Are There Still Jewish/Israeli Bloggers? HH and KCC

It has been  four weeks since I last posted a Havel Havelim, the old weekly round-up of Jewish and Israeli blog posts.

From the updates on my blog rolls, meaning the list of blogs on the sidebars of my blogs,  there still are people blogging. I sometimes look at the various blog posts and enjoy reading them. What has very obviously petered out is the community, the camaraderie that we once enjoyed. I miss that. So, although the former niceties of thanking hosts of the Jewish blog carnivals Havel Havelim and Kosher Cooking Carnival seem to have gone the way of the Long Distance Operator, I still think that offering my readers a taste of other blogs is a good and productive thing to do. This time I will also include posts that would have been in the Kosher Cooking Carnival. I'd love it if others felt like hosting either one or both or the combo, so if you're interested, please let me know at shilohmuse@gmail.com. Both blog carnivals have facebook pages, Havel Havelim and Kosher Cooking Carnival, just click the names and join.

I hope that you check out the other blogs and posts, comment and share. Remember that blogging gives us the opportunity to post what the mainstream media leaves out. This time I will just feature a few blogs I like. They are very different. In addition I will add links to some of my own blog posts from the past few weeks. I would really appreciate your feedback on this. Here goes:

PREOCCUPIED TERRITORY is a fantastic satirical blog. Especially since the "death" of Caroline Glick's Latma, we're in need of someone to show how outrageously dumb people on the Left can be.

Cabinet To Vote On Peace Pact With Nablus-Area Plumber

Report: No One Accuses US Blacks Of Loyalty To Liberia

Study: Arabs Who Stab Jews Might Not Be Interested In Coexistence

AvivahWerner.com is a by blogger who writes very honestly about her life and family.

The healing power of siblings

When intrinsic motivation is missing in college students

What would you do today if you were brave? Here’s my answer.

israelseen.com is an excellent comprehensive site which offers blog posts about Judaism and Israel. OK, now, is there really a difference nowadays between sites and blogs, articles and blog posts? Not really.

Jack Cohen – Anousim Initiative Pt. II

There is a synagogue on Har HaBayit

A Photographic Essay of the Secrets Under the Al-Aqsa Mosque

David Bedein – The Mufti, Hitler and the Palestinians: The Facts!

Doug's blog is a favorite of mine to be perfectly honest. He blogs about Israeli beers. A taste of the gold, Three new Israeli beers.
Israel Just the Facts is a blog I'm just recently acquainted with. Here are a couple of its posts.
Is Anyone Listening? Is It Still Unclear What The Middle East Wars Are About?
You Are Not Going To Believe What a Mother of Killed Palestinian Terrorist Pulls Out On LIVE TV!

The Real Jerusalem Streets photographer is an old friend of mine. We love to meet each other no matter what the occasion. Her blog is a visual pleasure:
Rain in Jerusalem, 6 Years in Jerusalem: Then, Now, Next, and on Israellycool, Sorry AP, No Excuses For Murder.
Good News From Israel, New Topic: Jewish Inventors and Innovations is part of a Jewish trivia game that Jacob Richman has been working on.
I found this blog Going Home.. To Yerushalayem on the Life in Israel blogroll.  Here's an interesting post Historical Background On the Struggle For Jewish Prayer On The Temple Mount:

I just realized that Leora has changed the name of her blog to Sketching Out. Most of her posts are of her artwork, but sometimes she posts a great kosher recipe, like now Squash Carrot Soup – Orange and Yummy. She also hosts JPIX, the Jewish blog carnival that features picture posts.
From Miriam's Kitchen... If Miriam says that this is easy to make, believe her. She doesn't have time to waste,  An Easy Supper. Vegetable and Cheese Lasagna. Miriam has another blog, Miriam's Words, Longing For a Quiet Day..

My friend Debbie Dan is a geriatric social worker by profession, and she's also my age, so... Yes, her blog is excellent and very informative. Here are a couple of posts, STAY SAFE, SENIORS! and A SENIOR SIGHING…..BUT ENDING WITH A SMILE….
Bucking the Trend is Sara Honig's blog. Here's what she wrote about Yitzchak Rabin, The Rabin Finger-Pointing Fest.
Here are a few posts by Tzivia, the multi-blogger, Arabs, on the train, Once upon a time, in Bnei Brak … and Dear Family: she is safe, so please stop asking
I consider Jewish-Israel to be a very important project. Here's their most recent report/post: Chief Rabbis Vindicated for Asking Jews to Avoid ICEJ’s 2015 Jesus Worship Feast

Here are some of my recent posts from both A Jewish Grandmother and Shiloh Musings. Shiloh, The Perfect Place for Jewish Prayer! Types and Fonts in the Israel Museum, Creative Vegetable Cooking, Fighting "City Hall" and Winning!!! Protection Against Terrorists? TIPS! and Bibi Capitulates Yet Again!

