August 13, 2016 was the 9th of Av, or Tisha B’Av 5776. Since nothing is to mar the joy of Shabbat, it was observed on the 14th of August.
I realize, that’s yesterday, but I can’t let it go without sharing a couple things.
The first is something wonderful I got from my teammate, Y.B. a wonderful true story honoring the spirit and commitment of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam.
Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam
Defiance on a Death March
The Klausenberger Rebbe z’tl on 9 Av
Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam became one of the youngest rebbes in Europe, leading thousands of followers in the town of Klausenburg, Romania, before World War II. His wife, eleven children and most of his followers were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
In the summer of 1944 the Russian Army moved west and pushed the Nazis further and further back across Poland into Germany. The Germans, in an effort to cover their crimes forced thousands of slave labourers on death marches across Poland. The Rebbe had previously spent time in Auschwitz and on a work detail in Warsaw, sifting through the rubble of the now vacant Warsaw ghetto on his hands and knees, forced to look for anything that might be of value for the Nazi war effort.
As the Russians moved closer the Rebbe along with 6000 other prisoners were forced to march for twenty miles a day, in the scorching Polish summer. The death camp of Dachau in Germany was to be their final destination of which just 2000 made it.
On the march, the prisoners were starved of food and water and any stragglers were shot immediately. On the day of Tisha B’Av (9th of the Jewish month of Av), Jews mourn the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem as well as many other disasters that have happened on this painful day. One of the signs of mourning of Tisha B’Av is that Jews remove their leather shoes (leather shoes being an inappropriate sign of comfort and luxury on this solemn day).
On this day and on this march, the Rebbe removed his shoes. Despite all that had happened to him, he refused to give up on the Jewish observances that made him who he was. The Nazis saw this as a sign of rebellion and decided to have some fun at the Rebbe’s expense. They made him march alongside the column on broken stones and gravel. They joked as his feet became bloodied and bruised.
At one point they thought he was trying to escape down the embankment so they shot him. He was hit in the arm and tumbled down the embankment. In an effort to stem the bleeding, he took bark and leaves from a tree and wrapped it around the wound. It was at that point in his life, when faced with such unimaginable pain, hatred and adversity that the Rebbe demonstrated forever that there is no depth from which the human spirit cannot rise.
It was at that point that he swore to God that should he survive he would build an institution based on the Jewish values of love, peace, equality and tolerance, all of the values the Nazis despised. He swore that he would build a hospital in the land of Israel that would epitomise everything the Nazis tried to destroy.
Today, that hospital is Laniado in Netanya.The hospital was built in 1974. After the maternity unit was opened, the Rebbe asked the nurses and staff to call him immediately when the first baby was born. A few days later he received the call with the good news. Upon hearing, the Rebbe said in a broken voice, ‘zeh ha nekama sheli’, ‘this is my revenge’. This is my revenge – life will defeat death, hope will defeat pain, compassion will overcome hatred.
May this Tisha B’Av be the last before our mourning is turned into joy and celebration.
And this one I have for you.
And now if you’ll excuse me, I seem to have some dust in my eye.
When a TZP supporter first sent this news item, I didn’t think much about it. Saudi judo competitor Joud Fahmy forfeited a first-round match against a woman from Mauritius. Word in Israel was that she did it to avoid facing an Israeli Jew, Gili Cohen, in the second round.
Fahmy said she was injured and couldn’t compete. I thought, “Well, maybe she really was.” After all, if her purpose was to avoid contact with Cohen, why not go ahead and compete in the first round and see whether that would even become an issue? If she’d have lost in the first round … no need to touch a Jew. So it was certainly possible she really was injured and not just avoiding contact.
But this morning comes word of a blatant, public act of bigotry. In men’s judo, an Egyptian competitor snottily snubbed the Israeli who beat him.
It was an elaborate, unmistakable triple snub. Islam El Shehaby (in blue) first refused the traditional bow (a sign of respect that’s part of judo’s very fiber). Then he refused to walk to the middle of the mat for a handshake with the victor, Or Sasson. Finally, he refused Sasson’s offered hand when the gracious Israeli walked across the mat to him.
It’s unfortunate that the Olympics (partly thanks to Hitler in 1936) have become such a show of nationalism, rather than a celebration of the hard work and talents of awesome individuals. But there’s just no civilized excuse for El Shehaby’s behavior.
In the context, he came across not only as a pathetically sore loser, but as a disgusting bigot. You’re willing to do hand-to-hand combat with an Israeli individual, but not to shake his hand afterward? Shame on you, you foul creature and the foul dogma that motivates you.
Unlike some of my colleagues here at TZP, I’m no giant fan of Israel. I consider it a necessary homeland for a people who’ve been homeless, vulnerable, and fatally abused far too long. But its government is a government like any other and sometimes does objectionable things, even appalling things. But then, what government doesn’t? When it comes to appalling things done specifically to Muslims and Arabs, they should look to some of their own governments and neighboring Islamic governments, where savagery, corruption, oppression, and suppression of individualism have been the norm for centuries. Israel has been a piker when it comes to harming Muslims.
But even if that were not so, to show such public contempt for a man who, just moments earlier, was your honorable competitor is inexcusable.
Apparently the International Judo Federation considers it a sign of progress that an Arab was even willing to compete against an Israeli Jew. But I’m glad to learn that the audience in Rio gave the bigot a resounding round of righteous contempt for his unsportsmanlike and soulless conduct.
Yep, I actually do see a link. While I may not be the best person to explain this, I want to try.
