אישרו השתתפות ישראל בתחרות שיר ארוויזיון / Israel Will Be Allowed To Participate In This Year's Eurovision Song Contest

ז׳ לחודש השנים עשר א׳ תשפ״ד

English follows the Hebrew.

מעריב: מכתב הכוכבים בעד ישראל: "אל תוציאו את ישראל מהאירוויזיון"
400 שחקנים, מוזיקאים ואנשי בידור הוליוודיים ביניהם הלן מירן, וליב שרייבר כתבו מכתב התומך בהשתתפותה של ישראל באירוויזיון השנה בשוודיה: "ענישת ישראל תהיה היפוך צדק" סוכנויות הידיעות
סוכנויות הידיעות 14.02.2024

אירוויזיון 2024: קבוצה של 400 שחקנים, מוזיקאים ואנשי בידור ידועים מאוד ביניהם הלן מירן, ליב שרייבר וג'ין סימונס חתמו היום (רביעי) על מכתב התומך בהחלטתו של איגוד השידור האירופאי (EBU) להשאיר את ישראל בתחרות השנה, זאת כאמור על רקע המלחמה בעזה.

עוד חתמו על המכתב: סקוטר בראון, בוי ג'ורג', מים ביאליק, חיים סבן, ג'וליאנה מרגוליס, שרון אוסבורן ודברה מסינג.

"ישראל נלחמת במלחמה נגד קבוצת טרור שהוגדרה על ידי האיחוד האירופי, ששברה שוב הפסקת אש באותו יום, ולאחר מכן המשיכה לשחוט למעלה מ-1,200 בני אדם", נכתב במכתב. "סבב הלחימה הנוכחי הזה אינו מלחמה שישראל רצתה או התחילה. ענישת ישראל תהיה 'היפוך צדק'"

.כמו כן, בהמשך המכתב צוין כי לישראל ישנה היסטוריה "סיפורית" באירוויזיון, זאת לאחר שזכתה בתחרות ארבע פעמים במהלך השנים ולאחרונה ב-2018. "אלה שקוראים להדרה של ישראל מערערים את רוח התחרות והופכים אותה מחגיגה של אחדות לכלי של פוליטיקה", צוין....

YNET: בחירת השיר לאירווזיון מתעכבת בשל בקשה לוודא שאין בו מסרים פוליטיים
15.02.2024 רן בוקר

תאגיד השידור דחה את בחירת השיר שייצג את ישראל באירווזיון, בעקבות בקשת איגוד השידור האירופי (EBU) לבחון את מילותיו, ולאשר שאין בו מסרים פוליטיים. כך נודע ל-ynet. השיר, שאותו תבצע עדן גולן במאלמו במאי הקרוב, היה אמור להיחשף השבוע, אך בתאגיד מסרו כי חברי הוועדה המקצועית עדיין מתלבטים בין שני שירים אפשריים.

עשר אגורות (2¢):
למה עדיין אכפת לנו להשתתף בתחרות זמרים נגד זמרים לא-יהודים מלכתחילה?

מפני שעדיין אכפת לנו יותר מדי ממה שאומות ההעולם חושבים עלינו.

למה אכפת לנו להשתתף בתחרות זמרים בזמן שאנחנו במהלך מלחמה נגד מחבלים שביצעו טבח ומתקיפים אותנו באמצעות שיגור טילים אלינו ברחבי הארץ? למה אכפת לנו להשתתף בתחרות זמרים בזמן שכל האומות מתקיפים אותנו בכל רחבי העולם באמצעות מעשי שנאת יהודים?

מפני שלא רק שעדיין אכפת לנו יותר מדי ממה שהם חושבים עלינו, לישראלי הרגיל, היהודי הרגיל, זו הזדמנות מצוינת למען ״הסברה״, כלומר יחסי הציבור העולמי.

השנה נראה לי שישראל תבחר את השיר שלה לתחרות, לא זכות איכותה, ולא בזכות כמה היא מתאימה לזמרת שלנו עדן גולן, אלא עד כמה היא משמחת את האומות.

ברור, "הכר את הקהל שלכם" הוא עיקרון בסיסי בתעשיית הבידור המודרנית. אבל האם העיקרון הזה צריך לקדום עד שמוחק את ביטוי יצירתי או ביטוי של כל מסר שכותב השיר בוחר להעביר באמצעות שירו?

השנה תחרות האירוויזיון תתקיים במאלמה, שבדיה אחת הקהילות האיסלאמיות הכי קצונית של אירופה, .

פרט לכמה נוצרים סקנדינביים סקנדינביה היא אחד האזורים הכי שונאי יהודים בעולם. כמובן, הבעת שנאת יהודים על ידי הנוצרית משתנה כבר עשרות שנים. אפשר להגיד ששנאת יהודים גדולה יותר בסקנדינביה מאשר באיחוד האמירויות הערביות. אני לא מוכן להגיד את זה כי הבעת שנאת היהודים על ידי הערבים גם מתפתח ומשתנה עד שהם מסוגלים לעבוד עלינו ביעילות ובקלות יותר.

לפני חמש שנים, מנהיגי קהילה יהודית תמימים הכריזו על סיום הסכסוך היהודי-מוסלמי במאלמה.

ובכן, אני חייב להזהיר את הקהילה הזו על חשש האיומים האפשריים היוצאים מאירוויזיון ולהמליץ להם להתכונן.

לא משנה כמה שבשיר של ישראל שאין חשש לפגיעה בזולת, עלינו לצפות ביטוי מוסר כפול הרגיל בתחרות. כנראה יהיו ביותר מכמה שירים שנאת ישראל.

וגם עלינו לצפות הפגנות נגד ישראל מחוץ לאולם התחרות. לצפות מהקהל לצעוק על עדן גולן במהלך הופעתה. לצפות שיתרחשו "תקלות" במהלך החזרות שלה. לצפות לחבלה. לצפות מעובדי אירוויזיון לסייע ולעודד למפגינים המתגנבים לאולם עם כרזות שונא יהודים ועוד דברים כאלה.

אחרי כל זה אולי ישראלים ויהודים ברחבי העולם יתעוררו ויוותרו על חיפוש אהבה ואישור מאומות העולם.

לצערנו כנראה שלא.

ארוויזיון, מלמו 2024 קו נטוי נוסף כדי לבזות את הצלב הנוצרי שבדגל שבדיה
The slash is to cancel the Christian cross on Swedish flag.

