The Real "Religious Zionist"

8 of the Third Month 5768

There has been a lot of buzz concerning Caroline Glick's The Two-Pronged Assault on Religious Zionist.

As usual, Glick makes several good points, supported by her keen observations and logical deductions.

Yet, her piece prompted me to provide my Esser Agaroth on what I believe to be a deeper issue here, who is a Religious Zionist.

I know that the following rabbis did not asked to be dragged into this debate, at least not on this blog. However, I would like to start off with a few rabbinic examples of Religious Zionists.

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel shlit"a of the Temple Institute and Sanhedrin is arrested for having the audacity to discuss halachoth (Jewish Laws) which are contrary to Israeli Law.

Now that's "religious," but is it "Zionist?"

The late, great Rabbi Avraham Shapira ztz"l, Rosh Yeshivath Merkaz HaRav Kook, took a clear stance that soldiers in the IDF should refuse orders which contravene halachah, like kicking Jews out of their homes, and assisting the government to turn over Jewish-controlled land to goyim, even more so, Arabs which have sworn to destroy us.

He even publicly ripped up the opposing opinion of another popular rabbi. There are those who have tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress this story. But Yes, Rabbi Shapira most definitely did do this.

I say yes, as Rabbi Moshe Tzuri'el shlit"a reminds us: "Zionism is simply a part of the Torah." Now that's "religious" AND "Zionist." I would expect nothing less from someone who was in the same class at Merkaz HaRav Kook Yeshivah with Rabbi Dov Lior shlit"a and Rabbi Zalman Melamed shlit"a who led the last stand in Azza at the K'far Darom synagogue.* No one could argue that was "Zionist," or could they?

Other rabbis are called before a beth din, accept upon themselves its authority, say they're coming, then don't show up. That doesn't sound very "religious" to me. Does it sound very "Zionist?"

I don't know. I suppose it depends upon what your definition of "Zionist" is.

Then, of course, we have the YeSh"A Council, which makes secret deals with the government to evacuate Jewish strongholds in Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria). And then lies about it. Now THAT doesn't sound very Zionist. It doesn't sound very religious either. That's because it's not. Neither is beating up religious Zionists, and then lying about that, too.

It certainly does not sound like the YeSh"A Council, which receives its budget directly from the Office of the Prime Minister, is very religious or Zionist.

If "Zionist" means that you believe in Zion as the Jewish Homeland then my friend, the Hassidishe rabbi in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Me'ah Sha'arim, would consider himself a "Zionist." However, if your definition of "Zionist" is Shimon Peres's definition of "Zionist," then you can count him out.

Truly the only meaningful disagreement in hashqafah (perspective) between the religious Zionist and the religious non-Zionist vis-a-vis the Jewish Homeland is not the "where;" it's the "when," "how," and "by whom." Do we take an active part in staking claim to Israel as the Jewish Homeland, the concept of which originates from our Holy Torah? Or is our action to be manifested in prayer and learning Torah alone, waiting for the Mashiah to come and do everything else?

Unfortunately, this difference seems to be played up more than the similarities between the communities. Community leaders across the board are guilty of this, including the secular left, which has a penchant for "mixing in."

Unfortunately, Caroline Click is right. There is an alliance between the non-Zionist and the left wing. I would correct her on one minor [probably unintentional], nit-picky point. It is the leadership of the religious non-Zionist community which maintains the alliance. On Glick's side, voting records tend to indicate that this leadership reflects the opinions of their communities.

I can answer that.

The Belzer Rebbe shlit"a tells his hassidim, "You have the right to vote, but not the right to choose."

How many Belzer and Gerer hassidim and Litvaks have told me they would gladly vote for Baruch Marzel, for example? A lot. I know that they are honest, because in the same moment they tell me that they can't go against their Rebbes. Thus their pipe dreams of rebeldom fade away.

I am not saying that Baruch Marzel is the answer. I am only using him as an example. Just as many of the mamlachtim are unsatisfied with what they're getting, or rather what they're not getting, from their so-called religious Zionist rabbis, and are thus having to search elsewhere, such as in Breslov or Breslov-influenced communities, the non-Zionist youth and young adults are also searching outside of their communities for the answers to their answered questions. "Da'as Torah," which unfortunately has become a glorified substitute for "because I said so," is becoming an increasingly unsatisfactory response to their halachic questions.

