Life or Death, Nothing In-Between

The Jewish People is now in the pre-Rosh Hashannah/Yom Kippur mode.  We're trying to make amends to G-d, doing Teshuva, repenting, begging G-d to give us life, not death.

Life is an active, independent state.  Is it a blessing to be restricted, in need of twenty-four (24) hour care day and night?  Is the condition of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the "life" we're praying for?

When I hear that Israeli politicians are willing to make "adjustments" and just "annex parts of Judea and Samaria," I'm not comforted, reassured that it will be good for the State of Israel, the Jewish People and ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael The Land of Israel. 

The Co-chairman of the Land of Israel Lobby in the Knesset, MK Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), said Tuesday that the Lobby's members would work toward bringing about the declaration of Israeli sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria in the course of this year.

The details, logistics of such a situation can only be described as a nightmare, one of those spooky ghost stories the worst of the science fiction genre. 

In real life, it's not a joke. As I get older, more and more friends talk of rather being dead than on "life support."

For however long the Jewish State would survive such a status, it would be like the present "life" of Arik Sharon or worse.  Yes, that's the truth. It isn't very PC to say so, but I'm not in the "politically correct" business.  I blog to tell the truth as I see it.

We, the Jewish People, must enjoy a vibrant Jewish Life in the Land of Israel.  G-d ordered us in the Bible to take over the Land, destroy/banish the inhabitants, build Jewish cities and anoint a king to govern us according to G-d's will.

May the new year, 5772, be a wonderful year for all of us.  May G-d bless us, yes, us and give us LIFE, full, vibrant LIFE.  The prayers on the Rosh Hashannah Prayers are in the plural for the entire Jewish People.  Rosh Hashannah isn't the time to just think of ourselves.

May our leaders, those in power, be blessed with true, G-d given wisdom. 

Shannah Tovah, Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach 

Bibi's Snared in a Thorn Bush

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is probably the finest, most talented and knowledgeable orator or our time, but he keeps just missing the key to rescuing the State of Israel from the fatal wishes and plans, G-d forbid, the world has for us.

Every time Netanyahu mentions "Palestinian People," sic, or "Palestinian State," sic, he perpetuates and increases our danger.  He snares us further in a bed of thorns.  If he thinks he's bringing us to safety, he's mistaken. 

As the Prime Minister of Israel, even Bibi stated in his United Nations address that he can't rely on wishful thinking, but he is doing just that in supporting the Arab lie that there's an Arab people that belongs in the Land of Israel. 

"But as the prime minister of Israel, I cannot risk the future of the Jewish state on wishful thinking. Leaders must see reality as it is, not as it ought to be. We must do our best to shape the future, but we cannot wish away the dangers of the present."  (complete text)

The Land of Israel is the Historic Homeland of only one people, the Jewish People.  We must exert Jewish Authority over the entire Land of Israel.

It is crucial that we assert not only “Israeli sovereignty,” but “Jewish sovereignty” over all of Eretz Yisrael. The term “Israeli sovereignty” implies that the only claimant to sovereignty is the State of Israel. “Jewish sovereignty” indicates that the claimant to sovereignty is the Jewish people worldwide, which is the inherent sovereign in all of Eretz Yisrael. The State of Israel, as the steward and fiduciary of the Jewish people, has the legitimate authority to extend sovereignty within Eretz Yisrael, but not to relinquish it. (complete article)

Unfortunately, Netanyahu's trying to please the world by walking a dangerous tightrope is like taking only a small portion of prescribed antibiotics.  When you don't take the full dose of antibiotics you allow the bacteria to "reinvent itself" and get stronger, become immune, resistant to the same antibiotic.  You endanger human beings.  You endanger yourself.

Bibi does say many good and true things in his speeches, but he also says many dangerous things.  He insists that he can "negotiate peace" with Abbas.   That's impossible.  Abbas can't make peace.  Abbas and his cronies are against peace.  Their aim is to destroy the State of Israel.

I'm saddened but not surprised by my Prime Minister.

We will only have peace when we stop looking for "peace partners."  Peace will only come when we follow, obey G-d.

עושה שלום במרומיו הוא יעשה שלום עלינו ועל כל ישראל
Hu oseh Shalom bimromav.  Hu ya'aseh Shalom aleinu vi'al col Yisrael...

Human Rights, Civil Rights, Religious Rights, Willing to Die For Jewish Rights

During the British Mandate, they decided that the Arabs would be upset if Jews blew the shofar at the Kotel. Jews blew the shofar there before the British took over. The Arabs hadn't been stopping the Jews prior to British rule. I have no doubt that the British decided on the policy because of their antipathy to Jewish life in the Holy Land, not because of any pressure by the Arabs.



This movie tells the story of the young men, boys, teens who defied the British and risked their freedom to blow shofar at the end of the Yom Kippur fast. BTW, the first to have blown shofar was Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Segal, who ended up our neighbor in the Old City from 1970-71, when we lived in the Maon Betar on the corner of Rechov Hayehudim and Rechov Plugat HaKotel.

The Faux Social Justice Tents Haven't Gone Away

Last week while walking from Mamilla Mall to Pardess in Talpiyot, I discovered that the Korach aka Social Justice demonstration site at Independence Park still exists.  See the tents spread out so nicely.

It makes me wonder if washing them away is the reason G-d has been giving us these early rains...

Messianic Attorney Calev Myers' speech nixed at Durban 3 Protest

Posted by Jewish Israel

The Durban 3 protest of September 21st was supposed to be a mass rally involving dozens of major Jewish and Christian organizations, but things began to crumble as word got out that Calev Myers, the main organizer of the ISRAEL NOW Durban3NYC protest, is a "messianic Jew" and his organization, the Jerusalem Institute for Justice (JIJ), champions messianic Christian’s rights in Israel.

Jewish Israel explores the truth about Myers and examines the evangelical messianic web which almost managed to dupe American Jewish leaders and which did cause embarrassment to the Israeli government.

Israeli and Diaspora leaders need to ask themselves whether articulate evangelical advocates, such as Myers, are great defenders or destroyers (in a spiritual sense) of the Jewish state...more
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Rabbi Sholom Dov Lifshitz, the Founder and Chairman of Yad l'Achim, has passed away

This is a great loss for Klal Yisrael. The directors of Jewish Israel had the honor and pleasure of meeting with Rabbi Lifshitz to discuss our work and we remain in regular contact with the staff of Yad l'Achim.

Jewish Israel's Rabbinic director Rabbi Sholom Gold admired "Rabbi Sholom Dov's immense dedication". Rabbi Gold had the opportunity to work with Rabbi Lifshitz in the organization Peyilim in 1955 and 1956. Rav Gold said, "At that time – long before the problem of Jewish girls in Arab villages or missionaries and cults - Rav Lifshitz was assisting tens of thousands of new immigrants and Jews from the transit camps." Rabbi Gold called Rabbi Lifshitz "a visionary who saw problems 55-65 years ago. He remained relentlessly and tirelessly devoted to his life's work, which was looking out for the safety and security of Jewish souls."