YNET: Hollywood stars sign open letter supporting Israel's inclusion in Eurovision
The letter backs the European Broadcasting Union's decision to keep Israel in the contest, saying that excluding Israel would be an 'inversion of justice', as 'Israel is fighting a war against a European Union-designated terrorist group'
YNET News | February 14, 2024

A group of 400, actors, musicians, and other entertainment figures, including Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, Juliana Margulies, Sharon Osbourne and Gene Simmons signed an open letter supporting Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Among the signatories of the letter are the musical director Scott Braun, KISS band member Gene Simmons, and many actors including Amy Rossom, Mayim Bialik, Salma Blair, Bret Gelman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Debra Messing, Tom Arnold, Skyler Austin ("Pitch Perfect"), Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), Joshua Malina ("The West Wing"), Emmanuel Shriki ("The Family"), Odia Rash, Oscar-winning director Guy Nativ, musician Diane Warren, and industry leaders such as producer Haim Saban, CEO of Mattel Ynon Kreiz, CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Harvey Mason Jr. (who mentioned the Israeli captives in his Grammy speech), and others. Also signed are Noa Tishby and Noa Kirel, who represented Israel last year and reached a respectable third place.

Published by the non-profit industry org Creative Community for Peace, the letter backs the decision of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - the organizers of the competition - to keep Israel in the contest. The letter mentions that punishing Israel would be an "inversion of justice".

"Israel is fighting a war against a European Union-designated terrorist group that once again broke a ceasefire that day, and then went on to slaughter over 1,200 people," it added. "This current round of fighting is not a war that Israel wanted or started." (cont.)

YNET: Eurovision rejects ban proposal on Israel participation
Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday ruled out the idea of excluding Israel from the competition, unlike what they did for Russia in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Calls to ban Israel from the competition came from several countries following the war in Gaza, triggered by the attack of unprecedented scale launched on October 7 by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. (cont.)

YNET: The selection of the song for Eurovision is delayed due to a request to make sure it does not contain political messages
Ran Boker, February 15, 2024 (translated from Hebrew)

The broadcasting corporation rejected the selection of the song that would represent Israel in the Eurovision, following a request from the European Broadcasting Union [EBU] to examine its lyrics and confirm that it does not contain political messages. This is how YNET learned. The song, which Eden Golan will perform in Malmö this May, was supposed to be revealed this week, but the corporation said that the members of the professional committee are still debating between two possible songs. (Ran Booker)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Why on earth do we still care about participating in a non-Jewish song contest against non-Jews in the first place?

Because we still care way too much about what they think of us.

Why do we care about participating in any song contest while we are still under seige from terrorists, and from the rest of the world, when you think about it?

Because not only do we still care way too much about what they think of us, to the average Israeli, to the average Jew, this is a great hasbara (Heb. explanation; public relations) opportunity.

This year, it seems that Israel will be choosing its song entree, not based on quality, not based on how well it fits with the performer Eden Golan, but how well it pleases the nations. 

Sure, "know your audience" is a fundamental principle in the modern entertainment industry. But should this principle completely erase creative expression, or even the expression of any message that the artist chooses to convey with the song?

And where will this year's Eurovision competition take place? In one of Europe's Islamist strongholds, Malmö, Sweden.

Other than a handful of Christians with ulterior motives, Scandinavia is one of the most Jew-hating areas in the world. Of course, Christian expression of hate for us has been changing for decades. However, one might even say that Jew-hatred is greater in Scandinavia than in the United Arab Emirates [UAE]. I would not. I believe that the expression of Arab Jew-hatred has been evolving, as well, and that we should not be fooled.

Five years ago, Naive Jewish community leaders declared an end to Jewish-Muslim conflict in Malmö.

Well, I am afraid that the Jewish community of Malmö should brace itself.

No matter how much Israel's song entree is styled into a politically-correct, universalist anthem, we should even expect the usual double-standards at the contest, with more than a few songs embedded with Jew-hatred.

We should also expect massive anti-Israel protests outside of the contest venues. Expect the audience to yell during Eden Golan's performance. Expect "mishaps" to occur during her rehearsals. Expect sabotage. Expect Eurovision employees to aid and abed protestors sneaking into the venue with Jew-hating banners and other paraphernalia.

Maybe then, Israelis and Jews in general will wake-up and finally give up on seeking love and validation from the nations of the world.

No. Probably not.

האם נורבגיה מתנדבת לשתף פעולה בנשואין תערובת? / Has Norway Offered to Collaborate in the Intermarriage of Jews?

כ״ה לחודש השמיני תשפ"א

English follows the Hebrew.

YNET: בגלל הקורונה: נורבגיה מסכימה לקיים נישואים אזרחיים לישראלים בארץ

פרסום ראשון: בשל ההגבלות על יציאה לחו"ל, בדק משרד החוץ מול מדינות זרות אפשרות לרישום הזוגיות בשגרירויות ובקונסוליות בישראל. קפריסין סירבה, נורבגיה הביעה נכונות - "בכפוף להסכמת המדינה המארחת". ועדת הפנים של הכנסת תדון בקידום העניין. היו"ר, מיקי חיימוביץ', שיזמה את הפנייה בנושא: "קוראת ליועמ"ש ולשר דרעי לאשר זאת"

קובי נחשוני 29.10.20

האם תיפתח לראשונה אפשרות לנישואים אזרחיים בישראל, בחסות הקורונה? ל-ynet נודע כי על רקע ההגבלות על היציאה מהארץ ומצוקת הזוגות שתכננו להתחתן בחו"ל, פנה משרד החוץ לשורה של מדינות זרות כדי לבדוק האם יסכימו לבצע רישום נישואים לישראלים על ידי נציגויותיהן בירושלים ובתל אביב. (המשך...)

עשר אגורות (2¢):

שגרירות נורבגיה (קומה 9), רמת אביב
Norwegian Embassy (9th Fl.), Tel Aviv

הקמת נישואין אזרחיים בארץ היא בכלל לא המטרה הסופית של השמאלנים כמו ח"כ שלי חיימוביץ', אלא המטרה הסופית היא התרת נשואין תערובת. וכיום יו"ר ועדת הפנים משתפת פעולה בקומבינה להשיג את המטרה הזו.

"...היו"ר חיימוביץ' ביקשה ממשרד החוץ לבדוק מול המדינות את האפשרות לבצע את הרישום בארץ, לכל הפחות עד לחלוף המגפה."

הנגיף קורונה הוא פשוט תירוץ.

בתגובה לפניית משרד החוץ, נורבגיה ״הביעה נכונות.״ 

האם נורבגיה פשוט משתפת פעולה בהקמת מערכת נשואין תערובת בארץ? או היא פשוט שמחה שביקשו ממנה להיות שותפת פעולה במלחמה נגד התורה, כמו שאר המדינות בעולם המערבי (עשו / אדום / רומא)?

ולדעתי נורבגיה הביעה נכונותה להשתתף בהשמדת עם ישראל בשמחה. וזאת לא הפעם הראשונה. (מי שמבין יבין).

