Leadership Bankruptcy in NRP aka Jewish Home Party

One of the most veteran of Israeli political parties, those that predate the Establishment of the State of Israel, is NRP (Mafdal) aka Jewish Home Party. It's traditionally Center Left, religious, but not too extreme, Zionist and always in the ruling coalition.

In the early days of the State of Israel, their aim was to establish and strengthen the Mamlachti Dati, State Religious School system and add Jewish Tradition wherever possible to Israeli life and law. In many ways they seemed closer to mainstream Labor Party, because both had kibbutzim and moshavim to protect and coddle.

As time went on, and especially after Israel's totally miraculous victory in the 1967 Six Days War, the NRP began to change. Its first generation raised in the State of Israel became the most enthusiastic in Israeli society for settling the Land liberated in the war and Israel's increased security and prosperity enabled more and deeper Torah learning.

Children and grandchildren of old NRP leadership and graduates of the Mamlachti Dati, State Religious Schools began looking to emulate the heavy Torah learning of the chareidim, even establishing full-time Kollel programs and chareidi-like elementary and high schools for boys, where the graduates wouldn't be qualified to pass Bagrut tests for a high school diploma, which is necessary for university and certification in most vocational studies.

At the same time, in the political sphere, they've established numerous other political parties, more religious and Right ideology then the venerable NRP aka Jewish Home Party.

That's why  unlike Likud, descended from prestate Revisionist Herut, the veteran Labor Party and the chareidi parties, there's no internal competition or primaries for the leadership role in the NRP aka Jewish Home Party. There's a leadership bankruptcy; its graduates have moved on and away.

Every few years a new "leader" is recruited from various other occupations or parties. The NRP backroom mafia controls the party and all the property that has been in the "family" for probably close to a hundred years.

The words behind NRP are "national religious party." Honestly I, like Naftali Bennett and many others, some who vote Likud, are ideologically against a party that labels itself as dati, religious.

I believe that we all, no matter how many and how carefully we keep Gd's commandments, must work together to govern and steer the State of Israel. I look for a political party with vision and commitment to the Torah, Land of Israel and the entire Jewish People.

Gd willing, I'll be voting for the New Right, although I honestly don't like the name Bennett and Shaked chose. And it's reassuring to me that Caroline Glick has chosen to run for Knesset in the New Right. Gd willing, we'll see her in the Knesset soon.

Bibi Melts Like Margarine on a Hot Day

Bibi Melts Like Margarine on a Hot Day is cross-posted on Israel Blogger.

A neighbor of ours when we lived in Bayit Vegan used to describe weak parents as:

"He's margarine and she's butter."

I keep thinking of that runny, awful and unhealthy margarine, because Bibi again melted at Arab threats. I wouldn't insult "butter" by comparing our weak Prime Minister to it. 

ISRAEL REMOVES TEMPLE MOUNT METAL DETECTORS THAT ENRAGED THE MUSLIM WORLD

There's a well-known saying in American politics:

"If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."

It's clear that Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is just too weak. He can't take the heat. And the most depressing thing is that in all honesty, there isn't anyone in Israeli politics who seems any better. Nobody is willing to not only "tell the world off" for a "sound-bite," but to stick to a policy that's good for us when everyone is cursing, threatening and excusing Arab terrorism.

• A good, effective Israeli leader wouldn't rely on the "friendship" of any foreign power. 
• A good, effective Israeli leader would only consider what's best for the State of Israel. 
• A good, effective Israeli leader would not buckle/melt under Arab terrorist threats.

This is all so déjà vu. Over twenty-five years ago, on the eve of the Madrid "Peace" Conference, one of the buses traveling to the Tel Aviv demonstration to try to strengthen then Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir was shot at by Arab terrorists. Two people on the bus were murdered and a few others badly injured. Mourning my good friend, Rachella Druk, HaYa"D, I expected Shamir to stay home and say:

"I'm not going. There's nobody to speak to אין עם מי לדבר Ain im mi lidaber. The Arabs are murderers! They show no readiness to make peace."

