Three Scenes From Yesterday

Waiting for the bus on

King George Street

Jerusalem

Reserved for

Handicapped

at the Malcha Mall

The Outer Room

Ezrat Nashim

Kever Rachel

Yes, we got in

even after the traffic jam

Kever Rachel--Jammed!

I try to stay away from the jam, since it has so many calories and is bad for my teeth, but I have no control over traffic jams. Wasn't yesterday enough?

Today, again. This time I was on my way to Kever Rachel, and they wouldn't let our bus in.

Nothing personal, the other buses weren't going in either. Yes, people complained.
Finally, we got fed up and tried getting rides in the small private vehicles, since they were getting in. No success.
We could see the sun going down. We were getting close to the time when it would be too late for Mincha, the afternoon prayer.
Buses, buses everywhere, but where we wanted to be.

Now, should I leave you in suspense?

Raise Up The Barricades! Alei Barricadot!

I don't usually read my fellow A7 blogger, Ben Bresky's blog about Jewish music, but somehow this morning I took a look. I noticed that it was about a "Sarah." Now, the only Sarah recently in the news is Sarah Palin. What would she be doing in Jewish Music blog?

Wrong Sarah. He had written about Sarah Livni, the poor Etzel fighter, who's probably turning in her grave to the tune of "Alei Barracadot!" Yes, Sarah was Tsippi's mother, and as you can see from the pictures, Tsippi did not inherit her mother's looks.

Strange coincidence, just the other day, I sang the refrain from that song. It was after my friends and I had finished our weekly "divided" T'hilim Psalms. One of them mentioned a peculiar funeral she had been at. The attendees sang. It wasn't strange to me. I have been to quite a number of funerals of former Lechi and Etzel fighters, and they always ended with the singing of the fighting songs, especially "Alei Barricadot." If I'm not mistaken, the custom began during the Israeli War of Independence.

Raise Up the Barricades
by M. Ashbel

Today my little Sarah
We'll part as I go to war
To establish the state
On both sides of the Jordan
Harden your heart
And tighten your belt
Embrace me, take the Sten
And join me in the ranks
Raise up the barricades we shall meet
Do not cry For such is my fate Wipe away your tears

Raise up the barricades we bring freedom with blood and fire.
Rifle to rifle, barrel to barrel
Bullet to bullet we shall fire
Raise up the barricades we shall meet
And if on the gallows
I shall give my life for the nation
Do not cry
For such is my fate
Wipe away your tears
Hold the Sten close to your heart
And choose for yourself another
From the men of my squad

We're missing good inspring songs to help us to the victory we need today.

More Than In The Press

When I took this photo, I began planning an article I was going to call:

Jammed in Traffic

The young guy who gave me ride from Ofra to Shiloh had told me that the traffic jam we found ourselves in must have been because of an accident, an Arab truck hit an electric pole about three and a half hours earlier. He had left Eli just after and saw the carnage. An injured man was lying next to his leg.

That would have made the accident about 3pm, so the road should have had been cleared by the time we went by. The truck should have been towed. He, also, kept commenting that there was something strange. He kept seeing relatively high-ranking soldiers walking through the jammed cars. Eventually, we got back to the open highway. There wasn't a truck nor any sign of an accident.

A few minutes ago I saw an article in the Jerusalem Post about Arabs attacking Israeli soldiers. Imagine my surprise, the same location as the accident. The difference was the time, over an hour later. When I went into the living room to get my camera, so I could download this picture, I mentioned it to my husband, and he showed me that he had just blogged about it, Terror Atttempt Today Near Shiloh.

Maybe there's a connection between the accident and the terror attack?

Misplaced Sympathy

In the aftermath of the latest Arab terror attack in Jerusalem, IBA's Chanel One kept broadcasting the terrorist's father's rant accusing the hero who killed the terrorist a murderer.

The Arab media admit that the terrorist was a terrorist and deny the father's and Israeli media's fiction that he was a frustrated little boy. Is "horny" going to join "twinkies" as an excuse for murder?

It was a similar scene to the Arab terror attack when I was injured. The terrorist aimed his car, a very dangerous weapon, at the Israelis and rammed into them.

The Israeli media isn't doing any good by constantly sympathizing with our enemies.

There is no excuse for terrorism!

The terrorist's family should be kept out of the news. Destroy their homes and business and fire them from their jobs, and they'll keep their children away from terrorist influence.

That's What They Need Joe For

He's Joe Biden and he did NOT approve this ad.