בניגוד הנורבגים, הערב רב יודעים טוב טוב שהם צריכים להזהר במשך תהליך הפעולות כאלה. ולכן הם נזהרים להביע את ההרגשותם אך ורק בסתר.

YNET: Norway willing to provide civil marriage registration for Israelis
Since sole authority over marriage and divorce resides with religious authorities, many couples who opt for a non-religious ceremony or seek an alternative overseas but due to pandemic, that option is beyond their reach

Kobi Nahshoni| Published: 10.29.20

Norway has indicated it would agree to conduct marriage registrations for Israelis in its Tel Aviv embassy provided Israel's Interior Affairs and Justice ministries give their approval.

The announcement came following a request by the Foreign Ministry that was made to a number of countries for the service but only Norway has thus far agreed. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The establishment of a civil marriage in Israel is not at all the ultimate goal of leftists like MK Shelly Haimovich, but rather the ultimate goal is to allow intermarriage. But blame for this action is not just the accusation of MK Haimovich.

The Corona virus is just an excuse.

Missing from this report from YNET, but mentioned in the Hebrew version linked above, is that MK Haimovitch was actually the one who requested that the Foreign Ministry make such inquiries of foreign countries.

Norway gladly stepped up to "help" those Israelis in need, responding to the Foreign Ministry's inquiries  in the affirmative.

"There is no legal impediment to register marriages at the [Norwegian] embassy under international law, but because of the sensitive nature of civil marriage in Israeli politics, the Norwegian government requested an official approval."

Oh how kind of the Norwegian Government to feign respect for Israel's sovereignty! Now, is Norway actively collaborating with the Erev Rav in facilitating intermarriage in Israel? Or, like most countries in the West (Edom), is Norway simply an enthusiastic participant in the overall war against Torah?

And in my opinion Norway has happily expressed its willingness to participate in the extermination of the Jewish People. And this wouldn't be the first time. 

In contrast to the Norwegians, the Erev Rav knows all too well that they need to be careful throughout such sensitive operations. And so, they are very careful to keep their excitement about such prospects secret.

The End to Jewish-Muslim conflict in Malmö, Sweden?

ג' לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ט

YNET: Religious leaders declare end to Jewish-Muslim conflict in Malmö
Moshe-David HaCohen and Salahuddin Barakat, the heads of the Jewish and Muslim communities in Sweden's third-largest city, will publish joint ad in Friday paper, announcing: 'Jews and Muslims in Malmö stand together in the fight against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and any form of racism and discrimination against minorities.'

Salahuddin Barakat and Moshe-David HaCohen

Itamar Eichner, 06.14.18 

Norway, Sweden, and Finland

The heads of the Jewish and Muslim communities in Malmö, Sweden have decided to turn over a new leaf. On Friday, they will announce the end of the conflict between their two communities.

There are some 80,000 Muslims in Malmö alone, while the whole of Sweden contains around 20,000 Jews. Malmö is home to 2,000 Jews.

But in recent years, Sweden in general and Malmö in particular have seen a spike in anti-Semitic incidents—from harassment and vandalism to violent attacks against members of the Jewish community—leading many Jews to leave.

Anti-Semitism has become an almost daily occurrence in the city, with incidents such as arson at the Jewish cemetery, threats, verbal abuse and objects being thrown at Jews. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Although this is from last summer, it is worth mentioning, and commenting on.

The first thing of note is that no mention is made of who has been perpetrating these anti-Semitic acts? Why is it the Muslim leader involved, and not, say, a Christian leader, unless thee acts have been perpetrated by Muslims? Sure, the "conflict" between Jews and Muslims is alluded to in the title of this piece. But, it purposefully lacks any hint of a value judgment toward one party or the other.

On the other hand, we do know that Muslims are not the only culprits. Needless to say, good ol' left-leaning YNET makes a point of leaving out this crucial fact, either due to not wanting to offend anyone, wanting to maintain its reputation for political-correctness, or just general fear. Or perhaps I should say, due to "Islamophobia." (wink, nudge)

Now, remember, the Oslo "Death" Accords were signed in Norway, and Sweden was where an Arab terrorist, and his "Jewish" counterparts received the Nobel Peace prize. In other words, Scandinavia has not been a great place for Jews.

Oh, sure, many of your will bring up Denmark. The Danish who took possession of Jewish property during World War II, so it would not get confiscated by the Nazi occupying forces. Non-Jewish Danes also ferried many Jews across the sea to "neutral" Sweden.

Of course, no one likes to bring up those Danes who did not turn property back over to Jews after the war, nor those Swedes who turned over Jews landing on Swedish shores.

I cannot emphasize enough the following points:

1. All you have to do is look at the image (right), and you'll understand the first point I want to make. However, I will elaborate.

Besides what we have learned throughout history, and which is recorded in our Holy texts from Genesis through out the Tana"kh (Bible), two Talmudim, midrashim, and latter sources of halakhah, Arabs have been improving their lying capabilities, by learning from the West (Esau), Christians and leftists alike, how to lie differently and more effectively. Saying one thing in English (Swedish, too, I would imagine), and then the opposite in Arabic is old hat for them. The Arab terrorist mentioned above was notorious for this strategy, above and beyond his orchestration of the mass murder of Jews.

2. Sweden, along with every single other land outside of the Land of Israel, is at best a temporary dwelling place for Jews. However, now that the gates have been opened, it is time for all Jews to pick up and move to Israel, and invest their time, money, and energy on the Jewish Homeland, and not the lands of the goyim.

3. But, perhaps most important of all is that so many Jews have forgotten that living in galuth (the exile) is a punishment.

The report concludes with the following:

Rb. Michael Melchior

Rabbi HaCohen and Barakat joinly founded "Amanah: The Jewish and Muslim Trust and Faith Project" in the city.

The two were brought together by The Religious Peace Initiative, headed by former minister Rabbi Michael Melchior. 

Melchior lamented the fact Malmö has made headlines in recent years only in negative connotations and welcomed the joint statement. "This is wonderful news. There is now a spark of hope because of a true and deep connection between the communities," he said.

Well, now we know how the Jewish-Muslim conflict in Malmö ended. Left-wing former MK Rabbi Melchior decided as such. Gee. He never thought to encourage Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel)?

No doubt, he needs to reread the quote above, attributed to Albert Einstein, as much as anyone else.

Related posts:
European Rabbis: A Liability to the Jewish People?
Why Are Jews Still Living in Malmö, Sweden?

Even the left-leaning YNET News has had what to say about Swedish shenanigans:
Swedish cities use public money to fund anti-Semitism Aug 28, 2018
Molotov cocktails thrown at building in Jewish cemetery in Malmö Dec 11, 2017
Swedish reporter dons kippa and encounters anti-Semitic abuse Jan 24, 2015
Explosion at Malmo Jewish community building Sep 28, 2012
Swedish mayor blasts Zionism Jan 28, 2010

Why Are Jews Still Living in Malmö, Sweden?