The 17th of Tammuz on the Hebrew calender was the 23rd of July, Saturday. Normally you fast that day, but as it landed on Shabbat, the fast was postponed until the next day, the 24th of July, Sunday. The 17th of Tammuz starts a three week period of mourning, culminating on Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av is another post for another time. I’ll stick with the 17th of Tammuz, from the Chabad web site
Moses broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf.
During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the Jews were forced to cease offering the daily sacrifices due to the lack of sheep.
Apostomos burned the holy Torah.
An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.
The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, in 69 CE, after a lengthy siege. (Three weeks later, after the Jews put up a valiant struggle, the Romans destroyed the second Holy Temple on the 9th of Av.)
The Jerusalem Talmud maintains that this is also the date when the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem on their way to destroying the first Temple.
Plenty of sorrow on the 17th of Tammuz or 23rd of July, for this year.
More came on the 25th of July with the start of the Demoncratic national convention. I have no intention of telling you who to vote for, this is about the “low lights” shall we say of the coven, er, convention. The meeting opened with a word of prayer, during which the Democrats booed. They didn’t like the prayer. I read what she was praying, I didn’t like it much either, but they may have been booing because she was praying, who knows, since in 2012 they booed when G-d was put back in their platform. Speaking of that platform, from Liberty Unyielding:
Yesterday we reported about a Pew Research poll which demonstrated that Liberal Democrats were not fans of the Jewish State, and recalled the four pro-Israel planks removed from the 2012 Democratic Platform and how the delegates booed when one of the planks about Jerusalem was put back. Based on people put on the DNC platform committee, it looks as if the Democratic Party is looking to continue backing away from supporting Israel.
It seems that the DNC Platform Committee is loaded with people who are not exactly friends of the Jewish State. Among those Bernie Sanders added were James Zogby and Cornel West. (Note: Rep. Keith Ellison (muslim) was also placed on the committee; while he leans toward the Palestinian side, he is not the same kind of froth-at-the-mouth Israel hater as Zogby and West). Hillary’s picks include some who should be worrisome to Israel supporters: Ambassador Wendy Sherman and Center for American Progress head Neera Tanden. One of Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s picks was California Rep. Barbara Lee, a longtime critic of Israel.
The next low light is, it sounds as though American flags may have been in short supply, but to say that there were not flags at the DNC is a hateful lie. Of course there was.
The Falestinian flag proudly on display at the DNC
But to be honest, the Israeli flag was also at the DNC. Outside. Being burned.
In a video posted online, one protestor is seen setting an Israeli flag alight, while another waves a Palestinian flag nearby. Others chant “Long Live the Intifada” – a call of support for the Palestinian terrorist campaign plaguing Israel.
The Israeli Flag was burned at the DNC
And if just this wasn’t enough “junk” for Israel to deal with, it seems Black Lives Matter has decided to open an Israeli branch. After their deep studies into middle-east affairs (and being invited to appear with Hillary Clinton on the DNC stage) they have arrived in Israel. While there they expressed solidarity with the Falestinians and encouraged them on in their goals. To kill Jews living in Israel. Not surprisingly, they also expressed approval for the BS movement, er BDS scheme. Lending even more credence to the Demoncrat party’s Pro-Israel position.
After accusing Israel of “systematic discrimination” against Palestinian Arabs, apartheid-like policies, and even outright genocide, the platform calls for an end to US foreign aid to the Jewish state, which should instead be diverted to reparations for “victims” of “American war-making” like Iraq, and Libya, as well as African Americans descended from slaves in the American South.
No word on when they will be going to Iraq, Syria or any of the other countries massacring any remaining Jews, Christians or opposing Muslims. Actually no mention of this even happening. Must has skipped that 2 minute lecture in their middle-east studies.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it interesting that they showed up in Israel at this time?
That many continue to think the Demoncrats are pro-Israel is baffling to me. But I don’t listen to CNN, MSLSD or NBC, CBS, ABC, MoreBS or any of the other Clinton fan club media, if I can avoid it. I do find some interesting info on Israeli news sites though.
Now, to the Holy Temple (I WISH). When the Temples were destroyed, it also destroyed the heart of worship that had taken place there.
UNESCO is again attempting to say that the Temple Mount, site of TWO Jewish Temples, is not in fact Jewish, but muslim. July 10, 2016. Yes, again. I guess I could mention, if the Temple Mount isn’t Jewish, then where was it Yeshua was teaching? So this affects Christians as well as Jews. Neither are allowed to pray there now, but if UNESCO gets it’s way, they won’t be allowed to visit either. Sort of like trying to destroy any little remaining connection to the Temple and Jews.
So, looking at plans of the Temple on the Chabad web site I learned some fascinating things. For example, did you know in King Solomon’s time it had FIVE entry gates? South – Two Chuldah gates,
West – The Kiphonus gate, North – The Tadi gate, East – The Shushan gate. When King Herod expanded the Temple Mount area, he added three more.
The focal point of the Temple Mount was a central courtyard containing the structure of the Bet Hamikdash. The rest of the Temple Mount area contained various rooms and buildings, including:
• House of Study, in which the Talmudic law was taught and discussed.
• Lounge for minor Temple officials.
• Weapons room, in case of enemy invasion.
• Tool room for repair work.
• Trumpet place. The shofar (ram’s horn) was sounded from the roof of this building before the onset of the Sabbath to let the people know when they must refrain from work.
