Carnival Time, Late Summer Blog Roundup

from the good old days
Make Blogging Great, Again

I was debating on whether or not to call this a "Pre-Rosh Hashanah Blog Roundup" or not. And I decided on the "not," because later next week other bloggers may end up blogging some gevaldig posts to prepare ourselves for the Jewish New Year, so I'll then be able to do a pre-holiday roundup. Besides that,  for me today really is "late summer," since it's the last day of the season for our local Shiloh Swimming Pool. Three months of convenient swimming just aren't enough, sigh.

Please read, comment and share, of course. You know, the usual routine. We bloggers really appreciate your feedback, thanks. And if you know of any blogs to recommend, please send the link in the comments here, thanks.

Please take note that I am not responsible for the content of blogs I don't write. If you have complaints or praise then, please refer to the blogs themselves, thanks.

Enjoy!

How Do You Like It So Far?
Parshas Ki Seitzei Message 5778
Ofra Haza: Israel’s Greatest and Most Tragic Star
"One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor," Derech Eretz Lesson
Compartmentalization
Give, Serve, Joyously (Ki Tavo)
Homemade, Handmade Challah So Simple
Vanessa Redgrave Does Not Regret “Zionist Hoodlums” Remark – Nor Labour’s Antisemitism, Apparently
Martin Peretz Falls Victim to Fake News
08/30 Links Pt2: Ron Prosor: A Note to Jeremy Corbyn: You Can’t Fool Everyone All the Time; The sparkling waters of the West Bank; Israel renames nuclear facility after late Shimon Peres
Summer Craziness... Shabbat is almost here AGAIN!

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach

May You have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat

About John McCain, Crocodile Tears

I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of the life of the late John McCain, but what does irk me is the great praise he only got once he began to condemn US President Donald Trump.

credit: Crocodile tears

Do you remember how unpopular McCain was when he ran for the United States Presidency? I do. The media, movers, shakers and of course the Leftists prefered the young, inexperienced, untested Barack Hussein Obama. They didn't give McCain a fair chance at all.

But eight years later, once Trump galvanized the Republicans, got the nomination and shocked the pundits completely by defeating Hillary Clinton, McCain's anti-Trump statements made him a media darling. And his brain cancer was just the icing of his popularity cake.

The dying, and now dead, John McCain became the poster child for the anti-Trump Republicans. Politics! I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

"One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor," Derech Eretz Lesson

This simple little tune, with an easily repeatable title/refrain, "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor," says so much in just a few words. It's funny that all my mind recalls from that song is the refrain. I've always considered it an important lesson.

To me "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor" shows how not only are we all connected, but the small, innocuous things we do can have major influences on others, for good and for bad.

Most people are almost exclusively tuned into themselves and are oblivious to the hurt or annoyance they cause others. It's worse in recent decades, since many people pay more attention to the smartphones and tablets they carry around, than to people. Earphones are almost permanently implanted in people, like hospital IVs and medical tubing in an ICU patient, but without any medical need.

Being that I've inherited Misophonia, I'm hypersensitive to certain sounds, vibrations, sudden disturbances etc. The positive, good aspect of this syndrome is that I'm a dancer by nature. Certain sounds inspire me to move. I'm also very sensitive to different genres of music, which means that while some music makes me soar, others make me sour, mean, miserable and irritable. When I once very politely asked someone not to clap loudly, her reaction was:

"Isn't there a pill you can take?"

I guess that was nicer than recommending a lobotomy. Even when in theory I can take the sound of light clapping, but if it's out of tune, it drives me nuts.

In synagogue during religious services/prayers, Misophonia can be most handicapping. Losing my "train of thought" when communicating with Gd is extremely problematic. I'm there to pray, not to make enemies and silently curse my neighbors.

In recent years there is a new and horrendously problematic phenomenon; some people have added loud clapping to the Silent Prayer aka the Amida. I'm sure you can guess that many people find themselves disturbed. Some are lucky enough to be able to easily and quickly get back into prayer mode, but others, like myself, are completely lost. It's like waking up suddenly because of a nightmare and not being able to relax back to sleep.

Apparently the clapping is from the Jews who follow the rather un-Jewish custom of solitary prayer, popular with the followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Jewish Prayer ideally requires community, a minyan, quorum of at least ten men over the age of Bar Mitzvah. It seems that to compensate for the lack of community and prayer leader, the Rabbi Nachman followers have been instructed to clap at various times in prayers to keep themselves focused. That's fine alone out in the wilderness, but it's worse than rude when in a group, when everyone else is totally silent.