Rabbi Me'ir Kahane ztz"l hy"d said that when you ask a halachic question, you are entitled to receive a halachic answer, and "Da'as Torah"

(Watch, as all kinds of "religious Zionists" run away, screaming in horror, as I single-handedly dash all of their PR hopes to de-demonize the settlers, simply by mentioning "his" name.)

But, I digress....

So, what does it mean to be "Religious Zionist?"

I'll tell you what being a "Religious Zionist" inherently does NOT mean. It does NOT mean blind and undying loyalty to the "almighty" (leHavdil) state, in particular a state which increasing shows distain for the Torah, the ONLY justification the Jewish People have for laying claim to Israel as its homeland.

Blind loyalty to the state equated with "Zionist" is the most profound and fundamental error made my both the mamlachti majority of "religious" Zionists and the religious non-Zionists.

Confused? You should be. That's the whole point, to get you to worry about words and labels, to confuse you with hashqafah so that you are prevented from getting down to the nuts and bolts to the actual halachah of how we are to relate to the Land, to those currently have power over it, and to those you are supposed to have power over it.

I may be accused of wanting my cake and eating it, too. But at least I don't hand out cake to reward the soldier for kicking me out of my house.

The point I am attempting to drive home here is that there are many Jews who refer to themselves as "Religious Zionists." Yet, there are clearly two camps, not one: The Torah Zionist camp, headed by the rabbis mentioned above, and the "Mamlachti" camp led by rabbis such as Yuval Cherlow mentioned by Caroline Glick. Admittedly, the "Mamlachti" camp is clearly the majority. We must ask ourselves why. "Loyalty" apparently has its rewards.

The Hesder Yeshiva program faces constant threats of funding cuts, discrimination against the soldiers it produces. Hesder Yeshivah soldiers are now unable to serve in the prestigious Golani and Paratrooper brigades. Soldiers have also received disciplinary actions for refusing to participate in mixed-gender events. Such actions wouldn't have anything to do with the many Hesder Yeshivah Heads signing declarations in support of refusing orders to evacuate Gaza and the Northern Shomron, would it?

Meanwhile, the "mamlachti" pre-IDF "Mechinah" Program flourishes.

No doubt I will be accused of encouraging the various rifts within the Jewish People to continue, contradicting the efforts of others to unify Jews.

Ask yourself this question: What is the value of Jewish unity, if we are unified and moving the wrong direction? Israel was pretty unified around the Golden Calf. And we are still paying the price for it.

In addition, I am hoping that by clarifying some terms which thrown around quite freely, that those like-minded individuals out there, struggling with the insanity of blind and undying loyalty to any non-Torah entity, will finally realize that they are not alone. And there is no requirement to call yourself a "Religious Zionist" to be a part of this unity.

However you choose to self-identify, if your loyalties lie with the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and His Torah, EVEN when that contravenes the dictates of the State [and state] Of Israel, and you believe that Israel is the Jewish Homeland, because HaShem gave it to us, and 60 years ago began to give it back to us, then you are a real Religious Zionist.

*********

* Rabbi Dov Lior is the Chief Rabbi of Qiriyath Arba-Hevron. Rabbi Zalman Melamed is co-Chief Rabbi of Beth-El and the Rosh Yeshivath Beth-El

Cross-posted on the B'nei Elim Blog and on Jewish Indy.

Take 'Em Off! ...Now!

7 of the Second Month 5768

I'm talking about Jewish men, and their wedding bands. There isn't anything in the LEAST bit Jewish about men wearing wedding bands.

Oh, I can hear it now....

"But I CHOOSE to wear a wedding band. My wife doesn't make me. I like it."

(eyes rolling)

"I want to fit in, and not look out of place [in the U. S.]"

(sigh)

Fine. You wanna wear your precious wedding bands? Do NOT try to pretend that it is something Jewish. Be honest with yourselves.

It is a goyshe custom.

"Oh, but Ya'aqov, you don't understand. You're not married. When you find the right woman, and she wants you to wear a wedding band, you will realize it is small compromise to make, and you'll end up appreciating the custom in the long-run anyway...(blah, blah, blah)"

Oh, I understand alright. I understand that if I meet a woman who wants her husband to wear a wedding band, I will know for certain that she is NOT the right woman for me.

