Bibi's Fancy U.N. Words versus Facts on The Ground

Photo by Avi Ohayon, GPO

Reuters

As expected, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wowed his supporters in his latest speech to the United Nations General Assembly. Bibi writes a good speech and performs even better, but as I've written innumerable times, they're just words.

But Netanyahu described Iran, Islamic State and the militant group Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip as part of a single team, comparing them all to Germany's Nazis, who killed six million Jews in World War Two.
"The Nazis believed in a master race; the militant Islamists believe in a master faith," Netanyahu said in his speech at the annual gathering of the 193-nation assembly in New York. "They just disagree who among them will be the master of the master faith."
"Make no mistake, ISIS (Islamic State) must be defeated," Netanyahu added. "But to defeat ISIS and leave Iran as a threshold nuclear power is to win the battle and lose the war." (Reuters)

I really don't care what he said, because I've heard it all before, and I've blogged it, too.

The truth is that there's great bitterness, disappointment in Israel, because as bravely and firmly as Bibi speaks in forums like the U.N. General Assembly, we don't see that strength on the ground here where we really need it in action. This past summer Bibi led our brave IDF to slink away grabbing at ceasefires with our enemy as if we had been defeated.

The Israeli south and north are in fear of the many sophisticated Arab terrorist tunnels hidden under seemingly peaceful fields, orchards, neighborhoods and schools. And it's no secret that seemingly innocent looking schools and hospitals in Gaza are really missile launching sites in disguise. It's no comfort to hear that 80% of the missiles were destroyed, because we all know that like a cancerous tumor or dangerous bacteria left in the body after insufficient, abbreviated treatment, they will soon expand to larger than the previous amount.

Despite Bibi's brave and strong words, facts on the ground here in Israel are different. The Israeli Government hasn't adopted the "zero tolerance" policy against Arab terrorism. Jews who are attacked by Arab terrorists aren't getting necessary aid from the IDF and police.

Local Arab youths took advantage of the lack of police presence almost immediately to carry out what appears to have been a pre-planned ambush.
Hanan recounted how an Arab horseman began intimidating a group of Jewish families walking near to Hanan's group, including young children, by charging them repeatedly with his horse. Then, two Arab youths began pelting the families with rocks and bottles, eventually forcing them to turn back. (Arutz 7)

Many Jewish Jerusalem lightrail passengers avoid the northern section of the route from French Hill to Pisgat Zeev because of increased attacks and harassment by Arab passengers. They take buses instead.

We Israelis would prefer that our Prime Minister use actions rather than words. Nothing he says or pictures he shows will ever earn us friends and allies among United Nations member nations. We have only one true ally and leader, and it's not a person or country. As we say in our prayers:

אל מלך נאמן El Melech Ne’eman, God is the Faithful King

No Matter How "Sharp" Bibi's U.N. Speech, The World Will Still Prefer the Arabs

It's never wise to brag in advance, because then expectations rise too high to meet. And that's just one of the reasons I'm not happy with the claims of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's advance team about his upcoming United Nations General Assembly speech.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is promising a “razor sharp” speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday..."In my speech to the General Assembly, I will refute the lies that are being told about us and I will tell the truth about our state and the heroic soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world," (Arutz 7)

Anyone with half and unbiased brain will admit that our PM Bibi Netanyahu is most probably the very best orator in today's world. What he comes up with even as an ad lib is far superior to what most international leaders' speech-writing teams write while painstakingly pooling all their research and coaching staff. That's what a true orator is. If someone needs/is dependent on a speechwriter and coach for his/her speeches, that person is no more than an actor/performer, not an orator.

There has been international support for another new Arab state in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley since before the establishment of the State of Israel. The idea didn't start with the 1967 Six Days War, nor Arafat, the PLO nor Abbas. It actually began when Great Britain chopped off most of what it had been mandated by the League of Nations for a Jewish State and gave it to the foreign Hashemites to invent a new Arab country they called Jordan.

In July 1922, the League of Nations entrusted Great Britain with the Mandate for Palestine. Recognizing "the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine," Great Britain was called upon to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine-Eretz Israel (Land of Israel). Shortly afterwards, in September 1922, the League of Nations and Great Britain decided that the provisions for setting up a Jewish national home would not apply to the area east of the Jordan River, which constituted three-fourths of the territory included in the Mandate and which eventually became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (Jewish Virtual Library)

The world didn't care, nor did they care when Great Britain seriously discriminated against the Jews in the remaining part of the mandated areas, and they didn't protest when GB armed the Arabs against the Jews.

And then, post-World War Two and the Nazi Holocaust which caused the murder of six million Jews at least, when it became obvious that the Zionists were going to declare a state, the United Nations came up with their fokokt plan aka  1947 Partition Plan, which allocated unconnected blocks of land to the Jews and the rest to the Arabs.

In 1947, Great Britain relinquished to the UN the power to make decisions relating to the status of the Land of Israel. The General Assembly appointed a special committee that collected evidence and decided unanimously that Israel should be granted independence. Most of the committee members favored partitioning the land into two states, a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem under international supervision. On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly accepted the partition resolution, 33 to 13. MFA

Since there was no Arab nationalism, joint culture or history to take over this land, they only united to fight the Jews/Zionists, Jordan then illegally occupied what the nascent State of Israel didn't hold. The world didn't car about that either. There were no protests about how the Zionists, the Jews were being shortchanged and cheated. And the Leftist Labor Zionists, led by David Ben-Gurion, considered themselves lucky enough to survive and have even the small indefensible piece of land.