"Look at me! Look at me. Stop praying; look at me!" They seem to be saying.

We also need to remember that Gd isn't deaf. Gd knows what we're saying out loud and in our hearts, even our quietest whispers.

I also find it problematic when people bang and clap loudly when prayers are sung to catchy tunes, because in too many cases they are so busy making noise that they aren't saying the words of the prayers.

We're now in the midst of Elul, the Month of Teshuva, Repentance. Let us all try to be nicer to other people, Gd willing.

Deja Vu, Why This Blog has Quieted Down

אין חדש
Nothing's new
Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, is 100% correct.
Rivers run into the seas.
There's a time for everything.

Should we be surprised that The European Union supports the Arabs, the Arab terrorists over Israel?
No. Don' t you remember their quiet as European Jewry was exterminated? Genocide? The Holocaust? And centuries before the Inquisition and how until well into the 19th Century Jews weren't allowed to live freely as Jews in most countries there.

And don't ignore that a requirement for political success is an oversized ego, which has its problems when it comes to honesty, etc.

I've written about all that. Recently, I feel that I'm writing the same articles, with a change in name or date.

So, I'll still write on occasion, when I find something worth writing about or when I'm in the mood. Today I'm not in the mood, not at all.

I've been keeping up with my other blog, A Jewish Grandmother, so please read that.

Shabbat Shalom U'Memevorach,May You have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat

Life in Judea-Samaria No Longer Frontier Pioneering

In 1981, when we first moved to Shiloh the heart of Biblical Israel, Judea-Samaria, we were certainly pioneers. And you needed that old-fashioned frontier spirit to survive and enjoy life.  We didn't live in tents, but the prefabricated cement home reached by a dirt path wasn't easy suburban living.

There were just a few dozen other families here in Shiloh. Electricity was provided by a tempermental generator; water was trucked in daily at best. And public transportation didn't reach our neighborhood. Actually, most of the buses only stopped on the main road, a few miles from us. And only after a few months was there a telephone, just one for the entire neighborhood.

It was a twenty minute drive to the nearest communities, and they were also struggling with the essentials of minimalist conditions. Forget about modern life.

During those early years, we were frequently visited by journalists who took for granted that we were just a temporary presence in the area, soon to be removed. Nobody imagined that in forty years Shiloh would be the center of a large bloq of communities, one larger and the rest smaller, stretching west, north and east all the way to the Alon Road and Jordan Valley.

Today's Shiloh is more suburban than rural, and we're not at all isolated. The city of Ariel is just ten minutes  away and has a university, cultural center, government offices and a mall, among other things. Here in Shiloh there are two supermarkets, an enormous hardware/building supply store, clothing store, two clinics, two bus lines, schools and more.

The entire development of Jewish return to our Biblical Homeland, Judea and Samaria, is miraculous and I'd even say Messianic, as in the Jewish prophecies. Only those whose vision is distorted by Leftist ideology can cay that we're marginal or temporary.

It's hard to say when it all changed, but changed it has. In the more veteran towns like Ofra, Shiloh, Efrat, Kiryat Arba, Kedumim and more, there are many families raising second and third generations of children.  Yes, to put it simply, we are here to stay, Baruch Hashem, thank Gd.

Dealing With Change

As readers of my other blog, A Jewish Grandmother must know, we're in the midst of getting a new kitchen.

I'm not exaggerating to say that a new kitchen is a life changing event, certainly shouldn't be compared to illness and death, but it does demand numerous decisions, deprogramming, reprogramming and causes sometimes severe disorientation.

My need for a new kitchen stemmed from a need, not just a simple gimme desire for two full-sized ovens. There was no way we could fit them into our old kitchen, which had been designed with a niche barely wide enough for a narrow stove with two tiny ovens underneath. The size, about 57 centimeters, was very popular in 1971 Israel when we bought our Jerusalem apartment, but as time went on it became almost impossible to buy replacement stoves. The last one we got, just over ten years ago, if not more, was just a bissel too wide which prevented us from opening the sliding kitchen door. Luckily, we could enter the kitchen from the dining room part of the "L."

It also took so long to cook in tiny ovens. I couldn't do more than one small tray at a time.

We've been in our house close to thirty-three years now, and the kitchen plumbing was problematic, too. So, after squirreling away money for the past few years earmarked for "new kitchen," Over a year ago, I began trying to find out how such a thing becomes a reality. Choosing workers and a plan aren't easy. The nitty-gritty of that aspect is more the style of  A Jewish Grandmother, not this blog.