Thanks, comment and share! And visit as many blogs as you can, commenting and sharing all the way...

Have a wonderful week!

Richard Lakin's Murder and the Writing on The Wall

I wish to send my condolences to the family and friends of Richard Lakin, HaYa"D. 
המקום ינחם

"Peace" and "coexistence" activist Richard Lakin died of his wounds sustained in an attack by Arab terrorists two weeks earlier. Murder by Arab terrorists or any other vicious way is immoral.

Jerusalem Post, Richard Lakin. (photo credit:COURTESY OF FAMILY)

Lakin firmly believed that there could be peace between Jews and Arabs, but regardless of the numerous attempts and concessions Israel made to the Arab terrorists, this seems to be no more realistic than "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Despite Lakin’s dovish politics, his relatives left no doubt where they placed the blame for his death. Two other Israelis also were killed in the October 13 attack.
“He died as a result of the same incitement and hatred he fought against his entire life,” Micha Lakin told the Times of Israel.
Micha Lakin is a plaintiff in a class action suit demanding that Facebook block posts that glorify Palestinian violence.

Read more: http://forward.com/news/323434/richard-lakins-dream-of-coexistence-through-education-dies/#ixzz3q24Y3jnm

Again, those of us on the Right have been proven right about the inherent dangers from Arab society and culture. We aren't "all the same." Please remember that during World War Two, Japan used "suicide bombers," aka kamikaze pilots to attack and destroy allied ships. The role of the kamikaze pilot to destroy and murder as much of the enemy as possible and kill oneself in the process, is still considered so honorable that there's a campaign to have letters and other memorabilia archived.

Japan hopes to immortalise its kamikaze pilots - a squad of young men who crashed their aircraft into Allied ships in World War Two - by seeking Unesco World Heritage status for a collection of their letters. (BBC)

BBC

This is so like the honors Arab society, especially the PA-Palestinian Authority and the rest of the Arab world  showers on the terrorists who murder and attack Jews.

A clear pragmatic look at history and society will show that not all cultures, societies and religions can produce suicide bombers, kamikaze pilots and terrorists. And as the Americans and their allies proved in World War Two, propaganda-information campaigns and ordinary battle plans will not stop such enemies. The Japanese and the Nazis needed to be completely defeated until they surrendered for there to be peace.

Chamberlain's "peace for our time" just caused the war to intensify.

Neville Chamberlain showing the Anglo-German Declaration to a crowd at Heston Aerodrome on 30 September 1938

And the late Richard Lakin's sincere, though misguided efforts to offer peace and coexistence to the Arabs only encouraged the violence and the terror by making us look weak and desperate.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

And the road to peace is long and difficult, but we won't get there until not only do we seem to defeat the terrorists, but they must beg us for mercy, rather than the situation now when we are begging them to stop their terror!

Chief Rabbis Vindicated for Asking Jews to Avoid ICEJ’s 2015 Jesus Worship Feast

Posted by JewishIsrael.com

The annual ICEJ Feast of the Tabernacles, which took place last month, is not a "pro-Israel summit". It is a christ-centered pilgrimage and ICEJ does much to empower and legitimize the messianic movement in Israel and its evangelical missionary network.

The religious nature and agenda of ICEJ's Feast is frequently dismissed or reinterpreted by Israeli government officials and the press and therefore misunderstood by the Israeli public. The result is that many Israeli Jews are perplexed as to why the Chief Rabbinate needs to issue warnings with regards to participation in ICEJ Feast related events.JewishIsrael reports on the agenda and the personalities behind Israel's largest tourism event...more

Has the "Wave of Terror" Waned?

When the government public relations/branders/word magicians or whatever they call themselves decided to call this Arab terror war against innocent Israelis citizens a "wave" of terror, it was because they wanted to convince us that it would quickly (and easily) fade away... until the next time, as usual. Waves come and go and are part of nature, so in the art of choosing the "right word," to attempt a mind-control of sorts "Wave of Terror" is a popular term, even when those affected feel it more like a tsunami, not a relaxing gentle wave.

Since there's a limit as to how long Israelis will stay home, and I noticed that Jerusalemites are back in the streets even at night.

I was in Machane Yehuda the "shuk" the other night, which after dark transforms into Jerusalem's most popular restaurant and bar scene. The vegetable stands magically become tables, and instead of buying onions and apples, the patrons buy beers and steaks. It was as if Israel hasn't been plagued by Arab terrorists.