But Shamir melted. He ignored the fact that a good Jewish bus driver and an innocent mother of seven had just been murdered by Arab terrorists.

This past Friday night, on the Eve of the Sabbath a Jewish home was invaded by an Arab terrorist who murdered three members of a family, a father and two adult children. This was just a week after Arab terrorists on the Temple Mount had murdered two Israeli policemen.

And now, the new metal detectors and security cameras at the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount are bing removed. Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu can't be relied on. We're being ruled by mushy melting margarine. 

Polling for PM, "None of The Above"

Apparently, there's a real leadership crisis in Israel. Recent polls, on

Jeremy's Knesset Insider

Your Israeli Knesset Center – Polls & Analysis, show that voters don't see any of the wannabes, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, as the Prime Minister of their choice.

I'm going to quote here from a few of his recent posts:

Who is most suited to serve as Prime Minister?
29% Don’t know, 28% Netanyahu, 14% Lapid, 7% Peretz, 6% Bennett, 5% Gabbi, 5% Kahlon, 3% Liberman, 3% Yaalon
If you had the right to vote in Labor primary – who would you vote for?
51% None, 25% Gabbi, 23% Peretz
#1 Who is most suited to be Prime Minister?
38% None, 28% Netanyahu, 19% Lapid, 9% Bennett, 6% Peretz
#2 Who is most suited to be Prime Minister?
30% None, 29% Netanyahu, 19% Lapid, 10% Bennett, 11% Gabbai

On one hand it's pretty humorous, but to be honest it's much more worrying. Most Israelis don't see/feel leadership coming from the politicians running the government. These politicians don't have vision. They just talk of alliances with foreign governments and "getting approval/permission" from foreign leaders for our growth and development.  This is very worrying and bad news for sure for the future of the State of Israel.

You don't have to be a great Bible scholar to see the parallels between now and the time of the Judges:

Judges 21:25In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his eyes.

כהבַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶֹה:

Rescue of the Jewish People finally came from the women, most notably Naomi, Ruth and Hannah whose actions resulted in the establishment of a Jewish Kingdom.

Gd willing, we will be redeemed speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach

May You have a Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath

Is Bibi Campaigning Again?

I don't think that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be so quick to call snap elections after his last try and the lack of success it brought Britain's Theresa May. But Bibi always seems to be campaigning.

NETANYAHU CALLS TO DISBAND UNRWA AND TO STOP FOREIGN-FUNDED NGOS

Maybe it's because that's what his competitors in and out of the cabinet are doing.

What Faux Peace Game is Lieberman Playing?

There's no rest for Bibi, but there could be if he'd break out out of that "center" of the political bagel he has been hiding in.

The State of Israel needs real leadership from the patriotic Right and not more empty words which sound better in an editorial or blog post. I write these things but have no power other than to spread my ideas. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is the leader of the likud and the State of Israel. He should do and not talk.

Amona Vigil, Protesting Bibi and Bennett's Broken Promises

Tuesday afternoon I finally made it to the Amona vigil outside the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem. When I first arrived there was a crowd of young American teens there, who are probably on some study program. Many were wearing T-shirts from the "lone soldiers" centr and others with a picture of Donald Trump.

While I was there, lots of drivers honked their cars horns, the traditional show of support.

There was just a small group of Amona protesters sitting quietly, understandably depressed. I introduced myself to one of the women and mentioned that I can see the hill that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Education and head of the Jewish Home Party had promised them. I had really been wondering if they were sincere in wanting to build a new Amona in the Shiloh area.

When I made a joke about the weather being much nicer east of Shiloh than in Ofra, I got a sincere response that Amona had suffered much more difficult winters than even Ofra. Permanent homes in a more moderate climate definitely sounded good to that tired young woman.

We also "joked" about the "interchangeability" of Bibi and Bennett. The only real difference being that one has hair, while the other is bald with a tiny kippah.