We hope and pray that the good work of Yad l'Achim will continue after this great loss.

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Jewish Israel wishes Klal Yisrael a sweet, productive and peaceful year.

That "P" State, I Guess It's Time to Write About The Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State Bid

Friday night, Leil Shabbat, after I had walked our guest home, we heard a strange sound in front of the house.  It sounded like a heavy truck standing with the motor going.  That's not a normal Shabbat sound in Shiloh.  We tried spying from the living room windows but couldn't see anything.  So my husband went to our merpeset, terrace/balcony, and I walked out the front door.  I saw an army transport vehicle leaving and a handful or more of IDF soldiers in all sorts of defense or combat gear.  I walked out a bit further to see if anyone looked familiar, but they were all in silhouette.  Less than a week before Rosh Hashannah there isn't much of a moon, and the streetlight didn't illuminate much.  Yes, it did seem obvious that they had landed to provide extra protection if G-d forbid Arab terrorists would be targeting us.

The media had has been urging the Arab terrorists to attack.  They want "action," lehavdil, to differentiate between the "snow warnings" when the TV "journalists" get to work extra-pay overtime to count the snowflakes on live TV.  Everyone has been predicting massive attack, terrorism etc by the Arabs to accompany Abbas's United Nations bid for statehood.

Considering that most of the most gruesome Arab terror attacks on  Israeli civilians have been totally unrelated to any action by Israel, the "security experts" have been psyching us up to suffer.  They really don't make any effort to understand the Arab terror psyche.  Check out the PMW Palestinian Media Watch to understand more.

Palestinian Authority: International community legitimizes Palestinian terror if it recognizes a Palestinian state

Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoners' Affairs says that the PA will interpret international recognition of a Palestinian state as international legitimization of Palestinian prisoners' acts of violence for which they are imprisoned. (complete article)

I spent most of Friday at work, Yafiz, Shaar Binyamin, where Arabs and Jews work and shop together.  I traveled with a bit of trepidation, because of the big "P State" terror hype.  Does your ordinary "Arab in the street" really relate to all this?  Do they want to find themselves banned from Israeli medicine, infrastructure, security and commercial dealings?  I noticed absolutely no difference at work.  That doesn't mean that things won't change, won't get dangerous G-d forbid in the future.

Most people think with their "bankbooks."  The Arabs who shop in Yafiz and Rami Levi do so because the price is right and the goods are good.  There's no ideology involved.

One thing that world leaders and international media, including the Israeli Government refuses to remember/recognize is that as far as the Arab world is concerned, the PA's Abbas doesn't really have power. He's not recognized by all of the Arabs labeled as Palestinian sic.  That's an extremely important point which must be recognized.  Negotiating with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is like buying the Brooklyn Bridge from some guy on 42nd Street.

This modern attempts to unify Arabs who live in Gaza, Rammalla, Shechem etc into one people is based on a very dangerous fallacy.  They can't be united, because they aren't one people.  For over a hundred years to Christian world has been looking for a way to counteract Zionism and the Jewish People's rights to the Land of Israel.  The survival of the Jewish People over thousands of years of exile is a painful truth that there's a serious fault in Christianity.  That religion was invented to substitute for Judaism, and Islam was invented to replace them both.

Judaism's survival and the flowering of the Land of Israel since Zionism is a slap in the face of "western civilization." 

The invention of the "Palestinian sic People" will eventually explode on the western world and that will reverberate like the greatest tsunami ever on the entire world.

I wouldn't attempt to predict details of the future, and I haven't a clue as to how long this will all last, but the bottom line is that all attempts to make a "peaceful, democratic Palestinian sic State" will fail and the fall-out will be felt all over the world.

Latma's Latest Hit Song: "Somebody to Hate"

Latma presents another hit song:

Somebody to Hate

And here's the entire Latma broadcast for this week:



Latma is a project of Caroline Glick.  Here's a recent article of hers:

Israel at the U.N.: A Sucker’s Game

September 22, 2011 11:56 A.M.
By Caroline Glick

This week’s Palestinian-statehood extravaganza at the U.N. is being billed as something of a modern-day showdown at the O.K. Corral. If the Palestinians gain recognition of their state, then Israel is the big loser. And if the Palestinians fail to gain U.N. recognition of “Palestine” as a member state, then Israel is the big winner.

But the situation is more complex. By going to the U.N., the Palestinians have shown their absolute bad faith in previous negotiations with Israel, and indeed exposed the entire peace process as a lie. The peace process was based on the assumption that a Palestinians state could emerge only at the end of a comprehensive peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. That is, such a state would be at peace with Israel.

By bypassing negotiations, the Palestinians seek to gain a state that will be born in a state of war with Israel.

The U.S. and European response to this initiative has been utterly shocking. The Europeans, led by French president Nicolas Sarkozy, have given their enthusiastic support to the Palestinians.

As for the U.S., by rejecting a cutoff of financial assistance and political support to the Palestinians in the face of their rejection of peace with Israel, the Obama administration has signaled to the Palestinians that there is no price to be paid for their aggressive bad faith.

In short, the EU and the U.S. are rewarding the Palestinians for abandoning the centerpiece of European and U.S. Middle East policy for the past generation — the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Given this situation, even if their bid for U.N. membership fails, the Palestinians will have won. for complete article, click

Why Prayer at Tel Shiloh Is Better Than At A Grave

One of the earliest things I remember learning is that the reason Moshe Rabbeinu's burial spot is hidden is because we're not supposed to worship at graves.  There's too much a temptation to pray to the dead person rather than directly to G-d.

Deuteronomy Chapter 34 דְּבָרִים

ד וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלָיו, זֹאת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב לֵאמֹר, לְזַרְעֲךָ, אֶתְּנֶנָּה; הֶרְאִיתִיךָ בְעֵינֶיךָ, וְשָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲבֹר. 4 And the LORD said unto him: 'This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying: I will give it unto thy seed; I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.'
ה וַיָּמָת שָׁם מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד-יְהוָה, בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב--עַל-פִּי יְהוָה. 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
ו וַיִּקְבֹּר אֹתוֹ בַגַּי בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב, מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר; וְלֹא-יָדַע אִישׁ אֶת-קְבֻרָתוֹ, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה. 6 And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor; and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that we're not supposed to pray at graves and tombs, no matter how righteous the dead person was.

That's what makes Shiloh such a holy place.  It was the religious and administrative Capital of the Jewish Nation for 369 years, from the time of Joshua until Shmuel HaNavi, Samuel The Prophet.  I've lived in Shiloh for the past thirty years, but only in the past few have I established the custom of going to the Ancient Tel and praying every Rosh Chodesh.