The Democratic veep candidate told CBS's Katie Couric last night he thought a campaign ad that stingingly mocked John McCain for being a computer bonehead was "terrible."

"I didn't know we did it and if I had anything to do with it, we would have never done it," Biden said.

Atlantic.com noted the biting ad stated:

"He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail, still doesn't understand the economy, and favors 200 billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class."

It reminds me of how the Israeli Labor Party lost whatever support they had of Israeli's "amcha," the "ordinary, non-elite" Israeli. This was when Menachem Begin was PM and running for re-election. At a Labor rally, someone made fun of the "riff-raff" who supports Begin.

Just recently I mentioned to someone that there really are people who don't own or very rarely use computers. She was amazed, insisted that I was wrong. But I'm not. I mentioned it among neighbors, and was told that even when there's a computer in the house, it's not used by everyone.

It's important for us to remember that there are other ways of communicating and not everyone is online.

Back to this miscalculation by the Obama camp. I just wrote that he's elitist. I doubt that all of his supporters are, but the people running the campaign are making mistakes. McCain and Palin are of the American "amcha," and even black "amcha" may feel alienated by the time they have to pull the lever.

Obama, Boring And Elitist

I got a kick out of this New York Times article which tried to spin that Obama's debating style can really be improved. The writer got it right here:

Mr. Obama has a tendency to overintellectualize and to lecture, befitting his training as a lawyer and law professor. He exudes disdain for the quips and sound bites that some deride as trivializing political debates but that have become a central part of scoring them. He tends to the earnest and humorless when audiences seem to crave passion and personality. He frequently rises above the mire of political combat when the battle calls for engagement.

Broder's mistake is that he thinks Obama can be coached out of these problems. He, like most Obama fans, ignores the fact that Obama was not raised with ordinary Americans. And Obama, after his rather unconventional childhood, studied in a cosmopolitan university. That's not a sin, but it does make it difficult for him to relate to ordinary Americans. This has nothing to do with Obama's skin color.

If Obama had inherited his mother's skin color, he wouldn't be the Democratic Nominee for the US Presidency. He probably wouldn't even be Clinton's Veep.

Today, Obama's a novelty. Maybe he can develop the maturity, knowledge and skills to be a good president for the United States, in the future, but now he's too dependent on his advisers. That's very dangerous, America.

Getting Up From Shiva, Jewish Mourning

This morning, before going over to my friend to "get her up" from mouring, I quickly did an internet search to check if there's something to say, along with the "getting her up and out."

Aish's site had the clearest instructions:

The seventh and final day of shiva is observed for only a few short hours, although this counts as a whole day. After the last Shacharit service, the mourners sit low again for a short time. Then those who have come to comfort the mourners say to them, "Arise." The comforters then say:

No more will your sun set, nor your moon be darkened, for God will be an eternal light for you, and your days of mourning shall end. (Isaiah 60:20)

Like a man whose mother consoles him, so shall I console you, and you shall be consoled in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 66:13)

The mourners acknowledge that the shiva is over by leaving the shiva house publicly for the first time, taking a short walk around the block with those who have come to comfort them.

So, that's what we did. And then I walked her back to her door so she could back to her life.

What Could Be Worse Than Tsippi At The Helm?

Ehud Barak as co-leader!

Tsippi Livni is a classic case of Peter's Principle, but Ehud Barak is even worse.

Never forget the rampant Arab terrorism, which began during Ehud Barak's reign as Prime Minister.

I've lived in Israel since 1970, and never has there been a worse time, when innocent Israeli citizens were terrified to leave their homes. It took a couple of years after he was quickly, but not quickly enough, booted out of office for things to calm down.

We need new elections now!

The only problem is deciding whom to vote for!!!

Dry Bones--Bull's Eye!

And they consider it progress. Kadima means "onward," "to the future." Gevalt!

Yaakov you're great!

As The Blogs Burst All Over With Sarah Palin...

... and the speech she would have given.

Here is it from Soccer Dad.

Those who saw to it that Sarah Palin was disinvited from speaking at today's rally no doubt are oddly proud of themselves, but thanks to The New York Sun, we can all know what Sarah Palin would have said.Hat tip to Boker Tov, Boulder for pointing this piece out--and for suggesting that it be blogbursted.

I'm sure that more people are going to read it than would have listened. It would be a good move for the McCain camp to have her film it and then release it on youtube.

As I've written before, this campaign is quite a sitcom.