My musings, reflections on life here in Shiloh, Israel. Original, personal, spiritual and political. Peace, security and Israeli sovereignty. While not a "group blog," Shiloh Musings includes the voices of other Jews in The Land of Israel.
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I see too many confusing rhetoric and statements coming from the American Right, davka rather similar to the anti-Israel Antisemitic ideology of the international Left. Then I thought a bit more about it when listening to the JNS interview with Natan Sharansky.
Socialism/communism began well over a hundred years ago, and they did something extremely clever. They embedded themselves in universities large and small all over the world, and the fruits of this invasion have been very successful for them and dangerous as we're seeing. I don't know if there's a country that doesn't have socialist/communist/progressive Left on their faculty plus their books in their libraries and on their "required reading" lists, from elementary schools to the most elite universities. And even worse, there's no label identifying their ideology, because their ideas have become mainstream.
People who don't agree aren't accepted, aren't promoted. They just don't fit in. As I've been saying for years, Liberals aren't liberal. I guess the source of that reality for me was when I was a high school student in Great Neck, New York. This was in the mid '60s when being Left and Liberal was the thing for the academics, especially the upwardly mobile Jews, like my peers. One day I overheard some fellow students talking. One said to the others:
To me that made no sense. As I understood the word "nonconformist," it meant an individualist, unlike others, who thought for themselves and didn't wear a uniform of any sort.
To be honest, I was one of the few actual nonconformists, having chosen paths different from others. And even among those who chose similar paths to my new one, Torah True Judaism and Zionism, we found different ways to do it and even dress.
Now just to throw out a few ideas on why both Right and Left are embracing antisemitic and anti-Israel policies... The extreme on both sides demand an unthinking loyalty from their followers. They feel threatened by anyone who thinks for themselves, like a 1960's "nonconformist" who carries books in a briefcase or backpack instead of the uniform green bookbag.
Jewish survival over the millennium is a "dangerous" slap in the face to classical Christianity, which markets itself as the "new testament," newly revised religion by their version of the Jewish god. The indisputable fact that Judaism has survived over two thousand years after the invention of Christianity goes against the very basic principle of Christianity. There may be just a few million of us Jews, but that makes Christian theologians terrified. Our survival and the rebirth of the Jewish State poke dangerous holes in their legitimacy.
Some Christians, instead of attacking Judaism for this. have admitted the false premise of their original religion and either become Noahides or even convert to Torah Judaism.
Back to my original question, there are two dangerous groups in the American Right. One is those educated by "undercover" socialist/communists, who may not even admit to that label. To them, the principles are proper and common sense. Think of who is making up the curriculum and writing the text books. Two are the Christian theologians and leaders, no matter, which type of Christianity, who consider the survival of Judaism a threat to their own theological legitimacy.
You may not have heard these reasons before... that wouldn't surprise me. What do you think?
There are some interesting things said by Natan Sharansky in this JNS video
It is Elul. For religious Jews this is a time for contemplation and trying to better ourselves. I made Aliya in 1977 and have never regretted that decision. Friends from abroad ask me if I feel safe. Well, given the rampant anti-Semitism against Jews the world over, I can honestly say yes. However, there are so many things that trouble me. I am incredibly disappointed that many of our politicians and IDF heads have refused to take upon themselves responsibility for the massacre of October 7th. It galls me that our Chief of Staff Herzl Ha'Levi not only has refused to do so; he is continuing to promote his buddies to important IDF posts.