כ׳ לחודש שנים עשר תשע״ו

Arutz 7: Malmö Jews offended by actor who cited anti-Semitism
Kim Bodnia, Jewish star of the successful TV series 'The Bridge,' left it because he did not feel safe filming in Malmö.

Gil Ronen, 2/24/2016

A leader of the Jewish Community of Malmö, Sweden, reacted badly when a Jewish TV star revealed he had quit a successful series because of the discomfort he felt when filing in Malmö.

Kim Bodnia, the Danish-Jewish star of the Scandinavian crime drama "The Bridge" ("Broen / Bron" in Danish and Swedish) had said he quit the show in part because he did not feel safe filming in the Swedish town of Malmö.

He left the TV series after two seasons playing police investigator Martin Rohde, and in an interview with Israeli website Walla, said anti-Semitism “is growing, especially in Malmö where we shot it.”

It’s not very comfortable to be there as a Jewish person. So of course this has something to do with why it’s easy for me to say no to working in Sweden," he added.

The Jewish Community of Malmö responded by saying that the Jews have "no interest in being used in a politicized discussion on the situation for us Jews in Malmo," wrote Freddy Gellberg, Deputy Chairman of the Jewish Community of Malmö, in Expressen. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):

here,” Peres said at the synagogue. “We never dreamed that state we created would be bigger than Norway, and a pioneer in technology and science."

Norway, Sweden, and Finland

"Being used in a politicized discussion??" Since when is the safe of Jews, nothing more than a politics?


There is not really much else to comment on this report. Contract disputes or not, I say good for Kim Bodnia, and shame on Malmö's Jewish community "leaders."

It is well-known that Malmö is one of Europe's biggest and most problematic, Islamic thorn in its side.

Bosnia and Albania are Europe's Muslim countries, yet they cannot hold a candle Malmö's developing Islamic enclave. Of all countries in Europe, of all cities in Europe, what Jew in his right mind would actually want to remain living in Malmö, Sweden?

Unfortunately, the reaction by the "leader" of the Malmö Jewish Community, to Bodnia's comments was hardly surprising.

Kim Bodnia as
Det. Martin Rohde
in "The Bridge"

Furthermore, ...when [Bodnia was] asked about his religious beliefs in 2011 he said that he has "None, other than that I believe in nature".^[2]

But, the Islamic problem has definitely been building up in Denmark, as well. So, why should Bodnia, one who does not identify religiously as Jewish, be able to see what the Malmö Jewish"leadership" cannot, or does not, want to see? Perhaps Bodnia just has more common sense than they do.

I was born and raised in sunny and multicultural, Southern California, the land of movie stars and suntans. So, I get the appeal of remaining in galuth (exile). But, if the mosque and Muslim owned grocery store, three blocks from my apartment had come even close to showing the signs of Islamic radicalization and local takeover in Malmö, I would have left much sooner than I eventually did.

But, I digress...

Do you know who else apparently has more common sense than the Malmö Jewish "leadership?"

Rabbi Chaim Katz, a former Chief Rabbi of Sweden. Both he and his brother, Rabbi Aharon Katz, one assistant to the Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav Kook, Rabbi Avraham Shapira ztz"l, knew enough to leave, an that Eretz Yisra'el (the Land of Israel) is the homeland of the Jewish People, not Sweden.

Another prominent Scandinavian rabbi did the same, Rabbi Michael Melchior, a former MK (Meimad/Labor). Born in Denmark, Melchior served as Chief Rabbi of Norway.

Once again, we see the Jewish galuth (exile) mentality at its worst.

Let us hope the Jews of Malmö, and elsewhere in Scandinavia wake up, before it is too late. Needless to say, the first step is for them to ignore their so-called "leaders."

Scandinavian Jews Seem to be Getting the Message

פסח שני תשע״ה

YNET: Scandinavian Jews move into Israeli real estate market
As in France, anti-Semitic attacks in Sweden and Denmark are leading members of the Jewish communities there to invest in Israeli bolt hole.

Norway, Sweden, and Finland

Yael Darel, May 3, 2015

Foreigners purchasing real estate in the center of Israel is nothing new. Over the past year, however, the familiar buyers, from France, Belgium and England, have been joined by new players in the market – Scandinavian Jews, primarily from Sweden and Denmark, who have conducted dozens of real-estate deals in the country of late, focusing on apartments in high-rise buildings in Tel Aviv and Herzliya.

Some of the buyers have moved into their new apartments, and some are buying for investment purposes or in preparation for a possible move to Israel in the future. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Well, it looks like there are some Scandinavian Jews who are finally getting the message, and who are looking toward Israel as at least an option.

With Muslim violence on the rise in Scandinavia, and cities like Malmo, in Sweden, falling to increasing Muslim influence and control, let us pray that the trend of Scandinavian Jews looking toward Israel continues, and that they do not delay too long in finally packing up, and getting on the plane, to relocate to Israel permanently.

European Rabbis: A Liability to the Jewish People?

כ"ט לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ה

PM Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's (Likud) call for mass aliyah (immigration to Israel) of Europe's Jews has been the target of criticism. Political pandering? Propping himself up as the "Mr. Security" candidate? Securing Likud voters for future, if not the current elections? After all, the Left has been accused of doing the same, by recruiting non-Jews in the Former Soviet Union for aliyah, as well as encouraging special status, if not citizen arrangements for foreign workers.

Here is another example of criticism toward the Prime Minister.

YNET: Denmark's chief rabbi 'disappointed' by Netanyahu statement
Associated Press, 02.15.15

Jair Melchior, Denmark's chief rabbi, said he was "disappointed" by Netanyahu's call for immigration following the attack.

"Terror is not a reason to move to Israel," he said.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Although not specifically written as a response to the Danish Chief Rabbi's odd remark, the following comic does fit part of the bill.

Asher Schwartz, The Jewish Press, February 16, 2015

But, how can the Danish Chief Rabbi's "Terror is not a reason to move to Israel," comment be responded to in full? After all, aren't there terror attacks in Israel, just like there are in Denmark, France, England, Belgium, and elsewhere?

And, he is not the only European rabbi who seems to think so.

YNET: European rabbis: We are fighting a battle in our homeland
Following deadly Copenhagen attack, Jewish community leaders warn that Europe's Jews are subject to anti-Semitic persecution and anti-religious legislation, threatening their future in the continent.

Kobi Nachshoni, 02.16.15

The day after the deadly terror attack at a synagogue in Copenhagen, European rabbis described the atmosphere in the continent's Jewish communities as a "battle on terror in our homeland."