OK. Fine. You in hu"tz la'Aretz (outside of Israel), due to the goyshe influences surrounding you (some assimilationist "rabbis" included), you are hopeless cases,...for now.

You here in Israel, what's your excuse?

"What's the problem? It's no big deal. It lets everyone else know that I'm married. What's wrong with showing pride in my marriage?"

Oh, puh-leaze! Why do you have to "show pride" in the fact that you're married, for goodness sakes?

Look, Ya'aqov. You're just causing problems. Everyone knows that 'Shalom Bayis" means to listen to your wife, just like Avraham listened to Sarah."

Um,...how 'bout "NO," Scott.... It doesn't. Furthermore, the next time there's an issue of you having to decide whether to throw out your concubine and her some because he's a bad influence on your wife's son, AND HaShem personally tells you to listen to your wife, then, yeah, I highly recommend that you listen to your wife, and do exactly what she says.

However, if your wife wants you follow a goyshe practice, then, no, I highly recommend that you do not listen to her.

I mean, really, if you're married to a woman who's going to cause you THAT much of a problem over a wedding band, then you may want to take a serious look at what's REALLY going on in your marriage.

After all, you want to live a Jewish life, and raise your children with a proper Jewish education, right?

Then what does a wedding band have to do with that?

Absolutely nothing.

"But, my wedding band makes me feel spiritually connected to my wife...."

(serious eye rolling)

Spiritually connected? I guess you're not THAT spiritually connected, if need a material object to assist you. Hey, why don't you try talking to her [and listening] once in a while? Also, see above for my previous response.

And what about all of the other totally non-Jews practices in Israel?

Oh, don't worry. I intend to tackle those, too,...all in due time.

Now, let's see if "Haredi" men come out of the wood work and support me on this one.

I doubt it.

*********

For more on this issue, see the t'shuvah (responsum) of Rabbi David Bar-Hayim.

If It Looks Like A Border Crossing....

17 of the Thirteenth Month 5768

"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands."
-- Douglas Adams , The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Thus we can discern from this pattern of logic that if it looks like a border crossing, sounds like a border crossing, and feels like a border crossing, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have an opening in a wall, where individuals are stopped by guards and gates before passing between two areas of separately controlled pieces of land,...on our hands.

Hizmah Border Crossing, entering the Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev

Quite frankly, I am surprised that no one has written about this yet. Maybe, I just missed it. Bayta alludes to it here and here.

Ariel Sharon YSh"W kept saying, no, no, no, the "security barrier" is not a de facto border between Israel and [yet another] Arab [terrorist] state.

Liar!

C'mon. Did any of us really believe him? Well, obviously some of us did, as he was re-elected. Hey, even the leftists are against that stupid waste of space, and bazillions of sheqqels, ...albeit for sick and demented reasons.

Let's take a look at some of the clues that the so-called security barrier was always meant to be a de facto border, shall we?

Peres Insists Jerusalem's Jewish Sites Part of Israel

5 Marheshvan 5768/October 17, 2007

(IsraelNN.com) President Shimon Peres toured Tzfat Wednesday and vowed that the Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem must remain under our control." Concerning a division of the capital, he said that "currently we all want a unified Jerusalem."

However, he clouded his position by stating, "The only thing the State of Israel must ensure is a Jewish majority in Jerusalem." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in the Knesset this week, "Was it necessary to annex the Shuafat refugee camp, al-Sawahra, Walajeh and other villages and state that this is also Jerusalem?" All three neighborhoods are on the outskirts of Jerusalem and are outside the separate barrier.

Translation from Perespeak: It's all in how you define what "Jerusalem" means. (PM Olmert clears that up for us in the above, bold type.)

Yes, prime minister, thank you for clearing that up for us. We really ARE that stupid for you to pull this kind of fast one on us. (eyes rolling)

The next day....

Rice: 'Let's Be Real.There is a Security Problem'

6 Marheshvan 5768/October 18, 2007

"Let's be real. There is a security problem," she said. "No one wants to have barriers, but there is a security barrier there. We've been told many, many times and been assured that it's not a political barrier and it cannot be a political barrier."

"Told," the key word in her sentence is "told." Really. Do you believe everything you're told by the Israeli government? Do you think we believe everything you tell us?