It is unforgivable that the UN and many nations have labeled us with words that FB won't allow me to post!! Where were their voices when many hundreds of our women were gang-raped? The 'Me Too Movement' is for every woman who is not Israeli or Jewish? The barbarians who raped our women had their friends photograph them on their phones. The same with the burning of babies in their cribs; where was the outcry? The perpetrators of these barbaric actions used their phones to document their actions. Yes, the war goes on. But it could have ended months ago had Hamas fighters laid down their arms and returned our hostages. I believe that the hypocrisy of the world is sickening. The UN has yet to denounce Hamas' horrific behavior. The Red Cross never went to investigate the conditions of our hostages, very few of whom are still alive IMHO. Has the world lost its moral compass? I believe it has indeed. Colonel Richard Kemp was a commander of British troops in Afghanistan; he has repeatedly commented that our IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is the most moral army in the world. Sadly, we have lost far too many of our IDF personnel because of that. Our troops have dropped leaflets and even phoned Gazans recommending that they leave any area that will be bombed in the near future. Unlike the USA, we do NOT carpet bomb. If Israel is conducting genocide, then how is it that the number of Gazans has greatly risen during the past few years????
Many thousands of my fellow Israelis have been living in hotels for many months as Hezbollah continues to destroy homes, farmland and other buildings up north. Where is the outcry? We are America's most important ally in the Middle East. Many Muslim Arabs are policemen and even sit in our Knesset. We are NOT an apartheid state; you can see women wearing veils in nearby Beer Sheva; I see them all the time. Moreover many Arabs sit as judges in our courts. Samer Haj Yehia was named the chairman of the board of directors of Bank Leumi, one of Israel's largest banks in 2019. Unlike every single Arab country in our area, gays are allowed to be open about their sexual orientation. In fact, the Speaker of our Knesset is gay; married and has a few children. (He is among the very few Likud politicians for whom I still hold respect.) Douglas Murray is an author of many bestselling books. HE has been in Gaza numerous times during the years. A British gay non-Jew, he remains one of Israel's staunchest defenders. He 'gets it;' he knows what's going on. He visited the site where volunteers spent MONTHS using DNA and other information to discover the identity of the thousands of bodies that were left to rot.
So, if you are Jewish, please be a proud Jew. Stand up against the numerous anti-Israel protests. And most importantly, check the facts before you attack us verbally or otherwise. May He above have mercy on us in our tiny country. I write this as a resident of Netivot which has been rocketed by Hamas since Israel pulled out all of its citizens from Gaza in 2005. We left millions of dollars worth of agricultural equipment which could have aided Gaza's Muslim population turn that strip of land into a modern-day Singapore. Instead, those idiots burned all of that equipment down! Gaza WAS a free entity from 2005 until the October 7th massacre of 2023. Do I expect anyone to change their opinions because of this post? No I do not; anti-Zionism is the newest nomenclature for anti-Semitism. You are either with us or against us. To my fellow Israelis I say, "Stand tough and be unified." To other people I say, when we said the words, "Never Again" we sure as he*l meant them!! Stay safe and please feel free to share this post.
In my previous War Musings, USA vis-à-vis Israel, A Sadistic Abusive Relationship, I showed that the USA-Israel relationship is typical of serious emotional abuse. Now for another reason Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu must seriously distance himself from Biden and the Democrat Party.
Polls are showing that Biden and the extreme Left Progressive ANTI-ISRAEL Democrats are losing support in the United States. Republicans, especially President Donald Trump, are losing all respect for Netanyahu.
It's time for Netanyahu to assert himself, act like the leader of an independent country -which he had been elected to be- and wean himself from the Biden administration "cold turkey."
Biden and the Democrats are losing support, especially by those Americans who think and care about the State of Israel. Jews, who for generations, had been loyal Democrat voters, like Alan Dershowitz, now are traumatized as they realize that their party is supporting the anti-Israel and antisemitic university demonstrations.
Bibi claims to be a wily, wise politician, but he's just acting like a pathetic victim of abuse. It's time to repair and expand Israel's relations with the Republican Party and Donald Trump. He shouldn't consider it "election interference" especially after Biden agreed with Schumer that Israel must vote Bibi out of office.
I'm disgusted and embarrassed by Bibi Netanyahu's pathetic behavior.
The terrorists of Hamas don't pretend to be civilized and cultured. In many cases, they took their victims' and hostages' cellphones to photograph their cruelty and then sent the pictures and movies out on the social media, on the victims' very own personal accounts.