During Biblical times, Shiloh was a place of pilgrimage and prayer.  Shoftim, the book of Judges, begins with the story of how Elkana and his family brought other Jews to pray at The Mishkan, the Taberncle at Shiloh.  During one of those pilgrimages, his wife Chana beseeached G-d for a child.  She vowed that the child would be given to G-d to lead the Jewish People.  G-d remembered her and  Shmuel HaNavi, Samuel The Prophet was born.

For thousands of years, Shiloh has been a place for prayers, not only for Jews.  Actually, until quite recently, I think more Christians had been making of point of coming to Shiloh to pray than Jews did.  That bothered me and was one of the reasons I started inviting women to come to Tel Shiloh to pray on Rosh Chodesh, the first of the Jewish Month.  The other reason is that I couldn't understand why thousands of people fight to pray in places like Rachel's Tomb while the holy and spacious Tel Shiloh is so ignored.

Last night as I was walking to the site where the Mishkan, Tabernacle had stood I saw the young woman who administers the Tel's Tourist site.

"Batya, it's your dream come true.  You must go quickly to see all of the women praying at the site of the Mishkan."

Yes, it was thrilling to see women of all ages praying at Tel Shiloh.  As Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi said last night, 

"There's no doubt that the Biblical Chana was with us, watching from Olam Habba, overjoyed at the turnout and prayers."

Tourists come from all over the world to Tel Shiloh. For more information about visiting Tel Shiloh email telshiloh@gmail.com  or call 02-994-4019.

A Rare Show of Morality at The United Nations

Hat tip: Elder of Ziyon

Generally the "follow the leader" game at the United Nations revolves around condemning Israel for its very existence.  Yesterday, in a rare display of morality a number of countries marched out of the General Assembly when  Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started belittling the seriousness, the tragedy of the Holocaust.



Following is the list of countries that walked out, which Elder of Ziyon has compiled:

Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada (boycotted the speech)
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Israel (boycotted the speech)
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States

If you know of any corrections, additions, please add in the comments, thanks.

We're About To "Disconnect" For Three Days

Hadassa has blogged about a new cause, "disconnect."



Just tonight I was talking to Risa at T'fillat Chana at Tel Shiloh about how I've been looking forward to a certain aspect of the upcoming "3 day yontiff," when two days of Rosh Hashannah is immediately followed by Shabbat making it three days of Jewish Holiday Plus. I like the idea of no news, telephones, computer, internet, cell phone etc.   I enjoy Shabbat and Jewish Holidays when all the technology is off.  My husband and I don't use the internet option on our phones.  We don't carry around a computer either.

Considering the predictably awful news coming out of the United Nations in New York about a Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State that wants to take our Land and lives and the dangerous reverberations expected here, a break from news to pray to G-d is certainly a good idea.

At the T'fillat Chana Rabanit Yemima Mizrachi, tonight at Tel Shiloh, spoke and reminded us that on Rosh Hashannah our prayers aren't supposed to be personal prayers.  We are to pray for the entire Jewish People.  That is exactly what is needed at this time.

Our People and Land are in terrible danger.  We must all turn off all of the distracting technology and focus our energies on prayers for our Redemption. 

I was about to write to "bring the Moshiach," but I don't think that would help. That's because I have a feeling that the Moshiach has been here a few times, ready to save us, but we as a people have ignored him or sent him packing.  We must pray for the Jewish Nation/People to reach the level to accept the Moshiach!

Shabbat Shalom

Shannah Tovah

Gmar Chatimah Tovah

Some Simple Truths: A Speech is Just a Speech and No Matter How You Slice It, A Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State Endangers The Continued Survival of The State of Israel

United States President Barack Hussein Obama's latest speech at the United Nations is a great improvement over his previous ones, but it's still just a speech.  Even he mocks the power of speeches.

"Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted."

 I hate to spoil the party, rain on your parade, but it doesn't matter who claims it's possible...

There is no way that Israel can survive if there's a Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State!

This new video promoted by aish.com makes no sense.  It is Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's policy.



On one hand it shows the dangers that a Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State would bring to Israel, and on the other hand it claims that it's possible to make some sort of deal with the Arabs on the establishment of a new Arab country in the heart of the Jewish Homeland that wouldn't destroy or endanger Israel.  It makes absolutely no sense.  There's no logic to it.  Planting a country in the middle of another one has never worked, not any other place in the world. 

Why is the world ignoring the fact that the Arabs have always attacked, terrorized an murdered Jews here long before there was a State of Israel?  Why does Israel, the government, media and academics ignore this fact?

There will never be peace as long as the world promotes the establishment of a Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State!

How The World Sees Us Jews In Judea-Samaria Versus Some Truth

This video about Jewish life in Ariel and its environs from The New York Times is about as "evenhanded" as one can expect from them.  Many Jews, especially Ron Nachman and Daniella Weiss are interviewed.  There's an Arab who claimed that his family "farmed" on the hills of Ariel, but Arabs didn't farm on distant high hills over thirty years ago.  They lived on the slopes and farmed, if at all, in the valleys.  We're here in Shiloh, just southeast of Ariel for thirty years already.  The Arab agriculture you see now is all new, mostly from the last ten to fifteen years.  So anyone who claims that his grandfather and great-grandfather had farmed here for generations is out and out lying.

Just like the fact that a large percentage of the Arabs in the area of Israel, including Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley only moved here from other places in the Arab world once the Zionist movement began and made it financially attractive, the market for produce grown here is very recent.  People eat differently today.  That includes both Israelis and Arabs.

When we first came to Shiloh, the local Arabs didn't have electric refrigeration.  Jordan, and prior to that the British Mandate, hadn't brought in modern electricity, water, sewers and telephone lines.  Only after Israel's 1967 victory and liberation of the Land did Israel invest in all of these basic services.  None of the Arabs ever tell you that!  And you won't read it in The New York Times.

Words, Oaths, Hatred and Truth

Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, Dry Bones pegged it 100% correct, right*.

In Judaism, words have powers.  If you say you're going to do something, you must do it, because by saying you've made a נדר  vow, neder, an oath.  To prevent the commitment, we're supposed to preface all of our words with בלי נדר "bli neder," not to be taken as an oath, promise.

In today's world, all sorts of important people and governments have special offices filled with PR public relations experts, master "spinners," who compose fancy statements in the names of their employers to "fix" the "foot in mouth" miss-statements of their bosses/employers.  Of course, it's all fiction.  Just because someone reads out one of these "little speeches" doesn't mean that anything has changed in the mind of the "guilty."  It's just a formula statement to get out of trouble.