Yep, needed the shofar, and repai….WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT JUST A MINUTE HERE! A WHAT? A WEAPONS room? In case of enemy invasion? The Holy Temple had a WEAPONS room? They realized they would have enemies who would want to destroy them and the Holy Temple and they were prepared to FIGHT for the people and defend the Temple? With WEAPONS? Well, my. If there was a weapons room in the HOLY TEMPLE, why then, does not every Synagogue and Church and Chapel and….have the wherewithal to be able to defend themselves and their people in case of attack? In fact, they are usually Gun Free Easy Disarmed Helpless Victim Zones.
I’m guessing it has something to do with the mindset.
From an issue of my Zehut newsletter from the 17th of Tammuz a Moshe Feiglin column:
This is all very reminiscent of how the Left took advantage of
Rabin’s assassination. Whoever did not support the Oslo Accords
automatically became a partner to the murder.
The process unfolds approximately as follows:
1. First, a move that completely contradicts the values of the
majority of the public is shoved down its throat.
2. The public stands up and protests.
3. The media portray the opponents to the move in a negative light
and distance them from the boundaries of legitimate discourse.
4. The public becomes frustrated and enraged. More public
opposition is met with more demonization.
5. Somebody (usually a psychopath) decides to employ violence –
and succeeds.
6. Everybody is in shock.
7. The shock is used to obliterate the will of the majority. Whoever
does not accept the minority position is a murderer.
8. The minority approach becomes the ruling position and is
translated into laws and policies.
9. The minority has won and forces its values upon the majority.
This pathway came from an article about a different topic, but they are still just as applicable to gun control.
As we continue to see attacks and shootings I wouldn’t be shocked to see this played out, if it hasn’t already. Much like a scene from a Matthew Bracken book Enemies Domestic and Foreign.
So, ready for Hillary and the Demoncrats? Only the first 39 seconds or so is what I’m referencing.
As if the three weeks didn’t have enough to mourn already.
Rebellious and inspiring Israeli politician, Moshe Feiglin has penned a brief, but interesting piece on the Zehut website. In it he explores the question, “What would have happened … if Israel was a truly liberty-oriented state and the right to bear arms was a basic right for every upstanding citizen?” A fair question, and one increasingly apropos no matter where you live.
On a much more modest level, we also have this news item. It is a shame it has to be framed in the context of gender politics and post-service employment opportunity, but, if we must be reduced to fiddling around the edges, at least it is arguably in the right direction.
Everybody goes on about how we need to have more women and minorities in starring roles, both in society and in movies.
Until … wait for it … a strong new female superhero is an Israeli Jew.
Yes, Wonder Woman, the impressive Gal Gadot, soon to be the lead in her very own movie after debuting the role in Batman vs. Superman, was born in Israel and served in the Israeli Defense Forces. Therefore … tweetstorm of bigotry against her.
An Arab terrorist tried to stab people by the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron before being shot by nearby IDF and Border Police forces.
The terrorist reportedly approached a Border Police post at an entrance to the site and pulled out a knife before she was shot. No one else was harmed.
Three Border Police officers were lightly wounded by Muslim rioters at Qalandia checkpoint near Jerusalem on Friday afternoon.
The officers were struck by rocks hurled by Arab rioters, who were waiting for permission to enter Israeli territory from the Palestinian Authority, on their way to the Temple Mount’s Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Sort of like black lives matter in Columbia MO. Nothing says we are friends, and mean no harm and just want to have a reasonable conversation or go worship at our holy place (filled with rocks and rockets) like stopping a car in a parade or a riot.
Two people have been seriously wounded in a stabbing attack in the coastal Israeli city of Netanya.
Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics who arrived at the scene in Netanya market said they found a 30-year-old woman in serious condition, and a second victim – a man in his 40s – with moderate injuries.
Both victims were given emergency first-aid treatment before being evacuated to Laniado Hospital.
The terrorist was shot dead at the scene, and was later identified as a resident of the nearby Palestinian Authority city of Tulkarem.
The day before that, on 29th June, under the “you’ve got to be kidding me” category:
A group of nine Israeli leftist activists on Wednesday evening had to be rescued from the Palestinian Arab city of Ramallah, after locals attacked one of their vehicles.
The Israelis reportedly entered the city of their own volition to celebrate the nightly breaking of the Ramadan fast with local Arabs. Locals who noticed them hurled rocks and firebombs at one of their cars, which caught fire.
Something to chew on for those who sincerely believe in their “Coexist” bumper stickers. But yeah, this one is funny. No one died.
On July 1st, this is one of the two more horrifying stories I’ve for you:
One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting attack at the Adorayim Junction south of Hevron in Judea.
The fatality has been identified as 40-year-old Michael “Micki” Markrom HY’’D the nearby town of Otniel, who was traveling in his car with his family when it was targeted.
His wife Chavi was seriously wounded in the attack, and was evacuated to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body.
Two other family members were also wounded in the attack. Paramedics say in addition to the mother of the family, they treated a 13-year-old girl in moderate-to-serious condition suffering from gunshot wounds to her upper body, and a 15-year-old boy who was lightly wounded, presumably from the crash.
In case you don’t remember Otniel is where Dafna Meir HY’’D lived, she was stabbed to death in the doorway of her home, fighting to save her children. And the attack resembled closely to one that occurred last November when Rabbi Yaakov Litman HY’’D and his son Netanel HY’’D were murdered in that attack, as they were traveling with their family.