Credit: buildersofzion

This history Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu knows well, no doubt much better than I do. He should just tell the world that we know very well that they aren't interested in truth and justice. They never were. They didn't care when Jordan was invented. They didn't care during the Nazi Holocaust against Jews. They didn't care all the times when Arabs have attacked Israel in wars and terrorism. And they certainly don't care that the aim of the so-called Palestinians is Israel's destruction. That's because those who invented the faux Palestinian People sic are those sitting in the General Assembly. We don't need them to judge or approve of us.

The best thing for Netanyahu to do would be state that Israel will no longer negotiate nor support the the establishment of a "Palestinian state" and to say that Israel is finished with the United Nations and then walk out with the entire Israeli delegation.

If Fatah's Abbas is Moderate, then...

Please complete this line:

If Fatah's Abbas is Moderate, then...

Reuters

Considering that not only European countries, the United Nations, the USA and even most Israeli politicians tout Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas as a "moderate," we should listen carefully to what he's saying about Israel, "peace," etc.

On Friday, Mahmoud Abbas said that without a “firm timetable” in place to end the Israeli presence in Gaza and the West Bank, there’s no value in continuing peace talks. (Jerusalem Post)

And here's from Reuters:

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement that Abbas' speech made clear that the Palestinian president does not "want and cannot be a partner for any logical diplomatic solution."
"It isn't for nothing that Abu Mazen is in a joint government with Hamas, Abu Mazen complements Hamas with his political terrorism and storytelling against Israel," said Lieberman, referring to Abbas by his nickname.
Abbas said on Friday it was "impossible" to return to a cycle of negotiations with no substance.
"There is no meaning or value in negotiations for which the agreed objective is not ending the Israeli occupation and achieving the independence of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital on the entire Palestinian Territory occupied in the 1967 war," Abbas said.
"There is no value in negotiations which are not linked to a firm timetable for the implementation of this goal," he said.

It was an awful mistake for Israel to have agreed to negotiate for a "Palestinian State." It had been clear to me from the start that we would end up in a dilemma like this. We, the State of Israel, created this monster and destroying it will be difficult and painful.

Abbas has no plans to share any land or guarantee Israel's security and continued existance. And for sure there aren't any foreign powers that care more for Israeli security than creating a new Arab country called Palestine.

From Abbas's PA TV:

Islam-based hate speech on PA TV:Jews are "most evil among creations,""barbaric apes, wretched pigs" 

We must stop dreaming and take difficult and unpopular steps to cease all negotiations and rescind the "two state solution."

Were Those "Boos" I Heard During U.S. Pres. Obama's U.N. Speech?

During the final minutes of the Jewish Year of 5774, just before I turned off the television to light the candles heralding the beginning of Rosh Hashannah, 5775, I heard United States President Barack Hussein Obama addressing the United Nations General Assembly.

By chance, G-d's planning of course, Obama davka spoke about "peace" between Israel and the Arabs. He blamed Israel for the lack of peace:

Leadership will also be necessary to address the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. As bleak as the landscape appears, America will never give up the pursuit of peace. The situation in Iraq, Syria and Libya should cure anyone of the illusion that this conflict is the main source of problems in the region; for far too long, it has been used in part as a way to distract people from problems at home. And the violence engulfing the region today has made too many Israelis ready to abandon the hard work of peace. But let’s be clear: the status quo in the West Bank and Gaza is not sustainable. We cannot afford to turn away from this effort – not when rockets are fired at innocent Israelis, or the lives of so many Palestinian children are taken from us in Gaza. So long as I am President, we will stand up for the principle that Israelis, Palestinians, the region, and the world will be more just with two states living side by side, in peace and security. (Emphasis mine. Thanks to Breitbart.com for quoting just the lines I need for this post.)

You had to see the face Obama made while making the statement about Israelis not willing to work hard enough for peace, sic. You'd think he'd just seen someone defecating in public.

5775 Fruit Head

I kept hearing sounds that sounded like boos or catcalls as Obama spoke. At first I thought I was imagining it, because anyone who would dare make noise in the UN General Assembly would be quickly hustled out. Then I finally figured out that some kids must have had been blowing on a shofar outside. I somehow perceived the sounds from the neighborhood as being protests against Obama. It's like the "forced perspective" photography technique in my Rosh Hashannah "fruit head." It looks like the bananas and avocados are attached to her "wig," but they're not.

Obama's speech was the epitome of chutzpah and hypocrisy. In the quotation above he makes it very clear that he expects, he demands that Israel agree to a Palestinian sic state, although he said something very different in a different part of his speech. No, he didn't say that he'd give up on his quest to establish such a state. What he said was:

America stands for something different. We believe that right makes might – that bigger nations should not be able to bully smaller ones; that people should be able to choose their own future. (Again from Breitbart.com and again emphasis mine)

Now, if he's serious about his opposition to bullying, then why is he telling Israel what we should do? I consider the American pressure on the State of Israel to "make a deal" with the Arab terrorists to be the epitome of diplomatic bullying!

Finally, yes there were boos during Obama's speech. I'm sure I'm not the only person who was booing him from the safety of home where no security people could muzzle me and hustle me away.