Yesterday morning, at Pardess, Rabbi Reuven Grodner taught us about the various levels of vows in his "Rav Soloveitchik on Repentance" course. For each type of vow:

• gross error
• poor judgment
• anger

Nullification is a process, not just a superficial recitation of words.  Each level demands a different process.  It's a "cleansing" like any repentance.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made a terrible mistake when he stated that he's in favor of a Pseudostinian AKA Palestinian sic State.  It doesn't matter how he defines that "state" and what limitations he suggests for it.  A "state" is a "state."  Haggling over details won't save him or us.  Bibi must recognize his error in words and judgment.  Netanyahu must firmly state that he made a great error.  Then he must, in the most public way and place-- yes, the United Nations is the perfect forum-- the Prime Minister of Israel must make it clear that there is only one Nation native to the Holy Land, and that's the Jewish Nation.  We have a State of Israel, and it's the only country that has any historic right to be here.

Here we are in the Jewish Month of Elul, the time for תשובה Teshuva, Repentance.  One can repent any time of the year, but no doubt that G-d has timed this opportunity for a reason.

right* Why is it that right means correct and is also the side of the political spectrum that sees things most clearly and pragmatically?

The PLO's "Phased Plan" to Destroy Israel, G-d Forbid

Following is a very frightening video.  It's a "power point" style, so you'll have to concentrate and read what it says.  The world is wondering what will happen to Israel, especially what will happen in Judea and Samaria after the upcoming United Nations meetings.  World leaders and media and academics have been encouraging the Arabs to declare a Pseudostinian AKA Palestinian State sic.  There has been pressure on the United States to try to convince the Arabs not to do it.

They've opened Pandora's Box and have been playing with fire for a long time.

True Peace?

I don't really like the name of the group that put out this video, The Legal Right to Palestine:
Examining the long-hidden documents of the 1920 San Remo Conference,  GivePeaceAChance.info







The video has some excellent points, as it examines the actual status of Israel according to history and international law. Too many anti-Israel statements and demands are made in the name of "international law" that aren't at all consistent with those very laws.

International organizations, including the United Nations, don't follow international law and ignore history. There is no logical reason for Israel to pay any attention to their demands. None of the other nations care about justice, history and legal precedence. The have their agendas, and Israel's survival isn't on the list.

The more Bible I learn, the clearer it becomes. Our salvation will only come from G-d. King David repeats many times that he thanks G-d for saving him. He doesn't need fancy armor; G-d is the best weapon.

2 Samuel Chapter 22 שְׁמוּאֵל ב
א וַיְדַבֵּר דָּוִד לַיהוָה, אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת, {ס} בְּיוֹם הִצִּיל יְהוָה אֹתוֹ {ר} מִכַּף כָּל-אֹיְבָיו, וּמִכַּף שָׁאוּל. {ס} 1 And David spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul;
ב וַיֹּאמַר: יְהוָה סַלְעִי וּמְצֻדָתִי, {ר} וּמְפַלְטִי-לִי. 2 and he said: The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
ג אֱלֹהֵי צוּרִי, אֶחֱסֶה-בּוֹ; {ס} מָגִנִּי וְקֶרֶן יִשְׁעִי, {ר} מִשְׂגַּבִּי וּמְנוּסִי, {ס} מֹשִׁעִי, מֵחָמָס תֹּשִׁעֵנִי. {ר} 3 The God who is my rock, in Him I take refuge; my shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower, and my refuge; my saviour, Thou savest me from violence.
ד מְהֻלָּל, אֶקְרָא יְהוָה; {ס} וּמֵאֹיְבַי, אִוָּשֵׁעַ. {ר} 4 Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine enemies.
ה כִּי אֲפָפֻנִי, מִשְׁבְּרֵי-מָוֶת; {ס} נַחֲלֵי בְלִיַּעַל, יְבַעֲתֻנִי. {ר} 5 For the waves of Death compassed me. The floods of Belial assailed me.
ו חֶבְלֵי שְׁאוֹל, סַבֻּנִי; {ס} קִדְּמֻנִי, מֹקְשֵׁי-מָוֶת. {ר} 6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of Death confronted me.
ז בַּצַּר-לִי אֶקְרָא יְהוָה, וְאֶל-אֱלֹהַי אֶקְרָא; {ס} וַיִּשְׁמַע מֵהֵיכָלוֹ קוֹלִי, וְשַׁוְעָתִי בְּאָזְנָיו. {ר} 7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, yea, I called unto my God; and out of His temple He heard my voice, and my cry did enter into His ears.
...
מז חַי-יְהוָה, וּבָרוּךְ צוּרִי; {ס} וְיָרֻם, אֱלֹהֵי צוּר יִשְׁעִי. {ר} 47 The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God, my Rock of salvation;
מח הָאֵל, הַנֹּתֵן נְקָמֹת לִי; {ס} וּמֹרִיד עַמִּים, תַּחְתֵּנִי. {ר} 48 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and bringeth down peoples under me,
מט וּמוֹצִיאִי, מֵאֹיְבָי; וּמִקָּמַי, תְּרוֹמְמֵנִי, {ס} מֵאִישׁ חֲמָסִים, תַּצִּילֵנִי. {ר} 49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies; yea, Thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
נ עַל-כֵּן אוֹדְךָ יְהוָה, בַּגּוֹיִם; {ס} וּלְשִׁמְךָ, אֲזַמֵּר. {ר} 50 Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto Thy name.
נא מגדיל (מִגְדּוֹל), יְשׁוּעוֹת מַלְכּוֹ; וְעֹשֶׂה-חֶסֶד לִמְשִׁיחוֹ {ס} לְדָוִד וּלְזַרְעוֹ, עַד-עוֹלָם. {ר} {ש} 51 A tower of salvation is He to His king; and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore. {P}

The Shofar To Shake Us To Our Soul

Rosh Hashannah is Yom Zikaron, Yom Teru'ah...

Zikaron is Memory and Teru'ah is a very special sound.  It's supposed to shake us to the core, dislodge every memory, good and bad.  Rosh Hashannah comes after Elul, the month of Teshuva, Repentance. 

The Bible Lands Museum has opened its most Jewish and Zionist exhibit to date:

The Sound the Shofar – A Witness to History

I was one of the lucky journalists to have been invited to a special tour by its curator, who was visibly moved by some of the special exhibits.

Former IDF Chief Rabbi Goren's family even lent the museum the shofar that Rav Goren had blown on visiting the Kotel for the first time after its liberation during the 1967 Six Days War.  This is the first time the shofar has been on public display.

Some of the images were much more ancient, like this one. 

It's the oldest statue of shofar blowing.  The shofar is a biological material like a "fingernail" and is biodegradable, can't last for very long.  That's why ancient shofrot can't be found.  They disintegrate.


For me, personally, it was very moving to see that a section of the museum was dedicated to those brave Jews who defied the British and blew the shofar after  Yom Kippur.  Our former neighbor, Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Segal, HaLevi, from when we lived on Rechov Plugat HaKotel in the Old City of Jerusalem, was the first to do it.  The exhibit includes a movie in which the surviving shofar blowers are interviewed.