Hamas terrorists aren't freedom fighters! They're out to murder all Israelis, destroy the country and they don't give a hoot how many of their own family die as collateral damage.
It's worse than shocking how much support Hamas has in the western world, the world that claims to be civilized, freedom-loving and tolerant. OK, I guess they are tolerant when it comes to Arab terrorism against innocent Israelis and Jews.
The pet projects of the Left are somehow heavily coated with "Teflon" and simple facts can't penetrate. Shockingly there are even Jews who consider Israel guilty. Last week's Jerusalem Post had a daily "life on the campus" op-ed by Jewish students abroad who while describing the heavily anti-Israel atmosphere always inserted a statement "admitting" that Israel was also guilty of crimes/discrimination against its Arabs sic.
Post World War Two for a few decades, there was a feeling that many Germans and their allies were embarrassed by the Nazi atrocities against Jews, and those who weren't tried to stay quiet. Considering the enormous pro-Hamas demonstrations around the world, we're facing very serious danger. You didn't see pro-Nazi demonstrations in the western world during WW2.
I'm interested in your comments, so don't be shy. Also, please share this and the other blog posts in the series, thanks.
It's clear that Tom Nides want Jews to be separate from Arabs and treat them differently, putting them, the Jews, at a terrible disadvantage.
That's called APARTHEID.
Arabs can live and build wherever they want, but Jews are completely restricted.
That's called APARTHEID.
Over half a century ago in 1967, Israel defeated three armies which had coordinated attacks against Israel to destroy it completely, and they weren't shy about stating their aim. Egypt attacked from the south, Jordan from the east and Syria from the north. Egypt's Nasser proudly boasted that they were going to shove us into the sea, our western border.
Thanks to Gd, Israel did the impossible and won resoundingly on all three fronts. In the process our borders changed for the better, giving us the Golan Heights in the north--so the Syrians could no longer use it as a base for attacking Israel. Our squiggly impossible to defend eastern border moved to the Jordan River, and the Sinai Peninsula* to the south fell into Israeli hands, too. International Law and precedent always accepts such border changes, however for some strange reason the international community still insists that Israel has no rights to any of the land.
I'd call that ANTISEMITISM.
What do you think?
Jewish Communities like Shiloh "infuriate" Tom Nides
*Rather inexplicably Menachem Begin, when Prime Minister, offered Nasser's successor Anwar Sadaat the Sinai and destroyed all the Jewish communities, towns and farms which had been established after our victory.
Antisemitism isn't new, not even in the USA. And it definitely predates Hitler in Germany.
Antisemitism has always been around. Go back five hundred 500 plus years to the Inquisition or a millennium 1,000 to the Crusades. And about a thousand years before that, you have the background of the Chanukah story, you know that Jewish Holiday that just ended.
the purpose of the act was "to preserve the ideal of U.S. homogeneity."
In other words, the law was to preserve the traditional religious, ethnic population percentages as they stood in 1890. The descendants of the European invaders and occupiers of that large rich country, known today as The United States of America, wanted to preserve the racial and religious purity of their new country...
Don't forget that during World War Two, there was no military plan to destroy the Nazi death camps, And the American State Department had recommended to President Truman in November, 1947 to vote against an independent Jewish State in Judea, which had been renamed "Palestine" by Hadrian.
Truman may have defied the State Department in 1947, but today delegitimizing Israel in academia, media and diplomacy is the norm. Barack Hussein Obama's parting shot against Israel in the United Nations was unprecedented, not because of his anti-Israel policy, but because it's not accepted for "lame duck" presidents to take such a controversial action.
Since anti-Israel statements now come from Congress, the less erudite aren't afraid or embarrassed to use violence against Jews in America.
Come to your own conclusions. Those who agree, fine, and those who disagree... please think again. BDS, J-Street etc endanger ordinary Jews in the long run, more than they endanger Israel.
This is a sad post. What I must write is not something I had ever imagined could happen in the United States of America, the USA. It's no longer Jew friendly.