In addition we discussed the complete lack of true leaders in Israel. Neither of us trust any of the political parties to do any better than the mess going on at present here. This yearning for approval of foreign leaders is only weakening us further.  Yes, it's all very depressing. How could the State of Israel have deteriorated from a King David giant-killer in 1948/1967 to a cowering terrified Mordechai begging his niece Ester to find a solution to the dangers against the Jewish People from her place in King Achashverosh's Harem in such a short time?

Gd willing our political leaders will become true national leaders speedily in our day...

Bibi's Promises are Worthless

Just a few months ago the community of Amona made a very difficult and controversial decision. They agreed to allow their community be destroyed in exchange for the building of a new and fully approved community, not too far away.

They were pretty confident that as painful as it was to leave their lovely hill near Ofra, the package Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government had offered was better than another violent confrontation. The government had even begun to assemble very large prefabricated homes for them to live in until new homes could be constructed. These prefabricated homes were made transportable. Imagine them as the modern Mishkan, Holy Tabernacle that had been constructed in the wilderness for the recently released Jewish slaves, as depicted in the Torah Portions we've been reading.

Shiloh's main synagogue, designed to look like the Biblical Tabernacle

And like the Biblical Tabernacle, these homes are also supposed to be brought to the area of Biblical Shiloh.

One of the proposed locations for the "new Amona" is south of Shvut Rachel

The only problem is that Bibi's word isn't worth anything. And the families of Amona are still waiting to find out where they're going and when.

Now the families have began a hunger strike near the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem. 

HUNGER STRIKING SETTLERS: NETANYAHU MUST KEEP PLEDGE TO BUILD NEW SETTLEMENT

Today at the Shabbat table, talking with friends about the political situation in Israel. We all felt that Netanyahu is useless and isn't acting as a national leader. But the biggest problem is looking at the alternatives, the wannabes, those who dream of replacing him. They are far worse.

Wanted: A True Fearless Leader for the State of Israel!

I'm sick and tired of politicians. They aren't leaders. I think that's one of the attractions that Donald Trump has for American Republicans. They are also totally fed up with the standard politician whose policies and promises are as stable and permanent as an Etch A Sketch drawing.

In the free world, which includes Israel, many voters/citizens are beginning to see the light, the truth, that our politicians aren't leading. They are just following polls and what they and their advisors think and spout what they think we want to hear. That's why once the politician is elected to office, you so rarely see their promises and platforms take on life.



It's inevitable that once in office, politicians promote policies so different from their campaign promises. It's just like how a tiny shake of the Etch A Sketch erases the image, as you can see at the end of the video above.

Here in Israel, we're facing life and death dangers. We are not a large, rich in natural resources and protected by natural boundaries country like the United States. We can't take "risks for peace" or anything like we're being urged. The State of Israel is not only surrounded by military and ideological enemies on three sides, but we have a strongly supported terrorist enemy within our borders. We also lack not only natural resources but allies.

What we have to protect us is Gd Almighty and the Jewish People all over the world. There's just a problem that many Jews do not fully understand our situation. We need to have full faith and trust in Gd, not the USA, the UN, the EU et. al. We need policies that are good for us and not for our enemies. We need leaders to lead our government who aren't checking back for approval from others. The only approval we need is Gd's. That's how we won the 1967 Six Days War so quickly. We fought and we prayed. No country helped, and we won, because our victories only come with Gd's assistance. Since 1967 military experts from all over the world have tried to figure out how Israel won that war, and they find no logical reason for our victory. Gd overrides logic, nature and math!

We must not fear, as long as we follow Gd. That is one of the lessons of the Purim story in Megillat (Scroll of) Esther. The date of the battle Haman planned against the Jewish People was chosen by lottery, and Gd controls such results. And that is why we won.

Chag Purim Sameach

May We Have a Joyous Purim and 

May We Celebrate with True Jewish Faith and Leadership!

The Sacrifice/Binding of Isaac versus the Prince William and Kate Gossip

Please trust me, this is really about the Parshat Shavua, Torah Portion of the Week, וַיֵּרָא Vayaira, "And the LORD appeared," concentrating on the last part, which is known as "the Sacrifice of Issac," even though Issac, Abraham's beloved son doesn't die. The Biblical text can be found in Bereishit, Genesis  Chapter 22.