Even as the funeral procession for Rabbi Michael Mark, terror victim, wound toward Jerusalem, locals would not leave them in peace: Arabs threw a stone from a passing car, striking one of the buses of mourners.
Thirteen year old Hallel-Yaffa Ariel HY’’D was murdered in her bed, in her home. Hallel was an amazing dancer who had preformed just the night before in Jerusalem. Also wounded in the attack was a 31 year old security guard from the town’s security squad. The security squad responded very quickly to the alert that the perimeter had been breached. The terrorist had locked himself in Hallel’s bedroom so he could stab her without being interrupted. He then lay in wait for security squads. Hallel’s father was one of them that came through the door to find his daughter. The terrorist then attacked a 31 year old member of the security squad. The young man is going to lose his eye, but he will live. The terrorist was then killed by the security squad. The young man’s wife works as a volunteer on the MDA ambulance and she ended up being on the ambulance to ride into the hospital with him. This interview is well worth watching. I love this woman’s spirit, and she tells how she happened to be in the ambulance and gives a report on her husband.
I can hear it now, you can’t you just can’t blame a group for the actions of one kid! Very true, I’m not.
“My son is a hero,” she says. “My son died as a martyr defending Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque. Praise be to God, he is united with the martyrs before him, and he is not better than them. God willing, all of them will follow this path, all the youth of Palestine.”
According to friends and relatives of Dipsh*t (I’m NOT giving his name), he had posted a slew of Facebook statuses in the weeks before the attack expressing his desire to die as a martyr. In some of them, he said he wanted to avenge his cousin, who was killed as he carried out a car-ramming attack near Kiryat Arba. One soldier was lightly injured in that attack, before other troops shot and killed the attacker.
Apparently this sort of thing does NOT violate Facebook community standards. Only pro-Israel, Conservative and some Second Amendment stuff violates the sensitive Facebook community standards.
Like her mother, the murderer’s sister also publicly praised her brother’s act, and called for others to follow in his footsteps and kill “the accursed Jews.”
During the night IDF forces arrested two brothers of 17-year-old Dipsh*t, the terrorist who murdered Hallel-Yaffa Ariel in Kiryat Arba.
Not exactly an aberrancy is old Dipsh*t?
So how do kids, a lot of them, who grow up to be adults and then parents turn out this evil and deluded?
One choice is the appeasement crowd.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. ~~Winston Churchill
I would put the liberals and those who call the parts of Israel known as Judea and Samaria “occupied territory” in this group. Failing to learn from the withdrawal of the Gaza strip they think the peace will come if Israel just gives in.
How this works in real life.
Only muslims are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount. Non muslims are not allowed to pray. Now this little drama plays out in variations every year on Ram-a-damn. The muslims store rockets, Molatov cocktails, firebombs, stones in the holy mosque. Then when anyone other than a muslim attempts to go to the Temple Mount the muslims pitch a hissy and attack them screaming, yelling and assaulting them with whatever potential weapons of murder they have stashed in the holy mosque. Then non-muslims are banned from the Temple Mount. Hissy fit success. So, this year as in the past, Netanyahu ordered the police to give in to the arab hissy fit and barred non-muslims despite the fact the Police had held their own and visitors were still being allowed up. In an immediate spirit of cooperation engendered by this cave in of principles, the pieceful Falestinians moved over and began to throw stones down at those in prayer at the Western Wall, the Kotel, onJune 28th. In real life, the appeasement thing doesn’t work well.
CNN publishes updated map of places in which terror attacks took place this month, fails to include attacks on Judea and Samaria.
Well, the UN chief Ban Ki Moon has been in Israel, maybe that’s helped?
Falestinian schools hide Judenrein maps during Moon’s visit. Then denies they were ever hidden. The maps showing no state of Israel, only Falestine. Of course UNRWA denies they have anything to do with any maps. Just because there is no longer an Israel on the map, does that really mean so much? UNRWA creating angry, entitlement, hate filled children for ages. Encouraging them to hate Judeo-Christian values and the people. Pretty much like the average university here.
Settlements, that’s Judea and Samaria to humans. The UN doesn’t fit that category very often. The UN doesn’t think Jews should have houses being built in Israel.
The State Department on Tuesday issued a scathing condemnation of Israel’s plans to build new housing units in Maale Adumim and in Jerusalem.
“If it’s true, this report would be the latest step in what seems to be a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions, and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby of the plans, which were announced Sunday following last week’s terrorist attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
Danon drew a clear line between the horrific murder of Hallel-Yaffa Ariel last week and the speech of Mahmoud Abbas to the European Parliament a week earlier.
In that speech, Abbas revived an old blood libel and claimed that some rabbis had called on the government of Israel to poison Palestinian water supplies. Instead of immediate condemnation, the elected European representatives of democratic nations responded with loud applause.
Danon writes, “We were all shocked. How can he say that? Lie to the European Parliament like that? This is a blood libel! But that was not the worst. We well know the constant lies and incitement of Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority. Every morning we again see Abbas’ praise for terrorists through the Palestinian education system and state-run television.”
“But the main thing on this occasion was not the incitement, but the applause.”
Danon claims that such constant incitement turns teenage Palestinians into murderous monsters. In the twisted mind of a 17-year-old terrorist, the claim that rabbis want to poison the wells is justification enough to kills a young girl in her bed. But that does not necessarily mean that he will carry out such an attack.
“But when a monster like this then hears the applause of the Members of Parliament, his perverted ideology is confirmed by those who should be the most moral in the world. [He thinks that] if they cheer like this, they will also cheer for me.”
