about moving here thanks to the language barrier and cultural differences. To say the least, things are very different in Israel than it is in New York, let alone America. However, I embraced the challenge of learning the nuances that define Israeli language and culture. How frustrating it was when I realized that Israelis don’t just have a different language with a different alphabet and opposite writing directions; they also have so many specific distinctions that is similar to learning a whole new language all on its own. I knew I was in for a real learning experience.

The Full Five Finger Gesture is just one of many examples of the often “lost-for-words” language. Raising one’s arms all the way to the heavens as if praying on the High Holy days and yelling incomprehensible gibberish at an unbelievable rate is another. A pretty popular one is honking on the horn, slamming on the brakes, and sticking one’s hands out the window with obscene gestures—simultaneously. Thus I learned a fundamental lesson; every culture has its own idiosyncrasies, its own wordless language that practically defines it; you actually don’t have to say a word.

The culture that Israel has created for itself is generally seen as rude, possibly violent, out of line and impatient. Oblivious foreign victims such as myself simply have to maneuver their way through and try to survive the onslaught of a whole new language within a language.

Yet another “language” that’s not really language (i.e. words being spoken) is silence. I learned this specific way of communicating on a Friday night out walking with a friend. Although it was a half hour walk and women usually have an intense need to talk two words per footstep, we said nothing to each other—we simply enjoyed the fresh air and each other’s company. As we reached the point where we had to part ways, my friend turned to me and said, “I love knowing that I have a friend who I don’t always need to be talking to. I’ve never felt more comfortable.” After that, I set about thinking hard about what that meant. Sometimes not saying anything can speak volumes; sometimes a long and strained silence can be a code for: “I want to yell as loud as possible!!”

The Jewish people as a united culture know that the gift of speech is not something to be taken lightly, and that many times the wise and correct thing to do is to remain silent. Sometimes silence defines us as a people, and other times, it’s a lack thereof that defines us—when we cry out at the injustice of a certain law or action or country…when we take a stand for ourselves and show that we can speak the diplomatic language, the presidential language, or the lay-people language. But what ultimately characterizes us as a people and as a culture is our ability to make use of the words of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi: “The best medicine of all is silence,” and the words of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel (Avos 1:17): “All my days I have been raised among the Sages and I have found nothing better for oneself than silence.”

So whether it’s the language with no words that the inhabitants of Israel are famous for, or whether it’s the art of silence that the Jewish people as a whole embody, both are crucial to the expression of culture that is created through these unique “languages.”

Josephine Levin: IN TIMES OF WAR, TURN TOWARDS G-D FOR SALVATION

2011-12-08T15:06:00.001+02:00

Daily we are bombarded with two messages. One message is that Iran that has publicly called for the total destruction of Israel and the Jewish people has or will soon have nuclear weapons of mass destruction. The second message is whatever Israel decides to do–just do not strike at Iran!

Last year John Bolton, the former Bush administration ambassador to the UN, said Israel had only until August 21, 2010 to stop Iran. This was the date that Russia would begin unloading nuclear fuel rods into the Iranian reactor. After that Mr. Bolton claimed the situation would be at the point of no return because any attack that would occur after the rods were unloaded into the reactor would cause radiation to escape into the atmosphere and possibly into the waters of the Persian Gulf. Mr. Bolton claimed that Israel's prior strikes on the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak 1981and the attack on the Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 took place before the nuclear fuel rods were unloaded into the reactors.

Has Israel really had the opportunity to strike at Iran but missed it? Here are the facts: Since 1991 the US has operated a no-fly zone over Iraq and no one can enter these skies without the express permission of the United States, So If Israel missed the opportunity to strike at Iran before it would be too late, then who in fact is to blame for this? Surely Mr. Bolton must have known that Israel would need the permission of the United States to fly over Iraq to attack Iran. The shortest route for Israel to strike at Iran is to fly over Iraq. At the end of this month the official agreement between the US and Iraq of 2008 that allows for this nofly zone is due to expire and there is speculation that if the nofly zone over Iraq is removed then Israel might strike at Iran. Is it a coincidence that this nofly zone has been in operation until the Iranians have or are about to have a nuclear bomb? Iran has stated that no matter who attacks them they will retaliate against Israel.