שתהיה שנה יותר טובה! May 5775 be a Better Year

fruit head, 5774

G-d willing the new year, 5775, which is starting in just a few hours will be a better year than 5774 was. As a much needed buffer between the two, I'm really looking forward to our rare three day holiday, two days of Rosh Hashannah immediately followed by Shabbat. That means three days without the news, no telephones, television, computers, internet etc. For news junkies, bloggers, pundits etc, this can be pure suffering, like a drug addict going "cold turkey," but just like I don't suffer "caffeine headaches" when fasting, I don't miss the lack of news on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays.

It's not the food that comforts me and takes my mind off of "boredom." I just love to get into the Holiday spirit, the routine of Jewish Traditions, hosting and being hosted, being mesmerized by the sounds of the Prayers floating up to my front-row Ezrat Nashim, Women's Gallery seat. I let the sounds of the shofar enter my body and soul shaking me to my core. I know that G-d is in charge. He is our true ruler, not the politicians, Supreme Court Justices nor government clerks.



In all honesty, I'm terribly troubled by many things happening in the State of Israel. I'm definitely not happy with the lack of true Jewish values and standards. Democracy isn't a Jewish value. It's the rule of a "privileged mob," which does sound very much like an oxymoron. How could the "privileged" be a mob? But this is the case here in Israel.

We have a "Supreme Court" staffed by appointed "self-appointed" justices who consider themselves above the law. They define/interpret the law according to their beliefs. They aren't elected by the people; they elect their successors to perpetuate their Leftist foreign (non-Jewish) ideology. Their "fellow travelers" control the universities and media. Over the decades even before the establishment of the State of Israel they have been systematically controlling and brainwashing the State of Israel and its citizens.

The Israeli Left has declared Israel as a "democratic state" rather than a Jewish state and have made the establishment of an additional Arab state "Palestine" sic as a primary aim. Although they control crucial aspects of the country, they are actually a minority of the population.

That's where the big conflict here is beginning to bubble and come to a head. Most Israelis are not happy with the present state of affairs, the fact that the Left dominates so many powerful government bodies.

With G-d's Help, at some point soon there will be a major change for the good in the State of Israel.

Yesterday when it was announced that the ringleaders of the kidnap-murder of the three teenage boys, Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha'ar and Naftali Frenkel, the families expressed satisfaction that the Arab terrorists wouldn't have opportunities to bask in fame, smiling and smirking for the cameras in court and then being released in exchange for other victims. Their deaths were a bittersweet relief. Since the boys can't be brought back to life, at least their murderers are dead.

True Teshuva, repentance and change take a very long time. We can't expect instant improvement. We each have a role to play, and our first target for Teshuva must be ourselves. May we have the strength and wisdom, wisdom, strength and good health to do everything in our power to make things better including ourselves, G-d willing.

שתהיה שנה יותר טובה! May 5775 be a Better Year

Wonderful Ending to 5774 With Capture/Execution of Arab Terrorists Guilty of Murdering Jewish Teens

Oops that title is too long...

Many of us in Israel and even other parts of the world are breathing a sigh of relief at the deaths of the two Arab terrorist murderers who had kidnapped the three teenage boys this summer and murdered them in cold blood.

Millions of people all over the world, Jews and non-Jews alike united to pray for the safe return of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha'ar and Naftali Frenkel, but that was impossible. The boys had all been murdered a short time after their kidnapping. 

This has been an awful summer between the kidnapping, murders and then the war. For Israelis in the south, it was especially bad when security forces revealed that the Gazan Arab terrorists have been building an amazingly advanced and sophisticated network of tunnels which reach into Israeli communities. It's like knowing that there's a serial rapist who can enter your home at will.

The war, which the government refuses to "label" as war for "financial considerations" ended with a whimper and can very easily resume. The enemy wasn't defeated. The Gazan Arab Hamas terrorists are just "re-arming," and there's more and more pressure on Israel to acquiesce to a Palestine in our midst, which will just endanger us even more.

IDF Blog

In this morose, suddenly there was a bit of light, something to make us proud and joyful. The Arab terrorists who kidnapped and murdered the three teens were found and killed.

The Israel Border Police's vaunted YAMAM counter-terrorist unit on Tuesday stormed a building in Hebron that was housing the wanted Palestinians suspected of kidnapping and murdering three yeshiva students in June.
In the raid, the team of crack commandos exchanged gunfire with the wanted Palestinians, killing them. (Jerusalem Post)

The families all expressed satisfaction in this successful action, even though nothing will bring back their sons.



It's a fitting ending to the Jewish Year.

Shemitta, Jewish Land Sabbatical, The Pros and Cons

For clarity's sake I'm going to re-title/explain this as "What I Like and Hate about Shemitta."

As a chronic blogger, it's no surprise that I have opinions about everything. That's why I can blog on two very different blogs ever single day, excepting Shabbat and Jewish Holidays, of course. And as a salesperson, I have always told my customers that their opinions count. I won't tell them that their taste is awful. So, some people may not only disagree with what I'll be stating here, they may even think it's sacrilegious to dare blog on such a subject.

First of all, for those who don't know, Shemitta is a mitzvah, a Torah G-d given commandment, the Shabbat, year of rest, for the Land and the farmers.