And not only that, they get paid. Yes indeed folks, the PA pays it’s terrorists to kills Jews, and whoever else is handy. If the IDF demolishes their house? No biggie the PA pays for a newer, bigger, fancier one to be built. This doesn’t seem to bother Ban Ki or the Meddle East Quartet. Is there any other country on the face of the earth that the UN feels so compelled to try and dictate policy?
So, where does the money come from that the PA uses to pay terrorists? Where does the power and encouragement backing it and Hamass originate?
Youth or Terrorist
You gave it to them. You and your family and friends. You gave up eating out once a week and paying to have your car washed and did it yourself at home. You gave up that cable sports channel, bigger cellphone data plan so that you could pay Dipsh*t to kill little 13 year old Hallel in her bed.
But please do not simply make do with a deluge of angry or sad social media posts. You can act. In fact, you have a moral duty to act and not stand idly by as the blood of your brothers and sisters continues to flow.
Because the bloodthirsty terrorist who murdered young Hallel was, at least in some part, indoctrinated and encouraged courtesy of your own tax dollars – or pounds, or euros.
The Palestinian Authority is funded almost entirely by state donors, its most generous benefactors including none other than the United States of America, and a host of European states, chief among them the United Kingdom.
It is by now the worst-kept secret in the international aid industry (and what a lucrative industry that is) that a large portion of that money goes towards not just incitement and indoctrination – whether in schools and mosques, or official PA youth clubs and sporting events – but directly into the pockets of Palestinian terrorists and their families.
Your tax money is essentially bankrolling the murderers of our children.
And they’re not even shy about it.
Just recently, at an iftar meal to break the Ramadan fast in Ramallah, PA “Prime Minister” Rami Hamdallah vowed to increase spending to support “heroic” terrorists. This support, he boasted, included increasing the monthly wage paid to every terrorist imprisoned for carrying out an attack, as well as upping the cash prize awarded to every Palestinian family which offers up one of its children as a “martyr.”
The family of Hallel’s killer, 17-year-old Dipsh*t of Bani Naim, near Hevron, will also be paid by the PA for his despicable actions. With money from your back pocket. Just know that.
But that is truer still when it comes to the Palestinian Authority. Your governments fund them directly.
So take action, right now. Write to your local member of parliament or congress; to your ministers and prime ministers and presidents, and ask for accountability. Ask them to cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority until it can prove that not a penny will go towards funding and encouraging terrorism.
Write to your communal leaders, and to your local pro-Israel organizations, and demand they take the lead in rallying and lobbying for accountability and an end to your tax money funding Palestinian terrorism.
Spend at least as long as you took to vent on social media to write to your elected representatives and to others who can make a difference.
Please. It’s the least you could do.
Even the NY Post blasted the use of US taxpayer dollars being used to kill Israeli soldiers and children on July 1st.
“Meanwhile, hundreds of millions flow to the PA from the West, including America. Which means US tax dollars are, in effect, going to pay for terrorist acts,” adding “And here you thought we were fighting terror”.
The editorial board called upon congress to rescind funding for the Palestinian Authority, and thus “cut off US funding for Palestinian terror.”
“Congress should do all it can to curb the practice”.
“Sending US tax dollars to the PA, only to see them go to reward terror, is a moral obscenity.”
Look at the dates on these articles. All of this happened within a few days of each other.
A lot of this goes back to somethings many wise people have said. Rights come from G-d, not man. Moshe Feiglin talked about it in his interview and his recent webinar. Many Second Amendment people have pointed this out. We are our own first responders. Moshe said that he wanted Israelis to remember the real, original concept of freedom. I would like many Americans who have been indoctrinated otherwise to learn this truth. No matter how close the security squads, no matter how good, they may not get there in time. True freedom is Israel does what is best for Israel and is not dictated to by the UN, an anti-Israel US president or any Meddle East committee. No matter what Israel does she will not win their approval. They do not want to give their approval. They want her to live by their rules till she is obliterated. The same with US gun owners, peaceful law-abiding citizens just wanting to live their lives. The political parties, the NRA and other such type of Second Amendment organizations are willing to bargain and compromise our rights. You can’t appease these people. It will not work, and we will be in a deeper hole than we were before.
If Jews can not live safely in Israel as Jews, but instead are the target of US, EU & UK sponsored terrorism because they are Jews??? And this is what so many do not understand, or do not care about. This has nothing to do with territories, this has everything to do with the latest attempt at genocide. But no one wants to call it that. No one wants to admit that in this day and age such a thing could happen again. So heads are put under pillows, the media whitewashes, the politicians lie and excuse. And people bleed and die in their beds.
So much pain, sorrow and suffering. And we paid for it, we made it possible.
Do I scream or do I weep? Because my heart is breaking.
When many people go to Israel, the want to see the historical sights. I do as well, especially military museums. There will most likely be a column on that. A lot of people want to eat the fabulous
food. Yes, me too. They want to shop, I’m SO there, especially when you talk about Yafo. They want to swim, did that. But what I really, really, really, really wanted to do, was interview Moshe Feiglin. At
which most tourist are probably saying “Excuse me?” But that was one of my very highest hopes for this trip. And I was successful.
I first learned about the former MK (Member of Knesset) when in response to something I had written my wonderfully kind team mate Y.B. sent me a portion of a Torah Thought from Mr. Feiglin. I loved it! I asked for more info and Y.B. told me who had written it and who he was. I did online research and signed up for the Manhigut Yehudite newsletter and was soon getting my own copies of Torah Thoughts included with each newsletter which I very much looked
forward to receiving. Each newsletter included Torah and politics. Does it get any better? Well, also a Dry Bones Cartoon. That’s pretty good too.
