Very Cultured IDF Army, Only in Israel

As I blogged on A Jewish Grandmother, the other day I spent a few hours in the Israel Museum. It was full of IDF Israel Defense Force soldiers. No, there wasn't a security emergency. Going to the Israel Museum and many other cultural and historic sites is part of "basic training."

Our soldiers come from all walks of Israeli society, plus many come from abroad and voluntarily serve in the army as lone soldiers. It's very common to see groups of soldiers touring around the country. I consider that one of the very special "only in Israel" aspects of living here.

IDF soldiers aren't just a "fighting force," they are an important part of Israeli society, whether Jewish or not. That's right. Many IDF soldiers aren't Jewish. Some aren't because they are descended from Jewish fathers, and neither their mothers nor they have converted, although they are very Israeli. And less well-known is the fact that Israeli Druze, Bedouin and even regular Israeli Arab Muslims serve in the army.

Life in Israel isn't what the international, very Leftist, media likes to portray. The truth is very different. The only apartheid here is in the areas controlled by Arabs and the PA-Palestinian Authority.

Jerusalem, Jewish and Israeli For Sure

Last night my husband and I attended an enjoyable and informative event hosted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs at the Israel Museum. The main speaker was Ambassador  Dore Gold. Gold, a former ambassador and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a leading independent research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy. Founded in 1976, the Center has produced hundreds of studies and initiatives by leading experts on a wide range of strategic topics. Dr. Dore Gold, Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, has headed the Jerusalem Center since 2000.

Gold's lecture centered on debunking six false claims about Jerusalem.

As a quick summary, two important points:

Ambassador Gold proved that according to international law and precedent, there is absolutely no reason to accuse Israel of illegally occupying sic Jerusalem. Gold easily showed how even the Muslims, until very recently, had recognized Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem.

Gold's lecture was extremely clear, informative and entertaining. The illustrations were excellent, and I certainly hope that it will be available online/youtube.

Modern Jews Descended from Biblical Jews* (Completed)

Apparently, I either erased the ending of this post or never finished writing it before originally posting. Now, it's complete. Sorry for the mess.

One of the simplest proofs that today's Jews are the direct descendants of Biblical Jews can be found in the language of the Bible, the text, narrative and lettering.

Even at the peak of the great two thousand 2,000 year exile, Jewish People and communities were discovered all over the world, India, Europe, Africa all reading from the same scrolls, following the same holidays and rituals, telling the same historic narrative and yearning to return to the very same Jerusalem.

It's that simple to say and easy to prove.

Yesterday I was in the Israel Museum and its Shrine of the Book for the umpteenth time, this time with visitors from afar. At the Shrine of the Book, it was explained to them that the text on these very ancient Dead Sea Scrolls only found in 1947 is identical to the Bible, the Torah Scrolls read by Jews all over the world even today.

Not only are Torah Scrolls exhibited in museums, but they are read from and copied by Jews all over the world. They are the source of the Jewish Religion and also studied by Jews of all ages all over the world. There never was a time in our history when we didn't study the Bible, the first five books, which are the Torah and the rest of the books with make up the Tanach, Torah, Navi (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings.)

The very same texts were found studied by Jewish People in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. We Jews are the same People who observe the same religion. There are slight differences in customs and interpretations of the Torah Law, but the similarities are extraordinary. No other religion or people have a longer history. We Jews are the People of the Bible in every sense of the word. Of course, since we had been exiled thousands of years before the modern return, we do look a bit different from each other. When in exile, there were converts to joined us, and two to three thousands of years do have an affect as many people joined us in the belief that Judaism is the only true religion. But we worship the same Gd in the same language and celebrate the same Holidays.

Just to remind you that both Christianity and Islam were invented/established long after Judaism, and their primary aim is to replace us, Gd forbid.

Who Invented "Palestine?" HADRIAN!

Hadrian, Israel Museum

One of the key points in Israel's hasbara, information campaign should always be that there never ever was a country or people called Palestine. It's an invention. We generally blame it on Europeans in rather recent history, but when I was at the Israel Museum last week and checked out their big exhibit on Hadrian, I got the answer in the short film about him.

It described Hadrian as a sort of renaissance man of contrasts and ironies. He wrote beautiful poetry and was also a warrior. He had a female wife as a proper emperor should, but he lived openly in the army with a male lover. Of course, how open could things have been in the world before photography, telephones and internet?

But the most important little tidbit I gleaned from that movie was that in his efforts to defeat the Jewish People and Nation, he changed the name of the Land from Judea to "Palestine," sic.

The invention was an ancient one, and the aim was the same as the more modern use of the word. It's a simple tool to deny Jewish History and Jewish rights to our Land. That is why the word "Palestine" appears on all sorts of maps over the ages, but when we go back in time, we can see that the only People that ruled that Land directly, not as invaders, conquerors etc was the Jewish People.

Hadrian, Israel Museum

Hadrian:

Hadrian (/ˈheɪdriən/; Latin: Publius Aelius Hadrianus Augustus;^{[note 1][2][note 2]}24 January, 76 AD – 10 July, 138 AD) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian is known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Britannia. He also rebuilt the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma... Wikipedia

There's davka another interesting and relevant exhibit in the Israel Museum that shows the Jewish/Biblical connection to the Land of Israel aka Judea, Navigating the Bible: Early Maps of the Holy Land from the Chinn Collection.

Even though the agenda of the mapmakers is Christian, not Jewish, there are the Jewish cities, like Shiloh and Beit El.  This map exhibit closes at the end of January, so if you want to see it, I suggest going now.

No Historic Justification for Tel Aviv, but Shiloh on The Other Hand...

