Some Pre-Shabbat Reading and Latma

Shabbat is rapidly approaching, and it's the time of the week when I don't blog, phone or email.  Actually, I enjoy the break.  We do need to rest our minds, souls and bodies from those things...

Now for a short pre-Shabbat post:

It's no secret that I'm a fan (and friend, too) of Ruthie Blum.  Her latest article in Israel Hayom is important to read and share.

Abbas’ afterglow

What a week it’s been for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Last Thursday, his bid for non-member observer status at the United Nations passed at the General Assembly with flying colors...

In honor of his victory in New York, which the Palestinians see as a stage in the progression to full statehood that extends across the entire land of Israel — a celebratory song was played on the official PA radio station, the Voice of Palestine.

The lyrics of the lovely ballad, as translated by Palestinian Media Watch, are as follows:

“We have accepted [our] death, so that Jerusalem will return

We are bombs, friends, when the homeland calls

My heart, with fury, exploded and scattered

The shrapnel of this life flew and the enemies were beheaded

Grieve not, Mother, shed no tears over my torn flesh

Gather [my] bones, Mother, return them to the earth ...

Allah Akbar (God is great)!

If you summon: ‘Come to self-sacrifice’

You will meet heroic men who mock death ...

We praised the Lord, and set out for martyrdom

We strapped ourselves with explosives, and trusted in Allah..." and it goes on, worse

I suggested to her that those Arab terror lyrics and our National Anthem Hatikva be compared.

In the Jewish heart A Jewish spirit still sings,	Kol ode balevav P'nimah - Nefesh Yehudi homiyah
And the eyes look east Toward Zion	Ulfa'atey mizrach kadimah Ayin l'tzion tzofiyah.
Our hope is not lost, Our hope of two thousand years,	Ode lo avdah tikvatenu Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim:
To be a free nation in our land,	L'hiyot am chofshi b'artzenu
In the land of Zion and Jerusalem	Eretz Tzion v'Yerushalayim

And now for a different song, "Blame Canada" from Latma.  In the meantime they haven't uploaded their programs with English subtitles, but this song is in English.  Once you hear it, you'll see the connection with Ruthie Blum's article.