Last year I got to interview Mr. Feiglin by phone, and it was a great interview. This year it was in person. I feel very blessed.
So why my fascination? My respect first blossomed when he was writing articles calling for the Israeli government to make it easier for everyday Israelis to get weapons permits. Gun Control? Or Citizen Control?
With all that has been going on in Israel, I had a lot of questions for Mr. Feiglin. Especially since he along with the support of a lot of everyday people have founded a new political party. Zehut, which means “Identity”. Zehut is unusual in that they also allow people from places other than Israel to join. And with that I tell you I am a proud card carrying member. Well, I will be when my card gets here, but I am.
My first question was why form Zehut? Was it in response to the betrayal of leadership in politics? They campaign on one platform and then when elected turn and go another direction?
Feiglin: The average Israeli feels disenfranchised from their Jewish identity and the concept of a Jewish state. (I believe he said in a recent poll that 80% of Israelis identify as Jewish first, and as an Israeli second). The disenfranchisement started with the Oslo accords and now takes the form of things like a Judge appointed to the High Court who refused to sing HaTikvah, the Israeli national anthem after being sworn in. It shows in an army which is now refusing to allow soldiers to grow beards, “too much Jewish”. And very sadly when a Yad Vashem guide pointed out that the murder of Gil-Ad Shaer,16, Eyal Yifrah, 19, and Naftali Fraenkel,16 had occurred in Gush Etzion because they were Jewish. (That would seem evident to
me, but I guess political correctness can run amuck anywhere). Israel is a Jewish democratic state, but 10% controls the power and it is eroding Jewish values.
I have a few questions about everyday Israelis being allowed to carry weapons. Why are there areas where people are not allowed to have carry permits? A buddy moved from Jerusalem where he could carry, to Tel Aviv and now he can’t. He’s no less qualified in Tel Aviv. Yafo which suffered a terrorist attack is certainly within walking distance of Tel Aviv, I’ve done so! Why aren’t the military allowed to carry off duty, and why after people are out of the military can they not automatically be allowed to carry a weapon? As it turns out, the answer to all these questions are the same. Mr. Feiglin is very good at seeing the big picture and summing it up.
Feiglin: Because the concept of freedom is wrong. It should be the concept that the right of self- defense is G-d given! In Israel they believe that the right is given by the state. And if the state can give you the right to self defense, they can take that right away. In America they had the right concept, although they are losing the mindset. They believed anyone should be allowed to own guns unless they showed they were not to be trusted with them. (I pointed out that the UN does not believe self defense is a human right at all. Considering how anti-Israel the UN is, that is really not a good
combination). Zehut believes in planting in the Israeli mind the concept of true freedom. That everyone is responsible to defend their life, that of their family and the nation. Of course, there are those that oppose this. When I was in the Knesset I fought for more people to be allowed to carry. There were 150,000 people licensed to carry. But the Knesset wants to decrease that till terrorism decreases. You have the state as “Big Brother”.
What about the shooting in Hevron? (Sheila’s article on this incident) WHY is this soldier being prosecuted? Didn’t the fact that the video came from B’Tselem raise suspicions? This produced a wealth of information. This is so much more to this than a simple case of Katie Couric media malfeasance. I really think you should go read Moshe’s whole article on this topic, but here is what we covered.
Feiglin: This is a war of Israelis and Jews. It’s the soul of the Israeli, for what comes first, a concept of citizen or Jewish state. It’s been going on a long time. For the Israeli (in this comparison, sounds to me like your typical “enlightened” leftist who doesn’t have good sense about how this will play out) it’s the citizen, not Jewish state or identity. It was certainly evident when the Eichmann trial took place in Israel in 1961. A Jewish writer Hannah Arendt wrote a book, “Eichmann In Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,”with basically the premise that Eichmann was just there, wrong place, wrong time. Can’t blame him, can’t blame anyone but Hitler. Anyone would have acted the same. Apparently some Israeli “intellectuals”
felt the need to agree. This kind of thinking is evident in the IDF today. The former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon recently said that “If someone rises to kill you, kill him first” is not the IDF’s strategy. The Deputy Chief of Staff equated those who subscribe to that value with Nazis. He would rather lose soldiers who protect citizens than kill terrorists. There is no difference in the value of the life of a person just out doing their shopping and the terrorist that comes to kill them. Certainly had nothing to do with ideology, right? But yet today some Arabs want to kill any Jew, soldier, civilian, man, woman, child or baby, it doesn’t matter. It IS the ideology. When Arafat was sick in Ramallah I had a sign on my car that said Hurry up and kill him before he dies. For someone that had that much blood on his hands to die in his own time is immoral. For terrorists to go to trial is immoral. A healthy Jewish response is you kill the attackers. You kill the terrorists that have
declared their own war on Jews. After the soldier killed the terrorist, the stabbings stopped. He did more than all the speeches.
What about the Temple Mount, Har HaBeit? Why are the Israeli police so quick to remove Jews? One young boy was even recently removed not for saying anything but because he had tears in his eyes. And for those that wonder, yes I did express my opinion of Moshe Dayan’s decision.