During the Gulf War of 1991 Israel was attacked by more than 40 scuds fired by Saddam Hussein from Iraq and not once was Israel able to retaliate because the United States would not supply Israel with "friendly" codes for the US AIWACS so that Israeli planes would not be shot down over the Gulf. Those of us who were here during the Gulf War and spent a lot of time in sealed rooms, putting gas masks on our children, while our country was not allowed to defend itself will never forget this. Israeli planes apparently took off at least 5 times to defend our nation that was under attack by Iraqi SCUD missiles and Moshe Ahrens who was then Minister of Defense revealed that he had to call our planes back, as they would have been shot down by American forces over the Gulf. We were like sitting ducks with no one to defend us except the Lord our G-d, the Creator of the universe, and in fact so many miracles took place at that time that even the most secular and non-believing Israelis began to take notice. Only one person was directly killed by a SCUD. In a Ramat Gan apartment that was totally destroyed was found an infant lying unharmed in a crib - like Daniel in the Lion's Den. There were many more stories of miracles that took place in Israel during the Gulf War.

We in Israel see that with few exceptions the entire world has moved against us and anti-Semitism is as high if not higher than the years preceding the Second World War. Only 66 years after the Holocaust the world is setting us up for another one. In the entire European Union we have only one friend Czechoslovakia. Italy has also been one of our only friends but this may change with the new political realities in Italy.

During the Second World War Hitler's African Corps under his general Rommel were only a few hours away from entering Jerusalem. Rabbis in Jerusalem called on the people en masse to enter the synagogues and pray that Jerusalem and Israel would not fall to the evil Nazis and their prayers were answered. Rommel's forces were defeated by Montgomery November 11, 1942 and in fact it has been recorded that all kinds of weather also helped stop Rommel at the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt.

I do not know what the Rock of Israel is going to do to protect us but Iran is one of the most seismically active regions in the world and has had and can have major earthquakes of mass destruction. Also, punishing weather, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. are being experienced by many of the nations that seek to destroy us. The LORD our G-d also twice created a no-fly zone over European skies with the eruption of the Icelandic volcano. In 2010 Japan agreed to build 5 earthquake proof nuclear reactors in Iran. In March, 2011 Japan was struck by a major earthquake and tsunami that damaged the so called earthquake proof Japanese reactors and there was a meltdown at Fukashima which is still not under control.

Iran has stated more than once that no matter who strikes at them they will retaliate against Israel.

According to our biblical prophesies we have been brought back here by HaShem from the four corners of the world to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of G-d on the earth and not to be exterminated by those who hate us. As a woman of faith in the Kadosh Baruch Hu I can sleep at night here in Jerusalem putting my trust totally in HaShem. A G-d who parted the Red Sea can do anything. In truth we can depend on no one but our Father in heaven.

Yechezkel Gordon: 2012 ELECTION COVERAGE: The Latest Polls, Upcoming Debates & Primary Info, and Exclusive Analysis

2011-12-07T18:45:00.001+02:00

Upcoming Republican Primaries:
Iowa Caucus: Jan. 3
NH Primary: Jan. 10
SC Primary: Jan. 21
FL Primary: Jan. 31

Analysis: Most candidates have converged on Iowa to make the most of the remaining weeks until the nations first caucus.
••••••••••

Upcoming Republican Debates:

•Date: December 10
•Place: Des Moines IA
•Sponsor: ABC News / Des Moines Register /
Iowa Republican Party

•Date: December 15
•Place: Sioux City, IA
•Sponsor: FOX News / Iowa Republican Party

•Date: December 27
•Place: Des Moines, IA
•Sponsor: Ion TV / Newsmax

Analysis: The debate on Dec. 10 will be the first one since Herman Cain dropped out of the race and Newt Gingrich will be the focus of attention. Mitt Romney will try to portray him as a longtime Washington insider and a former lobbyist. Perry, Bachmann, and Santorum will all toot their conservative credentials and contrast them with Gingrich's more liberal policies. Don't be surprised if Romney gets attacked as well for being a flip-flopper on many conservative principals, especially after we saw from the FOX interview how much this accusation gets under Romney's skin.
••••••••••