For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its produce. But in the seventh year, the land shall have a complete rest, a Sabbath to the L‑rd; you shall not sow your field, you shall not prune your vineyard, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth of your harvest . . . And [the produce of] the Sabbath of the land shall be yours to eat for you, for your male and female servants, and for your hired worker and resident who live with you . . . (Leviticus 25:3–6)

This sounds pretty simple at first, but of course it's horrendously complicated in practice, and there are more interpretations for the actual observance than anyone can imagine.

Since Shemitta only affects the Holy Land and Jewish landowner farmers, until the advent of quick and safe food import/export most Jews never had to deal with it or even know about it. And for close to two thousand years there weren't any Jewish landowner farmers in the Holy Land, the questions of Shemitta were mostly academic.

With the advent of Zionist farmers, who understood the importance of reclaiming the Land in the most intimate way possible, using it for all Jewish needs, suddenly Shemitta needed practical solutions for the farmers and the consumers.

The Kibbutzim and private farmers of those early Jewish settlers couldn't just give up their livelihoods for a year plus every seven years. The rabbis came up with the solution known as "Heter Mechira," a "fictional" sale of the Land to non-Jews. Read this article on  The Kosher Point. Not everyone accepts the Heter Mechira solution, and that's how things get very unpleasant especially here in Israel. There are two main opposing solutions.

• eat only fruits/vegetables from non-Jews, whether local or foreign
• Otzar Beit Din, Public Treasury

Many people refuse to support Arabs, seen very accurately as our enemies, over Jews, so they won't knowingly eat from those suppliers. The Otzar Beit Din solution satisfies both the halachik, social and econimic needs:

A third approach to Shemittah that has been increasingly making inroads is the Otzar Beit Din, or Public Treasury. It is based, inter alia, on the idea that Shemittah fruits are forbidden to be sold, but not to be eaten, and in fact have a sanctity that renders their consumption extra meritorious. The poor must be able to share in the fruits equally. To this end, the harvesting and distribution, as well as the upkeep of the fields, are carried out not for commercial profit, but by a public body acting as the public's representative.  (Arutz 7)

While Heter Mechira followers and those eating from Arab agriculture frequently refuse to eat in each other's homes, Otzar Beit Din is pretty much accepted by all.

The thing I absolutely hate about Shemitta year is that "I won't eat your food" custom/syndrome which will reach its peak by next Rosh Hashannah and the first few months of 5776, when there won't be any "sixth year" produce in the stores. I so hate all of the contradictory rules/rabbinic decisions that I can't get myself to even go to the classes and information seminars that have been going on for months here in Israel.

It's additionally complicated in places like Shiloh where even the most non-gardening family, like us, has some delicous edible fruit in their gardens. Pretty much everyone but us has been busy getting their gardens pruned, and cleaned like US Marine buzz cuts.

Now to tell you that there is one thing I really like about Shemitta. It's based on the halacha, Jewish Law, that says that individuals are forbidden to benefit in any way from the fruits/vegetables growing on their private Land/garden, but others may take just enough for their needs. My neighbors will be allowed to eat our delicious grapes, and we will be permitted to take their figs, grapes, apples etc. One can only take what is needed for the next meal, not for the week and certainly not to sell.

The marketing/shopping Shemitta dilemma doesn't start the day after Rosh Hashannah. It begins gradually as vegetables then fruit from the sixth year are no longer marketable. No doubt I will be writing more about the seventh aka Shemitta year.

May everyone be respectful and tolerant concerning various rabbinic opinions concerning Shemitta, because Derech Eretz, how we treat other people is an equally if not greater mitzvah.

President Ruby Got More Applause than PM Bibi at Begin Event

Last night I attended the big festive celebration of ten years of Menachem Begin Heritage Center and Museum. Security was tight, almost like at a foreign airport, because both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Ruby Rivlin were to be there. And yes, they were and yes they spoke.

Officially the evening was a tribute to the late Menachem Begin, a Betari who had led the "Irgun" aka "Etzel" in the war of liberation against the British. After that he was leader of the opposition here in Israel until he shocked the Leftist establishment with his Likud victory in 1977. He then served as Prime Minister and shocked the State of Israel and the world by offering Egypt the Sinai in exchange for "peace." That's when he lost me as a supporter.

As part of the deal he included the destruction of all of the Jewish communities in the Sinai. Some were "reconstituted" afterwards in Gush Katif, then later destroyed by Ariel Sharon's Disengagement Plan. My husband works in the Begin Center, which is why I frequently attend its events.

Many people, yes, those who attend events in the Begin Center feel the way I do, but we still highly respect a lot of what Begin did over his long active public life and feel more for Likud members/politicians like Ruby Rivlin than we do for any other high ranking Israelis.

There was much celebrating and applause last night for our President Ruby. Even though the Likud has been in power most of the past thirty-eight years, his election victory was the very first time that a Likudnik, an unabashed Betar Jerusalem supporter and ideological Betari, has been Israel's President.

In the forty-four 44 years since our aliyah, I have seen so many changes in Israeli society. Not that long ago, you wouldn't see an identifiable religious person in the Israeli media. Then it began becoming more common to see the man in a discreet kippah. Now we see women, like the evening MC who covers her hair, wears sleeves and high necklines.

There has been lots of progress in Israeli society integrating religious and Right in various roles. The last holdout, and the most difficult, seems to be in academics. That's why there has been so much protest against the Ariel University.