It has never made any sense to me for the insistence by Leftist Israelis and others all over the world that Tel Aviv should be part of the modern Jewish State but not Shiloh.

Enormous storage jug found in Tel Shiloh. Shiloh had been the first Jewish spiritual and administrative Capital of the Jewish Tribal Nation before the reign of King David who declared Jerusalem the Capital City.

Last week I was in the Israel Museum and went to the archaeology department to visit the enormous Biblical time jug discovered in Shiloh about thirty-five years ago. Periodically I like to touch base with it since its presence there reaffirms that even the most Leftists of the academic archaeologists recognize the historic existance of Shiloh during Biblical times.

This time I noticed a map that showed the cities of the Biblical era.

Shiloh is listed/indicated, just where I live today, but there is absolutely no Tel Aviv. Look carefully at the coast directly west of Shiloh. You can see the Yarkon River and far (especially when you take into account how people traveled then) to the south is Ashdod. You can also see Beit El, Jerusalem and Shechem.  But when the Jewish People functioned as a nation thousands of years There was no city in the Tel Aviv/Jaffa area.

Jewish Historical Legitimacy is to the very cities and areas "Medinat Tel Aviv," Israeli the Leftist establishment keeps insisting must go to Arabs.

And even more ironic or hypocritical of the Leftists is the fact that Tel Aviv was established as the Jewish suburb or neighborhood of Jaffa, which was an Arab city at the time modern Zionists began to flock to the Holy Land. Jaffa Port was necessary for the Zionist commercial, industrial and political development. They invented Tel Aviv as a non-Arab city.

Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh

Shiloh, on the other hand, was totally empty of inhabitants, Arabs or others, when seven young Jewish families and a handful of yeshiva students moved here in January, 1978. There was no conflict with anyone besides the Israeli Government, the total opposite of Tel Aviv's history. All that was found in Shiloh were the Biblical artifacts from the time the Mishkan, Holy Tabernacle was in Shiloh for pilgrimage and worship, plus the remains of synagogues, churches and a mosque. In a very significant way, this is totally reminiscent of the condition Shiloh was in during the time of Joshua's conquest and settling of the Holy Land after wandering the desert for forty years.  There was no need for a military conquest for Shiloh. No war over Shiloh is mentioned in the Bible. Joshua was able to bring the Jewish People into Shiloh and establish it as the Capital without any opposition. It remained the Jewish Capital for about four hundred years.

To summarize:

• If, as according to the Left, we have no Jewish rights to Shiloh, then we have even less rights to be in Tel Aviv.
• If we have the right to have a Jewish/Zionist city in the Tel Aviv area, then we certainly have even more right to be in Shiloh!

What do you think?

Are Tourists Cancelling Their Trips to France? or Holland?

I just wonder if the American Government has sent out warnings to those American Citizens who are in France the way they do to us here in Israel warning about the dangers of terrorism?

The scene was one of terror yesterday as 19 people were held hostage, including women and children

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903829/Saved-hiding-FREEZER-Thirty-Jewish-shoppers-avoided-taken-hostage-kosher-deli-shutting-cold-storage-huddling-stay-warm.html#ixzz3OSBXDiEK
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I'm just curious whether people who are planning a trip to France get questions like:

"Aren't you scared?"
"Maybe you should pick a safer place."

Those going to Israel are frequently warned of its danger.

My late mother used to reply:

"More people die from falling in their bathrooms."

Someone I know was surprised that people asked if she was worried about her son's trip to Israel, after he finished serving in the American Army:

"No, not compared to Afghanistan."

Strangely, people didn't show as much interest or worry about him when his life was really in danger, but Israel had them terrified.

One of the French Jews who had hidden in the freezer in the Kosher Supermarket was interviewed on Israeli television. He said that he already had plans to bring his family on aliyah to Israel, and he was thinking of moving up the date.

And very worrying for those who think that Europe is still safe,

Pro-Israel rally scrapped in Amsterdam over security concerns

So, please, come to Israel, whether as a tourist, student or immigrant. Of course, I can't guarantee total safety, but no place can.

Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh

Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Two "Sides" of Jerusalem

I took these pictures the other day in Jerusalem.






There's a lot of construction at the Israel Museum. I get it from a very good source that the newly enlarged and renovated museum, scheduled to re-open to the public next May, on Jerusalem Day, will be much easier to access for all. In the meantime, there are still exhibits, changed every few months, and of course there's the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden, Shrine of the Book and the Model of the Old Jerusalem from Temple times.








Downtown Jerusalem gives me views and scenes to rival anything I find in the museum!

We Truly Are An עם רוחני Am Ruchani

In Hebrew, רוח ru'ach means both wind and spirit and is also the linguistic root for spiritual, רוחני ruchani.

During yesterday's extremely enjoyable time helping my granddaughters fly their handmade kites in the Israel Museum, the title to this post was flying around my head, like a hyperactive fly.

The outdoor gardens were full of people, all sorts of people, in all sorts of dress. The "day" didn't belong to just one type.

Even when multiple kite strings got tangled up, and they sure did, the mood stayed friendly and cheerful.

Periodically there were announcements that Mincha minyanim would be forming, so anyone who wanted to pray the Jewish Afternoon Prayer could gather at a specific place. I don't remember that from museum events when my own children were young.

Today religion is more "natural" and unembarrassed. Years ago, men (and women) who wanted to pray would look for an unobtrusive corner, hidden from public view.

This kite, flying high above was made by my granddaughter, in the kite-making workshop. Grandmothers can brag, can't they?

I don't know when the festivities ended, but I'm sure it was difficult for the museum staff to send people home.

עם ישראל חי

Am Yisrael Chai

The People of Israel Lives!!