LATEST POLLS:

IOWA (31 Delegates)

Newt Gingrich 27%,
Ron Paul 18%,
Mitt Romney 16%,
Michele Bachmann 13%, Rick Perry 9%,
Rick Santorum 6%,
Jon Huntsman, Jr. 4%, Gary Johnson 1%,
Someone else/Not sure 7%

•Poll date: December 3-5, 2011
•Poll source: Public Policy Polling
•Margin of error: ±4.1% •Sample size: 572

Analysis: Gingrich's rise to the top in this staunchly conservative state has surprised many, but there's no telling if he has a large enough ground operation to turn his impressive poll numbers into a victory on election day. The poll numbers for Ron Paul and Mitt Romney have pretty much remained steady for the past few months, seeming to indicate that the undecided voters and those that will break off from Gingrich, will end up dividing themselves amongst Bachmann, Santorum, and Perry. A poor showing in Iowa from any of the above mentioned threesome, could very well spell the end of their campaign.

NEW HAMPSHIRE (23 Delegates)

Mitt Romney 39%,
Newt Gingrich 23%,
Ron Paul 16%,
Jon Huntsman, Jr. 9%, Michele Bachmann 3%, Rick Perry 3%,
Herman Cain 2%,
Rick Santorum 1%, Undecided 4%

•Poll date: November 28-30, 2011
•Poll source: NBC News/Marist
•Margin of error: 3.7%
•Sample size: 696

Analysis: Romney is expected to win this primary for two main reasons. He's well known throughout NH since he was the Governor of neighboring Massachusetts, and the open primary system that allows independents to vote alongside republicans, is a major boost to the more moderate Romney. Gingrich and possibly Huntsman are the only ones with a real chance of defeating Romney in this primary. Conservative candidates have never done well in this primary, and there's no reason to believe this time will be any different. A poor showing by Huntsman will bring his campaign to an end.

Isi Leibler: FUROR DOWN UNDER

2011-12-07T18:28:00.001+02:00

In June 2010, amid considerable controversy, an Australian branch of the New Israel Fund was launched by its president, former MK Naomi Chazan, who a few months earlier had been disinvited from an Australian Zionist speaking engagement because of controversies associated with the NIF.

In October, I wrote a critical review of the NIF, observing that while the majority of the organizations which were beneficiaries of more than $200 million in funds dispersed by the NIF were engaged in worthy welfare and developmental projects, vast funds were also being provided to groups engaged in campaigns to delegitimize Israel.

Foremost among these groups, I referred to Adala, which, in addition to promoting the Goldstone report, urged foreign governments “to re-evaluate their relationship with Israel," described Israel as "a colonial enterprise promoting apartheid," called for implementing the Palestinian right of return to Israel, provided affidavits to Spanish courts to charge Israeli officials with war crimes and defended a Hezbollah spy as a "human rights defender."

I also related to NIF-sponsored “Breaking the Silence," another organization that had paved the way for the Goldstone report.

Presumably in order to improve its image, the Australian NIF invited a prominent Israeli to promote its case to the Jewish community and Australian media. It made the disastrous blunder of selecting David Landau, a talented and articulate writer who has published a number of influential books, including the recent biography of David Ben-Gurion based on interviews with President Shimon Peres. The NIF also highlighted the fact that he was orthodox and a former yeshiva student.

However, Landau, a former editor of Haaretz, is renowned for promoting far Left views which the majority of Israelis would consider contemptible. He is the Israeli correspondent of The Economist which, to put it mildly, is unfriendly to Israel. He is also highly regarded by the BBC, which frequently interviews him.

Many Israelis still recollect that in September 2007, in the course of an intimate gathering at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, he informed then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that "it has always been my wet dream to address the secretary of state” and suggested how to act in relation to Israel. He then went on to describe Israel as a politically "failed state" and urged the U.S. to impose a solution on Israel, telling Rice, “I implore you to intervene,” and adding that the government of Israel "wished to be raped." His remarks appeared in the media and created a considerable furor.