Now, would you believe there are actually Torah observant, "Zionists" who actually agree with having a huge, ugly fence running through our country? At least one of them is a blogger, who shall remain nameless, ...for the time being. Needless to say, he and I live on different sides of said fence.

"It has been shown to save lives," he says. Has it? Better yet, does it matter?

Wait a minute. How long has there been a fence around Azza? How many lives has that fence saved?

Meanwhile, Condaleeza Rice obviously hasn't been in touch with Hayim Ramon lately, has she?

Ramon: Time for Compensation Plan

17 Adar 5768/February 23, 2008

...Keeping these 80,000 plus people in their homes “endangers the state of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” he said, adding "When a right-wing government headed by the Likud and Shas determined the route of the fence, it decided for all intents and purposes that everything beyond the fence will not be under Israel's sovereignty....”

Any questions?

The Waffle Conspiracy

10 of the Thirteenth Month 5768

Jameel Rashid's waffle obsession is just out of control! Check out The Muqata, and see for yourself how many of his posts contain the word "waffles."

Hosts of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival were promised waffles for hosting.

I'll Call Baila did not get hers. Gila did not get hers ("Yo man....where's my waffles????"). Batya did not get hers("...And if you decide to deliver waffles to Yaaqov, then please bring some here, too. We're not that far away."). And, I did certainly did not get mine:

There is a vicious rumor going around that hosts automatically gain an invitation to a waffle breakfast at Jameel's place.

Jameel? Where are my waffles? Did Ill Call Baila get hers? Please make mine with spelt flour and without eggs. I'm on a diet. Also, please hold the vanilla, or any other spirit, called for in the recipe.

Until I see my waffles, I am afraid that this rumor cannot be confirmed.

Did anyone get their waffles? I think not. Unless, of course, there are some favorites of Jameel and Jack's inner circle.

I have received taunting and teasing, but NO waffles.

Yet, ALL of our inquiries into this waffle sham have been ignored, scoffed at, marked as "spam," or worse, treated as the ravings of a mad blogger.

NYA HA HA HA! can often be heard in the background of Jameel and Jack's podcasts.

NOW, they're changing the rules, and denying that they have changed the rules at that!

Jack wants to blame his words on how tired he is. Sorry, Jack. It's a no go. Being tired is NO excuse for aiding and abetting Jameel in his waffle scam.

Now it seems, they are trying to entice innocent by-standing blogs Treppenwitz and Serandez into the conspiratorial plotting and planning. But to what end?! What sick and demented goals can be achieved by cheating unsuspecting blog carnival hosts out of their waffles?

The following is a transcript of a secretly monitored e-conversation I had with Jameel and Jack, CC-ing Treppenwitz, as he had already been dragged into it somehow. I'm so traumatized by the experience, I have already blocked out the nature of his involvement.

10ag (Me):
Now, listen. This whole waffle thing is getting out of hand. NOW, it's "you COULD" win a waffle breakfast?

"Could" is a modal, indicating the lack 100% confidence that the speech will take place.

What's going on? You and Jameel just keep teasing and taunting me for your own sadistic pleasure.

I can't take it anymore!

Jameel:
You might already be the winner of a waffle breakfast!

Just ask Ed McMahon.

--Happy Adar,

Jameel @ The Muqata Waffle Hut

10ag:
No. There weren't any conditions on it before. You can't just go changing the rules.

That's OK. I get it.

I don't want your frickin' waffles anymore. Now that I have [even] a [minimum] wage job, I can afford to stay away from wheat, B"H.

No waffles for me, thank you very much!

They probably aren't any good anyway.

Just a bunch of hype.

Jameel:
A bunch of hype? You havent seen hype yet.

Just wait till purim...

(Sounds like a threat to me.... And just look at those blatant grammatical errors!)

10ag:
I keep a low key during Purim..... I don't even know where I'll be yet, Jerusalem, Tapu'ah West, or Elnaqam 4 (near K'far Tapu'ah), so that I can hear a proper Qeriyath Megillah from gvil, without stupid [originally Roman custom of] costumes and lots of noise, so that I can actually be yotzei mahahovah.

E-mail me when it's over.

Now what about that coffee? You've been hear longer than I have, so I expect you to reveal the best cup of coffee Jerusalem has to offer, now that the Internet Shtiebel and its $2,000 Italian machine have been shut down by the police (2006).

(Slight digression here....)