And in the Rami Levy-Yafiz stores in Sha'ar Binyamin customers were busy buying their usual food and lots of winter clothes, just like every year as the first rains fall. When I was working last night, I heard about the attack in the parking lot of the Gush Etzion branch. Most people just shrugged their shoulders. There's a limit as to how long people can postpone their shopping. There are various "undercover," plainclothes guards in the area besides the uniformed guards at the gate and entrance to Sha'ar Binyamin.  There are hardly any Arab customers at all. I've noticed less than a handful the past few weeks, and our regular Jewish customers have told me how much safer they feel without the Arab customers. All employees, Jewish and Arab--yes, me, too--have to undergo security checks before Rami Levy lets us work in his stores here. It may be different in Israeli cities, because if you remember, the man who attempted to murder Yehuda Glick outside the Menachem Begin Heritage Center last year had a criminal/terrorist record which according to Israeli Law could not be used to prevent his working in the restaurant there.

I also saw the usual Tuesday crowds at the Israel Museum the night before.

No doubt the Arab terrorist attacks on innocent Israelis aren't over at all. There was another one a bit earlier this morning near Kiryat Arba. But I think that most Israelis have returned to their usual routines traveling, shopping and just walking around. We may try to be more alert to what's happening around us, but we aren't willing to stay locked up at home!

Shiloh, The Perfect Place for Jewish Prayer!

Baba Sali, photo by Batya Medad

I know that many won't agree with me, but I do not go for praying to Gd at tombs and graves. No matter how righteous the dead may have been, it really turns my stomach to hear how people actually pray to the dead person, rather than to Gd Almighty. We all know that at Kever Rachel, Rachel's Tomb, many address their prayers to "Mama Rochel," rather than Gd. You'll hear the same sort of thing at the Baba Sali's Tomb and Uman and more graves and tombs so popular in the religious and traditional Jewish public.

Kotel, photo by Batya Medad

I've also lost my feelings for the Kotel, the Western Wall, once I understood what the place really is. It is very far from the actual Holy of Holies. It's the outer wall of the compound, not a remaining Temple wall.

There is one holy place that does attract my prayers, Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, just over a mile from my house. There are no walls and no graves and no tombs.

Kever Rachel
photo by Batya Medad

When Joshua led the Jewish People into the Land of Israel after the Exodus From Egypt, there were many battles to liberate towns, villages and cities that had been taken over, but Shiloh required no fighting. Shiloh stood empty of invaders awaiting the Jewish People to return. It became the religious and national capital of the Jewish Nation until David became King and planned the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In 1967, Shiloh was also empty of residents, so it was easy to establish a Jewish community here.

The Mishkan, Tabernacle, which was the forerunner of the Holy Temple, rested in Shiloh for 369 years. It was the holy place that pilgrims came to for Holiday and special prayers. The Bible tells the story of how Chana, Hannah, prayed in Shiloh for a son. That son, Shmuel Hanavi, Samuel The Prophet, led the Jewish People until he anointed the first two kings, Saul and David.

Women praying on the site of the Biblical Tabernacle, Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, photo by Batya Medad

The laws of how to pray are derived from how Chana prayed, silently and directly to Gd.

For many years now, I've been inviting women to join me for Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the Jewish Month) prayers at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh. Without the distraction of dead bodies we can easily pray directly to Gd, just the way we should.

Women's Prayers at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh Rosh Chodesh Kislev

Friday November 13, 2015

1st of Kislev, 5776, 8:30am

Hallel and Musaf for Rosh Chodesh

Tour of Tel Shiloh

Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson

Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors

תפילת נשים ראש חודש כסלו בשילה הקדומה, תל שילה

יום ו' 13-11  א' כסלוי, תשע"ו 8:30

הלל ומוסף לראש חודש

יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל

כדאי לבוא ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

Please save the date and let others know. Join our facebook group for more updates. And remember that there are many other things to do at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh. It's open to visitors six days a week. For more information call  02-994-4019.

Join us!

Rabin Conspiracy Theories, Realistic?

photo credit:
MARC ISRAEL SELLEM

From the very first news reports of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, many knowledgeable people felt that something was "off" in the reported story. Too many people to be ignored consider that the fact that Shabak agent Avishai Raviv's leadership in the Bar Ilan University student group of which Yigal Amir was a member strongly tainted the official story. I am among those who feel that there was some sort of Shabak led conspiracy during the Oslo period, which is being ignored by the mainstream media and public figures.

Avishai Raviv, credit

Avishai Raviv was an attractive, charismatic and well-financed figure who worked with Jewish high school youth, yishuvim and university students over a period of about ten years, from the mid-1980's to the Rabin assassination in 1995. Only after he left the field did the Bar Ilan students in the group realize that all their expenses had been completely covered and supported by Raviv.

It's a known fact that Rabin had been pushed or duped into accepting the Oslo Accords, an agreement of sorts, which had been negotiated by private individuals who had no legal right to commit as representatives of the State of Israel.