Read carefully, please. I'm not saying that the USA is like Nazi Germany in the mid-late 1930's, but today unabashed antisemites* and those who support the destruction of the State of Israel have now been easily elected to the United States Congress as Democrats. The media is publishing and broadcasting even their most antisemitic statements and policies.
all Photos all by me, Batya Medad when accompanying a Nefesh B'Nefesh flight from JFK International Airport to Israel over a decade ago
Photo by Batya Medad
I find it most frightening that as smart as Jews are supposed to be, too many can't connect the dots. The Democratic Party has gone far Left and supports a Palestinian State over the State of Israel. This has not stopped the majority of American Jews from supporting the Democratic party and its candidates. American Jewry still professes support for Israel, but they refuse to see that their support for a "State of Palestine" means the destruction of the Jewish State.
The Arabs who would govern "Palestine" are unabashedly pro terror against Jews and Israelis. Their envisioned country would be Judenrein, cleansed of Jews. These policies won't change one iota if those Arabs had a state.
At present, convicted and jailed Arab terrorists and their families get payments from the PA-Palestinian Authority. They are also lauded as brave heroes to be idolized. Children are taught in their schools to follow those terrorists, even if it leads to death.
So, honestly, how can anyone claim to support Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian State?
In the past, American public officials would claim support for Israel at the same time that they promoted "Palestine." In the newly elected Congress, there are members who don't even bother with that carefully worded preface. They accuse Israel of being immoral and propose reducing or totally stopping all support and aid to Israel. They said this while campaigning and beforehand.
You can check it in all the news sites. I can't bear to quote them on my blog.
I have two requests:
Americans, please connect the dots. Recognize that support for Palestine means the destruction of the State of Israel. There can never be a Two State Solution, sic. Palestine=terror and instability for the region and the world.
American Jews, your welcome mat in the USA is badly ripped and won't be replaced or repaired all that soon. It's time to move again. I suggest moving to Israel for many reasons. Contact Nefesh B'Nefesh to consult with them.
Photo by Batya Medad
*And please don't give me the double-talk about Arabs being semites, so an Arab or pro-Arab can't be anti semitic. I specifically wrote the term antisemite as one word which means "The hatred of Jews; an antisemite is one who promotes policies discriminating and/or endangering Jews and Jewish life."
Over ten years ago, I wrote a post here about the blatant hypocrisy of countries that ban shechita, the Jewish method of slaughtering animals. Yes, the same countries generally ban Islam's hallal slaughter, too. These countries claim that our ritual method of using a super sharp knife to cut a very specific part of the neck by highly trained slaughterers is immoral and cruelty to animals.
You don't have to be one of those traumatized as a child by the iconic Disney cartoon/movie Bambi, find that reason peculiar to say the least. Bambi's mother was killed by a hunter. Hunting is the killing and wounding of animals, frequently leaving them in horrendous pain, not the instant death of properly done shechita. The research I did twelve years ago showed that every single country that bans shechita permits hunting.
So, just to make sure I'm not mistaken, it was very easy to check if Belgium permits hunting, the epitome of cruelty to animals. Yes, of course hunting is legal in Belgium. Click the following links:
That proves it. The new law forbidding shechita in Belgium has nothing to do with morality and animal protection. It's just to make life more difficult for Jews.
As far as most Israelis and fair-minded people all over the world are concerned, the military action, which we'll call a "war," on Arab Gaza Terror should have had begun about a half a year ago. The State of Israel has taken much too long to react strongly to the ongoing terror against our country and civilians.
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
photo credit: חמ'ל הדרום Chamal Darom
The Arab Gazan terrorists, supported by all sorts of NGOs and even foreign countries began their latest war against us as a clever little "photo-op" "demonstrations" of innocent-looking kites and balloons that carried dangerous incendiary devices over the border to set fires all over southern Israel to destroy and kill our Land, agriculture and people. They quickly morphed into raging, violent mobs of anti-Israel terrorists attacking the border and invading Israel.