Jack:
(Classified)

10ag:
Harumpf!

They probably taste lousy anyway.

I believe I will be launching a waffle boycott shortly.

Better yet, how about a blog war? I've never had one of those before. Perfect for Purim.

Treppenwitz has yet to chime in,...probably a smart move on his part.

Now the entire J-Blogsphere knows the truth about why Soccer Dad gave up ownership of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival: Waffles.

He threatened to blow the whistle on your scam, didn't he? So, you pressured him. You got him addicted to waffles, then threatened to put the plug on his Baltimore connection if he talked.

Hey, Soccer Dad! You never DID get the Fox's Chocolate Syrup they promised you for your waffles, did you? How many waffles to do they string you along anyway? ...just barely enough to keep you alive? Such cruelty! Hang in there, Soccer Dad! I am sending help, even as I write....

OK, Jameel. Bring it on. I'm ready for you.

I can handle anything you can dish out: Maraschino Cherries (artificial color-free, of course), exploding whipped cream (Halav Yisra'el, of course), batter projectiles, and spatula catapults.

You are mine!

A Jew Continues To Fight For His Home

Zoth Hanukkah 5768

Yitzhaq Hershkovitz who has been fighting to regain control of his house from Arab squatters in "East" Jerusalem, continues his fight on the last day of Hanukkah in front of the High Court in Jerusalem.

Please show your support by attending the hearing, which will take place in Court Room Dalet at 2:00 PM.

Thanks to Ariel Bereny at "Jewish Yisrael" for the update.

Read the full story here...

The Cult Of Rabin

14 of the Eighth Month 5768

Pre-Test:

See if you qualify for membership in the Rabin Cult:

1. a. Who ordered the shooting of the Jewish freedom fighters coming toward the Israeli shore on the Altalena? b. Who bragged about the attack on the Altalena while at a reception in Washington, DC?

2. Whose foreign minister secretly engineered the Oslo Death Accords, and when he found out allowed them to continue anyway? (Hint: The Oslo Death Accords included the commitment on the part of Israel to arm Arab terrorists?)

3. Which evil person was transformed into a martyr, in order to further the anti-Israel, Leftist, post-Zionist agenda of self-destruction?

4. Which former Israeli prime minister was opposed to the formation of another Arab state side by side with Israel?

Well, if you answered Yitzhaq Rabin, then you will NOT be allowed initiation into the cult, because your brainwashing has not completed. Before proceeding, you will need to go back for "re-education" in an approved setting, say for example, an Israeli public school. And, no it does NOT matter if it is a religious school or not, as long as it is not "Torani." The Torani schools emphasize the importance of Torah, confusing students with the possibility that the Israeli government is not infallible, and thus have been deemed "unacceptable."

Seriously though, and even setting conspiracy theories aside, the creation of the Legend of Rabin is one of the great triumphs of the Israeli government. It has successfully rewritten history under the noises of five million Israeli citizens, as well as the rest of the human population.

They have taken a man complicit in murder and have transformed him into a saint.

Now, in all fairness to Rabin, rumor has it that before his death, he was actually starting to to see the light, preparing to recant on his policies destructive to Israel. Assuming that was true, it was most likely because actually realized that in order to get re-elected he might have to listen and to implement the will of his constituents.

If this was true, then this remotely positive glimmer of hope was covered up,
...permanently.

Cult Rituals:

Israeli public schools put on elaborate assemblies to commemorate the anniversary of Rabin's death. The entire day is spent on discussing Rabin's "vision of peace," via the gradual destruction of the State of Israel and Jewish identity of Israeli citizens. Children discuss how [even though the Arabs have never kept a single peace agreement] the next time a peace agreement is signed with the Arabs, they will surely honor it, and the killing will stop. Israelis are to take the higher ground, demonstrated by their continual willingness to make concessions and to tolerate the deaths of its citizens,...all for the sake of peace.



This year the number of activities, such as religious and right-wing bashing were reduced. Striking high school teachers refused to return to work, despite calls by Minister of Education Yuli Tamir for a one-day suspension in honor of Rabin's anniversary of death.

Eight years ago, as a junior high school teacher, I had the displeasure of being forced to attend a ceremony in Rabin's in honor. At this ceremony, I had to listen to a "rabbi" had the hutzpah (gaul) not only to praise Yitzhaq Rabin, but to use his name in the same sentence with Rahel Immeinu, whose anniversary of death is the day before his. This "rabbi" did not stop there, but made comparisons between the two.