The exhibit is a must-see for the entire family, even if you don't agree with the "approach" of the museum itself.  Yes, it's called the Bible Lands Museum.  Some of us would expect it to tell the story of the Jewish People in the Land of the Bible, but it doesn't.  It's "multi-cultural" in that it tries to tell the stories of the various peoples who lived in the Land of the Bible.  I'd rather not go into critical details in this post.

Rav Lior and Rav Gold address evangelical missionary crisis at Jewish Israel event in Hebron

Posted by Jewish Israel

On September 14th, Jewish Israel gave a presentation to the Hebron community in the presence of Rabbi Dov Lior, the Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba. "Crossing Lines: Profiles in Deception" addressed the missionary crisis in Israel.

Jewish Israel was asked to give this presentation following the July 2011 CUFI Summit in Washington where certain activists from Judea and Shomron met and were photographed with known missionary personalities. Updated information on Tommy Waller, Mike Isley and their missionary partners and affiliations was included in the presentation.

Jewish Israel’s rabbinic director, Rav Sholom Gold gave opening remarks and he directly challenged Rav Eliezer Melamed's recent psak on Jewish-Evangelical relations. Rav Lior gave closing remarks which concurred with Rav Gold's position, and Rav Lior reinforced his psak for the Hebron community on not accepting evangelical funding.

Following the presentation, the Va’ad of Hebron met and initiated a process to establish guidelines to govern their relationship with Christian leaders and organizations. It was made clear that the Va'ad will be following Rav Lior's position and expanding upon it…more

This Week's Latma Broadcast, The Right Look at Turkey and Israeli Politics

Thank Caroline Glick for Latma!

Only Standardized Torah Judaism Can Survive, DIY Judaism Has No Future

I love these amazing G-d must have timed them coincidences.  Just a couple of days after I wrote about how the establishment of formalized Jewish Prayer predated the Exile and subsequently kept us one People one Religion, I saw an article in the Forward praising "Do It Yourself--Don't Call the Rabbi, Make Your Own Rituals Judaism by Jay Michaelson."

Don't get me wrong.  I have nothing against creativity when it comes to cooking, dressing, art, design etc.  And I certainly give my very unique opinions when I attend shiurim, Torah or Bible classes.  I enjoy hearing the prayers sung to different tunes.  But there are some "red lines."  I certainly use my own words when thanking G-d in "personal prayer," but I don't make up my own brachot blessings before eating various foods or re-write the Siddur (prayerbook,)Torah or Bible. 

There are certain standard Laws and Rituals that keep us a people.

Not long ago, because of a cancelled flight, I found myself in the same cab to and from JFK with a young Israeli who is studying in the states.  He told me that he's not from a religious family, but he does know basic prayers like Kiddush and the Passover Seder.  As an Israeli student on a special scholarship, he can't get back home for Jewish Holidays, so he has tried attending events at the local Hillel.  He found them terribly confusing.  Kiddish wasn't the Kiddush he knows from home.  The Seder wasn't the same Seder, and Prayers were even more confusing.

Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and other DIY-Do It Yourself always changing versions of Judaism remove the aspect that kept us one united Jewish People.

Our small neighborhood synagogue here in Shiloh has members from Jewish communities all over the world, the Americas-north and south, France, Majorca, Morocco, Syria, FSU,  New Zealand, native Israelis and more.  Everyone can take out their old family siddur and use it to pray together, because other than a few minor linguistic differences the prayers, including the order to be said, are the same.

• For thousands of years, Jews all over the world have been praying the same prayers to G-d.
• For thousands of years, Jews all over the world have had the same basic wedding ceremony.
• For thousands of years, Jews all over the world have done the same Brit Milah circumcision on 8* day old baby boys.  (*that's when it's medically permitted; sometimes the baby must be circumcised later)
• For thousands of years, Jews all over the world have followed the laws of kashrut, not mixing milk and meat, only eating from certain animals, fish and birds and slaughtering them according to Jewish Law.

Jewish demographics prove that the more Torah observant the family the more Jewish descendants in subsequent generations.  It's much harder to perpetuate the family's Judaism when the keeping of Mitzvot, commandments is "optional" or non-standard.

Judaism isn't "broken;" there's no need to "fix it."

Who's Religious?

On Shirat Devorah an important question is asked:

"Who's Religious?"

There's more  to Judaism than Shabbat, Kashrut, kippah and long sleeves.  There are many mitzvot between man and fellow man, concerning how to act in business etc.  Too many people forget this.  We, humans frequently make mistakes when "ranking" the mitzvot.

Chaza"l, our sages say that since repenting the sins between man and his fellow man is much more complicated and difficult than repenting sins against G-d, we must be even more careful in that realm of life.

Those who eat only Mehadrin but attack children (and their parents) who go to non-chareidi religious schools, like what happened in those Ramat Beit Shemesh, are no better than those eating traif.

When my father discovered that I insisted on eating kosher and keeping Shabbat, he was furious:

"My daughter is not going to be a ganniff*."

 
I asked him what he meant by that.

"When I started off as an accountant for the New York State Insurance Fund I was sent to audit, check businesses.  Whenever I checked a business Orthodox Jews, it was crooked."

So I promised him that no only would I eat only kosher and keep Shabbat, but I'd be honest, too.

We're now in the month of Elul, which precedes Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur.  It's the time for Teshuva repentance and reflection.  We all have something to improve.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach
Have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat

*thief

Human Rights Activists, Where Are You?

This is a "no-brainer."  If Israel, or any other country, would make a law banning Arabs or Muslims all the world's human rights activists would pounce with the weight of an atomic bomb.  So why haven't they attacked Pseudostinian aka Palestinian (sic) envoy to the United States Maen Rashid Areikat for saying:

“...after the experience of 44 years of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it will be in the best interests of the two peoples to be separated first.”

In all honesty, this doesn't surprise me at all.  Don't forget that the world was silent and complacent as the Nazis began their systematic Holocaust of European Jews.  They went step by step, very slowly to check if anyone would protest.  But each step was met with silence and tacit approval from international diplomats, media, academics and other countries.

The Nazis based their policy on the pseudo-scientific Nazi Nuremberg Laws:

1935 Chart from Nazi Germany used to explain the Nuremberg Laws. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 employed a pseudo-scientific basis for racial discrimination against Jews. People with four German grandparents (white circles) were of "German blood," while people were classified as Jews if they were descended from three or more Jewish grandparents (black circles in top row right). Having one or more Jewish grandparents made someone a Mischling (of mixed blood). The Nazis used the religious observance of a person's grandparents to determine their race.

Unfortunately, many Jews worship the secular "moralities," and that includes discriminating against Jews.  They bend over backwards, just like the Jews of Europe did, to accept anti-Jewish laws, culture and ideologies.  There is no other reason for this continued silence from those who tout themselves as the doyens of morality and culture.