European countries' chief rabbis, city rabbis and community leaders warned Sunday that Europe's Jews were subject to anti-Semitic persecution and anti-religious legislation, which prevented them from living a safe Jewish life in the continent.

They once again demanded the continent's leaders increase security around all Jewish institutions. meanwhile, they said they were not taking any risks and were preparing to defend themselves.

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, condemned the "horrific terror attack," which he said "is both sickening and a sign of the worsening extremism spreading across Europe."

Criticizing European leaders, Rabbi Goldschmidt said that "the Jewish community in Denmark is a microcosm of what is happening to Jewish communities across the continent. On the one hand they are under attack from extremist Muslims who see every Jew as a legitimate target, on the other hand, freedom of religion is curtailed by the government, religious slaughter has been forbidden and the parliament is in discussions about the future of religious circumcision.

"I truly hope that this latest attack will lead the people of Denmark to rally behind the Jewish community just as they did in 1943, securing the future of the community," he concluded. (cont.)

Our Homeland??!!

This is absolutely disgraceful! There is no excuse for such a comment!

Denmark is not "our homeland." Neither is anyplace else within Europe.

And Rabbi Goldschmidt and rabbis like him pray for the return to Eretz Yisra'el, and the rebuilding of the Holy City of Jerusalem, three times daily??!!

Even though he is correct when he states that "...they are under attack from extremist Muslims who see every Jew as a legitimate target, on the other hand, freedom of religion is curtailed by the government, religious slaughter has been forbidden and the parliament is in discussions about the future of religious circumcision."

And so, his solution is this??

"I truly hope that this latest attack will lead the people of Denmark to rally behind the Jewish community just as they did in 1943, securing the future of the community?"

Rabbi Goldschmidt needs to review his European Jewish history. Otherwise, he is destined to repeat it, and lead European Jews to do the same.

Danes put their Jewish neighbors on boats, and scurried them across the to supposed safety in "neutral" Sweden. But, many of them made it into Nazi hands anyway. Of course, this is all moot, because the ISS, the Islamic State of Sweden is hardly an option.

But, I digress...

Here is the result of the influence of "rabbis" such as Melchior and Goldschmidt. I hope that they are not motivated by concerns over holding onto their prestigious positions. In other words, no Jews left in Europe, no need for European rabbis. I would at least hope they were not as shallow at that, and simply suffered from a self-destructive hasqafah (perspective).

YNET: Denmark's Jews vow to stay as reports name Copenhagen killer as PalestinianDanish Jews, who have historically enjoyed very good relations with fellow countrymen, reject Netanyahu's call for immigration; report says suspected Copenhagen gunman ‘had history of offences', said to be of Palestinian origin. 

News Agencies,  02.15.15 

The man suspected of killing two people in shootings in Copenhagen was identified in several Danish media outlets on Sunday as Omar El-Hussein. Reports in Lebanon said he was the child of Palestinian immigrants from Ain al-Hilweh, a refugee camp in Lebanon... 

...Denmark's small but vibrant Jewish community rebuffed Israel's call to emigrate on Sunday after an attack on Copenhagen's main synagogue that shook the sense of security Scandinavian tolerance had long provided... 

...As in the French case, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Denmark's 2,500 Jews they would be welcome in his country. "Israel is your home," he said in Jerusalem.

"We appreciate the invitation, but we are Danish citizens, this is our country," Dan Rosenberg Asmussen, chairman of the Jewish Society in Denmark, told Reuters as he offered condolences to mourners at the synagogue. (cont.)

Not much I can say about my brothers and sisters in Denmark, except that they are doomed, and that this saddens me.

Jews are supposed to live in Israel, if at all possible, not in Denmark, nor anywhere else in Europe.

In the 1930's and '40's, Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtel hy"d warned Jews of the dangers of the Nazis, and encouraged them to abandon Europe for a new life in Israel. In his quintessential work Em HaBanim Smeicha, this once anti-Zionist brought countless sources to support that it was not only permissible to immigrate to Israel, but that it was preferable to any other destination.

And, now that gates to Eretz Yisra'el have been opened, and have remained open, ,

Now that the gates to Eretz Yisra'el have been reopened since 1948/תש"ח. Even after countless challenges to our claim to our Homeland, and even to our lives, such as during the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, its gates have remained open.

There is no excuse for any knowledgeable Jew not [to put forth his best efforts] to live in our true Homeland of Eretz Yisra'el.

Any comic written to follow the one posted above, should say that God gave us instructions as to what to do to defend ourselves while residing in Eretz Yisra'el, but we have not been following them in full. The Israeli Government has favored Western approaches in dealing with our security issues, rather than Torah approach. Instead, we have heeded the concerned of the "international community," not wanting to offend them. Even though our mere existence offends them anyway.

We, the Jewish People, have been suffering the consequences of its actions. Fortunately, Rabbi Teichtal teaches that the power of such individuals, the "non-kosher birds," as he calls them, over Eretz Yisra'el will be temporary,

Nevertheless, this is the difference between the physical dangers of living in galuth and those found while living in Israel.

Eretz Yisra'el is where we are supposed to invest our time, money, blood, sweat, and tears, even our lives, not in Denmark, nor anywhere else in Europe or the rest of the world.

Obama and Thorning-Schmidt: Terror Fighting Team!

כ"ח לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ה

Obama, Danish leader vow to confront terror together
AFP (via Yahoo), February 17, 2015

Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama expressed solidarity Monday with Denmark after two shootings that shocked the Nordic nation, and vowed to confront anti-Semitism and assaults on freedom of expression together with Copenhagen.

Faced with the spectacle of European Jews being again targeted by extremists, just over a month after similar attacks in Paris, governments were scrambling to reassure their Jewish communities.

The first victim, 55-year-old filmmaker Finn Norgaard, was killed when a gunman opened fire during a debate on free speech on Saturday.

The same attacker then targeted Copenhagen's main synagogue, killing 37-year-old Dan Uzan.

During a telephone call, Obama and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt "agreed on the need to work together to confront attacks on freedom of expression as well as against anti-Semitic violence," the White House said in a statement.

It said Obama offered his condolences for the victims and expressed "American solidarity with our Danish allies."

Obama also welcomed Denmark's participation in a three-day, high-level summit he is hosting this week to share best practices and agree on a plan of action to counter radicalization, recruitment and incitement to violence, the White House said.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Anyone else remember these photos of our newly committed, terror-fighting, superheroes, at the funeral for Nelson Mandela. just over a year ago?

British PM David "be more sensitive to Islam" Cameron, Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt, U. S. President Barack Obama

Is this appropriate behavior for world leaders at a funeral? Is this appropriate behavior for anyone at a funeral?

PM Thorning-Schmidt and Pres. Obama, with an unamused First Lady Michelle Obama.