The process began in January 1993 in a meeting with two Israelis, Dr. Yair Hirschfeld and Dr. Ron Pundak, and Palestinian representatives headed by Ahmed Qurei, aka Abu Alaa. The contact between the groups was made through Norwegian mediators, who contacted Dr. MK Yossi Beilin. A short time later, Beilin was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and he officially acknowledged these talks, while depicting them as unofficial. Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres was updated by Beilin after the first meeting took place in January, and Peres informed Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in early February. (Knesset site)

If anything, those who initiated contact and committed Israel to these conditions should have had been charged with treason. But inexplicably, they were fully backed by Israel's Leftist leadership most prominently by Shimon Peres. By all reports Rabin hadn't a clue as to what had been taking place.

Yitzchak Rabin was a team player and didn't get to high office by shaking the boat. And talking about boats, it's a fact that he followed Ben-Gurion's orders to attack the Altalena soon after the Declaration of Independence.

Those who know the truth about the Rabin assassination have kept their silence. There are many questions that need answers, and I wonder if we will ever get them.

One of the worst results of the assassination, is that it has been used as justification to condemn, blame Israel's Right, the pro-Jewish Life in all of the Land of Israel. The hateful and untrue statements made annually and more frequently against the most patriotic of Israeli citizens is how Yitzchak Rabin's followers wish to promote his legacy. This lack of unity is the greatest tragedy of all for the State of Israel and the Jewish People.

Arab Terror and Supporters-- Equally Guilty!

Jerusalem from Mount of Olives, 1862 Francis Bedford

The State of Israel was not established by terrorizing anyone, including the very few Arabs who had been living here in the HolyLand before political zionism began. Prior to Zionism, which began in  , this Land was populated by small numbers of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Jews never totally deserted the Land. There were Jewish communities at all times, yeshivot and cemeteries. The Jewish population was very poor. On the whole poverty was rampant among all. You can see from the older buildings here, that if anyone had money, it was the Catholic Church, which claimed a lot of land and built some very impressive buildings, which we see even today.

Mark Twain in the Holy Land, Mark Twain visited Israel in 1867, and published his impressions in Innocents Abroad.  He described a desolate country – devoid of both vegetation and human population:
“….. A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds… a silent mournful expanse…. a desolation…. we never saw a human being on the whole route…. hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”

With the the advent of zionism, not only did Jewish People return to the Biblical Holyland, but self-sustaining communities were established, farms and kibbutzim and businesses and educational institutions. These were the seeds of the State of Israel.

Draining Fuara River at Haifa Bay, 1929. KKL-JNF Photo Archive

The relative prosperity that zionism brought to the HolyLand not only brought more and younger Jews from all over the world, but it also attracted Arabs. And the Arabs "bit the hand that fed them" terrorizing Jews in both rural and urban centers. The violence and death the Arab terrorists caused the struggling Jewish communities did not stop the Jews from coming or building a Jewish state.

Contrast what I just wrote with the following I copied from a recent article in the Huffington Post, Israel's Chance to Forge a Two-State Peace Amid Terrorism:

As we speak, Israelis are living in a constant state of fear. And lone, disaffected Palestinians are taking matters into their own hands, carrying out brutal acts. Some would say that there is no way to have constructive talks in this environment, but I believe now is precisely the time for dialogue.

I just don't understand how the world, including Jews and Israelis, keeps making excuses for the Arab terrorism and claiming that whatever horrific acts the Arabs do justify giving them a state. The "Two State Solution" is just a recipe/formula for the destruction of the State of Israel.

Reuters / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 A Palestinian vehicle strikes an Israeli motorist, who died later, in the West Bank city of Hebron October 20, 2015.  REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Jerusalem Post: A PALESTINIAN woman holds up a knife in the Gaza Strip.. (photo credit:REUTERS)

The State of Israel was built by hard work and peaceful means. There was no Arab state here before us. There was never a Palestinian sic people either. Although the Jewish People had always longed to return to the HolyLand, celebrating holidays which are based on our History here and fasting to mourn the loss of the Land, Political Zionism only began in the 19th Century:

The Emergence of Zionist Ideology
The main premise of Zionist ideology was that the solution for a viable Jewish communal existence in modern times could be implemented only in Eretz Israel. Eretz Israel, the land in which the identity of the Jewish people had originally formed, constituted a continuous component within the Jewish collective consciousness. It was the only place in which a Jewish collective entity and environment could be reconstructed, and the only place in which the Jews could reenter history and become a productive, normal and unified community, responsible for its own destiny. (Jewish Virtual Library)

The pogroms, terror and violence, culminating in the Holocaust, which was supposed to end with the establishment of the State of Israel, has followed the Jewish People to the Holyland. Now the Arabs are terrorizing us here, cheered on and encouraged by the same societies that had terrorized us abroad.