Last year, in the course of condemning the Knesset for its current controversial NGO legislation, Landau stated, "I call on parliaments throughout the democratic world and inter-parliamentary associations to boycott Israel's parliament, once the pride of the Jewish people, until it buries the bill and recovers its democratic heritage."

Australian Jews, a largely post-Holocaust community, are passionately Zionist and strongly committed to pro-Israel advocacy. Over the decades, they have succeeded in cultivating a climate of political bipartisanship and friendship toward Israel that is probably unique in the Western world. Their leaders have also maintained a tradition of avoiding public criticism of security policies adopted by the democratically elected government of Israel.

Many Jewish leaders were apprehensive that Landau would articulate his anti-government views to the Australian media. Danny Lamm, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, refused to meet or endorse him, and subsequently bitterly criticized some of his remarks to the media.

However, NIF Australia President Robin Margo seemed unconcerned that linking his organization with a person espousing such views would be counterproductive. In fact, when the West Australian Jewish community’s Director of Public Affairs, Steve Lieblich, circulated my article on the NIF and background information about Landau to his colleagues on the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Margo declined to refute the information and instead sought to intimidate him by threatening that he could be subject to legal action for “distributing grossly defamatory material." "I suggest you take legal advice," he told him.

In such an environment, one might have expected Landau to be cautious about expressing his more radical views. But in fact, he told the media that McCarthyism in Israel was rife and that "the poison of the occupation is seeping back and corroding our democracy… Local Jews needed to speak out instead of blindly toeing the government line."

He castigated settlers, alleging that they "resort to subterfuge to make life difficult for the Palestinians." As an example he claimed that “little settler boys" scattered drawing pins on the carpets of mosques. In a subsequent ABC interview, he conceded that his grandchildren lived over the Green Line, claiming that they were being brainwashed to discriminate against Arabs.

He also stated that Baruch Goldstein's murderous rampage in Hebron in February 1994 was not the act of a man who had lost his senses but a calculated operation to "derail the Oslo Peace process."

At a breakfast meeting in Sydney, prefacing remarks endorsing the actions of the NIF-sponsored "Breaking the Silence,” Landau defamed the Israel Defense Forces.

He recounted how 25 years ago while on reserve duty in Hebron he had witnessed a fellow soldier committing an unspecified act of "bestiality” that tortured him to this day and that he had not yet confided to anyone, including his wife. One could of course ask him to explain why, after witnessing “bestial” acts committed by a fellow soldier, he failed to report the incident immediately to his commanding officer. And why should he raise this issue now, in such a vague and tortuous manner, in Australia of all places?

In fact, this vague charge of IDF “bestiality” was a prelude to Landau’s lauding the NIF-sponsored organization. BTS, created in 2004, paved the way for the Goldstone report by releasing unsubstantiated anonymous “testimony” from former Israeli soldiers accusing the IDF of war crimes that was plastered on the front pages of the global media. Although the claims were subsequently proven to be without substance, the damage was irreversible, and Israel came to be considered in many countries as a criminal state.

When the Goldstone commission compiled its despicable report -- from which Goldstone himself has now distanced himself -- BTS provided it with “evidence” of alleged Israeli war crimes.

In March this year, BTS hosted an exhibit in Sweden, introducing it with the statement: "We are the oppressors, we are the ones that are violating human rights on a daily basis. We are basically creating terror against us."

This is the organization whose budget the NIF tripled last year and whose spokesman told the Australian media and Jews that it represents the "conscience of our people."

The NIF is entitled to sponsor enemies of Israel and the Jewish people. But it should do so transparently, so that naive charitable donors are not duped into believing that their contributions are being utilized to transform Israel into a better society. It is surely also unconscionable for the local affiliate of the NIF to host an Israeli emissary who undermines the long-standing efforts of Australian community leaders to maintain strong bipartisan support for Israel.

Isi Leibler: ISLAMIC ASCENDANCY INTENSIFIES US APPEASEMENT

2011-12-06T18:21:00.001+02:00

It is ironic that while President Barack Obama portrays himself as a friend of Israel and solicits funds from Jewish donors, two senior members of his team were providing chilling insights to what Israel may expect should the current administration be returned to office.