If this isn't flirting, then I do not know what is.

Anyone else as confident as I am in their latest declaration of commitment to fighting terror?

Obama's comment about the recent attack on a kosher market in Paris being random, not necessarily an attack motivated by Jew-hatred reduce my confidence even further.

Dr. Phyllis Chesler on France: Almost, But Not Quite

ט"ו לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ה

Tu b'Shevat 5775

FRANCE IMPLORES JEWS NOT TO LEAVE, OFFERS MILITARY PROTECTION (Breitbart) 

Dr. Phyllis Chesler, January 29, 2015 

Earlier this week, before leaving for Auschwitz to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet liberation of the Nazi German extermination camp, President Francois Hollande appealed to French Jews, saying that “You, French people of the Jewish faith, France is your country, your place is here, in your home.” 

Earlier in January, in an interview in The Atlantic, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that “If 100,000 people of Spanish origin were to leave, I would never say that France is not France anymore. But if 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France. The French Republic will be judged a failure.” 

What have we here? The country of Dreyfus– the country of Vichy and Drancy, Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat’s home away from home, the country in which “Death to the Jews” has been yelled by mobs in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries—is this country actually waking up? (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Chesler is quite right to criticize France. She quite right in pointing out the grave errors of other European countries, such as Holland, Germany, England, Italy, and the Scandinavia nations, in their handling of their Muslim immigrant populations.

Chesler is right again in her allusions to the double standards, and to the failure of Jewish assimilation. Of course, I would have liked her to have been a little pointed about this, but that was not the point of her piece.

She continues...

I am not sure that wealthy and sophisticated French Jews will willingly leave lavish lives for an impoverished or uncertain future in Israel. Many wealthy German Jews lingered until it was too late to get out. Prime Minister Netanyahu is to be congratulated, not condemned, for welcoming French Jews “to the land of (their) forefathers.”

Here, Chesler is right again. And, in particular, she is unfortunately right about the potential lack of willingness of French Jews to leave their familiar galuth (exile) of France for an uncertain and unfamiliar life in Israel. Without minimalizing the tragic loss of Jewish lives over the past several years by the violent hands of terrorists, these might very well be the only experiences strong enough to encourage French Jews to pick up and leave.

Chesler concludes with, what I consider to be, two very important pieces of information...

If France is so ready to arm each and every French Jew with their own bodyguard, I wonder why President Hollande exited the Great Synagogue of Paris when PM Netanyahu spoke?

Likewise, how can we blame Netanyahu for accepting Congress’s invitation to speak—when President Obama did not see fit to send a single high profile representative to march in solidarity with France and the world, and given that he was able to bring a 30 person high-profile delegation to extend condolences upon the death of Saudi King Abdullah?

Pretty much says it all about the real attitudes of the French, as well as the American, governments toward Jews and Israel.

This is not about how safe or how well off Jews are in France or, yes, even in the U. S.

This is not about our "right" to live without fear of physical attack on our person or property.

This is about where Jews are supposed to be. If at all possible, Jews are supposed to reside, work, love, be challenged, struggle, and invest our blood, sweat, and tears in Eretz Yisra'el (Land of Israel), and nowhere else.

The gates were opened in 1948/תש"ח, and were widened in 1967/תשע"ה. There are no more excuses.

And, so I ask you, Dr. Chesler, when's your aliyah flight?

Germany's Giant Menorah: Something to be Proud of?

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ ויגש תשע״ה

The Algemeiner: Europe’s Biggest Menorah Stands at Brandenburg Gate in Germany Where Nazi Rallies Took Place

Shiryn Ghermezian, December 23, 2014

Europe’s largest menorah is erected in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, a site once marked by hatred and racism where Nazi rallies took place.

“In the center of Germany, Europe’s largest menorah and one of the largest menorahs in the world stands tall at over 30 feet saying that light will always at the end prevail,” said Rabbi Yeuhuda Teichtal, head of the Chabad Lubavitch orthodox community in Berlin. “The message is today, with all the challenges we face, with all the anti-Semitic acts we unfortunately have to experience, nevertheless we are here and we will continue with acts of goodness and kindness.”

From @hasidic tweeter
"...in those days, at this time"

Thousands of Berliners gathered outside on Dec. 16 to watch Teichtal and German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere light the first Hanukkah candle on the menorah. Other dignitaries present at the ceremony included Mayor Michael Müller, Israeli Ambassador Yakov Hadas-Handelsman, and German parliament members Maria Böhmer and Petra Pau. Chabad has lit a menorah on same site for over a decade, Chabad.org reported.

Teichtal told NPR Berlin there is nothing more symbolic than lighting the candles in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which he described as “a center of darkness and of evil where Hitler stood.”

“Today, 5,000 people, coming with the Minister of the Interior of Germany and the Mayor of Berlin, said that light will win over darkness and democracy over tyranny,” he said after the lighting ceremony on Dec. 16. He told the crowd that gathered, “We’re here and we’re proud, living in a land of democracy and respect.”

Teichtal moved to Germany from the U.S. 18 years ago because the country needed new rabbis, according to NPR Berlin. He set up Germany’s first yeshiva, or Jewish school, since the Nazis shut them down in the 1940s. New rabbis are now graduating in Germany at a new rabbinical college in Potsdam.

Germany’s Jewish community is widely considered to be the fastest growing Jewish community in the world, NPR Berlin reported. A few thousand Jews survived in Germany after World War II but now more than 200,000 live in the country. The biggest local community is in Berlin and includes many Israelis who moved to Germany from Tel Aviv.

(Tip: Life In Israel)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Chabbad Rabbi Teichtel says that "...light will always at the end prevail." Yet, the light includes that the homeland of the Jewish People is in Israel, and not in Europe. Ironically, it was another Rabbi Teichtel, Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtel hy"d, who over 70 years ago, saw the writing on the wall, warned Jews to get out of Europe and encouraged them to make their way to Israel, defying his own community's anti-Zionist sentiment.

So, is having Europe's largest Hanukkiyah (Hanukkah menorah) publicly displayed in Germany something to be proud of?

Perhaps Rabbi Teichtel will do some good by waking up these wandering Jews up to their heritage, which is Torah. Nevertheless, our Jewish hearts and minds should always be focused on the Land of Israel. The investment of our Jewish time, energy, and sentiment should not be on the lands of our exile.

"Germany’s Jewish community is widely considered to be the fastest growing Jewish community in the world...The biggest local community is in Berlin and includes many Israelis who moved to Germany from Tel Aviv."

Contrary to the galuth (exilic) mentality, these statistics are not anything to be proud of. Israelis leaving Israel and moving back into galuth is not something to be proud of. It does not matter whether the Germans are trying to kill us, or trying desperately to be our friends, Jews do not have any business being in Germany.