The truth is that nothing is new. The anti-Jewish terrorists now get their dirty work done by the Arabs. It's crucially important for us to recognize the connection between today's Arab terrorists and the Nazis and the pogroms etc. The United Nations is the Nations United Against Israel. We see it in their pro-terror activities and staff.

Facebook posts by UN staff have included photographs showing blood- drenched knives held by Palestinian men and women in keffiyeh scarves, throwing stones at Israel’s defence forces.Almost two dozen UN employees have been exposed for publishing their support for a recent bout of stabbing attacks by Palestinians that targeted Israelis.

Israeli leaders must recognize that we will never have true allies. We cannot depend on any foreign country for help. Our greatest military victories were when we fought totally on our own, the War for Independence in 1948-49 and the 1967 Six Days War. The only ally we need is Gd Almighty!!

Bibi Capitulates Yet Again!

Why should we be keeping The Temple Mount safe for a bunch of vicious anti-Jewish/Israeli terrorists?

Netanyahu: We won't give up Temple Mount or allow Jews to pray

No comprendo! Honestly, is that something a Jewish Israeli Prime Minister should be saying?

• Why aren't Jews being given equal rights on the Temple Mount?
• Why aren't Jews being given human rights on the Temple Mount?
• Why aren't Jews being given religious rights on the Temple Mount?
• Why aren't Jews being given civil rights on the Temple Mount?

Arabs throwing stones at Israeli police on the Temple Mount - Feb. 7, 2014
Photo Credit: Sliman Khader/Flash 90

photo credit

Why are Arabs allowed to run wild and desecrate the Temple Mount? If they really considered it holy, they would behave peacefully and with dignity!

My visit on the Temple Mount, Har Habayit, photo:BatyaMedad

The Jewish connection to the Temple Mount as the holiest spot in the world predates the invention of Islam and we must demand our rights! We Jews must be permitted to pray and build a synagogue. The Muslims must be cleared from the Temple mount and sent to Mecca. If they want to go up on the Temple Mount, then they must undergo full security inspections and arrested for any/all violence. The same for Christians, and I honestly have nothing against Jews being inspected for weapons either.

There must be equality in security. But remember that a Siddur (Jewish prayerbook) and other Jewish ritual objects are not weapons. We Jews must be permitted full prayer rights on the Temple Mount!!!

Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu should never again capitulate to foreign demands!!

American Jewish Organizations as Zionists-- New to Me!

I made aliyah soon after my 1970 wedding. I had been a very active member of NCSY of the OU and was/is considered one of their "great success stories," up to a point. In the 1960's NCSY promoted Torah observance, Shabbat, kashrut etc but not aliyah, moving to Israel. The term wasn't used at all. Neither was zionism mentioned. The aim of NCSY at that point was to strengthen American Jewry with more Torah observant Jews, not encourage American Jews to move to Israel.

I first heard the term aliyah to Israel when my parents and aunt, in an attempt to reduce my "extremism" as they saw my attempts to become an Orthodox Jew made me go to a USY Shabbat in my aunt's Conservative synagogue, the East Midwood Jewish Center in Brooklyn, NY. There, unlike in NCSY, life in Israel and aliyah were mentioned, talked about and the topic of study sessions.

The person who got me to think of zionism, aliyah for myself was Avi (Dennis) Lipkin, who was a year ahead of me in Great Neck North. He got me to join Betar, which is a very Zionist international youth movement. And during the few years I was an active New York Zionist, it was as a Betariya, not as an NCSYer. I remained active in both groups before my aliyah along with Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry.

So I never thought of the OU or NCSY as Zionist, because they weren't when I knew them well. Now almost a half a century later, things have obviously changed, because the OU is a member of the World Zionist Organization, so when I was invited to a press luncheon to meet the American delegates to the World Zionist Congress of the World Zionist Organization, I couldn't miss the opportunity to learn about American Jewish Life today. Luckily for me, it was on my day off and fit my plans.

photo by Batya Medad

photo by Batya Medad

photo by Batya Medad

photo by Batya Medad

photo by Batya Medad

We were there to meet the delegates and ask them questions. By total chance aka siyate d'Shmaya-the Hand of Gd, I ended up sitting next to Morton Klein, National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel group in the U.S. Considering that Klein is known for his Right and pro-Israel and Jewish life in Judea and Samaria views and that Hadassa Levy, of Eli was also at the table, it was probably the most "Right" table in the room.

Morton Klein and I, Batya Medad, photo by RJS-RealJStreets

In all honesty I was pretty impressed by the interest in Israel I heard from the delegates as they spoke. Many are frequent visitors to Israel, and some were making aliyah or even had. American Jewry has been changing. Today there are more visits, delegations, study programs in Israel than ever before. Since the press was invited to ask questions, I decided to ask one.