Now, thank Gd the heavy destruction, deconstruction and construction necessary for a new kitchen have been mostly completed. Yesterday I got the green light from our "kitchen guy" to start filling the new cabinets. In all honesty, it's easier said than done.

Most storage space is "drawers." I don't mind change, but my husband finds it traumatic, so I planned regular upper cabinets for the Meat/Fleishig dishes near the Meat/Fleishig sink. The Dairy/Milchig sink and counter are totally different and I'm storing in drawers.

It's also so difficult to accurately just space requirements and convenience. I am glad I didn't take an "expert" to help. After close to half a century as a housewife, I have a pretty good idea of what I need and how I work. Also, I'm blessed with a fairly good skill at spacial judgment/measurements. But even I, while planning, vacillated between confidence that we would have more space than needed and panic/acceptance that I'd be giving away or throwing out lots of my kitchen items. I did get rid of a few things while packing up the kitchen, and that includes all of my cookbooks and health/diet books.

There's a certain excitement in moving into a new kitchen and embracing the challenge of change.

We are now in the Jewish Month of Elul, the time of the year when we're supposed to make extra efforts to rid ourselves of sin, confess to Gd and try to live a more Torah Life. I see the parallels between Teshuva, Repentance and reordering my kitchen possessions and priorities.

Well over fifty years ago I made the momentous decision to live a Torah Life, while at the NCSY National Convention 1965. I've treasured the changes I've made ever since. It wasn'[t in the Month of Elul, but in a way I've been in the Elul State of Mind ever since.

May my new kitchen be used for good, for observing the mitzvot, chesed and smachot, Gd willing.

Aliyah, 48 Years Since We Docked in Haifa Port

Today is the 4th of the Jewish Month of Elul. Forty-eight years ago, Saturday night after Shabbat, September 5, 1970, we docked in Haifa Port as olim chadashim, new immigrants to Israel.

Yes, the title is correct. My husband and I did not fly to Israel as we made aliyah; we had a leisurely, enjoyable two week trip by ship. I can't really call it luxurious, because the cabin we were assigned to not only didn't have a porthole to see the view, but it had bunk beds.

For entertainment there was a movie every night, though as I remember, the second week was a repetition of the first. And the last two weeknights there was live entertainment. One night the Greek staff put on a show, and the second night a bunch of us "Israelis" provided a show of Israeli Folk Songs and Folk Dance. My husband and I were featured entertainers.  There were three kosher meals a day; I don't remember any snacks.

The boat was Greek Line, Annamarie, with which the Jewish Agency had an arrangement for new immigrants and a kosher kitchen which most of us required. So many people requested kosher food that the smaller "kosher dining room" wasn't large enough, so quite a number of tables in the regular dining room was sectioned off as kosher for the rest of us. We had assigned tables, and there were two "sittings," first and second for meals. We ate at the early one.

During the day we'd wander around the ship, and the last week we rehearsed for the show. The economy/tourist section we were in was nothing like the television series Love Boat. It's a good thing that show postdated our trip, or I would have been disappointed for sure.

Twice we docked for tours at foreign ports, Lisbon and Piraeus. Maybe I shouldn't call them  tours. We just wandered around; there was no organized tour with a guide. You can hear my story by clicking.

According to halacha, Jewish Law, it is permitted to sail/travel by boat on Shabbat, as long as the trip begins before and ends afterwards. Our trip by ship from New York to Haifa, Israel got us close to Israel while it was still Shabbat, so the boat had to float/waste time until Shabbat was over before docking.

After Havdala all of the Sabbath Observers rushed to our rooms to finalize packing and then go where the Jewish Agency staff was waiting to handle the bureaucracy/paperwork. There were also journalists who considered our mass aliyah of over four hundred American Jews at one time to be newsworthy. The founding garin, settlement group, to Neve Ilan was among the 400+.

Somehow we were allowed to leave the ship, found a couple of friends who had been waiting to greet us at the port, and we all got onto a bus to Jerusalem. I remember most people sleeping on the bus, but not me. I looked out at the amazing stars up above us trying to recognize constellations.

And that's how our life in Israel began... just forty-eight 48 years ago... thank Gd. And Gd willing we will continue to enjoy life until 120....

hanging laundry in our first Israeli home, Maon Betar, Plugat Hakotel, Old City Jerusalem, September, 1970

Celebrating 37 Years in Shiloh, Memories of Day 1

On the Jewish Calendar yesterday was our "move to Shiloh" anniversary, the 2nd of Ellul. On the goyish calendar we moved on September 1, 1981. Our daughters came by bus the day before, so they'd be here for the opening of the school year.