Gd protected our people, and thank the Good Lord that we build with bricks, rather than wood and other flammable materials, or there would have been more deaths and destruction.
I guess Bibi is really readying for elections, because he has finally decided to do something to protect us. Of course the only way to truly protect us is to unabashedly destroy the terrorists. By being gentle with the terrorists to please the EU, media etc, Prime Minister Netanyahu is only encouraging the antisemites and anti-Israelis, who are many. And, of course, all that does is strengthen terrorism and endanger us.
In all honesty, I'm disgusted with the basic defense policy of Netanyahu and his cringing Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Lieberman acts and talks like a toughy, but his policies have been weak and dangerous for Israel's security.
I pray for a miracle. Gd willing make our Israeli Government strong and confident, willing to totally destroy our enemies, all of our enemies!
The United States isn't immune from antisemitism and certainly not from violence. Jews who think they are safe are sadly mistaken.
My husband and I made aliyah as a newlywed couple almost half a century ago. It was the smartest thing we ever did.
Today's numbers show that the largest Jewish community is here in Israel. Between immigration, diaspora assimilation and the fact that Israel has the highest birth rate of any developed country in the world, our Jewish population is growing quickly.
In 1970, when we boarded that large ship to Israel, we entered a country that had a much lower standard of living than the one we had left. And even three years after the legendary, miraculous Six Days War victory, the future of the young country was still uncertain.
I always felt secure here in Israel and had no real worries about the physical security of American Jewry. Things have changed. Now Israel has advanced in every way, and the United States is in trouble.
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
Chalk that up to the persistent antisemitism which prevails in the world. And to be honest, I don't see any chance of stopping it. It doesn't matter what Israel does or how we try to explain things. It's not ignorance that causes people to hate us, it's an intrinsic part of their theology and rationale.
The two dominant religions in the world are Christianity and Islam. Both Christianity and Islam are based on Jewish narratives and texts, and both Christianity and Islam attempt from their earliest days to supplant/replace Judaism. The fact that Jews on the whole refused their gods and theology have angered them to this very day.
Antisemitism is not found among the Buddhists and Hindus, because their theologies have no theological connections to Judaism.
The continued existence of the Jewish People and our successful return to Zion, to the Biblical Land of Israel has increased the anger against us. That is because it is proof that Gd loves us. We are the only true religion.
Over the years I've blogged a few times about the very true lessons we can learn from the movie The Siege, Fact and Fiction, "The Siege." Recently I've been reading quite a few Daniel Silva books, and even though I have no idea what his politics are, I see some important lessons there, too.
In pretty much all of Silva's spy, adventure novels I've read, there's a foul up caused by American "help," interference and demand for control. Just like in The Siege, there's an inherent American incompetence and built in leaks. Of course I don't know what percentage of these repeated foul ups/disasters are based on fact, but from my vantage point in Shiloh and the fact that I've been a longtime political observer, they ring very true.
It's no secret that the American State Department is anti-Israel and antisemitic; it has always been. Israel isn't treated fairly, fact not fiction.
Right now I'm reading Daniel Silva's The Messenger, and I came across a line that rings so true.
"The sooner we stop worrying about being liked, the better off we'll be."Daniel Silva's The Messenger,
This is a major problem in Israeli policy, the quest to be liked. Unfortunately, there isn't any form of or tactic in hasbara-information campaigns or "rebranding" which can delete or even reduce the inherent anti-Israel and antisemitism that exists in NGOs, other countries, diplomats, accademia etc. Internationally, there's more antisemitism than had existed as the Nazi Final Solution was reaching its crescendo.
And the feeling of national guilt which had existed in Germany and parts of Europe post-World War Two has ended. The Nazis' grandchildren and great-grandchildren are leading the anti-Israel pro-Palestine movements. Unlike their parents, they won't even fund memorials.
So we here in Israel must forget about being liked; it just won't happen. Let's just take off the gloves and destroy our enemies. That's the only way to bring peace.
