Monday, January 19, 2009

Kol ha-Kavod to the Knitted Kippa!

No, I'm not referring to Srugim (for a change). I am, rather, referring to the dramatically high proportion of religious young men who fought (and, לא עלינו, paid the ultimate price) in order to defend us from the Hamas scourge. While the Leftists wringed their hands and ignored the plight of the residents of the periphery, it was the sons of that periphery (who are overwhelmingly observant or traditional), along with the National Religious soldiers who bore the prunt of the fighting. (See Matthew Wagner's article in today's Jerusalem Post.)

What further proof does one need of the fact that Jewish Nationalism cannot exist more than one generation, without a strong connection to the Jewish religion?

Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Gideonites

The (perhaps) just ended Gaza War has elicited an even higher outpouring of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rage and bile than did Lebanon II or the Oslo war (aka Intifada II). In typical fashion, the charge was led by Jews. One, 'sterling' example is one Jennifer Lowenstein, whose paranoid, self-loathing vitriol is worthy of a full-fledged study by Sander Gillman.

She, however, has plenty of allies here. Chief among them, are the Haaretz apologists for Hamas (and anyone else who wishes to destroy the Jewish State). Chief among these are Gideon Levy, Gideon Samet, Akiva Eldar and Amira Hass. The first is especially noxious, a fact that has not been lost on the general public. On today's edition of the popular
Galei Tzahal program, המילה האחרונה, the hosts asked listeners to coin a term for those who are the opposite of a patriot. The overwhelming response was 'גדעונים' (ie Gideons).

An excellant response to the phenomenon was provided by Ben Dror Yemini in
Maariv-NRG, with the translation appearing here:


MORAL CRIMINALS
About Gideon Levi, Robert Fisk and the far left as the propoganda department of HAMAS and AL-KAIDA
Ben Dror Yemini 17/1/2009

On December 28th 2008, a few days after Hamas violated the cease fire agreement with Israel, increased its missile fire on Israel and by so doing forced the Israeli government into the operation we are witnessing, Al Hayat published that the government of Gaza is going to impose Sharia law.

The Israeli operation is postponing the implementation, but very soon new punishment measures ranging from chopping of hands, lashings and executions, will be introduced in Gaza. The Taliban has made a comeback in Gaza. Hamastan is not alone in its desire of Sharia law. The chant heard in demonstrations in London and other locations is “Allah Akbar”. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. 40% of Muslims in Britain support the implementation of Sharia law in Britain.

The big question is however, what are the likes of Robert Fisk, Naomi Klein and Gideon Levi doing with this crowd. “We are against Sharia law” they will tell us. That’s true – they are against it. “The disagreement with Hamas should have been solved in another way” they will excuse themselves. “Israel should have accepted the results of the Palestinian people’s vote” because that is democracy – accepting the Palestinian’s right to elect the own leadership.

They add that “if only Israel wouldn’t have blockaded Gaza. If only Israel were generous towards the Palestinians, especially those in the Gaza Strip, and allowed them free passage, work, schooling, medical treatment etc. etc. If only Israel would have done one of the above, this whole conflict would have been avoided. Hamas wouldn’t be forced to fire rockets at Israel and all the bloodshed would never happen”.

Global opinion seems to think in the same way, the West as a whole and especially the Zionists are the oppressors. Israel massacres Palestinians. Globalization and national statehood exploit the wretched and these oppressed people must retaliate.

These are the main claims of the lie industry and they should be exposed.

ROCKET FIRE WAS NOT A REACTION TO THE BLOCKADE OR EMBARGO

Firstly, Israel did not impose the blockade after it withdrew from Gaza. Following the disengagement, Israel signed an agreement with the Palestinian Authority known as the “
Crossings Agreement”. After Hamas’ bloody revolution which overthrew the Fatah government, it announced that it is not committed to any of the agreements which were signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (including the “Ceossings Agreement”. This led to the closure of the Rafah crossing. Hamas breached the agreement - not Israel.

This happened after Hamas massacred and executed scores of Fatah loyalists. Al Jazeera chose not show those pictures. The crossings were closed because Hamas proclaimed that it doesn’t recognise the cease fire or Israel’s right to exist. To Hamas eliminating Israel and not creating normal life for the Palestinians is the most important objective. The crossings were closed because Hamas lived up to its word and started firing rockets at Israel and by doing so made the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in southern Israel a nightmare. This went on and on and Israel held back and restrained itself like no other country in the world would.