When the girls, then aged ten 10, eight 8 and five 5, were sent on the bus alone by my husband, we didn't think it a strange thing to do. Never having owned a car, the girls were used to traveling by bus. In those days, private cars were rare, and the other passengers were mostly commuters going home to Beit El and Shiloh. I don't think there were any other stops on the route. The bus went through Ramalla; this predated today's Route 60. Most men, and a few women, had pistols for self-defense.

The girls slept at the neighbors who had been assigned as our "mishpacha ma'ametzet," adoptive family, who were responsible for helping us settle into our new life in Shiloh. I had packed the girls up with what they needed for the first day of school, 5th Grade, 3rd Grade and Kindergarten. They were all going to study in different places.

It was easiest for our youngest daughter, whose pre-school was located near where they were staying, though she didn't know any of the other children. Our eldest had to travel to Ofra for school. There was a van that took her and the other children 4th Grade and up every morning and then back to Shiloh at the end of the school day. She never missed it; there was no other way to get to and from school. Our second daughter was privileged to be able to study in Shiloh. The community had decided to open an elementary school to make Shiloh a more attractive and easier place to live in. Luckily, it had been decided to have a 3rd Grade class, and there were six children in it on September 1st, boys and girls together. She was the oldest girl. There were four children in the 2th Grade and eight in the 1st Grade. Over the next couple of months, one family left, a few moved to Shiloh, and the number of children in the school rose to about twenty.

The new school was in three empty prefabricated houses in the new neighborhood where we live to this day. Then it was brand new without a paved road, sidewalks etc. Forty small cement houses had been placed on the barren hilltop, over a mile from Tel Shiloh, where everyone else lived. I don't think there were a dozen families when our moving van, with my husband in it, pulled up that day. I came with our newborn baby son by bus a few hours later. Of course, the bus didn't come up the hill; Egged only travels on paved roads. I had to go up in a ride.

Not all of the houses had been hooked up to the electric generator, water and sewer. That had limited our choice of which to choose. During the first few days in our house, even though the toilets worked, we had to wash our hands in the kitchen sink.

Despite the obvious difficulties, I really enjoyed being part of the great Zionist experience/adventure. Our neighborhood/community became very close, and we were helped a lot by the more veteran families "down the hill."  Even for a writer like myself, it's hard to clearly verbalize what attracted me to Shiloh, but I've never had a doubt that Shiloh is the right place for us. I'd say that the best decision I/we ever made was to make aliyah and the second best was to move to Shiloh.

Ohel Shiloh Elementary School 3rd Grade girls, spring 1982

Shiloh at Forty 40, The Dream Keeps Growing

As I blogged earlier, we in Shiloh are still celebrating forty 40 years since the return of Jewish Life to one of the holiest cities for Jews.  As Yehoram Gaon mentioned during his performance, Shiloh as the most important city for the Jewish People predates Jerusalem.

The anniversary events from Thursday night until and including Shabbat are supposed to be the end of about a year of celebrations. It has been a very thrilling time. In all honesty, I feel very privileged  to have taken part and be part of such a miracle, the revival of Jewish Life in the Land of Israel. And  no doubt this will be considered an extremely important event in Jewish History, like Ezra and Nechemia.








On Shabbat there were two get-togethers during which now-adults who grew up in Shiloh, some who were born when their parents had already moved to Shiloh while others came as children, spoke about what they've made of their lives. A few live in Shiloh, raising third a third generation of Shiloh residents, while others live in cities, other yishuvim and some of our locally grown kids have even founded/established new communities far and wide in the Land of Israel.

It was interesting to hear how their childhoods in Shiloh have influenced their lives and decisions as adults. The community life and chesed, helping neighbors taught them a lot, and they have all integrated that into their present lives.

One thing mentioned was so deja vu for me. I remember at a Bnai Akiva youth movement ceremony about twenty-five 25 years ago, a neighbor of my generation told the youth that she grew up trying to emulate her parents, chalutzim, who built a new community in the early days of the State of Israel. For that reason, she and her husband were among those to establish Shiloh. On Shabbat, one of the children raised in Shiloh said that she felt it important to emulate her parents and establish a new community.

We consider ourselves and our younger generations as the continuation of the early Zionist pioneers. This isn't a matter of political Right or Left; it is just pure Zionism, the return of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel. 