The acceptance and promotion of the PA-Palestinian Authority by numerous countries and international organizations is totally irrational, unless you are willing to recognize the inherent antisemitism which is even stronger than the history of terrorism of the PA.
Nobody lets simple facts and history get in their way of their enthusiasm for this corrupt administrative body.
There never was a Palestinian people.
There never was a country called Palestine.
The so-called Palestine was invented to block the Jewish return to our historic Holy Land. The British who were supposed to facilitate a Jewish State during the period of the Mandate did everything in their power to invent an alternative. That's why they invited the Hashemites to take over Transjordan, which was far from the Hashemites' own land.
The easiest thing to prove about the Arabs is their violence and terrorism against both Jews and Christians. That's why if you look at the demographics, you'll see that the only country in the middle east that isn't rapidly losing their Christian population is Israel. And the only country that gives full human and religious rights to all is Israel. Most of the Arab countries, including Jordan, are judenrein. That's the Nazi term for "Jew free," no Jews allowed.
While it's so easy to prove a Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the rest of the Land of Israel, the world keeps trying to invent an Arab narrative to compete.
Many kingdoms, nations etc occupied the land here, but only the Jewish People had an independent kingdom here.
The organizers of Friday's riot attack on Israel planned that no matter what the result it would be bad for the image/survival/security of the State of Israel and the IDF.
Israel is constantly being attacked both by words and weapons for surviving. In June, 1967, after weeks of threats by Egypt's Nasser and his allies, the State of Israel had no choice other than wipe out his air force before our enemies could take the first shot. Only eighteen years after the ceasefire which ended the Israeli War of Independence the surrounding countries, Egypt, Jordan and Syria had joined forces to destroy the State of Israel.
Remember that Israel's Independence wasn't planned as a war. The League of Nations had mandated/ordered/instructed/assigned Great Britain to facilitate/mentor/assist the Jewish Zionists in establishing a state in what was labeled as "Palestine" in most maps. Britain sabotaged this by inventing new Arab countries to fill most of that land. First they imported the Hashemite Tribe and declared them the monarchy of Jordan in Transjordan, the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Following this, they tried to encourage the nomadic Arabs and the Arabs who were moving to the remaining western bank to fight the Jews and compete with them. The Arabs were then named "Palestinians." Here we are almost a century later, and Britain has been joined/replaced by most of the world in this quest. They do everything possible to undermine the State of Israel. Last Friday's Arab terror riots on Israel's southern border were just a continuation of their campaign to rid the Middle East of Jews and destroy the State of Israel.
And of course, the State of Israel is being condemned for self-defense.
To paraphrase a line in this song from The Man of La Mancha:
"Whether the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone it's going to be bad for the pitcher"
"Whether the Arab terrorists attack Israel or Israel defends itself against Arab terror and/or incitement it's going to be bad for the State of Israel"
The Hamas-affiliated newspaper Felesteen reported that the head of the UNRWA workers' union in Gaza, Amir al-Mishal, said in his speech to the demonstrators that "the people who gathered here came to express their right to return."
He added and that “rights are not received with supplication but must be extracted by force."
The United Nations was set up after World War Two to facilitate world peace, but it has failed completely. It is extremely anti-Israel and supports our enemies.
Instead of treating the Arabs who willingly fled the nascent State of Israel in 1948 as any other "refugee" group and helping them adjust to their new homes, UNRWA has perpetuated the myth of the "right of return" for those Arabs. And although the United Nations General Assembly, November 29, 1947, voted to approve and recognize the State of Israel, its UNRWA has sabotaged that resolution ever since.
The Jewish People have had numerous enemies in the thousands of years of our existence. They are history, and we, bli eyin haraa, are thriving back in our Historic Homeland. And Gd willing, soon the United Nations and all of their anti-Israel NGOs will soon be postscripts in History Books, too.
The Mitzvah, Commandment to tell our story during the Passover Seder is to make it relevant to all times including today. Yes, we still have enemies, and we will defeat them, because the only ally we need is Gd Almighty.
All I could think of was that the last thing the State of Israel should do is to pay attention to Europe's opinion. They are pro-Arab and anti-semitic.