I, Batya Medad, photo by RJS-RealJStreets

I began by saying how happy I am that today the Jewish organizations I had once known as non-Zionist have joined the World Zionist Organization and consider themselves zionists, but then I thought of all of the other, the many non-affiliated Jews, like many of my family members, scattered all over the United States, and so I asked the delegates what they are doing to try to involve them with some sort of Jewish life and affiliation. Many hands went up to answer. But time was too short, and only one person gave his answer about how he tries to attract more Jews to his Jewish community activities.

If there's anyone who'd like to answer here, you're invited to use the comments.

"Attackers " The New Euphemism for Terrorists, AFP Yahoo

Site of Arab terror attack in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem Post

Grrr... AFP on Yahoo has a strangely worded article about yesterday's attempt by Arab terrorists to murder innocent children in a school bus:

Attackers shot after trying to board Israeli bus: police

Jerusalem (AFP) - Two alleged Palestinian attackers attempted to board a bus carrying children west of Jerusalem on Wednesday, and stabbed an Israeli before being shot, police said. 

In the article, it seems as if the editor decided to eradicate the more accurate phrase "Arab terrorists" by doing search/replace substitute the very bland term "attackers" instead. Shakespeare so famously asked if "What's in a name? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.*" And I want to know if a terrorist by any other name is less dangerous?  A rose is still a rose, no matter what you call it, and a terrorist is a terrorist, no matter what you call it, so why not just use the most accurate and clear, easy to understand, term?

And why does the word "alleged" appear modifying Palestinian attackers? Does it modify Palestinian sic, attackers or the label "Palestinian attackers?" All evidence and witnesses agree that those two Arabs attacked a Jew and beforehand had attempted to board a bus full of children, so "alleged" just editorializes as pro-Arab terror and to cast doubt on the Israeli report. And APF does recognize the Arabs as Palestinians sic, so these terrorists who have been named and are from the Hebron area fit what APF calls Palestinians. So these three words that open the article already show that this will not be an accurate and objective news article.

And the title, whether from Yahoo News or AFP is a total distortion of the event it purports to report. Granted it alludes to the fact that the men shot could be guilty of something because of the word "attackers," but it leaves out the most fact that they were shot after attacking an innocent Israeli teenager outside of a synagogue.

Officers saw the two men while they were stabbing a Jewish passerby at the bus station. The police engaged the assailants, shooting them and wounding them. (Jerusalem Post)

As much as I do not like the use of the word "Palestinian" to be used, because it's a relatively modern invented identity to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel, I'm beginning to like the fact that it is used together with terrorist as in "Palestinian terrorists," which can make people realize that the two go hand in hand. The so-called "Palestinians" and the PA-Palestinian Authority do favor terror against Jews. It's no secret.

Before I finish, I must praise the alertness of the Israeli public, the school bus driver and the police who prevented a greater tragedy. As I've written in my "Protection Against Terrorists? TIPS!" article, this isn't the time to walk around or wait around with earphones blocking out sound or to be busy with a smartphone or anything like that when in public. We must stay aware and alert at all times. No dozing in the sun at bus stops or park benches. That's a luxury we can't afford. The terrorists go after easy victims, like the Biblical Amalek. Being alert can save your life and the lives of others.

Remember that terrorists attack, and Arab attackers are terrorists!

Enough with the euphemisms!!

*Wikipedia

The Fear is Worse Than The Terror

http://jtf.org/

Please don't think that I'm downplaying the inherent dangers of Arab terror on the State of Israel, Israeli society, businesses and ordinary innocent citizens, both Jews, Arabs and others.

The terror attacks that are happening daily and unpredictably in Israel  have paralyzed and terrorized many people, kept them home, from shopping, walking around, taking public transportation, going out to restaurants etc. Many businesses are suffering. People are shopping closer to home and in stores that do not employ Arabs. Restaurants have found reservations cancelled. Public transportation is much emptier than usual.

On a personal note, I haven't really changed my routine at all. I walk rather than take buses when possible, but I had been doing that for fitness for a very long time. Now, if I'm waiting for public transportation I try to stand where I can see in all directions. This is not the time to plug your ears and listen to music or whatever in public. We do need to be alert. And we have to be cooperative with security.

Last night, a tragedy occurred at a Jerusalem bus stop, which can be blamed on the stress of the Arab terror attacks.

Security forces operate at the scene of the attack
on a bus in Jerusalem.
(photo credit:COURTESY UNITED HATZALAH)

Man, mistaken for terrorist, killed after attacking security forces on Jerusalem bus
A man boarded a bus in Jerusalem on Yermiyahu street Wednesday and attacked security force officers and attempted to steal a gun from one of the officers, Israel Police reported. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian terrorist killed
after stabbing an IDF soldier
Wednesday. (Jewish Press)

In the afternoon, an IDF soldier was seriously stabbed in her neck and torso while stationed at the Adam Junction north of Jerusalem and just south of Sha'ar Binyamin, where I was at the time working at Yafiz.