I thank Gd for the privilege to live in such a holy and historic location, Shiloh. And even more than that I thank Gd for giving me life in the generation which has seen such great miracles as the 1967 Six Days War and the opportunity to help bring Jewish Life to Our Holy Land.

SHILOH 40 שילה Memories

In Hebrew, made for the 40th celebrations.

בעברית לכבוד 40 שנה בשילה, זכרונות

Arab Terror War Against Israel, Bibi, Wake Up!

LIVE UPDATES: GAZA VIOLENCE ESCALATES, OVER 150 ROCKETS LAUNCHED

Jewish homes have been hit, and innocent Jews have been injured by these Arab terrorists. These violent attacks can't continue!

My friend in the South of Israel reported:

Missile siren in the South Sderot, Shaare HaNegev.,8 missiles. 4 rockets fired at Sderot. Iron Dome took out 2

2nd siren for us in 20 minutes

The State of Israel must react strongly and decimate the Arab terrorists!

Random Miracles, Siyate D'Shmaya, Enjoying Life

One aspect of belief in Gd is the faith that things will work out well, and it's not good to obsess over things we can't control.

I wasn't born with that talent, or talents. I wasn't raised in a religious home where people used faith in Gd  as a comfort or reassurance. Gd wasn't part of our reality. There was a lot of negativity.

I'd get overly hysterical about things. Considering that I was raised by parents who blamed me for all sorts of things, it looked rather hopeless for me to ever get over it. But over twenty years I became aware of how damaging this personality flaw is, and I've been working on improving/fixing myself ever since. A friend who suffered my outbursts way back when but stayed my friend throughout loves to tell people how much nicer I've become over the years, decades.

I've learned to see the Siyate D'Shmaya, Hand of Gd in things, learned to see the good and ignore the bad. When I report/complain about the difficulty/inconvenience I'm not living with, as the regional council is ripping up out streets and sidewalks to put in new sidewalks, causes dust and dirt in and out of the house, while at the very same time, we're renovating, getting a new kitchen, which brings the dust and dirt inside the house... I stop my complaint mid-sentence and tell people how lucky I am that these renovations are being done concurrently rather than consecutively, one after another. Such Siyate D'Shmaya, Gd is truly wonderful! What a blessing...

Sometimes the Siyate D'Shmaya comes in smaller, but no less miraculous packages. This morning, for instance, as left the enclosed area of the local swimming pool, I saw a young mother and child getting out of a car. The woman looked around, a bit confused and asked me:

"Where is the synagogue?"
"Noam Yonatan Synagogue?"
"Yes."
"Follow me. It's very near to my house," I replied.

It was very clear to both of us that this was an example of  Siyate D'Shmaya. She had immediate help, and was able to help her without even going out of my way. The timing was perfect.

One thing I've learned is that LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT TO BE. We've all heard about the way of dividing people into those who see a cup half empty versus those who see it as half full.

Over half a century ago as I learned choreography for Modern Dance and performance skills, it included an important lesson:

"If you fall while performing, just get up gracefully, as if it's part of the dance."

This is an extremely necessary life skill. We must make the unexpected, unwanted and unplanned into part of our life, even when it's sad. We shouldn't obsess over everything. We have to just go on. We must also distinguish between inconvenience and tragedy. Look for the humor.

The Optimist appeared in a 1940 edition of The Rotarian:

"Life handed him a lemon,
As Life sometimes will do.
His friends looked on in pity,
Assuming he was through.
They came upon him later,
Reclining in the shade
In calm contentment, drinking
A glass of lemonade."^[10]

Wikipedia

Heard on The Grapevine, Blog Round-Up

My husband picking/harvesting our grapes.

Being that it's grape season here in Israel, and my mind is fogged by the dust of construction indoors and out, I'm just going to offer a taste of blog posts from near and far.

I'm just listing titles to whet your appetite. Please read, comment and share, thanks.

Who Will Protect Us? Who Will Speak For Us?
Is it a Burden?
Netanya Beer Festival -- August 8-9
Walla Poll: 58% Support Nation State Law; Likud 33, Yesh Atid 19, Zionist Union 12...
Individual Tests
A Visit to Shechem
Grapes, Glorious Grapes
Wings to the Mind
Waiting to Hear That USA Won't Interfere in Foreign Elections
What’s cheaper??? Three things you’ll love paying less for in Israel
Pickled, Super Easy Homemade Pickles
Parshas Eikev Messages 5778
Instant Pot Shabbat: Instant Pot Recipe for Black Lentils (and more!)