After reaffirming that the U.S. retains "an unshakable commitment to Israel's security,” U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta crudely told a Brookings Institution forum that it was high time for Israel to "get to the damn negotiating table.” He ignored the fact that even after a 10-month settlement freeze, the Palestinians had refused to engage in direct negotiations with Israelis. He went on to repeat the mindless mantra that Israel is "partly" responsible for its diplomatic isolation. He demanded that Israel take further bold action to overcome the conflict with the Palestinians by making additional unilateral concessions which the Arabs would no doubt take on board in the context of their long-term strategy to dismantle the Jewish state in stages.

He demanded that Israel "reach out to mend fences with those who share an interest in regional stability,” specifically mentioning Turkey and Egypt. Here, he also he failed to take account of Israel's extraordinary efforts to retain good relations with Egypt, which is currently in the process of being taken over by jihadist groups and disregarded the fact that Erdogan’s Turkey is now openly allied with the genocidal Hamas. For a U.S. defense secretary to implicitly blame Israel for the erosion of relations with these countries is simply inexplicable.

In the same speech, he warned Israel that if it acted alone in relation to Iran, it would place America in an unenviable position, cost many lives and lead to global economic chaos. As former Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams observed, Panetta eased Iranian concerns by effectively nullifying long-standing American statements that "all options are on the table" to curb the nuclear threat.

A defense secretary does not make such statements unless he has the backing of his president.

Panetta’s provocative address was followed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who pontificated on Israel as a democratic state and harshly criticized proposed legislation restricting the foreign funding of non-governmental organizations. While this has generated considerable controversy in Israel, it is unprecedented for an American secretary of state to become involved in such a debate and publicly criticize the government of a purportedly close ally. Especially when one considers that Clinton has hardly been forthright in condemning human rights violations and vile anti-Semitic outbursts displayed in Muslim countries or by groups who are emerging as the new dominant forces in such countries.

Even more disconcerting were Clinton’s remarks concerning a marginal number of misguided Israeli soldiers who sought to boycott events in which female singers participated. This issue and the clumsy manner in which it was handled by the Israel Defense Forces has admittedly distressed many Israelis. But what justifies an American secretary of state who says nothing about women’s rights in Saudi Arabia or other Arab countries becoming involved in this? And to make an analogy of this episode with the segregation of African-Americans in the 1950s does not merely reflect ignorance, but is downright offensive. Clinton even said that this Israeli behavior reminded her of the way Iranians treated women.

Finally, the Jewish U.S. Ambassador in Belgium, Howard Gutman, appointed to the role because he was a major fundraiser for Obama, tells European Jewish leaders and lawyers that "a distinction should be made between traditional anti-Semitism, which should be condemned, and Muslim hatred for Jews, which stems from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.” The clear innuendo was that Muslim anti-Semitism is a byproduct of Israeli intransigence in the Middle East, and therefore can be understood and implicitly justified. These sickening remarks were made by a U.S. ambassador to Belgium, one of the most anti-Israeli countries in Europe.

These outbursts signal that despite favorable public opinion and congressional support, Israel continues to face hostility and difficulties from the U.S. administration.

The timing of these provocative outbursts makes them especially reprehensible. They occurred concurrently with the election results from Egypt, which confirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood, combined with the even more extreme Salafis, emerged with 60 percent of the vote, reflecting the radical Islamist tide sweeping through all the North African Arab states.

In fact, our worst fears have been realized, and Israel is now surrounded by a ring of fanatically hostile Islamic states. The Muslim Brotherhood, creator of Hamas, is an outright jihadist organization whose charter unequivocally calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of all Jews.

In this context, it is exasperating and sickening to continue to be subject to delusionary spins by Western politicians and liberal media suggesting that the Muslim Brotherhood has turned a new page, is now tolerant and, to quote some U.S. administration officials, is even in the process of becoming "secular.” In addition, the only issue over which Sunnis and Shiites have been able to overcome their passionate differences is their frenzied shared hatred of Israel and dissemination of anti-Semitic propaganda indistinguishable from the vilest Nazi propaganda.