And this was in Beth-El, a town where an entire neighbor of residents was prevented from entering their already finished apartments, due to Israel's concession of a housing freeze. Fortunately, and I am not at liberty to reveal the details even now, the apartment owners were able to bypass the guarded fence, and enter their apartments on a Thursday. Why Thursday? It was almost the weekend. By Sunday they had lived in their apartments for three days, which under Israeli law gave them limited squatters' rights. They had fought fire with fire, and the government was powerless to evict them. If only that were the case today. But, nowadays double standards are the norm of the Israeli judicial system.

But, I digress...

The commemoration was interrupted periodically by "Second Intifada" shooting in next door Ramallah. In fact, can you imagine what it was like to teach with refular shooting in the background. The student who lived around the corner in Dolev and Talmon were found space in the high school dormitories, so they would not have to face daily dodgings of bullets, nor the increase in two hours to the commute. For a while, anyone leaving Beth-El was not allowed to do so without waiting for the IDF escorted caravan.

Current President Shimon Peres probably would have reassured us that those were not the guns that we gave them. They were obviously different guns.

One of my fellow teachers brought a sefer to study, an early example of "refusing orders." Instead of standing attentively, he made a point of learning, explaining to his students that the ceremony was nothing less than Bitul Torah.

I did not have the foresight of my colleague, and was relegated to recounting some of Rabin's deeds, that were omitted for the "rabbi's" speech. If they were post high school students I would have challenged them to find me a source which stated that it was a misswah to praise such a man, and to commemorate the anniversary of his death. (Begin with the Ramba"m, and I assure you that you will find the opposite.)

Those eighth-graders of ours are now in the army. Let's hope that our examples are remembered when they are faced with the decision whether to follow or to refuse orders which are contrary to Torah law.

A few years later, at a different school, I encountered a preferable approach. The elementary school where I then taught made the requisite Rabin memorial display, and set it up in a visible, yet clearly non-prominent corner. I do not recall any memorials at that school. If there were, then they were not memorable.

The yeshivah high school where I was also teaching at the time must not have done anything at all in commemoration of Rabin. The math teacher and I came across the Rabin memorial educational materials from the ministry, still in their sealed packaging, hidden away in a corner. I was given the honor of throwing them out. Being the voice of environmental conservation, I raised the question as to whether it was permissible to re-use the curriculum's high quality containers, as well as the backs of the paper materials themselves for scratch paper. The decision was to be mahmir, and to throw the packages out in their entirety. Under most circumstances, it is forbidden to obtain any benefit from avodah zarah. ;-)

Recently it has also become customary to fast on the anniversary of Rabin's death, actually having the hutzpah to place this observance on the same level with the Fast of Gedaliah (I wonder just how many Rabin Cult members actually fast on the Fast of Gedaliah.) Cult clergy have also ruled that weddings are not to be performed on this day. However, weddings on Shabbath and marriages to non-Jews appear to be acceptable within cult guidelines.

I am really NOT kidding about this. Please click to see the report on the Israeli news site YNET.

Those who are truly righteous adherers to the cult, perform full prostration in front of Rabin's image, and preferably at the site of his death next to Tel-Aviv City Hall.

Jameel Rashid at The Muqata captures this ritual beautifully on film, with accompanying commentary on Rabin-related rituals. (Jameel just gave me permission to post the photo here. Please still check out his commentary.)



A picture truly does speak more than a thousand words....


Even after my extensive research into the Cult Of Rabin, I still have one question: How do they get away with commemorating his Rabin's death both on the Hebrew date and on the non-Jewish date? My hypothesis is that the cult masters are transitioning their followers from Judaism to pure cult worship, realizing that these things take time.

Sometime soon, I expect that the 12 Heshwan date will be phased out in favor of a singular day with pomp and ceremony on 4 November date, albeit more pomp than ceremony.

On that day, the surviving version of Rabin's "vision of peace" will have achieved its fulfillment: A de-Judaification of the Jewish People and de-Jewification of the Land of Israel. The former Jewish People will now be able to take its rightful place, fully assimilated into European society, following the new heirs to the throne, Yossi Beilinand Avraham Burg, waving our EU passports in joyful unison, with our new "bottle top" shaped kippot blowing away in the wind or tucked away in our pockets, our fifth exile having begun right under our noses.