Feiglin: It has to do with losing identity. We must let Jews have their identity on the Temple Mount. There are those replacing Jewish identity, and they fear what Israel will become with it’s Jewish identity. Arabs do not really have an identity so much as filled with hatred. It’s in their textbooks, their schools, mosques, social media and how they are raised. If Israel disappeared from the map, there would be no more “Palestinian”. Their reason for being would be gone. The first Zionists were colonialists from Europe, and they just wanted to be one big happy family. They didn’t understand the Arab mindset. Most Israelis are Jews first, Israeli second but they are being led by a minority that doesn’t have that mindset.
What about the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) or as I call it (BS) movement? Has it had an effect? Is it just plain anti-Semitism in increments?
Feiglin: BDS is about the delegitimizing of Israel. When did the holocaust start? (He did ask me this, and I thought for a second and answered “the night Hitler was conceived”) That was the correct answer. When Hitler spoke again and again against the Jews it had it’s effect. In 1939 or 1940 when Jews ran to their neighbors to hide, they were killed. It was about eliminating the right of Jews to exist. Israel has to attack Iran, there is a real danger of Jewish history being written in Jerusalem. Not Warsaw. It’s needed to make a moral point. There is a correlation between the speeches made in Iran 12 ½ years ago by Ahmadinejad and the delegitimization of Israel, and it’s growing.
My last question to him “We’ve had a possible Kenyan as a president, at least someone not really raised as an American, I think we should try having an Israeli for a President, would you run?”
Feiglin: I’ve been asked about the current election. My answer is it doesn’t matter which one wins. If Israel will do what is best for Israel, then all will be better.
I started this interview by telling him that I felt like I cared more about Israeli lives than some Israeli politicians did.
After talking to him, I am quite certain that is not how it is when it comes to Mr. Feiglin. He has a very sound political platform based on a Jewish identity in THE Jewish state, living by Jewish laws and principles. Laws that will protect the innocent, laws that will allow every citizen living their daily lives be it in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, Judea and Samaria to know their lives are worth defending and giving them the means to do so. It will allow the IDF to return to being the fine army it was meant to be and not a social experiment.
Zehut is a party based on knowing who we are, and what we are, and where we belong. And embracing it!
Honestly, I think there is a lesson in this for Americans as well. Because I’m very, very tired of having values that the majority of U.S. believe in being derided and told “that’s not who we are”.
Yeah, it is. And as the politicians and their compatriots in the media crank up to hype another round of gun control tripe, we would do well to remember it. It makes me think so much of “You can live
by G-d’s law or die by man’s.
I want to thank three wonderful people, Aryeh Sonnenberg who is the international director of Zehut and so warmly welcomed me when I joined. He put me in touch with Shmuel Sackett (who I got to talk with on the phone, really) who set the meeting up with Moshe. Shmuel also writes excellent articles. And I very much want to thank Moshe Feiglin for giving me an hour of his very valuable limited time. And since I often like to close with a video, this one is perfect!
Yesterday was the 28th of Iyar, the day on the Hebrew calendar celebrating Jerusalem Day. One of the results of the Six-Day war, another attempt to wipe Israel and her Jews from the face of the earth. After the Arab attack on the new state of Israel Jerusalem had been divided. Access to holy sites under Jordan was non-existent for Jews.
Upon its capture by the Arab Legion, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City was destroyed and its residents expelled. Fifty-eight synagogues–some hundreds of years old–were destroyed, their contents looted and desecrated. Some Jewish religious sites were turned into chicken coops or animal stalls. The Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, where Jews had been burying their dead for over 2500 years, was ransacked; graves were desecrated; thousands of tombstones were smashed and used as building material, paving stones or for latrines in Arab Legion army camps. The Intercontinental Hotel was built on top of the cemetery and graves were demolished to make way for a highway to the hotel. The Western Wall became a slum area.
In direct contravention of the 1949 armistice agreements, Jordan did not permit Jews access to their holy sites or to the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
Before the start of the war, Israel sent a message to King Hussein (not barry) of Jordan, that it would not attack Jerusalem or the West Bank if Jordan stayed out of the fight. Jordan believing the false reports from Egypt couldn’t wait to join to be part of the pack ripping Israel to pieces. The result was the reunification of Jerusalem.
Jews once again had control of the holy sites, the strong voice of Motta Gur rang out
“We’re sitting right now on the ridge and we’re seeing the Old City. Shortly we’re going to go in to the Old City of Jerusalem, that all generations have dreamed about. We will be the first to enter the Old City…” and shortly afterwards, “The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!”
And about 15 minutes later Moshe Dayan gave it….ok, I’ll stop.
But to me, it seems G-d took this attack on Israel and turned it around for good. A miracle. That leads to other miracles. Because of the 1967 victory, people like me can take photos like this last week.
The Western WallShalom, peace, שלום
I can place a piece of paper in the Kotel with prayers on it. Prayers that include TZP, her team and her members and readers. Prayers that G-d will bless you all, abundantly.
It’s interesting to me, the more I study and the more I ask the more questions I end up having.
For instance, Judea and Samaria or “occupied territories”? Since I truly believe words matter I decided to do a little investigating.
So what all is in Judea and Samaria that might sound familiar if only vaguely? Well, first you might want to know that while the place remain the same, the names get changed.
A quick but by no means comprehensive list:
Palestine as a term for Israel. This was given by the Emperor Hadrian in around 135 A.D. after he put down the second Jewish rebellion under Bar Kochba. He most likely chose it because it was close to the ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines who no longer existed at this time. As a by the by, the original Philistines were not Arabic, they were Europeans, from the Adriatic sea next to Greece. There is no “p” in the Arabic language. Why would you call yourself something for which there is no letter?