Amira Haas tried again to justify Hamas’ behaviour. She wrote in Haaretz that the blockade on Gaza started in 1991 and was made more elaborate as time went by. This is complete nonsense. Hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s Palestinian labourers worked in Israel during the 90’s. Besides, Hamas’ charter as a subsidiary of the “Muslim Brotherhood” was drafted in 1988, three years earlier, according to Amira Haas’ mathematics. The only thing that is getting more and more elaborate is the lie industry.

By the way, throughout the period that Gaza was under blockade, the crossings to Israel were left open. Through these crossings hundreds of truck carrying fuel, construction materials and humanitarian supplies passed into Gaza. This was despite Hamas’ repeated mortar, rocket and suicide bomber attacks on those very crossings.

HAMAS DOESN’T WANT A PALESTINIAN STATE

Secondly, the Palestinians had their chances at building a state of their own. The option was there and if they would have seized the opportunity, their struggle would be justified. But, they kept saying no. They said No to the Peel commission in 1936, No to the UN proposal of 1947 to divide the land, No after the Six Day War (the three "no"s of the Khartoum declaration) and No to the Clinton proposal in 2000.

This pattern of refusal was intensified by Hamas. They rejected any agreement, past or future. If Hamas were interested in lifting the blockade, it would have happened by now, but they are not. They want something else: war, rockets and the destruction of Israel.

MUSLIMS PAY THE PRICE OF MURDEROUS ISLAM

Thirdly, lose of innocent lives doesn’t really matter to those protesting against Israel now. They didn’t protest in the past when Jordan massacred Palestinians or Syria massacred Isalmists. They don’t protest today against Sudan where atrocities are being committed against African Muslims.

They also didn’t propose a boycott on Sudan. On the contrary, they will support any tyranny as long as it represents the model of Global Islamic domination.

Therefore, the question shouldn’t be “can the progressive world protect Hamas from Israel?” but “is it too late for the free world to stop the spread of Radical Islam?” The radical left is helping this expansion. Now Muslims are paying the price for this support, soon the free world will as well.

POLITICAL ISLAM IS A DISASTER

Fourthly, Hamas’ actions are not a response to Israel. Political Islam grew in Saudi Arabia (Wahhabi), Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood) and the Indian sub continent (Deobandi). They were created way before the state of Israel, Zionism or George Bush existed. Hamas is just another cancerous offshoot.

Everywhere political Islam was established it entailed oppression, destruction, poverty and death. Like in Afghanistan where the Taliban murdered close to one million Muslims or Algeria where the Islamic Front slaughtered two hundred thousand people. Another example is Sudan which has become the most murderous regime in the Muslim world. Let us not forget about all the other conflicts raging in Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq where radical Muslims are slaughtering other Muslims without any reason. Destruction and death are daily occurrences without the need of justifying it with a “blockade”.

THE RADICAL LEFT AND RADICAL ISLAM MEET

So what are Annie Lennox and her likes doing there? Why are they trying to justify the instigators of destruction and not those who defend themselves from it? Why did Naomi Klein publish an article calling for a boycott on Israel?

One of the popular signs in the protests against Israel read “Boycott Israel” with a picture of Hassan Nasrallah beneath it. Israel is where the interests of the coalition of radical leftists and radical Islam converge.

NAOMI KLEIN WOULD CONDEMN THE WARSAW GHETO UPRISING

Following the war in Gaza, a Canadian academic union demanded a boycott on any Israel academic institution which would not condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza. Dr Yunis Al Astal, a Hamas member of parliament is the dean of Sharia studies at The Islamic University of Gaza which is a Hamas stronghold. Al Astal, as disclosed in previous articles, decreed that global Islam has to take over “both Americas”. Yes, this includes Canada. He also decreed that Killing Jews is relevant in our times.

Did you read an article by Naomi Klein about boycotting Hamas or the Islamic University? Where did she get the nerve to write her article about Israel? One can only assume the Naomi Klein would demand a boycott on the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising for resisting extermination.