Please don't forget that the war against the Nazis, aka World War Two was not fought to save the Jews.  It was to "roll back" the Nazis from western Europe and to prevent them from conquering Britain.  The Jews who survived were just lucky.  The allied forces that entered the concentration camps weren't prepared in any way to rescue the starving inmates.  That's why/how they inadvertently killed many by overfeeding them in the early days of victory.  They didn't have medical instructions on how to safely feed people who had been on starvation regimes for months and years.

I can never forget all this.  To survive, we Jews must remember that we can only rely on G-d and Jewish Laws.

I Hope You're Sitting Down: Israel Is Helping in the Establishment of a Pseudostinian AKA Palestinian sic State

Read this:

Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee

18 Sep 2011

Measures taken by Israel in support of developing the Palestinian Economy and Socio-Economic Structure
This report was prepared for the upcoming meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) established fifteen years ago by the Government of Norway to coordinate international aid for the purpose of building and strengthening the capabilities and institutions of the Palestinian Authority.

Executive Summary
The Government of Israel views the bilateral track with the Palestinians as the only way to reach a sustainable solution, based on two states for two peoples. The Government of Israel wishes to maintain the existing legal framework, as long as circumstances allow.

After two consecutive years of impressive economic growth in the West Bank, the Palestinian economy now faces a slowdown. According to IMF estimates, in the first half of 2011 real GDP growth amounted to approximately 4% (compared to real GDP for the first half of 2010), a decline from the 8% annual growth rate the previous year. The PA now faces a financial crisis. The factors fueling the crisis include: the Palestinian budget's ongoing dependency on foreign aid and the shortfall in aid in 2011; the PA's inability to finance the shortfall through bank loans; the lack of sufficient internal resources to generate income; and a relatively large public sector which consumes a large portion of the budget. The current fiscal situation raises doubts about whether the PA will be able to reduce its dependency on foreign aid in the coming years.

Israel's policy in the West Bank has contributed significantly to growth in the past year. Trade between Israel and the PA continuously increased by 7% throughout the first half of 2011, an increase reflected by a 6% increase in tax revenue collection transferred to the PA1. A higher volume of commercial goods was shipped from the West Bank via the land crossings to Israel. In the first half of 2011, there was a 31.32% increase in commercial movement of goods via the Allenby Bridge. Palestinian imports (except Israel) amounted to NIS 3,127,395,640, a 17.44% increase compared to the parallel period in the previous year. Palestinian exports (except Israel) amounted to USD 45,458,095 in the first half of 2011, a 23% increase compared to the parallel period in the previous year.

Israel calls for ongoing international support for the PA budget and development projects that will contribute to the growth of a vibrant private sector, which will provide the PA an expanded base for generating internal revenue.

Israel maintains bilateral dialogues with the PA on a variety of matters, aiming to support the upgrade of Palestinian infrastructure in these areas, including: financial and customs services, water and sewage infrastructure, the legal system and the rule of law, the agriculture sector, and the electricity network. (complete report)

This is very bad news. Either the Israeli Government supports another Arab state in the Land of Israel or it recognizes the dangers to the very existence of the State of Israel.  What type of government helps in the endangerment and destruction of its own country?

American Unemployment, American Aid- "Manufacturing Jobs"

Dry Bones latest cartoon was the inspiration for this post about the American economy, its unemployment problem and "aid" to Israel.

As everyone must know, the American economy is the pits.  Unemployment is high, and that's the focus on the upcoming U.S. Presidential election campaign. 

Now for one of my favorite myth-busters--  The "military aid" Israel and other countries get from the United States is really internal "economic aid" for the American economy.  It's not cash to spend wherever the recipient wants.  It's certainly not for the recipient country to develop and sustain its own military industries.  The "aid" is just a PC term for shopping coupons to use in American "stores," to prop up American businesses.  That's good for the American economy, and that's bad for some of the recipient countries, especially Israel.

Israel has military industry which is "sabotaged" by the American "gifts." That's in a couple of ways.  One is that when Israel gets the American products it weakens the Israeli manufacturers.  And two, if any of the American products are needed in anything that Israel manufactures, the United States has veto power over its usage and sales.  That weakens the Israeli economy.

Some people like to say that one "shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," but I'm in the "beware of Greeks bearing gifts," aka the Trojan horse.

"The Cure Before The Illness," Prayer Before Exile

Yesterday I attended the first in a series of four classes, Understanding the High Holiday Machzor by Rabbi Reuven Grodner at Pardess.

Even though I'm old enough to get "senior discounts," and I've done my best to be Torah observant since high school, frequently I feel like a stranger to the siddur, Jewish prayerbook.  This feeling is even stronger during Holidays, since they only come once a year.  I must admit that I do know Rabbi Grodner personally, and that is one of the reasons I felt that he was the right one to reveal the mysteries of Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur Prayer to me.  And Teshuva, Repentance, too, yes, I'm also taking that course.  Most probably I'll be blogging about it at a later date.

Reuven spent the first session teaching us the history of Jewish Prayer and its basic structure.

Being priviliged to be living in the time of the ingathering of the exiles, I've always been amazed at the similarities between Jews from all over the world. Our prayers and holiday are the same, whether our families have spent the past two thousand years in Europe, Africa or Asia.  How could this be?  Only very recently do we have easily affordable books, telephones, internet etc.  Only today can people at all corners of the earth be reading the same blog post or newspaper article simultaneously, minutes after it's published.

I had always been under the impression that Jewish prayer was codified some time in the Middle-Ages.  Well, I had been wrong by a long shot.  The basis of Jewish Prayer was codified over two thousand years ago, after the destruction of The First Temple by אנשי כנסת הגדולה Anshei Kneset HaGedola Men of the Great Assembly.  It was based on Chana's Prayer and King David's T'hillim Psalms.   A large portion of our prayers can be found in King David's words.  He was the greatest of all writers and poets in the history of the world.

Women Praying at Tel Shiloh, where the Biblical Chana had prayed.

There's a concept in Judaism that "the cure comes before the illness."  As Reuven taught us the history of Jewish Prayer it became obvious to me that over the centuries, the millennia, it has been Jewish Prayer that kept us, the Jews One People, One Nation worshipping the One G-d.  Our basic prayers were established, codified before the massive exile, and because we Jews pray ever day, three times a day we are the same People, the same Nation that lived and ruled here all those thousands of years ago, from the time of Joshua, the Judges and our kings. 

This is our land.  No other people had an independent nation here, and no other people has stayed in active existence with the same religion, language, culture and shared history as long as the Jewish People.  We are G-d's Chosen Nation, and we are here to stay.

Facing Fears, "Soul to Soul," by Deborah Masel, Z"L

I was amazed at how quickly I read "Soul to Soul," by Deborah Masel.  Actually, I'm even more amazed that I had managed to read it to the end.  There are certain types of books I just don't have the kishkes to get through.  OK.  Call me weak, chicken, whatever you think appropriate.  A few years ago, I bought a book a friend had written about her son who had been killed in battle.  I just couldn't get through it.  It was well-written, but the problem was within me.  I couldn't deal with the subject of a mother writing about her dead son.  I can handle those conversations in person, but not that story in a book.