The Globe And Mail, Canada

Furthermore, how it seems that Chabbad neglected to mention the close proximity of the Hanukkiyah to an X-mas tree? The candles were lit in view of avodah zarah (foreign/forbidden worship).

Saving for the neo-Nazis and Muslim immigrants, Germans currently may not want to slaughter us. But, hints of unification of religions are not any better for us either.

England, France, and Sweden may be falling fast, while Germany stands strong as one of Israel's "friends." But, do not think that Jews residing in Germany are immune to the dangers of galuth, both physical and spiritual.

Ami Horowitz, Nice Video, But...

ג׳ לחודש התשיעי תשע"ה

Many of you have seen this video by Ami Horowitz going around the Internet. It is simple, straightforward, and to the point.


(Tip: Stand With Us)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Ami Horowitz, nice video. But, I just have one question for you...

What the heck are you still doing there??

Don't you get it? The sentiments which you revealed on the Cal. Berkeley (AKA: Berserk-eley) are spreading across the U. S., and they are spreading fast.

Are you and your family in immediate, physical danger? Will the U. S. turn into a France or England (...or Sweden or Beligium) anytime soon? The answers to these questions, I cannot say. What I can do, however, is to ask you, "Haven't you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, at the very least, the expression of such sentiments were reminders that the U. S. is not your true homeland?"

It seems that your mother is from Israel, and left. But, you, perhaps even with her encouragement, have also spent some time here. For all I know, you may have extensive family here, and may even be fluent in Hebrew. I do not know.

I also cannot say that I know your views at all about immigrating to Israel. Perhaps that life plan is already in the works. Assuming the worst, I have to tell you that Israel is not just "that place to go to for study and connecting with ones heritage, perhaps serve in the IDF, and then just get up leave.

You have gone out on a limb making very bold statements, and attempting to wake the world up the truths you have uncovered, buried in the sand by the media and by "them." Here is only one of many examples:

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Horowitz charged in a March 2010 article, "has consistently acted as a sanctuary for terrorist activity and employment," and yet the U.S. "has funded UNRWA to the tune of nearly $3.5 billion," thus effectively "acting as their enablers." (Wikipedia: Ami Horowitz)

I have no doubt that you have helped to wake people up to the reality that not everything, published in the mainstream media, can be taken at face value. I am not at all unappreciative of your work.

But, now it's my turn to help Jews to wake up.

The feelings of my fellow Jews' attachment and sentimentality toward the lands of our exile, I cannot, nor will I even begin to argue with. They are feelings. They are what they are. But, setting such feelings aside, the U. S. is only one of many, temporarily dwelling place for Jews, the key word being "temporary."

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל-פַּרְעֹה, לָגוּר בָּאָרֶץ בָּאנוּ, כִּי-אֵין מִרְעֶה לַצֹּאן אֲשֶׁר לַעֲבָדֶיךָ, כִּי-כָבֵד הָרָעָב בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן; וְעַתָּה יֵשְׁבוּ-נָא עֲבָדֶיךָ, בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן. (בראשית מז,ד)

And they said unto Pharaoh: 'To sojourn in the land we have come; for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, we pray that your let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.' (Gen. 47:4)

Just like our exile in Egypt, and our subsequent exiles, our exile in Edom is temporary.

You don't approach the Torah in the same way as I do? It doesn't matter.

Whether Torah-observant, traditional, secular, I have yet to find any pattern among those who believe this message. There are those from each of these three, general groupings of Jews who believe very strongly in moving to Israel now, and staying, and there are those who do not.

However frustrating it can get to have this message oftern fall on deaf ears, it is my job,...actually the collective job of those of us Jews who made it out of the golah (exile), and back home, to continue delivering this message, regardless of the outcome, regardless of the names we are called, and regardless of any other reactions,

I pray that The Holy One Blessed Be He, continues to send the same message, but that it does not have to become too painful.

And, I pray, that my fellow Jews will pay attention.

European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor Simply Does Not Get It

כ״ג לחודש השמיני תשע״ה

Arutz 7: EJC Demands Security after Jew Stabbed in Antwerp'Jews in Europe have lost a normal sense of security that worsens with every attack on Jews and Jewish institutions,' says Jewish Congress.
Gil Ronen, November 15, 2014 

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has called on authorities across Europe to provide Jewish communities with a sense of security after the latest attack Saturday has left a Jewish man, reportedly a rabbi, with multiple stab wounds in Antwerp. 

“Jews in Europe have lost a normal sense of security that worsens with every attack on Jews and Jewish institutions which are taking place with alarming regularity,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the EJC said. “As citizens of Europe, it is the responsibility of the authorities, political, judicial and law enforcement, to ensure that Jews feel free to walk the streets in the open and live their lives absent of the fear these attacks generate.” 

A Jewish man is in serious condition after he was stabbed Saturday while walking to his synagogue in Antwerp, Belgium. The motive behind the attack is still unknown and the suspect has been arrested by Belgian police. According to some reports, the man is a hassidic Jew, and he was identified as a rabbi by some sources.

“At the root of these attacks is the ongoing incitement against Jews from across the political spectrum and radical Islamists,” Dr. Kantor said. “There is a war against the Jews on the internet and on the streets. Until there is a crackdown on incitement to hatred and anti-Semitism, then more people will believe that these types of attacks are legitimate.”

“The Jews of Europe deserve to be protected from these type of attacks and we call on authorities to take any and every possible measure to prevent these attacks from occurring in the future.”

Esser Agaroth (2¢):

Moshe Kantor

European Jewish Congress [EJC] President Moshe Kantor simply does not get it.

He says, "Until there is a crackdown on incitement to hatred and anti-Semitism, then more people will believe that these types of attacks are legitimate.”

How many more people believing that these types of attacks are legitmate will it take for him TO get it??

Regarding...

The possibility of an attack from the Islamic State in Europe 

The Attacks on Jews in Sweden

The Increasing Jew-Hatred in Great Britain

...Kantor has said the same ol' thing, and continues to say it even now:

"It is the responsibility of the authorities, political, judicial and law enforcement, to ensure that Jews feel free to walk the streets in the open and live their lives absent of the fear these attacks generate."

Translation: Non-Jews, please like us! Non-Jews, please save us!

Moshe Kantor, wake up!

"They" are NOT going to help you. And YOU are not doing your fellow Jews in Europe an favors, quite the opposite, in fact. You are putting them in serious danger by confusing the heck out of them. I believe that you are putting a stumbling block in front of them.

לֹא-תְקַלֵּל חֵרֵשׁ--וְלִפְנֵי עִוֵּר, לֹא תִתֵּן מִכְשֹׁל; וְיָרֵאתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲנִי יְהוָה. (ויקרא יט,יד)

Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but thou shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. (Lev. 19:14) 

The only solution is for the Jews in Europe, including yourself, is to get out, while you still can.