Klein and her kind are not moral beacons but moral criminals. The problem is that the majority of public opinion is subjected to their distorted propaganda. This majority still doesn’t realize that Israel isn’t fighting against the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel is fighting Iran and the global Jihad movement’s which preach hatred and extermination and are a threat to the free world. Hamas and Gaza are their first line of attack. Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah are happy. Their work is being done by Naomi Klein and the other moral criminals.

PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE HAVE BECOME SPOKESPERSONS FOR HAMAS AND AL QAEDA

People with consciences have valid criticism regarding world suffering. Criticizing Israel is not a crime; the obsession about it is the problem. And so Israel becomes “the most dangerous country in the world” despite the fact that its contribution to world violence is minimal. Despite the fact that the terror attacks of London, Madrid and New York were carried out by Muslims and not Israelis. Most violence in the world is perpetrated by radical Islam. But the moral criminals don’t protest against that. On the contrary, they show understanding and empathy. They have become Hamas and Al Qeada’s propaganda department.

These facts don’t convince the moral criminals. Robert Fisk of The Independent recently claimed that the real reason for the conflict in Gaza is the refugee issue. This is yet another magnificent lie. 38 million people have gone through population transfers. Many of these population transfers happened at roughly the same time the Arab armies and the Palestinians declared a war to eliminate Israel. None of those 38 million have a right of return.

Because of people like Fisk, the Palestinian’s problem are perpetuated. The problem would be solved if the free world would tell the Palestinians that the game is over. It is over because more Jews were forced to leave Arab lands and flee to Israel than Arabs forced to leave Israel. It is over because other tens of millions of refugees didn’t get a right of return. Those who encourage the Palestinians to be stubborn, to refuse compromises and delude them about their nonexistent rights - hurt the Palestinians themselves and perpetuate their anguish. These people are moral criminals.

GIDEON LEVI ENCOURAGES PALESTINIAN MURDEROUSNESS

How can I go on without a word about Gideon Levi, the exceptional exporter of lies? He, just like Frisk, will always find justifications for Palestinian terror. He goes a step further. He is already excusing their future terrorism. “The children of Jenin”, he writes, “who have seen less horror than the children of Gaza, grew up to be suicide bombers. A child who saw his house destroyed, his brother killed and his father humiliated, will never forgive.”

I have news for you Mr. Levi. The Germans bombed London and killed 43,000 thousand civilians. The Americans bombed Tokyo and killed 100,000. The British bombed Dresden and killed 50,000. The Germans killed six million Jews and a significant number of Gypsies. And yet oddly, we haven’t heard of Japanese exploding in the US, Germans blowing up in London or Jews or Gypsies going on murder rampages in Berlin after the war. And believe me Mr. Levy, they had many more reasons. The destruction and casualties were much greater. Not one thousand who died in a war but millions butchered for no reason. But you, Mr. Levi, justify future Palestinian murderousness and give it a free pass.

Why Mr. Levi? What is the reason behind this warped thinking? The reason is that you are a nothing but a racist, both you and your moral criminal posse. You don’t try and justify British, Jewish or Japanese revenge. In your eyes they are part of better race, a different culture. But Muslims, they are a different story. They are part of an inferior and barbaric culture and you don’t expect much from them. If they aren’t, you will make them like that. You will write up some lies and give them an excuse.

By the way Mr Levi, your justification does not pass the test of reality. Because your lies have blinded you, you are unable to see that 95% of radical Islam’s victims are other Muslims. You try giving the radicals excuses but they don’t listen to you – they kill fellow Muslims.

You are wrong Mr Levi. Muslims are not inferior. They are people like you and me. Equals. We can and we must ask them to behave like other human beings do and not like barbarians. If you start acting like this, you will help lower the number of deaths, mainly Muslims deaths.

THE MORAL CRIMINALS ARE WEAKENING THE SANE MAJORITY

I have a question for Levi, Fisk, Klein, Lennox and their likes. Do you really not know what type of world those who you support want to impose on us?

They aren’t fighting to be free of oppression. Not Hamas, not the Taliban and not Hizballah. On the contrary, they want to globalize oppression. They want to create a dark world. They are fighting against equality, mainly equality of women.