Enjoy! There's lots there in the world of Jewish and Israeli blogs. I always appreciate hearing about new ones, so if you have any to recommended add in the comments, thanks.

Waiting to Hear That USA Won't Interfere in Foreign Elections

Yesterday I heard part of the press briefing by Sarah Sanders. In it she discussed the allegations of foreign interference in American elections, most notably the 2016 presidential elections. Of course she condemned any interference very firmly.

But I was waiting for her to say that she also condemns American interference in foreign elections. Especially during Obama's reign and even before, American officials backed Israel's Left wing parties in an attempt to get the Likud out of office.

That's how Labor led by Ehud Barak won in 1999. They unseated Likud and Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu with the help of American campaign experts. The wording of Barak's slogan about leaving Southern Lebanon was very familiar... And the damage the fleeing from Lebanon did was horrendous.

It took ten years for Netanyahu to return to power, and those ten years were among the most notorious in the History of the State of Israel. Arik Sharon's inexplicable turn Left to Disengagement, which placed Gaza in the firmly in the hands of Hamas terrorists who are at present burning Souther Israel with their incendiary balloons/kites etc, then Ehud Olmert who was tried and convicted for corruption.  Since then, the Israeli public has made it clear that although Netanyahu may not be perfect, they prefer him, head of Likud, as Prime Minister. But that didn't stop Barack Hussein Obama, during his presidency from supporting Bibi's opponents.

According to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), the State Department gave $349,276 in U.S. taxpayer-funded grants to a political group in Israel to build a campaign operation, which subsequently was used to try to influence Israelis to vote against conservative Benjamin Netanyahu in the March 2015 election for prime minister.
In the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report about the State Department’s action, Chairman Bob Portman (R-Ohio) said, “It is completely unacceptable that U.S. taxpayer dollars were used to build a political campaign infrastructure that was deployed — immediately after the grant ended — against the leader [Netanyahu] of our closest ally in the Middle East.  American resources should be used to help our allies in the region, not undermine them.” 

Of course, this hand nothing to do with Donald Trump, but it still would have been nice for him to admit that Americans have done the forbidden and he promises that under his leadership it won't happen again.

GUEST POST: Time Magazine vs Truth

Time Magazine vs Truth
(a guest post by Mr. Cohen)

This essay is a critical analysis of the article titled:

“World Beyond Hope” by Karl Vick, published in

Time Magazine, on 2018 May 28, on page 26.

______________________________________________
In this article about the Palestinians in Gaza, 3 of the 4 pictures
show Palestinians suffering. There are no pictures of Palestinians
holding weapons. Their protests are described twice as peaceful.
______________________________________________
In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the
Palestinian protesters in Gaza repeatedly attempted
to destroy the security wall that protects Israel from terrorists.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

protesters were armed with knives, clubs and Molotov Cocktails.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians in Gaza have repeatedly dug underground

tunnels into Israel, so they could kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians in Gaza have repeatedly sent kites loaded

with flammables into Israel, which has caused numerous

fires, which has destroyed both crops and nature preserves.

 

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians in Gaza shot thousands of rockets and

missiles into Israel, mostly aimed at civilian targets.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians have repeatedly rejected peace offers from

Israel, peace offers that would have given them 99%

of what they wanted.

[Or more accurately, the Palestinians were offered 99%

of what they told Western audiences they wanted,

to mislead the Western audiences to believe that

they would accept something less than the total

destruction of Israel, to make themselves seem reasonable.]
 

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Muslim hatred against Israel and Jews is often inspired

by Islam’s most important sacred writings: the Koran

and Hadiths. Additionally, Muslim hatred against Israel

and Jews is often inspired by the famous anti-Jewish

forgery titled: “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”,

which is a perennial best-seller in the Muslim world.

This article never mentions the fact that Palestinian

schools and Palestinian mosques teach hate

and lethal violence against Israel and Jews.

This article never mentions the fact that the

Palestinian Authority (PA) gives cash rewards

to the families of terrorists who died while killing Jews.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that
thousands of Israeli Jews have been murdered by
Muslims, with countless bombings, car-rammings,
knifings and shootings; the victims have included
teenagers and children and pregnant women.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas, the organization that rules Gaza, is officially

committed to killing ALL Jews, all around the world:

even those Jews who never visited Israel, even those

Jews who are not Zionist, even those Jews who are

anti-Zionist. This is written in the Hamas Charter.