These weren't the only Arab terror attacks yesterday. These are just the attacks at locations I frequent. The Adam Junction is a badly designed and busy place between Jerusalem and Sha'ar Binyamin and most of the communities in Mateh Binyamin and the Shomron. The volume of traffic is more than that tiny traffic circle can handle, so it's the center of daily traffic jams in two directions, three if you count the turn-off to Ramalla. It's not a place I stand at of get off, but Arabs do, causing even more traffic and security chaos. That is why there are soldiers stationed there.

Yirmiyahu bus stop on a
quieter night.
(photo by Batya Medad)

And the bus stop where last night's tragedy took place is now part of our bus routes after a long struggle against the Ministry of Transportation that had amputated central Jerusalem from our bus lines. When I blogged about our "victory over city hall" on A Jewish Grandmother, that's the main bus stop we now use.

Now you shouldn't think I'm careless in my traveling. I'm an Arab terror attack survivor having been injured in the first "drive over Jews terror attack" just over twenty years ago. And I'm not counting all of the times Arab terrorists threw rocks and whatever at vehicles I was in, sometimes not making a dent and other times breaking windows and even injuring passengers including family members. I couldn't count how many times I was in such an attack even if I tried. The first time we found ourselves being stoned by Arabs was even before moving to Shiloh in 1981.

Twenty years ago, immediately after realizing that I had been attacked and survived, I felt that the fear had gone away. I felt that my life was not in my hands; if Gd decides that it's the time to die, then that will be it, and the method is out of my control, whether illness, accident or Arab terror attack. The Arab terror attacks are so random, and considering the size and population of Israel, most Israelis will never be touched/injured directly. Yes, some people end up being targeted more than once. Harel Bin-Nun, HaYa"D, a neighbors' son was seriously injured when shot by Arab terrorists in the attack on the eve of the Madrid Conference, in the same drive by shooting in which my friend and neighbor Rachalla Druk, HaYa"D, and the  busdriver Yitzchak Rofeh, HaYa"D, were murdered over twenty years ago. He miraculously recovered, but then was murdered by Arab terrorists almost ten years later in Yitzhar.

One of the major aims of the Arab terrorists is to cause such fear and paralysis in Israeli life that people will do "anything" to stop it including further weakening the country. An objective look at the history of Israeli concessions and territorial and administrative withdrawals in favor or the Arabs will show how counterproductive they have been. We were much safer forty-five 45 years ago, when the Arabs were afraid of us. Now they know how weak our will to survive is. The government leaders, epitomized by the Likud Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu, are still trying to pander to foreign approval, which we'll never get.

Only true leadership which considers the needs of Israel and its loyal citizens as priority will stop the Arab terror against us!! We shouldn't fear the Arabs and international public opinion; we should just fear Gd Almighty!! 

The Fear is Worse Than The Terror!!

Building New Homes in Shiloh, Perfectly Normal!

On Friday I had a couple of errands to do in a Shiloh neighborhood I never get to, at least not to just wander around. One of the errands was to photograph for 52Frames that weekly photo challenge I'm a member of. Since the theme was "Future," I decided to photograph something that is connected to the future for all of us, death. I photographed the cemetery.

And I also went to Shiloh's newses neighborhood, Rechov Techelet, which is just across the road, to deliver a cake for soldiers. The people delivering the cakes live just about at the far end, so I got to see a lot of the street.

The street will be extended for more housing, and another street will be underneath with even more homes.

And besides that building, there are multifamily buildings being built up in my neighborhood.

There is a great demand for houses in Shiloh, since we're near Ariel and equidistant between Jerusalem and Petach Tikvah. We also have great schools, stores, medical clinics and public transportation.

Almost fifty years since the 1967 Six Days War, two generations or more of Israelis have been born and grew up considering it perfectly normal for Israel to have Shiloh, Bet El, Hebron, etc. They, unlike my generation, don't always consider a move to Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan to be a political statement. They can't imagine any other life. Remember that there are now grandparents who were born post-1967 and they know of no other reality.

This is something Israel's Left can't comprehend at all. They're nostalgic for an Israel which had a precarious existance and suffered from Arab terror, yes, today's terror isn't new. The post-1967 borders are the best possible in all respects for Israel, and they should stop the unrealistic reactionary ideology.

Think civil rights and human rights. Why should Jews be kept in a ghetto in the Holy Land?

Experience Unnecessary to Lead a Country

There was one big thing that Barack Hussein Obama proved when first elected President of the United States:

Experience Unnecessary

Obama certainly had less government experience than John McCain. It's no exaggeration to say that Obama was the least qualified person to be elected president than anyone in recent memory, and I've been following American national politics for well over half a century.