Yet, in the Islamic grand order, Israel and the Jews are merely the "canary in the mine" and represent a minor component of their global ambitions. Were Israel to disappear from the map or succumb to Islamic aggression, far from easing tensions, this would merely embolden Islamists towards their goal of conquering Europe and, ultimately, global domination.

Israel can do little to influence the course of events in the Arab countries, and its leaders have wisely stood aside. But it is surely now time for the Obama administration to recognize that its policies of appeasement have led to disastrous consequences. Instead of trying to mollify Islamists by distancing themselves and making one-sided criticisms against Israel, they should gird themselves for a long-term struggle against fanatical Islamists who have been conditioned into believing that they can best achieve their global objectives through intransigence and intensification of violence.

American Jews can make an important contribution in this area. Yet, alas, most of their leaders remained silent despite the reprehensible remarks directed against Israel by leading Obama administration officials. While, not surprisingly, the Zionist Organization of America, Simon Wiesenthal Center and Jewish Republicans protested, so far of the Jewish establishment leaders only Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League actually condemned Leon Panetta’s remarks. The principal American Jewish agencies responded with deafening silence. One is even tempted to enquire whether they have in fact collectively decided not to rock the boat and to eliminate Israeli issues from political discourse. How else can one explain the absence of response to such provocations? Which leads us to ask, will Jews at the grassroots level remain satisfied that their principal spokesmen remain silent on such issues?

Isi Leibler: THE ASSAULT AGAINST JEWISH JERUSALEM

2011-12-04T16:03:00.001+02:00

The ongoing pressures exerted against construction in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem such as Gilo reflect intensified global efforts to redivide the city. Like many aspects of the Israeli-Arab conflict, the issue of Jerusalem is being reviewed in a vacuum, without relationship to the reality on the ground. This overlooks the abominable restrictions on freedom of worship in East Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967, when the city was under Jordanian control. Jewish holy sites, including the 2,000-year-old Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, were desecrated and the tombstones were used to build latrines, and all 58 synagogues in the Old City, including the ancient Hurva synagogue, were razed to the ground.

The uninhibitedly anti-Semitic Jordanian military governor of the Old City, Abdulla el Tal, proudly proclaimed that, "For the first time in 1,000 years, not a single Jew remains in the Jewish quarter … and as not a single building remains intact, this makes the return of the Jews here impossible." Christians were also maltreated, with more than 60 percent of them leaving Jerusalem during that period.

Yet, since the reunification of the city in 1967 following Israel’s defeat of the combined Arab assault, complete freedom of religion was immediately extended to all citizens of Jerusalem. In addition, universities, hospitals and social service facilities provided absolutely equal services to Jew and Arab alike. One need only visit any of the major hospitals in Jerusalem to verify the extraordinary high standard of health benefits that unification provided for Arab residents.

Ironically, Jews today are the ones being discriminated against by their own government in their own capital. In 1967, immediately after the liberation of Jerusalem, Moshe Dayan effectively handed over the keys of the Temple Mount to the Waqf, the Muslim religious authority, which has retained total control and jurisdiction over this extensive area, which includes the holiest Jewish site in the world. It proved to be a disastrous blunder. The situation was further aggravated by the rabbinate, which on Halachic grounds, prohibited Jews from visiting the holy site. However, today many national religious rabbis maintain that Jews are entitled to visit most of the area and even consider it a mitzvah to pray there.

On a recent visit to the Temple Mount, I was astonished to observe the bizarre spectacle of Jews being bundled off by Israeli police in cooperation with the Waqf for quietly engaging in private prayer. I was informed that some Jews who were seen praying are permanently prohibited from visiting the area. This is scandalous. For Israeli police to deny Jews the right to pray at their holiest site in their own capital because it offends Moslem sensitivities is surely outrageous. It amounts to practicing inverse discrimination, denying the same freedom of worship to our own people which we take pride in guaranteeing to others.

This chaotic arrangement also provided fuel to Palestinians to initiate a massive exercise in historical revisionism in order to bolster their false narrative. They are now frenziedly attempting to deny the Jewish links to Jerusalem and make the preposterous allegation that the Jewish relationship to Jerusalem was effectively a Zionist fabrication designed to justify the “invasion” of Palestine. It is a form of revisionism no less obscene than Holocaust denial and has emerged as a central tenet of hostile Palestinian nationalism.