The success and popularity of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and Museum is an important step for Israeli society.

Christian Missionary Joel Rosenberg and Family Make Aliyah

Posted by JewishIsrael.com

Joel Rosenberg, a renowned "end-times" author and missionary, who promotes proselytizing the Jewish people and dedicates resources to targeting Israelis for conversion, has managed to make Aliyah with his family.

Rosenberg was able to immigrate to Israel as a practicing Christian missionary via a loophole in Israel's Law of Return. 

Just five months ago JewishIsrael reported that the Chief Rabbi of Efrat, Shlomo Riskin, granted legitimacy to Rosenberg by sharing the podium with him at New York’s West Side Lincoln Square Synagogue in an interfaith theological exchange sponsored by Ohr Torah Stone’s Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation...more

"Teflon" Lapid and Other Israeli Coalition Thoughts

Flash 90

Will Yair Lapid, Finance Minister pay a price for his Shabbat-breaking faux pas?

Will Lapid's Sabbath Desecration Bring Down the Coalition?
A coalition has already broken apart in a similar gaffe to Lapid's Shabbat press conference; MKs warning action may be taken.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid's (Yesh Atid) decision to hold a press conference in his Tel Aviv home on Saturday in open violation of the Sabbath has religious and non-religious MKs alike furious, with many waiting to see if the move may spell the end of the rocky coalition government.

Arutz 7, which observes the Shabbat, had the above article in a prominent position, but besides the also Sabbath observing Jewish Press, I couldn't find any other site that stressed the significance or possible ramifications of  such a breach of Israeli political protocol.

Sabbath observance, no matter how one defines Shabbat, is an integral part of Israeli life. Considering that Lapid is still campaigning for public bus service on Shabbat and supports stores being open seven days a week, it's pretty clear that he is against a public day of rest. Lapid wants shopkeepers, bus drivers and the media to work 24/7. His concept, if he has one, of human rights is rather cruel and old-fashioned.

It seems like Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu doesn't care, nor does the media, nor his coalition partners including the religious Naftali Bennett of the NRP aka Jewish Home. There should have been a major public hullabaloo protesting Lapid's Shabbat press conference.

Silence is acquiescence to this break in protocol. I think that Bibi is perfectly comfortable with Lapid's anti-Jewish policies. If Bennett wants to show his leadership potential he must break out of the coalition. I doubt if he or his MK's will do it. Their campaign promise was to be in the coalition, which is the main reason I refused to vote from him.

And about Gidon Sa'ar's resignation from Likud politics. Once I read that his wife Geula Even had been suspended just before the resignation for breaking her "don't interview Likud MK restriction," it was perfectly clear that their careers conflicted. One had to change jobs, and they decided that he would be the one.

Even and Sa'ar with
baby David, credit

Since Even is married to outgoing Interior Minister and Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar, she was instructed that interviews with Likud politicians are taboo on her nightly current affairs program The Supplement.
Despite the warning, Even interviewed Likud MK Gila Gamliel, which resulted in an argument between her and Hasson. (Jerusalem Post)

IMHO, it's pretty obvious that is the reason.

Another interesting political couple, Likud minister and media personality, are MK Sylvan Shalom, Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water, Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galil, Minister of Regional Cooperation (a hodge-podge of minor ministries because he is in competition with PM Bibi,) and Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes scion of Israel's main (Leftist) media dynasty. Last week Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes spoke at the Tefillat Chana, Shiloh Hakeduma-Tel Shiloh event, playing up herself as just like the religious women in the audience. For many of the attendees it was quite a surprise to see her in Shiloh. I heard from a friend that she spoke about her visit to Shiloh very positively on her radio show. She and her husband have been positioning themselves more and more on the religiously Traditional and Right of Israeli politics and life/society. I would keep that in mind when trying to predict what's next.

Israeli politics is never dull, and no doubt I'll have lots more to write about in the near future.

The Last Havel Havelim of 5774!

Our traditional
Rosh Hashannah"fruit head." 

Yes, we're in the very last days of the Jewish Year of 5774. On Wednesday night, as the sun goes down the year 5775 will begin. May it be a wonderful year of joy, good health, wisdom and peace for the entire Jewish People.

We Jewish bloggers have a great opportunity to promote Judaism and Israel via the internet. Today, many people can read our posts (articles) even on their phones. For many, even the computer is passe`.  We can even blog on our phone or tablet. And wherever/however you read or blog, you can share and comment on posts, too. So please comment and share the posts you find interesting. And of course share and comment on this Havel Havelim, thanks.

Havel Havelim is the weekly international Jewish blog carnival that has been appearing well over a decade. It was begun by Soccer Dad who no longer blogs. He coordinated it for quite a while. Now we use our facebook page to coordinate and publicize it. That's where we sign up to host an edition and see the latest news. Join the page and become part of the community. Because next week is a short blogging week due to Rosh Hashannah, there probably won't be an edition until after Yom Kippur, when it will be hosted by Tzivia, Adventures in AliyahLand submit to tzivia@aliyahland.com. Please submit your posts before Yom Kippur, thanks.

As has been my custom of late, I'm first listing the posts that had been submitted to me, then mine and finally, if I have time, I'll add whatever I find on other blogs. Again, please read, comment and share, thanks.

Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein, 12)HA’OROT:TSHUVA/RETURN-THE LIMITLESS POWER OF THE WILL FOR GOOD-
Yaaqov Ben-Yehuda, Britain Is Growing Increasingly Anti-Semitic: Really? You Think?
Esser Agaroth, Knesset Urged to Act Against Leftist Attorney General
Tomer Devora, Moishela: "I Have Been Given Permission to Reveal to You Future Events"
Donny Fuchs, Anti-Missionary Conference
Torah Revolution, Letting the Xtians Harvest Grapes On Our Land: A Modern-day and Voluntary Greed-galore Slave-trade!
RJS, Did You Hear about Jerusalem’s Emek Refaim Street?
Jacob Richman, Photos of the Euthymius Monastary and the Ma’ale Adumim’s Fire and Rescue Station and Educational Resources and Cool Videos about Rosh Hashanah
JBC Jewish Book Carnival: September 2014
Ben-Tzion, Adventures of a Chief Rabbi: Chivitos for Dinner (with apologies to my vegetarian friends…)
Gail Winston, LEBANON/HEZB’ALLAH/GALILEE/GOLAN???
Jewish Israel, JewishIsrael Gives Presentation at "Cancelled" Counter-Missionary Event
Shiloh Musings, Strong Jewish Women
Bibi, Connect the Dots! If Hamas is Like ISIS, Then Fatah is, Too!
me-ander, "Suburban Life" in Jerusalem's Old City Walls
Last Taste of Summer
The Depth of "Modah Ani" on My Birthday
Converting to Judaism! So when’s Gwyneth Paltrow coming to Israel?
I Was Robbed!
Judge!
Count Your Blessings - Day 13
9 months

A reminder from Leora who hosts JPIX, the Jewish bloggers picture carnival. She's planning on producing another editions soon, so please get your links to her on the form click here.

The next Kosher Cooking Carnival is due out after Rosh Hashannah, so please send me your links before the holiday, shilohmuse at gmail dot com. KCC is coordinated on a facebook page, too.

Most important message:

You don't have to be a blogger to read, comment and share Havel Havelim!

Don't Arm and Train the Syrians!!! The USA is Making a Tragic Mistake

It's a very Leftist and Obama-fallacy to believe that arming one group of Syrians will be good.

U.S. Congress approves arming Syrian rebels, funding government(Reuters) - The U.S. Congress gave final approval on Thursday to President Barack Obama's plan for training and arming moderate Syrian rebels to battle Islamic State, a major part of his military campaign to "degrade and destroy" the militant group.
The Senate voted 78-22, in a rare bipartisan show of support for one of Obama's high-profile initiatives. With the House of Representatives approving the legislation on Wednesday, the measure now goes to Obama to sign into law.
Ten Senate Democrats and 12 Republicans voted no.
Obama thanked Congress for the speed in which it acted to back the plan, which he announced on Sept. 10, and said the strong bipartisan support showed Americans were united in the fight against Islamic State. (Reuters)

I keep going back to the movie "The Siege" in which, sorry for the spoiler, it's discovered that the Arab terrorists terrorizing the United States were trained by the Americans themselves.

Anyone who thinks that only "good Syrians" will use the weapons and skills taught and donated by the Americans is worse than naive. How will the Americans "test" the candidates for their training courses?

And as an Israeli, I'm very, totally opposed to the plan, because none of the Syrian factions want to live in true peace with Israel. So any weapons, training etc can and will be used against the State of Israel. There's no doubt in my mind.

I was born and raised in the states and went to American public schools. I'm still in touch and visit, read and follow the media and politics. To put it simply, not only don't I think that the United States President Barack Hussein Obama is doing what's best for the USA, I don't think he has a clue of  the implications, ramifications and fallout of  his policies.

I don't consider him my president, and I don't vote in American elections, even though I do have a legal right to cast a ballot.

Obama has stated that he won't send in American troops to fight ISIS Islamic State, so his solution is to arm and train what he calls "rebel" Syrians. This plan is a dangerous time bomb which will cause even more damage to world peace.

Israel's Pre-Election Shake-ups

I don't know if elections are to be soon, but we're always in pre-election mode, even  the minute elections are over. Before the votes are even counted, a competent professional politician will always be planning his next moves.  And the Israeli political system is more like a surfers beach, with high waves and changes. It's very unlike the American system, which can be compared to a boring lake. Two political parties  that have existed for and have been competing for over a hundred years just doesn't have the excitement of Israel's elections, which always have new parties. Never dull here in Israel.

There are two big political news items. One was/is expected, and the other a surprise.

Naftali Bennett has been having trouble keeping his NRP aka Jewish Home party well glued. That's now surprise for a few reasons. One is that he joined the dying NRP to save it, and a lot of people don't like his methods. The chief method they don't like is that he has been opening the party to non-religious members of the Israeli public. He could have done something similar with Arye Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari, as the saying goes, "it makes more sense to marry a rich girl." And the NRP had the big dowry, while Eldad and Ben-Ari could only offer idealism.

I honestly must say that I had hoped they would all work together and never liked Bennett's aim to being the cabinet as a campaign slogan.

Photo credit: Yehoshua Yosef

The big shocker is the resignation, to take a break from politics, of Interior Minister,  Gidon Sa'ar.