May God forbid it. May God save us.

***********************

Additional commentary can be found at the Israeli Satire Laboratory. It may be "satire," but it is really not so far away from the developing reality.

Rabin Canonized Posthumously by Israeli Secular Church of Peace

12 Settlers Burned at the Stake as Israel Marks Saint Rabin's Day

See more on the Altalena at Shiloh Musings:

Chasing Tails

Avenging Blood Of Jews


Also, special thanks go to A Simple Jew for leading me to the Altalena article linked above.

Kenesset Bans Sandals!

10 of the Eighth Month 5768

Knesset Bans Sandals in Addition to Jeans

(4 Cheshvan 5768, October 16, '07)

(IsraelNN.com) In addition to a new regulation banning denim jeans in the Knesset building, sandals - the classic Israeli footwear - have now been banned as well.

Journalists and citizens invited to testify before Knesset committees bitterly complained Monday that they had only been informed of the jeans ban and not that on sandals.

Exemptions were granted after committee heads called the head of Knesset security to ask that entry be granted to the sandal-footed visitors.

Then this news flash was posted about 11 hours later...

Knesset Relaxes Dress Code for Disabled

Well, I'm glad, someone showed some sense.

Apparently, the durability of denim is ideal for those wearing leg braces. Other fabrics would not last very long, with the constant rubbing of the braces.

Back to the issue at hand, those of you who know me, know that I do not own standard shoes, and haven't owned shoes in years. I have two pairs of sandals, one for during the week, and one for Shabbath and Yom Tov (shown right). I even polish them liKhvod Shabbath Qodesh.

Most inclement weather does not deter my sandal-wearing either. Last year I continued in the tradition of my Macho Settler Sandal Shitah, wearing sandals throughout the winter, with the exception of the week of Jerusalem snow, and periodic days of heavy downpour. On those days, I must admit that I did wear rain boots.

But, I digress....

Where are the Israel sandal companies? Why aren't they crying "foul?" Israeli cultural pride aside, what about the possible financial implications?

If the U. S. Congress were to ban sports trainers, there is no doubt that athletic shoe companies and civil rights groups would cause such an uproar, the ban would be reversed before day's end. Cries of freedom of expression would no doubt be accompanied by the proclamation that trainers have a firm place in American culture, and are now considered part of traditional American dress.

Furthermore, where are all of the groups who traditionally call for unity among Israelis? Is this not an issue affecting religious and secular, right and left, Jew and Arab?

Have they caved into their Euro-philia, shunning their traditional footwear for one more acceptable to the West?

Forget the Annapolis Conference! This issue of the Kenesset's ban on sandals has the real potential to bring down the current government.

And so, I put it out to you, my fellow Israelis. Let us not be stepped upon (pun intended)! Let us rise up, and take action!

...In the meantime, the next time I visit the Kenesset on official business, I suppose I could just take my sandals off. After all, I saw nothing in the ban regarding bare feet.

A Jew Fights For His Home

24 of the Fourth Month 5767

Yitzhaq Hershkovitz is fighting to regain control of his house from Arab squatters in "East" Jerusalem.

The INN TV Report with Aharon Deutch can been viewed by clicking here.

I had the honor of meeting Yitzhaq Hershkovitz on Shabbath, as he was in Tapu'ah, a couple of friends from Jerusalem and Qiriyath Arba. At dinner on Giv'ath Elnaqam 4 he gave a D'var Torah, in which he concluded that one should be cautious in choosing friends, as it can very difficult to know who your friends are and who your enemies are, in this day and age.

After a 15-year fight, Mr. Hershkovitz finally obtained a court order to have the squatters removed. Yet, the police has not been helpful in enforcing the evacuation. One of the issues was that the Arabs were keeping their goats hidden inside the house, which apparently is against the zoning regulations. However, every time the police arrived to execute the order, or rather do a pre-execution investigation, the goats are taken outside through the back an and hidden somehow. There is now a stay on the eviction order.

Fortunately, he has been getting some support from friends, including the Defense-training and Torah-study, IBF Canine Unit, based in K'far Tapu'ah.

I'll try to find out more information about what can be done to assist and support him.