As late as the 1930s, even Muslim Council guidebooks identified Solomon's Temple on the site. It is only since 1954 that such references have been expunged. In 2000, at the Camp David meeting, Yasser Arafat stunned U.S. President Bill Clinton by declaring that “Solomon's Temple was not in Jerusalem, but in Nablus." On another occasion he said it was in Yemen. Others, like Palestinian Authority spokesman Saeb Erekat, alleged that “the issue of the Temple … is a Jewish invention lacking any basis."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas now repeatedly dismisses any Jewish link to the Holy Land, and the authority’s Information Ministry website describes the Jewish connection to Jerusalem as a “biblical myth." Sari Nusseibeh claimed, "The historical ties and attachments of the Palestinians precede any Israeli claim to Jerusalem."

These expressions were recently extended to even include denial of a Jewish link to the Western Wall. Only last week, Ahmed Al-Tayib, the Sheik of Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, the principal global religious authority for Sunni Muslims, warned that the continued “Judaization” of Jerusalem, which he claimed had originally been constructed by Arabs, would result in the annihilation of “the Zionist entity in Palestine."

In addition, we are witnessing a systematic ongoing course of wanton destruction in which bulldozers have been employed on the Temple Mount by the Palestinian Waqf to eliminate ancient Jewish archaeological evidence and yet, despite protests and expressions of outrage from most Israeli archaeologists, the government has refused to intervene.

The links of the Jewish people to Jerusalem are at the very core of our national and spiritual history and identity. For more than 2,000 years of exile we yearned and prayed for a return to Jerusalem, and since 1800 Jews have constituted the majority of the population of Jerusalem. It is noteworthy that Yitzhak Rabin's last speech before his assassination pledged to the Knesset that Jerusalem would never again be divided.

Yet the sad truth is that in addition to condemning any construction in Jewish Jerusalem as “undermining the peace process," neither the U.S. nor the Europeans have even recognized Israeli sovereignty over West Jerusalem. There is no doubt that if any areas of Jerusalem were ever to fall under Palestinian jurisdiction, the despicable discriminatory practices applied by the Jordanians until 1967 would be reintroduced. Abbas has already publicly proclaimed that not a single Jew would be permitted to live in any future Palestinian state.

It is also inconceivable that neighborhoods like Ramot, Gilo, French Hill, Ramat Eshkol and Givat Zeev would ever be cut off from Israel. No power could evacuate more than 100,000 Jews from these areas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel allegedly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently over the announcement of new construction in Gilo, but in view of her personal Berlin background she should be sensitive to the highly negative aspects of dividing a city. Although it will never happen, greater autonomy and allocation of municipal duties could be extended to Arabs in areas in which they comprise the majority of inhabitants.

Interestingly, a recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion demonstrated that 59 percent of Arab residents in Jerusalem were satisfied with their standard of living and that the majority strongly objected to dividing the city and living under Palestinian jurisdiction. In fact, as many as 40% stated that if the city was divided, they would prefer to move to an Israeli neighborhood rather than fall under the authority of the corrupt Palestinian Authority and possibly eventually find themselves under Hamas control.
•••••••••
The writer can be reached at ileibler@netvision.net.il. His website is www.wordfromjerusalem.com.

David Keyes: IS IT FAIR TO COMPARE HAMAS TO AL-QAIDA?

2011-12-01T18:14:00.001+02:00

In May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not negotiate with Hamas because it is the “Palestinian version of al-Qaida.” This incendiary rhetoric is not only untrue, it polarizes the parties and distances the possibility of peace.

British newspaper The Guardian, unlike Netanyahu, knows that “Hamas is not al-Qaida” and that the two groups are “radically different.” One Harvard scholar rightly noted that “assertions about a Hamas-al Qaida alliance are incorrect.” The Christian Science Monitor echoed that “Hamas is a far, far cry from the utopian global fighters of al-Qaida.” Unfortunately, some persist in spreading the myth that Hamas is the “Palestinian version of al-Qaida.” To dispel this untruth once and for all, below is a compilation of just a few of Hamas and al-Qaida’s radically different views.