"After giving this considerable thought, I have decided to take a break from politics. I seek a different life, a little more privacy, peace and freedom. I feel this is the right thing to do for me and for my loved ones," Sa'ar told hundreds of Likud members at a pre-Rosh Hashana event at Kfar Maccabiah, in central Israel.
"Over the past two years, especially given the changes in my personal life, I have considered taking a break from public life many times. It's tough to leave and there are always reasons not to do so.

I can understand that he needs a break or wants to go into another field. I've certainly worked at enough jobs and feel that changing professions is healthy. Maybe he will be back, and maybe he won't. I wish him luck.

Shiloh, Strong Jewish Women!

Last night (and yesterday afternoon) was the Annual Tefillat Chana at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh. Yes, I live in Shiloh and have for just over thirty-three years. As I've written before, I feel that my living in Shiloh has changed me. It's hard to say and can't be proven if the changes are due to the wonderful neighbors I have here who have in their subtle ways influenced and changed me. Or is there a more spiritual immeasurable reason which stems from the holiness of the place?

Shiloh, yes, this very same Shiloh, was one of the most central/important/crucial locations in the History of the Jewish People. Our great Biblical leader, Joshua, did not have to battle/capture Shiloh before establishing it as the spiritual and administrative Capitol of the Jewish Nation after the Exodus from Egypt. The Bible clearly lists the many cities he did have to capture/liberate, but Shiloh isn't among them.

Shiloh, so geographically in the center of the Promised Land, was waiting with arms opened for Joshua to bring the Jews, the seven tribes that hadn't yet been allocated Land. In Shiloh the Mishkan, Tabernacle which had been transported during the wandering the desert was set in a semi-permanent spot where it rested/stayed in use for three hundred sixty-nine 369 years.

location of Biblical Tabernacle, Shiloh

It was Shiloh where the Jewish People came for the Pilgrimage Festivals over those centuries. And the most famous story, also depicted in the Bible, is the one of Chana who came with her husband and family to pray for a son. Chana didn't want a son for her own selfish reasons. She wanted a son who would lead the Jewish People into its next stage, a Kingdom. Chana promised G-d that if He gave her a son, she would give that son back to Him to work for Him as a leader.  And that's what happened.

Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi

At last night's event, the popular inspirational speaker Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi talked about the bravery and dedication of Jewish mothers, from the time of Sarah, whose only son Issac was bound to G-d in the miss-titled "Sacrifice of Issac." G-d didn't want Issac to be killed, He wanted Issac to work with him as successor to Abraham.

Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi spoke about the recently bereaved mothers, the mothers of the soldiers who had been killed in this summer's war, Tzuk Eitan, Protective Edge. She, who knows too well the pain of losing a child, told us how inspired she was by the mothers she had gone to comfort.











A surprise speaker was the well-known media personality, Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes aka wife of Israeli politician Sylvan Shalom. The women sitting near me was totally shocked when they found out that she was here in Shiloh with us. Judy Shalom-Nir-Mozes is still associated with the Leftist views of her family, but from what I've read, she is Right and more Jewishly traditional than most would expect from an Israeli media star.

In another generation, I have no doubt that with the leadership of strong Israeli women, we will see a much more Jewish and confident nation here in Israel.

That is the lesson of Biblical Shiloh.

Just Their First Time in Shiloh?

I've been living in Shiloh for thirty-three years already. Shiloh is on the map. It's in the Center of Israel. We're a half hour from Jerusalem and a half hour from the Tzomet Yarkon, which is next to Peatach Tikvah. And we're ten minutes from the Alon Road, meaning the Jordan Valley.

But for many Israelis we could be on the moon. That's how close, convenient and safe they think the trip is to Shiloh.

This afternoon as I walked down from my house to Shiloh Hakedumah, Tel Shiloh for the Tiffillat Chana, Annual Chana's Pray event which draws thousands of women from all over Israel, I spotted a few women picniking, ok sitting on the curb and noshing just a few steps from the turn which is a minute's walk from the Tel. They asked me how far it was to the site of the event. I answered.

"One minute." 

They were shocked, since they were under the impression it was a long walk. I spoke to them for a few minutes. It ends up that it was their first time in Shiloh. What shocked me the most was that some of the women lived all of ten minutes by car from Shiloh in Ariel.

I ended up speaking to other women who told me that it was also their first visit. Nobody came from very far.

I hope that they'll all come again and that this wonderful event will bring more and more women from all over the world to Shiloh.

Boom! Gaza Attacked Israel Yesterday. Here we go again...

credit

Yes, if anyone had been taking bets on how long the latest in a long series of "ceasefires" with Hamas Gaza Arab terrorists would last, it's over. Yesterday, Gaza attacked Israel.

The IDF has confirmed that a rocket was launched from Gaza at approximately 6:30pm on Tuesday. The rocket landed in the Eshkol Region.
no injuries or damage has been reported.
The rocket siren did not go off.
This would be the first confirmed violation of the ceasefire since Operation Protective Edge ended.
Hamas claims they don’t know of any rocket that were launched today. They also initially claimed to have had no connection to the kidnapping of the 3 boys in Gush Etzion in June, until they finally admitted that they did it. (Jewish Press)

And in a strange turn of events, they actually found and arrested the rogue rocket-launchers.

Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip arrested the militants who launched a mortar at southern Israel on Tuesday evening, Israel Radio quoted a senior defense official as saying.
Israel made clear to Hamas that if it did not take swift action against those responsible for firing the mortar, the IDF would need to enter the picture, according to Israel Radio.
Hamas told mediators that it was interested in preserving the cease-fire and that it apprehended those responsible for the mortar.
Defense sources told Israel Radio that Hamas moved quickly to arrest the perpetrators because the organization is "disturbed by the situation." (Jerusalem Post)

Does this mean that the Hamas leadership wants "peace?" Is it "good news" or is the quick arrest something to make us suspicious?

• Since the arrest of those who allegedly launched the rocket was speedy, maybe the authorities did know in advance?
• Since the arrest of those who allegedly launched the rocket was speedy, maybe the suspects didn't do it.
• Since the arrest of those who allegedly launched the rocket was speedy, maybe they'll be quickly released or held under very comfy conditions.

Read this recent post on the IDF Blog about Hamas, and you'll be suspicious, too.

Hamas Reveals Jihadi Character on Arabic Twitter Account

Though Hamas denies being linked to Islamic fundamentalism when it is speaks to a western audience, it uses different language on its official Twitter account in Arabic. The Twitter account shows how Hamas draws its and ideology from the same sources as ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The difference in speech from English to Arabic
On its English twitter account, Hamas’ Islamist character is played down. The terrorist organization publishes more reserved statements such as, “The Palestinian people are committed to their right to their land, to defend themselves and to lift the siege imposed on Gaza,” (although there are some notable exceptions to this “moderation.”)
However, on its Arabic twitter account, Hamas reveals its Jihadist nature by issuing far more virulent statements, such as:
“We will not rest until Palestine is free … We are not tired nor weary, and we’ll continue on the path of Jihad with the help of God. “
(complete article)

Annual Tefillat Chana, Hannah's Prayer Event, Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh

For more information call 02-9944019.

Since the first day of Tishrei is Rosh Hashannah, there won't be the monthly Women's Rosh Chodesh Prayers at Tel Shiloh. I highly recommend coming to Tefillat Chana. It's an amazing event with all sorts of activities, tours, inspiration by Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi and music.

Too Much Disturbing News About ISIS and Arab Terror Threats

This morning's news sites show how dangers of international Arab ISIS terrorism, Iran etc. just can't be swept under the rug.

One of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's greatest international failures is that he not only never succeeded in convincing the United States of the dangers of Iran, but he did so badly that the USA seems to trust Iran more than it trusts Israel. Obama and Kerry have been begging Iran to talk. They don't treat Iran as a world danger, a pariah, which it should be.

Alain Jocard/Agence France-Presse
 — Getty Images

PARIS — The Obama administration is open to talking with Iran on the security crisis in Iraq, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, even after Iran’s supreme leader angrily said Tehran would no longer discuss Middle East issues with the United States...He acknowledged that he had opposed Iran’s attendance, but he stressed that the United States was still prepared to speak with the Iranians about Iraq and Syria, including on the margins of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program that will resume in New York on Thursday.
Just because the Iranians were not invited to the conference, Mr. Kerry said, “doesn't mean that we are opposed to the idea of communicating to find out if they will come on board or under what circumstances or whether there is the possibility of a change.”
...The Obama administration has long sought to separate the nuclear talks with Iran from discussions of regional issues, out of concern that Tehran might seek concessions in the nuclear negotiations in return for cooperating on Syria or Iran.

I don't understand how the Americans can disassociate the Iranian nuclear threat to world peace from the character and aims of the Iranian leadership. They're using modern child psychology in dealing with dangerous psychopaths. Modern child psychology tells us to separate the child from his bad actions by saying:

"What you just did was bad."
Instead of saying:
"You are a bad boy."

This may work with young children who are inherently good, but it won't work with Iranians, ISIS and the volunteers/recruits to Arab terrorism. There's an excellent interactive article on the New York Times site about the rise of ISIS. It's worth using one of your limited number of free NYT articles to read it. (If you know of a place it can be accessed freely, please let me know in the comments, thanks.) Here's the opening:

A Rogue State Along Two Rivers

How ISIS Came to Control Large Portions of Syria and Iraq
By JEREMY ASHKENAS, ARCHIE TSE, DEREK WATKINS and KAREN YOURISH July 3, 2014

The militant group called the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria seemed to surprise many American and Iraqi officials with the recent gains it made in its violent campaign to create a new religious state. But the victories achieved in the past few weeks were built on months of maneuvering along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which define a region known as the cradle of civilization.

Not only has countries like Turkey proven fertile ground for recruits, but so has Europe and even the United States.

At least three Somali families in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have female relatives who have gone missing in the past six weeks and may have tried to join Islamic State, said community leader Abdirizak Bihi. He said that while the reasons for their disappearance were unclear, he had told the families to contact police.

Not long ago, I watched a very panicky news report on television about how shocked the British are that the ISIS be-headers had good middle-class British accents. We must remember that many of the worst and most brutal terrorists are educated.

I remember, haven't forgotten how the media was so certain that since Bashar Hafez al-Assad was a doctor in England, he'd be more humane and reform Syria. But the truth is that he became just like his father, if not worse. Please don't ignore/forget his use of chemical weapons against civilians, as if it's humane to use them against militarily.

Depressing, isn't it? There aren't any world leaders willing and able to do what must be done.