"Soul to Soul," by Deborah Masel was written while the author knew that she had incurable cancer. She chronicles the story, her story. Masel's written words are so strong, so compelling that I have no doubt that she was an amazingly charismatic person when alive.   I crossed that out, because she's still charismatic even  when her body is dead.  Her words keep her soul alive.  Yes, as I had mentioned earlier, on me-ander, she very much reminds me of Coffee and Chemo's RivkA, who also died of cancer.

In real life, I'm the type who can't "say goodbye" to a dying friend.  At least so far I've failed to do it.  A couple of years ago, when a friend was dying, word went out that she wanted visitors.  Yes, I did visit, but I could barely speak.  Words failed me.  We looked in each other's eyes and it seemed that we were communicating.  Yes, she spoke to others, but our communication avoided voicing the crucial issue... that it was most possibly the last time we'd meet in Olam HaZeh, This World.

Deborah Masel writes with such honesty, she blew my usual phobias away, at least when it came to facing cancer on the written page.

Today, with all the modern testing, all sorts of cancers are discovered on people which in the past must have had remained hidden.  Statistically, it seems there's hardly anyone who will escape at least some sort of cancer.  Breast cancer alone is now diagnosed in 12% of women.  Of course, most women survive it, but that still means that more than one in ten women will have some sort of surgery and/or treatment for breast cancer.  That's an amazingly high number, and that isn't the only cancer any of us can get.

RivkA was very upfront and honest about her treatments, symptoms and worries.  Masel is the same in her book.  It seemed like once women discussed varicose veins, wrinkles and greying hair.  Now they discuss chemo, radiation and breast prosthesis. (Some women I know have also chosen not to wear them, explaining that the discomfort outweighs the aesthetic advantage.) I've seen this also with friends who have been treated for cancer.

Deborah Masel was a teacher, a teacher of Jewish subjects.  She had many followers which doesn't surprise me.  She found great comfort in her Judaism and Jewish studies.  She had a loving family, many friends and followers.  May G-d give good health, strength and a multitude of blessings to Masel's family and loved ones.  HaMakom yenachem, may G-d comfort them.

"Soul to Soul," by Deborah Masel is an amazing book.  I definitely recommend it.

Is This "New Egypt" Still A Peace Partner of Israel?

Hat tip: IMRA for some links

After spring is summer, and here in Israel, the plants dry up and die.  Have the "Arab Spring" and long, hot summer in Egypt killed the peace between Israel and Egypt?  The Israeli Left and Center touts the gift of Sinai to Egypt as proof that we can buy peace by giving them land, our Holy Land.  But has it been true peace?  Caroline Glick calls it a cease fire, no more than that.  It has been more like the temporary energy one gets after eating a sugary chocolate bar; within a short time, one can be even more tired than before. Is the present Egyptian leadership capable of keeping even that frigid cease-fire?

Now were on the "down," post-chocolate crash, with Egypt.  The honeymoon is over.

Egyptian soldiers shot at the IDF.  Is it wise for Israel to reopen the Israeli Embassy in Egypt?

Is this "peace with Egypt" real or just a fiction?

"Yeah, Me Too"

"Yeah, Me Too"
by Sara Layah Shomron

9:30 PM and the phone rings. The pleasant, young woman's voice: Ani mitkasheret m'taam hayishuv Migron laazor l'ham... (I'm calling for the community of Migron that recently had three homes destroyed, leaving three Jewish families homeless).
Me: "You too? We're from Gush Katif; we also had our home destroyed by the government. How can I help you? I don't live near Migron."
Young woman: "Well... actually we're collecting money to help the families"
Me: "Yes, we also lost our jobs with the destruction of Gush Katif and are still unemployed."
Young woman: "eh.. b'hatzlacha,(success to you) and Shana tova".

By coincidence we're calling one another from different parts of the country asking for help from fellow victims. Yeah, me too! We must help strengthen each other...and not allow the destruction of Jewish homes to become a growth industry!

Post-9/11 Silence

Silence, The Sound of Silence....



For ten years I've been waiting for Americans to tell Israelis how they now understand what Israel goes through all the time. Terrorism isn't rare in Israel. Our southern cities are targeted by Arab terrorists launching dangerous missiles almost daily.

And the world is silent...

Arab terrorists massacre Jewish families in their homes.

And the world is silent...

Arab suicide terrorists blow up buses, killing innocent civilians.

And the world is silent...

Arab terrorists stab Jews.

And the world is silent...

Arab terrorists uproot and destroy Jewish vineyards and orchards.

And the world is silent...

Arab terrorists shoot and kill Jews traveling.

And the world is silent...

Arab terrorists throw boulders at cars murdering the Jewish passengers.

And the world is silent...

Fool, said I, you do not know, silence, like a cancer, grows
Hear my words and I might teach you, take my arms then I might reach you
But my words, like silent raindrops fell, and echoed in the wells of silence
Paul Simon

The terrorists who attacked the United States ten years ago, 9/11, are connected to the Arab terrorists who attack Jews in Israel. World terrorism won't end until all terrorism, including the Arab terrorists attacking Jews in Israel are totally destroyed.

Migron Video With English Subtitles

A couple of days ago, I posted the video of Migron destruction with just the Hebrew.

This is just awful.

Treason? What 1967 Tragedies?

So far I haven't found this Jerusalem Post Magazine article online.

It's the weekly "Questionnaire" article given to some prominent Israeli to fill out.  Most run NGO's or are politicians.  This week Lahav Harkov interviewed Labor MK Daniel Ben-Simon.  I must admit that I'd never heard of him before.  Apparently he had worked as a journalist for Left wing papers, Davar and Haaretz.  His answers were pretty boring until he got to this:

His statement that his first act as Israeli Prime Minister would be to give me twelve months to leave my home, totally outrageous and dangerous for the State of Israel as it would be, didn't disturb me as much as his:

"This way we can finish the Six Day War and the tragedies it brought."

Wooh!  Did you get that?  This man, who sits as a Member the Israeli Kenesset and makes laws to govern our state, says that the Six Day War brought "tragedies."  All of the countries surrounding Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Syria united to destroy us, threatened to "throw the Israelis into the sea."  There could have been one out of two results to this war.  Either we'd defeat them or be destroyed.  We were victorious, and in the process liberated our historic territories and in so doing straightened the indefensible borders.  Those old, aka green line borders had held for barely nineteen years.  They were cease-fire lines.  There was nothing holy, or even terribly legal about them.

This MK Ben-Simon claims the 1967 Israeli victory brought "tragedies." Would he have preferred that we had been defeated and destroyed? I don't care what else he said in that interview. As far as I'm concerned, MK Daniel Ben-Simon is a very dangerous man.