On territorial compromise:

Hamas: “We do not recognize the state of Israel or its right to hold onto one inch of Palestine.” –Mahmoud al-Zahar, foreign minister

Al-Qaida: “We will not recognize a state for the Jews, not even one inch of the land of Palestine …” –Osama bin Laden

On death:

Hamas: [D]eath for the sake of Allah is [our] most coveted desire.” –Hamas charter

Al-Qaida: “[T]he most honorable death is to be killed in the way of Allah.” –Osama bin Laden

On co-existence:

Hamas: "By God, we will not leave one Jew in Palestine.” –Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, co-founder

Al-Qaida: "Just as the law of extermination was applied to the infidel forces among the nations in previous days and no one could escape it, so it will be applied to the infidel forces in our day and no one will escape it ... the American state, the Jewish state, and all other infidel countries will certainly be destroyed." –Saif al Din al Ansari, senior leader

On America:

Hamas: “America declared war against God ... God declared war against America..." –Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, co-founder

Al-Qaida: “Every American man is an enemy to us." –Osama bin Laden

On targeting civilians:

Hamas: “Whoever comes from abroad and lives on the land of Palestine is considered an occupier, even if they are women or old people. They are all occupiers. Besides, don't forget that they all serve in the army. They are all considered soldiers ... There is no difference [between civilians and soldiers].” –Umm Nidal, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council

Al-Qaida: “[T]he ruling to kill the Americans and their allies – civilians and military – is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it.” –Osama bin Laden

On genocide:

Hamas: “Allah, take the Jews and their allies, Allah, take the Americans and their allies ... annihilate them completely and do not leave anyone of them." –Yussuf al-Sharafi, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council

Al-Qaida: “We [are] promised by the Prophet: Judgment day shall not come until the Muslim fights the Jew, where the Jew will hide behind trees and stones, and the tree and the stone will speak and say, ‘Muslim, behind me is a Jew. Come and kill him.’” –Osama bin Laden

On incitement:

Hamas: “The Jews are the most despicable and contemptible nation to crawl upon the face of the Earth ... Allah will kill the Jews in the hell of the world to come, just like they killed the believers in the hell of this world.” - Atallah Abu Al-Subh, former culture minister

Al-Qaida: “Every Muslim, from the moment they realize the distinction in their hearts, hates Americans, hates Jews and hates Christians.” - Osama bin Laden

On democracy:

Hamas: “[T]he Koran [is our] constitution.” –Hamas charter

Al-Qaida: “We have declared a bitter war against the principle of democracy and all those who seek to enact it ... [Democracy is] the essence of infidelity and deviation from the true path.” –Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, deceased senior leader

On global domination:

Hamas: “[T]he march of resistance will continue until the Islamic flag is raised, not only over the minarets of Jerusalem, but over the whole universe."–Mousa Abu Marzouk, senior leader

Al-Qaida: “I was ordered to fight the people until they say there is no god but Allah, and his prophet Muhammad.” –Osama bin Laden

On Bin Laden’s death:

Hamas: [W]e most certainly condemn the murder of this Arab and Muslim Holy Warrior, may Allah have mercy upon him and may [he] take his rightful place together with the Martyrs and the Righteous.” –Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister

Al-Qaida: [B]in Laden, may God have mercy on him, was killed in a place where truth shines and where sincerity for good deeds and the call for truthfulness exist ... Congratulations to the Islamic Nation on the martyrdom of their devoted son Osama.” –Al-Qaida statement

*****

Besides both being racist, genocide-preaching, death-glorifying, Holocaust-denying, civilian-shield-using, theocratic, tyrannical, terrorist organizations that wage suicide bombing campaigns to eradicate Israel, dominate the world and humiliate the U.S., Hamas and al-Qaida have almost nothing in common.

•••••••••••••••••••
David Keyes is the executive director of Advancing Human Rights and co-founder of CyberDissidents.org. He can be reached at david.keyes@advancinghumanrights.org.