The hate towards the free world, humanism, freedom of religion and freedom of speech, women’s rights and free choice is these groups’ common denominator. It is part of their philosophy and is in fact written in the Hamas charter. In that respect Hamas’ charter even takes it a step further. Not only does the charter support the idea of establishing a global Islamic Caliphate, it calls for the killing of Jews wherever they are.

But the moral criminals ignore this. They love pointing at others. Not at those who commit mass killings. Not at those who chop of hands, stone women and hang homosexuals. Not at those who murder their own people whether Hamas or Taliban. To the moral criminals those who fight them are the dangerous ones. If that’s not a crime then what is?

The Arab and Muslim worlds have an array of different views. There is the dark, Jihad ideology followed by Hamas, Al Qaeda, Hizballah, the Taliban and their type. But there are many other opinions. The problem is that the moral criminals don’t support them and choose to stand alongside the Islamists. They are the leaders of the lie industry which strengthens the dark forces. Any expression of pro Western views or compromise by an Arab intellectual they denounced as treason and any Hamas rocket gets them started on fabricating excuses.

IF HAMAS HAD THE WEAPONS – WE WOULD BE DESTROYED

In a piece in the Wall Street Journal, Garry Kasparov wondered how things would play out if Hamas had Israel’s weapons and Israel had to defend itself. I wonder if it would end with one thousand dead or another six million dead.

We know the answer. It is written in Hamas’ charter. It appears in the public statements of Hamas leaders. It’s evident in the mass murders committed by radical Islamists. The moral criminals knew in the past. They knew but kept quiet. Now they aren’t silent. They are walking on the streets, university campuses and newspaper bureaus but they are walking with wicked.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

I would like to say thank you. Thank you to who distributed my aticles. All of those who complained about the articles being published only in Hebrew – you should thank those who translated all the articles (including the foreign ministry). Thant to them, The articles are available in more languages such as Swedish and Italian. The distribution is global. Comments are coming from all corners of the world; but it is just a drop in the bucket. This won’t bring down the industry of lies but the few drops will add up and if we persist, the truth will prevail. It has to.

Monday, January 12, 2009

ד' יילחם לכם

I just came across this here (and the translation here). No comment is necessary.

רב צבאי ככהן משוח מלחמה
מאת י.א.ר

הנה סיפור משבת האחרונה עם כניסת החיילים לעזה שסיפר לי הערב אחי שמשרת כרב צבאי בקבע:
לאחר שבמשך יום השבת שהו קבוצת רבנים (כשלושה במספר), בבסיס מרוחק מה מהגבול, יחד עם מספר מאות חיילים שעמדו לקראת הכניסה הקרקעית, והעבירו את היום בשיעורים ושיחות חיזוק ועידוד, התלבטו הרבנים עם עליהם להצטרף לנסיעת החיילים מהבסיס אל החניון בו עמדו הכלים בשביל לעודד את רוחם עם היציאה.
לאחר התדינות ביניהם הוחלט - בהססנות מה - להצטרף
.
הרבנים הביאו עמם ספר תורה מתוך כוונה לארגן תפילת מנחה, וכאשר רצו לרדת מהאוטובוס, אחי ביקש ממאן דהו להעביר אליו את הספר (כדי להקליש את בעיית ההעברה לתוך כרמלית), ואולם לאחר שירד מהאוטובוס וחכה למטה זמן מה והספר בושש לבוא, הסתכל חזרה פנימה וראה כי החיילים מעבירים את הספר מיד ליד מתחבקים עמו ואינם מרפים
.
לאחר מכן, עמדו יחד שניים מהרבנים, כאשר קבוצת חיילים ניגשת אליהם (הם בלטו בשטח כרבנים מזוקנים האחד אוחז ספר תורה בידו, והשני עטור בטלית) ובקשו לקבל מהם ברכה. היות וחלוקת ברכות אינה חלק רגיל משגרת יומו, סיפרו לחיילים כי יברך אותם בברכה אותה הוא מברך את בניו כל ליל שבת. לתדהמתו התחילו לגשת אליו כעוד ועוד חיילים, עד שהכמות היתה גדולה כל כך (לדבריו ברובם חבר'ה מסורתיים, הביינישים שבין החיילים פחות התענינו בברכתם), ולא יכלו יותר לתת ברכות אישיות. פרשו את הטלית, כבשמחת תורה, מעל ראש הנאספים ובירכו את הציבור בבת אחת
.
כמה מהלוחמים נגשו אליהם ואמרו להם בהתרגשות כי נוכחותם הרבנית במקום מחזקת אותם ונותנת להם כוח, ואחד אף הוסיף כי ברכתם חשובה ומשמעותית עבורו יותר מכל השיחות המקצועיות ששמעו לקראת ההכנה למבצע.
עם השקיעה, כאשר התחילו טורי החיילים לצעוד בשיירה רגלית אל תוך הרצועה, נעמדו הרבנים ליד נקודת היציאה עם ספר התורה בידם, וזעקו לעבר החיילים העוברים לידם מילות עידוד וברכה (ה' עמכם, יברככם ה', ודברים נוספים בהשראת דברי הרמב"ם על הפחד במלחמה), החיילים מצדם חלפו על פניהם ונשקו לספר התורה שבידם.
אשריכם ישראל
!
אחי בקש לשמוע את דעתי על הסיפור מבחינת הלכות שבת, שכן היום הם קיבלו נזיפה מהרב החטיבתי על כך שהורו לעצמם היתר להביא עמם ספר תורה לנסיעה שכל כולה בעייתית בעיניו מהחל ועד כלה (הוא לא קיבל, למשל, את טענתם כי יש להשוות את נסיעתם להצטרפותו של הבעל ליולדת הנוסעת בשבת לבית החולים).
לאור דברי הרב הפיקודי אחי הרגיש נקיפות מצפון, שכן על אף שידע בבירור כי נהג בהתאם להשקפתו של הרב הצבאי הראשי הרב רונצקי,לא היה בטוח שנהג כשורה
.
חיזקתי את ידיו ואמרתי לו בלי לגמגם שלדעתי הסיפור כולו מרגש והינו בעיניקידוש ה' גדול
Kiddush Hashem
by YAR