Newly Redesigned Latma Presents: "The Turkish dumbbell and the sorrows of the evicted"

The "new" Latma is very well designed. Take a look.



What do you think?

Caroline Glick has done a great job.

Jewish Authority in the Land of Israel

In the mid-1960's when I first began getting involved in Zionism, people still referred to Israel as הארץ Ha'Aretz, The Land.  I think that we must revive the term which has been replaced by "Israel," The State of Israel.  I guess that once we liberated the bulk of our traditional, Biblical Homeland, Judea and Samaria, Ha'Aretz became at least de jure part of the State of Israel.

Some Israelis, Leftist politicians, media and academics, had trouble from the very beginning, mid-June, 1967, accepting the miraculous restoration of Ha'Aretz, our Land.  They envisioned it as a bargaining chip.  They expected the defeated Arabs to call, begging for some peace agreement in exchange for the Land we now legally possessed.  But the Arabs didn't call.  Since then, for almost forty-five 45 years they've created a fantasy called "Land for Peace," and they are willing to sacrifice absolutely anything, including Jewish Lives, to promote it.

One of the biggest mistakes Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has made has been the acceptance of the idea of a Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State.  This not only endangers the lives of Jews in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, it endangers the very existence, survival of the State of Israel.

In response, a new group has begun its activities, Samchut Yehudit, Jewish Authority.  I wasn't invited to the meeting, but I do support their initiative.

Migron's Middle of the Night Destruction, Only the Likud!

This horrid scene of destruction of Jewish homes and property in Migron was brought to you the Likud.  That's a reason I don't vote Likud.  The entire Moshe Feiglin, Manhigut Yehudit is an awful mistake.  His voters brought this on by voting Likud.  The Likud in opposition is always better, and the Left wouldn't dare to do what the Likud does.  Remember that Disengagement was Likud as was the withdrawl from the Sinai and all the destruction of the Jewish homes and towns.  Yes, that was the Likud.

You don't have to understand Hebrew to realize what's happening.  People were thrown out of their homes in the middle of the night, men, women, children and tiny babies.  Medics and nurses were forbidden to help the injured.



I believe in G-d and I believe in Olam HaBa, the Next World when everyone involved in this awful destruction from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and all the officers and brutal police/soldiers will get their true punishment from G-d.

"Where Are We?" Ask The Confused Trolley-Jerusalem Light Rail Passengers

Yesterday I was on the Jerusalem Trolley with my husband, so there's finally a picture, actually two, of me.  Yes, I know that the colors are a bit strange.  I lightened the photos.

Many people, including those of the Jewish neighborhoods where the train starts, Neve Ya'akov and Pisgat Ze'ev, seemed to be unaware that the train would be going through nearby Beit Chanina and Shuafat, two upper-middle class Arab neighborhoods.  Yes, there are wealthy and middle-class Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

When I had previously ridden on that part of the route, it had been much too crowded for me to take pictures, but yesterday I got some good shots to show Arabic signs.

I wonder if the foreign press and even the Leftist Israel media have mentioned this much.  So far, Jewish and Arab passengers wait and travel and sit together politely and peacefully.  The announcements and the signs are in three languages: Hebrew, English and Arabic.  Of course, there's no guarantee that Arab terrorists won't target the trolleys.

The truth is that there's more cooperation and tolerance between Jews and Arabs here in Israel than the world wants to recognize.  Even Israel's Leftists don't like to admit that Arabs and Jews can live in one country as long as we all obey the laws.  Just the other day I heard a Leftist politician saying that the reason Israel must  withdraw from Judea and Samaria, which he called the "occupied territories," was because "Israel shouldn't have too many Arabs."  That sounds extremely intolerant and very foolish.  It's like throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Majoring in Zionism, Torah Style

It's worth reading this Tablet article about the girls high school in Maale Levona, or should I say about the students and alumni of the school.

The school was established after my daughters had already graduated high school.  Would I have sent them there?  I honestly don't know.

Many/most of the girls who had been arrested and stayed in jail for long periods of time during the struggle against Disengagement were students in Ulpanat Maale Levona.

My youngest daughter and her friends had done a hunger strike of sorts as an anti-Oslo protest.  Then the students in Ulpanat Ofra were in the vanguard of pro-Jewish Life in the Land of Israel.

Living in Israel, especially in the heart, the very center of the Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael gives us all a different perspective.  These kids, unlike my generation, only know this Land.  I was a high school senior in my last days of school when Arabs threatened Israel with total annihilation, which resulted in the miraculous Six Days War.  The United Nations quickly fled; its peace-keeping forces sic withdrew the minute Egypt's Nasser ordered it to leave because he planned on invading Israel.  No country helped Israel.  Just G-d and people all over the world were in Israel's camp.  That's right.  Not even the United States.  All the world just waited with baited breath to see if Israel would be destroyed.

Thank G-d and G-d only Israel defeated its enemies and liberated, yes liberated our historic HolyLand.

These girls see and feel it.  You can also feel it from some olim chadashim, new immigrants.

I don't expect everyone to understand.  I also don't judge the girls even when it comes to the actions I would never do myself.

American "Forked Tongue"

You can almost feel sorry for the Pseudostinians aka Palestinians sic.  After years of hearing support and encouragement from U.S. President Obama and many other powerful Americans, the United States is playing a different song.

US Formally Asks PA to Drop Statehood Bid

After months of implicit opposition to the PA statehood bid at the UN on September 20, the US has formally asked the PA to drop the move...

In American TV and cinema "Injun language" from the last century, when I was a kid, the Indians would always accuse the white men of talking with "forked tongue," lying to them, being hypocrites.

How long will this announcement be in effect?  Is Obama just waiting to win the next election and then afterwards as a "lame duck," he'll have four more years to do whatever he wants.

A Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic state would be bad for world peace.  It would be rewarding terrorism.

The Dirty Remnants of The Israeli Faux "Social Justice" Summer Camp

The Faux "Social Justice" demonstrations will no doubt give birth to a new political party which will run in the next Israeli Elections.  All the media backed publicity is aimed to get Likud out of power.  Leftist newspaper Haaretz is saying the same.

The Israel of 2011 needs a sober, honest leadership, but one seasoned with a pinch of the bandit's daring and chicanery. The protest is providing such a leadership a chance to appear, even if it comes from outside rather than within its ranks.

No doubt those who have been orchestrating the demonstrations are hoping to be as lucky as the ones who chose American Barack Hussein Obama and successfully propelled him, a casting director's dream, into the United States Presidency.

When I passed by the downtown Jerusalem "Horse Garden" the sidewalk was still occupied, but they were taking down the tents and making an effort to clean up.  I'm pretty sure that it's against the law to take over the sidewalk.  We can find out if a pro-Jews in Judea and Samaria would try demonstrating on that location.  No doubt that we'd be arrested and fined.

Here are some pictures. 

I wonder if it will be totally cleaned up next time I'm there...