Frequently when I mention something about this Biblical narrative, I stress that Issac didn't die. It bothers me so much when I hear people refer to it as the "sacrifice" of Issac. This is the rather incomprehensible story of G-d ordering Abraham to take the son who G-d gave to him and Sarah strictly for the purpose of continuing the line so that Abraham's descendants would be a great nation. Child sacrifice is forbidden by Jewish Law, and Issac was in his thirties, though still single when this happens. Abraham ties the cooperating Issac and is about to slaughter him when at the very last second, he's told to stop.

Now, remember that this is not referred to as Abraham's story. He's not in the given title. And the Hebrew for it is עֲקֵדַת יִצְחָק  Akeidat Yitzchak, The Binding of Issac. The "binding" here isn't a lesson in sailors knots. I see this as a test for Issac more than a test for Abraham.

The life of a public leader isn't easy. It wasn't enough that Issac was born to Abraham and Sarah and raised by them. He had to accept that his life wouldn't be a normal, easy one. None of his time would be personal time. Every move and every decision would have ramifications for centuries, millennia, forever, since the Jewish People is eternal.

And what has this to do with Prince William and his wife Kate? There have been articles on yahoo that he has announced that he doesn't want the throne, certainly not soon. He prefers that his father be king. Prince William and Kate prefer living like ordinary people. The past few months, when Kate has been suffering from severe "morning sickness," she did what many people do, she took her toddler with her and went to her parents for help. She prefered that to staying in their palace apartment and being cared for by servants. Money isn't their problem. Kate was raised by her parents, and in a time of difficulty, that's where she wanted to be. That is not the way of the British royal family, or at least it hasn't been yet.

Prince William was and is tied to his duties, and the gossip columnists had plenty to write about. I honestly feel sorry for him. He's between a rock and a hard place, between his grandmother, the Queen of England, and his beloved wife, pregnant with their second child.

Back to our forefather Isaac. It was only after Isaac had passed the test and allowed himself to be fully bound to his task leading G-d's people that Abraham sent his trusted servant to find a wife for him. That story we'll read about next week...

Shavua Tov
Have a Wonderful Week

Bibi, Connect the Dots! If Hamas is Like ISIS, Then Fatah is, Too!

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AFP) -
See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas
-denies-running-shadow-government-wants-avoid-
squabbles-hamas-1204430020#sthash.zbegeTsp.dpuf

I totally agree with our Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's words about the connection of Hamas to ISIS (Islamic State.) What I don't understand is the fact that Bibi refuses to connect the dots and admit that his erstwhile "peace-partner," Fatah is allied with Hamas, therefore also the same as ISIS.


This has me very seriously, yes, totally worried.

PM Netanyahu addresses 
International Conference on 
Counter-Terrorism 
Copyright: GPO/Kobi Gideon

There's nothing like Netanyahu's speeches, well crafted, powerfully delivered to express whatever message he thinks is most important. He is a writer and performer par excellence, among the best of all international political/diplomatic personalities of today. Unlike other international leaders he doesn't need a staff of acting and speech coaches and discreet teleprompters to perform convincingly.

Unfortunately I find his gifts wasted, because instead of promoting the unvarnished and often unpleasant and definitely not "PC," politically correct, truth, he has crafted himself as a "Centrist leader."

The Jewish Independent

designed for
Shiloh Musings by
Esser Agaroth

IMHO, the label "Centrist leader" is an oxymoron. From the center you can't lead. From the center you are surrounded by people who have more guts and stronger opinions. A leader takes the lead and goes forward in a firm determined line to your goal, demolishing enemies and obstacles on the way. It's physically impossible to do that as a Centrist.

I don't know what sports Bibi played as a youth. American football is good training for political leadership. To score a touchdown, the player must hold the ball tightly and get through the opposing team's players who are trying to tackle and steal the ball. That's real life. There's no 3 point basket from the center of the court as in basketball.



Israel needs a true leader, one who isn't afraid to run through fire and condemnation to score a touchdown.