(Sunday, January 4, 2009) This evening, my brother, who serves as a career military rabbi, told me the following story, which took place this past Shabbat, when the IDF entered Gaza.

He was one of three rabbis who spent Shabbat on a base not too far away from the border, together with a few hundred soldiers who were preparing for the ground incursion. After spending the day delivering shiurim and motivational speeches, the rabbis wondered if they should perhaps travel with the soldiers from the base to the staging location, in order to boost the soldiers’ morale.

They deliberated and finally decided – with some hesitation – to go along with the soldiers.
Hoping to arrange a minchah prayer service, the rabbis took a Sefer Torah with them. When it was time to get off the bus, my brother asked someone to pass the Torah to him (in order to mitigate the halachic issue of bringing something into a karmelit). However, when he got off the bus, the Torah stayed behind. He looked back into the bus and saw that the soldiers were passing the Torah from hand to hand. Each soldier took the opportunity to embrace it tightly.

Afterwards, a group of soldiers approached two of the rabbis. (The bearded rabbis stood out; one was holding the Sefer Torah, and the other was wearing his talit.) The soldiers asked the rabbis for a blessing. Since giving blessings isn’t included in a military rabbi’s standard job description, my brother told the soldiers that he would recite the blessing he uses for his sons on Leil Shabbat. To his amazement, more and more soldiers began approaching him. (According to him, most of them were traditional – i.e. not outwardly observant. The bnei yeshivot seemed less interested in receiving a blessing from the rabbis.)
Soon, so many soldiers had amassed that the rabbis could no longer give personal blessings.
Instead, they spread out a talit over the crowd’s heads – as is customary on Simchat Torah – and blessed everyone in unison.
With great emotion, several soldiers exclaimed that the rabbis’ presence gave them strength and boosted their spirits. One soldier even added that the rabbis’ blessing was more significant and meaningful for him than all the training sessions he had heard in the period leading up to the operation.
As the sun began to set, the long infantry columns set out towards the Strip. Meanwhile, the rabbis stood near the crossing with the Sefer Torah in their hands and called out words of encouragement and blessing to the soldiers. (“May Hashem be with you,” “may Hashem bless you,” and other phrases inspired by the Rambam’s writings on fear during a battle.) The soldiers, in turn, kissed the Sefer Torah as they marched along.
Ashreichem Yisrael! (How fortunate are you, O Israel!)
My brother wanted to hear what I thought about the story, in terms of the Shabbat laws. He and his colleagues had been reprimanded by the brigade rabbi for permitting themselves to take the Sefer Torah with them. In fact, he claimed that the entire trip was problematic. (For instance, he rejected their argument that they were in a similar position to a husband who travels with his wife to the hospital on Shabbat when she is about to give birth, in order to give her emotional support.)
The commanding rabbi’s words caused my brother to second guess himself. Although he was confident that he had acted in accordance with the worldview of IDF Chief Rabbi Rav Ronsky, he wasn’t sure if he had acted properly.
I immediately assured him that in my opinion, his behavior constitutes an incredible Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of Hashem’s Name).