And the United States isn't much better. Even the Jewish organizations don't know what's best for us. Caroline Glick's latest article is a must-read:
AIPAC’s mission to cultivate and maintain bipartisan support for Israel in the United States is an important mission. Unfortunately, the messages AIPAC’s leaders delivered during the organization’s annual policy convention this week in Washington indicate that they are at a loss for how to achieve their mission in the contentious political environment now prevalent in post- Obama America.
Their befuddlement is not surprising. For the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency, AIPAC’s leaders showed a consistent inability to understand the challenges they faced. And since they were unable to understand how or why the Obama administration was undermining AIPAC, they couldn’t protect AIPAC or advance its mission during his tenure in office.
At this week’s AIPAC convention, the message emanating from the speeches AIPAC’s senior leadership delivered was that they still don’t get what happened.
And largely as a consequence, they do not understand the challenges they face as an organization moving forward. And again, since they don’t understand what happened, or what is happening, they are incapable of meeting today’s challenges to AIPAC’s mission in a constructive way... Click for complete article
Contrary to what the pundits, media, diplomats and others are claiming, the only bullying going on is by them against the State of Israel.
"This decision is an outrageous assault to all universal values," Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "This is bullying," he said of the US approach. "We will not be intimated." And addressing the US directly, he added, "you can be strong, but this doesn't make you right." CNN
I missed being able to film a really hypocritical irony on CNN last night, when some blond woman being interviewed by the guy with the rough voice -and I would greatly appreciate if someone finds it, please post in comments- defended the countries voting against Trump/Israel by saying that every country has the right to do what it feels is in its best interests.
Nu? So, doesn't Israel have the right to do what it feels is in its best interest, such as declaring our eternal Jewish Capital City, Jerusalem, as official Capital of the State of Israel?
Besides that, with all the evil violence going on all over the world, all the United Nations can do is to condemn the legally elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, for supporting the State of Israel's legal right to decide its own Capital City. Duh?
Jews and other good well-meaning people from all over the political spectrum should really take a good look at what is going on in the world. This focus on condemning Israel and anyone who does more than just claim to support Israel's rights as a sovereign nation proves how the world is against us.
Read the list of countries that voted against Israel's right to chose its capital city and condemned the only state head who has supported that right with more than just empty words during a political campaign should be a wake-up call for you.
I'm being pragmatic and rational.
Don't fear joining us, because the world will only be getting more dangerous, since this vote is facilitating, making excuses for and supporting international terror.
With all his obvious imperfections, give credit to Donald Trump for doing what others have promised to do. I guess that's why he was elected. The antisemites and anti-Israelis, including many countries like Great Britain which have claimed to be Israel's allies, have now shown their true hatred of Jewish rights, history and Israeli sovereignty.
I'd rather go forward with the knowledge this vote has revealed than to live in a dangerous fantasy filled "dreamland."
Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach
May You have a Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath, Gd willing
The fact that most of the world, countries, diplomats, international organizations and NGOs refuse to recognize that only Israel and the Jewish People have the right to the Holy City of Jerusalem has been fanning the flames of terror and unrest all over the world. It's not just about "peace in the middle east."
Yes, it's totally clear from media headlines, United Nations resolutions etc that everything is focused on Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Blame/Fault does not lie in Israel's hands, unless you want to say that the Israeli Government and Jewish leaders should be firmer about demanding recognition of our exclusive rights and history to Jerusalem.
Any reading of history, whether quick or detailed, will show that no other people/religion have a narrative, written or otherwise, that proves a direct connection to Jerusalem as its capital and holiest city. Only the Jewish People/Religion have that connection. And only Jews are both a People, Nation and Religion. Even during our various exiles, the focus of our prayers and yearnings have always been towards Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
It will never help or calm things to offer "sharing" with those who want to exterminate us. And considering how violent and determined the Arabs are to do this, Gd forbid, it's very clear that they aren't capable of making any sort of real and viable peace.