Shechem, now called Nablus by Arabs, is where Avraham and Sarah first entered the land of Canaan. When Jacob returned to Isaac and Rebecca from his uncle’s house, he settled his family there. Joseph is buried in Shechem. His tomb has been burned and ransacked by the pieceful palestinians. Historically, Avraham traveled through Shechem on his way to Canaan and here offered his first sacrifice to G-d. After the conquest of Canaan, Joshua assembled the Israelites here and encouraged them to follow the Mosaic laws. During the period of the Judges, Abimelech was crowned king here.
Biblical Shechem was destroyed by the Assyrians in the 8th century BCE.
Lots of Jewish history there for a town called Nabulus by the Arabs.
So now let’s take a look at Judea and Samaria, or as called by the left and the “falestinians” (no “P” remember) the “West Bank” or “occupied territories”. You can find a more complete list of towns with familiar names here if you’re interested.
What’s there? Ariel University, for one thing. A lovely university! It has beautiful grounds and very clever students. To get there you will need to go through a checkpoint, and coming out? Oh yes, the same.
In and out you will be checked. With good reason.
Because some of the Arab inhabitants have a nasty hobby of trying to kill Jews. I guess stamp collecting isn’t big in Arab villages there. The grounds are lovely, the Professors I met were very nice. Our hostess, a Professor is a wonderful person. I very much enjoyed visiting with her. The grounds were spectacular and she gives credit to the amazing gardener and his staff. The university is attended by Arabs and Jews. If you speak fluent Hebrew and want to teach engineering, you should take a look as well. But the leftist press would have you believe that Israel is oppressing the pieceful falestinians. No, they own land as well.
From the Ariel University Campus
The difference is, you don’t see Jews normally carrying out stabbing attacks, on the falestinians. And the cases where Jewish youth were blamed for fires? The fires turned out to have been set by Arabs, knowing the world’s media would be more than happy to play the home version of the game “blame Israel.” If you want an idea of the attacks that take place weekly in Judea and Samaria you can find it (for this week) at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/21009 That so many of these attacks were planned and carried out by very young teenagers is terrifying. The women and children barry says we have no need to be afraid of a perfectly capable and willing to kill.
So the world and the UN tell us that the violence is the result of the pieceful falestinians frustration with the lack of “piece talks” and a “two state” solution. They don’t want a “two state” solution. They want a “one state” solution and that “one state” doesn’t involve a little thing called “Israel”. The Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement, BDS, or as I call it BS? Interesting origins.
As to being “occupied”, according to this article, when there are more Israeli troops present, not only does it decrease attacks, it protects civilian women from being stabbed in the doorway of their homes in front of their children. The reasons for this success might surprise you, it may not work for the reasons you think. Israel does take their “purity of arms” code very seriously. It’s an interview with six current IDF Colonels. The sad irony of this is that the world then condemns Israel for having more troops there and urges them to remove them. Even though it will cost more lives, falestinians as well as Jewish. So it’s not really about being safe or saving lives, is it?
Here’s the thing people don’t understand, when they use terms like “occupied territories” or “West Bank” it lends credence to the anti-Antisemitism. How so? Because the pieceful falestinians claim Jews don’t belong there. But it’s not really about “where” the Jews are, it’s the fact there are Jews. An example of this was the recent rape of a 20 year old mentally disabled Jewish girl by 3 Arabs, 2 of them from Shomron. They also spit and urinated on her while shouting anti-Antisemitism threats to her and her family if she told. How so sure it was these pieceful falestinians? One of them filmed it. But this occurred in Tel Aviv. One of the rapists said she didn’t belong in his land. While Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel, the direction challenged US government claims Tel Aviv is. So even in the poorest scenario, Jews don’t belong in the Jewish capitol on the one Jewish state?
Words matter, they can give credence to Anti-Semitic hatred. The Arabs that hate Israel, and by all means, not all of them do, are certainly aware of this. We need to be as well and not play unwittingly into their very bloody hands.
The fact that there are major CHURCH denominations that have jumped on the BDS/BS bandwagon is unbelievable to me. Perhaps they need to go back and see where some of the major events took place in the book they share with the Jews. And then they should remember after Saturday? Comes Sunday. Useful idiots.
These two days are so very different, and they are always two days apart. It has been said, not originally by me however, that without the sorrow of the first, we would not have the joy of the second.
I like writing, I like it a lot. I love writing for Zelman’s Partisans, something I hope to do for a very long time. And I love being a partisan. I like words. I like them in English and in Hebrew and love learning new Hebrew words, something I work at every day.
That being said, there are no words I can ever give you, that I can write, that I think you will find as moving as the clip below. It is taken from a radio broadcast I listen to called Walter’s World. It is a clip from Richard Dimbleby on the liberation of Bergen-Belsen. The song at the end is HaTikvah, The Hope, The Israeli national anthem.
Listen, and you will understand why there is Yom Ha’Zikaron. Why there is the day that honors those that have fallen fighting for Israel, and honoring victims of terror that have fallen. They have been killed because they were Jewish, because they live in their land of Israel.
And again, I believe I can never give you any words to explain Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day as well as Kippalive can. Besides, they sing much better than I do, and I’ve got a ton of felafel to fry for a BIG birthday party tonight. Our celebrant turns 68 years old.
ʿam yisraʾel ḥay!
עַם יִשְרָאֵל חַי
The people of Israel live!
Jews. Guns. No compromise. No surrender.
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