The True Face of Hamas (An Arab Account)




For the useful idiots who defend Hamas and condemn Israel's was against them, consider this video, filmed by Palestinians and narrated by an Arab. [Hat tip: Aviad Stollman]

Background is provided by the IDF:

Unity and Disunity

There is irony in the fact that just when (almost) the entire Jewish population of Israel is united in our effort against Hamas, a unity that is increasingly finding expression through a return to Judaism and Jewish belief, the Rabbinate has struck another blow for disunity and schism.

In the latest instance, a Jerusalem Bet Din retroactively cancelled the conversion of Yossi Fackenheim, son of the late philosopher, Emile Fackenheim. Fackenheim had been converted as a child by the Bet Din of Toronto, which is more Haredi than Modern Orthodox. I am, of course, aware that there were circumstances that might have led others not to convert Yossi. That, however, is beside the point. The issue here, as in the infamous case of R. Sherman, is the undoing of a status action of a fully constituted rabbinical court. Whereas, overwhelmingly, for three millenia rabbinical courts have adopted an attitude of respectful collegiality toward one another, the Haredi dominated rabbinate has decided that noone else in the world has the right to an opinion except itself. In this case, we are talking about a conversion that is solidly grounded in the rulings of the greatest Posek of the second half of the preceding century, R. Moshe Feinstein זצ"ל.

To use a phrase that is enjoying currency, in a different context, עד כאן!

Friday, January 09, 2009

More Rogues Gallery: Judisches Selbsthass at its 'Best'

The late chief rabbi of Petah Tikva, R. Reuven Katz זצ"ל, once noted that Jews have the capacity to soar to the heights of spirituality and nobility. They also have the capacity to plummet to depths of moral corruption of which others are rarely capable. As the stories of national solidarity and Hesed continue to accumulate, so do examples of suicidal self-hatred, lunatic support of a vicious enemy and acts of national treachery.

Three of these are typical of the trend, which should be excoriated by every Jew who has the least amount of personal and national pride.

1) Shammai Leibowitz, grandson of Prof. Isaiah Leibowitz, is actively campaigning for soldiers to both refuse to serve in the war against Hamas and to actively sabotage the military effort. That's known as aiding and abetting the enemy in war time.

Leibowitz, who once compared convicted terrorist and murderer Marwan Barghouti to Moses, is the darling of the Left, as his problematic grandfather once was (though he's nowhere near as smart). He is their religious fig leaf. If it weren't so dangerous, he'd be pathetic.

2) Roni Schocken, son of Amos Schocken (owner of Al-Fajar..oops, Haaretz), attended the anti-war rally Saturday Night wearing a kaffiyeh as an act of solidarity with the Muslims. I don't expect more from the scion of a post-Zionist family that is devoted to the (self)destruction of the State of Israel. However, will it surprise anyone that he's soon to start clerking for our Supreme Court?

3) Eight Jews stormed the Israeli Consulate in Toronto in order to protest Israel's 'atrocities.' Needless to say, they have never heard of Sederot. In addition, New York area synagogues are preparing for the disruption of services this Shabbat by anti-war protesters.

As I've often said, the charge that Jews are smart is largely an anti-semitic canard.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

מהרסייך ומחריבך ממך ייצאו

The extraordinary determination and heroism of the Jews of Israel only heighten the dastardly and vile behaviour of our ostensible coreligionists, both here and abroad.