______________________________________________

This article said: “Hamas is SEEN AS
a terrorist group by the US and Europe.”

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas has repeatedly pushed Palestinian civilians,

including children, directly into the line-of-gunfire,

so the news-media could report that Palestinians

were killed by Israeli gunfire.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas uses children to dig underground tunnels into

Israel, so they can kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas creates shelters to protect themselves,

but no shelters for Palestinian civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas uses Palestinian civilians, including children,

as Human Shields.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas killed hundreds of Arabs and Muslims,

without trial and without civil rights, because

they were seen as violating Islamic law [Sharia]

or because they were viewed as opponents of Hamas.

All this, and author Karl Vick describes Hamas not

as a terrorist group, but merely as being “SEEN AS

a terrorist group”, as if their status as terrorists

were a mere opinion, that is subject to debate.

______________________________________________
Last, but not least, we speak about the Israelis, who
are the only people portrayed as villains in this article.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis warned Palestinian civilians in advance about

their military activities, to reduce civilian casualties. 

This kind of warning is extremely rare,

and you can count on one hand the number

of armies that offer this type of warning.
 

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

every day, Israel sends trucks filled with food and

medical supplies to Gaza. This inconvenient fact

is routinely omitted by news reporters who want

to promote the false idea that Israel is trying to

kill all the Palestinians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israel supplies Gaza with water and electricity,
even when terrorists from Gaza shoot dozens
of missiles and rockets at Israeli civilians.

What The New York Times Isn’t Telling You
About Israel’s Gaza ‘Blockade’
www.algemeiner.com/2018/04/08/what-the-new-york-times-isnt-telling-you-about-israels-gaza-blockade/

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis practiced great restraint; they waited for many

months to respond with military force, even when

they were being attacked with thousands of rockets

and missiles from Gaza, which were mostly aimed

at civilian targets.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis practiced great restraint; they waited for many

months to respond with military force, even when

they were being attacked with underground terror tunnels,

designed to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis practiced great restraint; by waiting for many

months to respond with military force, even when

they were being attacked with kites loaded with

flammable materials, flammable materials that

started big forest fires and crop fires.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israeli is the only democracy in the entire Middle East,

and the only country in the entire Middle East

with modern standards of civil rights, including

freedom of religion and equality for women.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

in Israel, Arab citizens have voting rights and are

elected to membership in the Israeli Supreme Court

and membership in the Israeli parliament [the Knesset].

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israel’s government gives money to mosques,

where Muslims gather for prayer.

______________________________________________
CONCLUSION:  The article “World Beyond Hope”
by Karl Vick contains no context and no balance;
it is a one-sided propaganda essay that whitewashes
the numerous wrongdoings of Arabs and Muslims,
while portraying Israel and Jews and one-dimensional
villains who just want to kill innocent people for no reason.

Another article, which was featured on the front cover

of Time Magazine, attributed 100% of the blame for

Middle East violence on Israel and Jews, while attributing

0% of the blame for Middle East violence on Arabs

and Muslims. I do not remember the name of this article,

but the front cover displayed a large six-pointed star,

like the six-pointed star on the flag of Israel.

______________________________________________
“Furthermore, journalists located in any Arab town
know that if they write anything not favorable to
the Arabs, they can face physical danger.”

SOURCE: article by Ralph Dobrin:
Why Peace in the Middle East Remains Illusive
www.jns.org/why-peace-in-the-middle-east-remains-illusive/
______________________________________________

Dennis Prager said:

“Israel, it ought to be recalled, is the only country in
the world targeted for annihilation.  That has been true
from the day it was proclaimed as a state in 1948 until today.

It was true before Israel was forced to conquer East Jerusalem,
Gaza and the West Bank. 

It was true after three Israeli prime ministers: Yitzchak Rabin,

Ehud Barak, and Ehud Olmert, agreed to give up virtually all of

Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians to set up a Palestinian state. 

It was [still] true after Israel have every inch of Gaza to the Palestinians.

All of which proves that when Palestinian spokesmen say

they want peace, they do not mean peace WITH Israel,

they mean peace WITHOUT Israel.”