And the latest Americans polls are showing that the public still prefers Donald Trump and Ben Carson over the seasoned politicians and government leaders.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey found Trump with 25% support among Republican voters.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was close behind Trump, with 22% support.
Amid a crowded field, US Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Florida) 13% placed a distant third, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) 9% and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's 8%. (Yahoo)

My Canadian friends are shocked and upset that Leftist Justin Trudeau defeated the pro-Israel Stephen Harper. They had been so proud of being from a country that was led by a man who didn't constantly criticize Israel for doing what any normal country does. Now, Canada will be like all the other countries when it comes to Israel.

And in Israel, the recent Midgam poll shows the untested Avigdor Lieberman leading Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Midgam conducted a poll of 807 people on Oct 14-15 with a 3.4% margin of error that was broadcast by Channel 2 on Oct 17. From the following figures, who is the most suited to deal with the latest terror wave? 29% Liberman, 17% Netanyahu, 11% Bennett, 9% Ashkenazi, 5% Lapid, 5% Herzog

Granted that Lieberman has been around a long time, but his policies have changed radically, most probably to attract media attention. No doubt he will say something that will give him headlines, but he has never actually been in a position of authority and policy making when it comes to defense.

But like pretty much everyone here in Israel, I, too am fed up with Netanyahu's repeatedly failing defense policies. It's like waiting for luggage after a long flight, and the same suitcases are going round and round until it seems like the suitcases are standing still and we're circling them.

We want to destroy and defeat the Arab terrorists, not to just reduce the terror to a "livable" amount. There is no such thing as "lowering" terror. If terror still exists, and the Arab society here still celebrate it publicly, then the government hasn't done its job.

The big problem is that I don't see Avigdor Lieberman as being a better Prime Minister than Bibi. I see Bibi as tying his own hands around his back and not doing what he is capable of doing. He's playing to the wrong audience in trying to placate America and make friends. It can be fatal!!

Arab aka "Palestinian" Terror: It's Not About "Settlements"

This new wave of Arab terror against Israelis is proving what I've been saying/writing for years, that the focus of the Arabs is not on Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, Jordan Valley and the Golan. The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Gush Katif, including the destruction of Jewish life there, did not placate the Arab appetite for war, terror and murder.

The last private home left standing in Neve Dekalim was destroyed on Thursday, ending the Defense Ministry' s Gush Katif home demolition operation,

Close to forty years ago, after Menachem Begin became Israel's Prime Minister and shocked us all by giving Egypt the Sinai and destroying all of the Jewish communities that had been built. He insisted that it would guarantee the security and Israeli identity of those in the rest of the Land of Israel. I can still hear his booming voice promising that his unprecedented move would be for peace. Here we are decades later, and we know that all these withdrawals ever did was to bring us war and terror.

Incitement video posted to Fatah official homepage, on January 21, 2014. Photo: Screenshot / PMW.

Until the bombing by the Arabs last summer of Tel Aviv, it was still easy for the Israeli media, politicians,  academics and foreigners to claim that if Israel was to destroy and uproot the "settlements" the Arabs would be happy, and we'd have peace.

multi-family building project in Shiloh
photo by Batya Medad (yes, me)

Now, this recent "wave of terror," the latest euphemism for war, is clearly proving that to be a lie. Not only are the Arab terrorists targeting pre-1967 Six Days War Israel aka "Israel proper," but an extremely high percentage of the Arab terrorists are legal residents of Israel with working papers or Israeli Arabs. I have noticed and commented on this trend of Arabs who seem are legally part of Israeli life to have taken up the gauntlet of terror against Israelis and Jews. One of the most brutal terror attacks was the massacre in the Har Nof, Jerusalem, synagogue just a year ago by Arabs who worked in the neighborhood.

Israeli ZAKA first responders at the site where two Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday entered the Kehilat Yaakov synagogue in the Jewish neighborhood of Har Nof, Jerusalem, with pistols and axes, and began attacking Jewish worshippers. Four Jewish worshippers were killed in the attack. Credit: ZAKA Spokesperson.

It was a Bezeq (Israel's main telephone and internet provider) worker who used a company car to ram into innocent Israelis at a bus stop and then brutally stab and murder them in downtown Jerusalem.

Bezeq Terrorist Praised Har Nof Massacre on TV - Inside Israel - News - Arutz Sheva

And last night the target of the Arab terrorists was the Beersheva Central Bus Station. One IDF soldier was murdered and many were injured.

Arab terror attack in the Beersheva Central Bus Station

I hope and pray that our Israeli Government will wise up and recognize that the aim of the Arabs and their international sympathizers is the destruction of the State of Israel. There is no way of placating them with small Jewish communities like Shiloh when they are drooling over Beersheva, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

We must fight a war for our very survival and stop trying to play to the international stage. Israel has no real allies, and nothing we do will win the world over. So let us just fight and defeat our enemies. That is the only way we will have peace!!