1) The unholy trinity, Amos Oz, David Grossman and A. B. Yehoshua all have called for an immediate ceasefire and retreat of the army from Gaza. I don't know who appointed these puffed up, mediocre intellectuals as the national conscience. I only know that their opinions are neither desired nor appreciated by anyone who lives five meteres from Schocken Street in Tel Aviv. [Never mind about Shulamit Aloni, who never met a terrorist she didn't like or a patriotic Jew she didn't loathe.]

2) Yonatan Shapira, former pilot and the subject of one of my favorite songs, is busy accusing Israel of war crimes and genocide against the Palestinians, in every anti-Israel venue he can find.

3) Sitting safe and satisfied in New York and Washington DC, while the residents of the South are in shelters, the bleeding hearts of Americans for Peace Now, Brit Zedek ve-Shalom, Israel Policy Forum and the already nefarious 'J Street' lobby are trying to undermine our legitimate efforts to stop Hamas and provide security for our people. Their close ties to Obama do not bode well.

And the list goes on.....

The above cited verse (Is. 49, 17) bears two interpretations:

Your destroyers will come from your midst.

Your destroyers will depart from your midst.

As the first was fulfilled, so may it be God's will to fulfill the second.

Amen.

Who is Like Your People, Israel!

No one is happier to be proven wrong than I am, at least as far as this gloomy post is concerned. Israel is fighting back against the terror-entity, Hamasland/Gaza and redeeming our national pride and our souls. This does not mean that I have any more trust as far as our government is concerned, and in this I second Ben Chorin's observations. Moreover, the damage done by the forces that Guy Bechor noted in the article I cited is still being done and will take a long time to repair.

What makes me happy, despite the terrible price we are paying (and always pay) in these circumstances, is the incredible morale and inner-fortitude of the Jews of Eretz Yisrael. They are strong. They firmly believe in our right to live in our land, as proud Jews and in our obligation to defend and support one another. As Ben Gurion wrote in his diary after Tel Aviv was bombed on May 15 1948, אלה יעמדו, 'These will stand.'

Consider:

1) Reshet Bet devotes several hours a day to offers from Israelis to help people in the beleaguered South. The switchboards are overwhelmed with calls from all over the country, offering home hospitality, recreation and whatever to people who want a break from the hundreds of missiles that are raining down upon them. Hotels and Inns are offering long-term hospitality for NIS100 per day for people from the affected areas. Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Gush Etzion, Haifa and other regional councils have organized activities in the South and invited people there. The list goes on and on.
You can listen live, here, especially to the call-in shows from 4-5 and 6-7 IST.

2) Reshet Gimel, desiring to play music that will fill people's needs received requests solely for music the underlies our deep and abiding attachment to this land.

3) The backbone of the people in the south is incredible. They are standing strong, backing our soldiers and going about their lives, though their daily lives are punctuated by missiles and the need to run for cover.

4) The soldiers are fighting for their homes, and they know it. The stories of heroism are pouring forth. The wounded are eager to go and finish the job, to secure quiet for all of us and to teach the enemy a lesson it will not soon forget.

5) As for the inner enemy, the defeatists and the Post-Zionists; they are being shouted down in the media, on the internet, and in the coffee houses. As Hanoch Daum noted, the overwhelming majority of us see that they are irrelevant.

Most importantly, it is clear to me (at least) that the strength of our people is a direct expression of the intensification of Jewish identity and connection to Torah that I have noted on a number of occasions. This is expressed in the modes of expression that the people use (בעזרת השם, נסים גלוים); the inspirational music the radio broadcasts, the Tehillim that both soldiers and civilians are broadcast as reciting, and the popularity of the mp3's that the IDF rabbinate is distributing.

Truly, no one is happier to have been proven wrong than I am.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

מי שבירך לחיילי צה"ל


מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבותֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקב הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָעומְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלהֵינוּ מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנון וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַיִם וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדול עַד לְבוא הָעֲרָבָה בַּיַּבָּשָׁה בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם. יִתֵּן ה' אֶת אויְבֵינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדושׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶגַע וּמַחְלָה וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂונְאֵינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם וִיעַטְרֵם בְּכֶתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבְעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחון. וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי ה' אֱלהֵיכֶם הַהלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם איבֵיכֶם לְהושִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם: וְנאמַר אָמֵן