Friday, May 01, 2015

The Menorah Islands Project is more than just an idea.

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ אמור תשע״ה

The following proposed project was pointed out to me by The Torah Revolution.

The Menorah Islands Project is more than just an idea.

It’s an ambitious vision for the future of the Middle East. A center for innovation and collaboration, the Menorah Islands Project has the potential to bring the greatest and most committed minds together to build a place where ethnic origin and political alliance no longer matter. A beautiful place to live, work, and vacation, these artificial islands in the Mediterranean Sea would enhance the entire Middle East through education, scientific advancements, and environmentally-friendly practices. They would serve as a forum for collaboration and dialogue between peoples of all Middle Eastern nations, a place to concentrate on growth that could occur when people of all backgrounds collaborate.

Nine islands, one vision

The Menorah Islands Project is an idea for a complex of nine artificial islands and several causeways off the coast of Israel. These islands and causeways would be laid out in the shape of a candelabra, representing the object for which the complex is named. Seven of these artificial islands are permanent, with residential areas, retail, and institutes of higher learning. The outermost islands on either side emerge from the water at different points throughout the year.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
This is not the first suggestion of the creation of artificial islands off the Mediterranean coast of Israel.

In 2007/תשע״ה , then Vice-Premier Shimon Peres suggested that we stop investing in Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria), the heartland of Israel, and instead invest in the sea.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that this project has an organization behind it, set on unifying Yishma'el (Arabs/Muslims) and Esau (West/Christians).

About TUAFI
The United Abrahamic Family Incorporated, or TUAFI, is a group of peace-loving people who believe that conflicts between Christians, Muslims and Jews are not only destructive, but also personally painful to the mutual descendants of Abraham. TUAFI believes that we should all focus on our common ancestry and heritage as a way to bridge the divide between religions.

Such attempts at unification are pointed out by the Kol HaTor as a sign of the Erev Rav (descendants of the "mixed multitude"), and an act which prevents the arrival of Mashi'ah Ben Yosef.

Here are some examples from the video:

"Each island would house a multi-denominational chapel, where members of all faiths can worship." (2:46)

Do I really need to add anything to this? It's pretty self-explanatory. OK, I will add one thing. "Denomination" = streams of pseudo-Judaism, in addition to "all faiths."

"Each campus, seven in total, would concentrate on a particular field of scientific study. "(3:00)

Two of these are "human science" and "yeshiva and language." What is "human science?" Just a guess here, but this could simply be social sciences and/or humanities, nothing terribly surprising. But, I also guess that field of study will likely employ a Tel-Aviv University approach, than anything even remotely Torah-based, ie. Jewishly-based.

What concerns me much more is the field called "Yeshiva and Language." I really hated to ask the kind of learning which would take place at such a "yeshiva." Pseudo-Jewish streams of thought? Biblical criticism? Interfaith dialogue? Avodah Zarah? Talmud with a twist?

Well, I'm not too worried. Surely, such a plan is doomed to failure, and if it ever gets build, it will eventually be swallowed up into the Mediterranean Sea.

It would be a shame, though, to waste all of these resources, which could be used to support and develop Israel's heartland, not to mention to educate our children (and their parents) against assimilation, instead of encouraging it. After all, the nine-branched (eight plus shamash) menorah stems from Jewish observance of the holiday of Hanukkah, which commemorates the victory over the Seleucid Greeks, their assimilated Jewish lackies, and their attempts to assimilate the rest of the Jewish People into Hellenist society and culture.

But, what else should we expect from the Erev Rav, in its battle against Torah, and from the Nations, in their battle to obtain pieces of the Jewish Homeland?

The video concludes with...