SOURCE: Why I am in Israel and you should be

by Dennis Prager, December 2015, Country Yossi

magazine, December 2015, page 48

 

***********************************

Articles about Media Bias against Israel
from Aish HaTorah:
***********************************

Why is the Media Biased?
www.aish.com/jw/mo/48917482.html

4 Reasons Why the Media is Biased against Israel:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/4-Reasons-Why-the-Media-is-Biased-against-Israel.html

Dishonest Reporting: Media Bias Against Israel:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/48932327.html

The Media: Destroying Jerusalem Again:

www.aish.com/shraga_blog/The-Media-Destroying-Jerusalem-Again.html

European Media and Anti-Israel Bias:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/48924097.html

Palestinians: Western Media's Ignorance and Bias Palestinians:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/Palestinians-Western-Medias-Ignorance-and-Bias.html

------------------------------------------------------------------

Huge source of high-quality pro-Israel videos:

www.youtube.com/user/PragerUniversity
------------------------------------------------------------------

An Insider’s Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth

by Matti Friedman, 2014/8/26
www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/183033/israel-insider-guide

SUMMARY: This article exposes intentional anti-Israel bias in the news media.

It is still VERY relevant, even though it was written in 2014.

==================================

Facts about Israel from Daily Forest dot com:

==================================

“Israelis invented voice mail technology.”

Israel is proud to have the world’s highest rate of
entrepreneurship of women and people over the age of 55.

“The Jewish State has more museums per capita

than any other country in the world.”

Out of all the countries in the Arab-Muslim world,

Israel has the highest life expectancy for Arabs.
The life expectancy is 79 years.

“If you were to take a look inside a Pakistani passport,

you would see that it read, “This passport is valid for
all countries in the world, except Israel.”

==================================

Please check out these pro-Israel web sites:
==================================
www.camera.org

www.HonestReporting.com

www.memri.org

www.ActForAmerica.org

www.aish.com

www.IsraelLawCenter.org

==================================

Pro-Israel Articles from Aish HaTorah:

==================================

www.aish.com/jw/me/Ten-Ways-Israel-Is-Treated-Differently.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/13-Facts-about-Israel--the-Middle-East.html

 

www.aish.com/jw/s/The_Pro-Palestinians_Real_Agenda.html

 

www.aish.com/ho/i/Menachem-Begin-on-the-Lessons-of-the-Holocaust.html

 

www.aish.com/jw/me/Why-Are-There-Still-Palestinian-Refugees.html
 
www.aish.com/jw/me/The-Arabs-Real-Grievance-against-the-Jews.html

 
www.aish.com/jw/me/Col-Richard-Kemp-on-Israels-Moral-Army.html

http://5tjt.com/why-israel-is-the-worlds-best-nation-an-amazing-article-in-an-italian-paper/

==================================

Articles Refuting BDS from Aish HaTorah:
==================================
www.aish.com/jw/me/The-BDS-Smokescreen.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/BDS-The-Attempt-to-Strangle-Israel.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/BDS-and-Anti-Semitism.html
 

www.aish.com/jw/me/Fighting-BDS-in-the-Name-of-Human-Rights.html
 

www.aish.com/jw/s/Winning-the-BDS-Battle.html
 

www.aish.com/jw/s/10-Ways-You-Can-Fight-BDS.html

www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/13/bds-founder-confirms-movement-is-about-ending-the-jewish-state/
==================================

Articles about the Palestinians
from Aish HaTorah:
==================================
www.aish.com/jw/me/Golda-Meir-on-the-Palestinians.html

www.aish.com/shraga_blog/The_Palestinian_Money_Pit.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/The-Truth-about-Palestinians.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/Believing-Palestinian-Lies.html

www.aish.com/jw/mo/Staged-Palestinian-Photos.html

www.aish.com/jw/s/The_Pro-Palestinians_Real_Agenda.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48882577.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48897862.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48883522.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48908777.html

==================================

Articles from Mr. Cohen:
==================================

Who are the Palestinians?

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/who-are-palestinians.html

Did Captain Kirk believe in negotiating with terrorists?

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/can-jews-learn-from-captain-kirk.html

Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:

www.algemeiner.com/2017/10/27/israel-cannot-withdraw-from-the-west-bank/
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html

www.jns.org/in-gaza-flare-up-new-york-times-obscures-cause-and-effect/

==================================
Mr. Patrick Condell has no Jewish ancestors
and no religion that might cause him to favor Jews.

Please read these short pro-Israel articles that

expose the Palestinians by Mr. Patrick Condell:
==================================
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/boo-hoo-palestine-by-pat-condell.html

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/patronising-palestinians.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-great-palestinian-lie.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/useful-idiots-for-palestine.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/israel-and-united-nations.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/why-do-muslims-always-blame-jews.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/liberal-hypocrisy-over-gaza.html

Thank you!