Moshe Kantor, himself, says, “There is a war against the Jews on the internet and on the streets."

This is a war, which you cannot win in Europe, because you are no longer supposed there.

Stop investing your time and energy in the lands of your exile. Your only true homeland is Eretz Yisra'el.

Now stop ranting about how Jews be protected by non-Jewish leaders, take some real responsibility for yourselves, pack your bags, and get on the plane already!

The only talking you should be doing is that of encouraging your fellow Jews in Europe to leave, and to come home.

You should also be using every ounce of influence you have in order to do so, and to help get a mass emigration from Europe financed, or at least subsidized as much as possible.

I honestly do not know just how many more signs and writing on the wall you are going to get, before it is too late, and you are lost. Sure, perhaps, you will manage to sneak your family out, when you finally DO get it.

But, about the rest of the Jews in Europe?

Shimon Peres Goes to Oslo!

י"ט לחודש השני תשע"ד

Arutz 7: Peres Has 'Fond Memories of Oslo'
On a visit to Norway, President Shimon Peres discusses trip he took to the country over 20 years ago which changed Israel.

Yaakov Levi, May 11, 2014

Shimon Peres
Oslo Lover

On a visit to Norway Sunday, President Shimon Peres discussed another trip he took to the country more than 20 years ago, when he helped forge the controversial Oslo Accords. “I have good memories of Oslo,” said Peres. “I am hopeful that we will be able to complete the peace process that we started here, a peace based on the two-state solution.”

Many officials have called to cancel the accords and return to the period before them, a call which particularly resounds following the unity deal between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the terrorist organization Hamas in late April.

Peres was in Oslo to meet Norwegian government officials, including the country's prime minister and the chairman of the country's parliament. Peres will also address the Norwegian Parliament, in addition to having an audience with Norway's King Harold.

On his first stop in the country Sunday, Peres visited Oslo's Great Synagogue. There, Peres discussed the connection between Israel and the diaspora communities.

“As President of Israel I m proud to see a strong, traditional community here,” Peres said at the synagogue. “We never dreamed that state we created would be bigger than Norway, and a pioneer in technology and science."

Norway, Sweden, and Finland
BRRRRRRRR!

“We have never lost our will and hope for peace, and we never will,” Peres added.

Many Israelis are unlikely to share Peres's happy memories of Oslo. The failed accords with the Palestinian Authority paved the way for the bloody Second Intifada in which Palestinian Arab terrorists killed more than 1,000 Israelis, most of whom were civilians.

Meanwhile, last week officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) denied Peres's claims on Independence Day that he had reached a peace agreement with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas three years ago.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I have a suggestion.

If Shimon Peres has such fond memories of Oslo, then maybe he should think about staying in Oslo,...permanently!

Then maybe the rate of Jews murdered by Arabs would plummet to a new low.

And why was Peres so pleased that there was a large "traditional," [Jewish] community in Oslo?

They should not be there; they should be in Israel!

So much for Shimon Peres the "Zionist." This only adds support to the notion that Labor Zionism isn't really Zionism either.

The following video provides some of the "highlights" resulting from the Olso "Death" Accords.

Response to Hernroth-Rothstein's "Seeking Shelter"

י"ב לחודש השנים עשר תשע"ד

Mosaic: Seeking Shelter
Why I am filing for asylum in my own country, Sweden.
Annika Hernroth-Rothstein | November 17, 2013

Norway, Sweden, and Finland

Here in Stockholm this fall, we in the Jewish community have enjoyed our 21st annual Jewish film festival, a klezmer concert, and a number of other cultural diversions. I choose the word “diversions” advisedly. It’s thanks to such entertainments that so many of my fellow Jews can allow themselves to say that we’re doing okay here—that there’s no need to rock the boat or cause trouble...

...Absurd? No doubt. I can only expect that my application will be summarily dismissed. But the situation is beyond absurdity, beyond op-eds and strongly worded letters of protest. The situation calls for action. I would like to think that in making this statement, I am fighting on behalf of Swedish Jewry as a whole for the right to live a religious life, to preserve our cultural identity, and to be who we are without fear of persecution—the same rights enshrined in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and guaranteed in the Swedish constitution. Is Sweden, is Europe as a whole, truly no longer willing to enforce its own standards of justice where European Jews are concerned? (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Annika, you are brave, and raising awareness about very important issues regarding our people. And, yes, I get that this is for publicity.

I believe you one fundamental error, though.

Sweden is not your homeland, nor is the U. S., or Canada, France, or the U. K.

We have so easily forgotten that exile is a punishment. We have worked hard to be accepted as "one of them," but that was only supposed to be for our survival, while temporarily residing in "their" lands.

I appreciate your care and concern for your fellow Jews in Sweden, in Europe, and around the world facing similar or identical forms of oppression. Let's call it what it is. Oppression.

But, now we are able to return to our only true home, Eretz Yisra'el (the Land of Israel).

Will it be difficult? I can say from experience as resounding Absolutely!

But, it's home. Not only that, but The Almighty gave it to us. Let us not forsake it.

Council Of Europe: Male Ritual Circumcision - "violation of the physical integrity of children"

ז' לחודש השמיני תשע"ד

My comments are interspersed within this article in blue italics, with a conclusion following it.

YNET: Europe Council Votes Against Circumcision
Parliamentary Assembly of Pan-European intergovernmental organization passes resolution calling male circumcision, female genital mutilation 'a violation of the physical integrity of children.' Jewish leader: War against circumcision, ritual slaughter conceals new anti-Semitism

Kobi Nachshoni, October 3, 2013

Are Europe's Jews about to launch a new struggle for the observance of the circumcision ritual across the continent? The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which represents most of the continent's states, has passed a resolution calling male ritual circumcision a "violation of the physical integrity of children according to human rights standards."

This is code for "In Europe, human rights and Torah are not believed to be compatible."

At the end of a debate in Strasbourg, the Parliamentary Assembly ruled overwhelmingly that male circumcision and female genital mutilation are forbidden, unless the child is over the age of 15 and has given his or her consent to the practice.

The council passed the resolution based on a report by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, by a vote of 78 in favor and 13 against, with 15 abstentions.

It calls on the council's member states to "clearly define the medical, sanitary and other conditions to be ensured for practices such as the non-medically justified circumcision of young boys," the JTA reported Wednesday.

Gee. I wonder why the Muslims do not riot over this. Well, their forefather Yishma'el was circumcised at the age of 13 (Gen. 17:23-26). So, I suppose that 15 is close enough. That still does not explain how they are just going to let any laws against "ritual slaughter" slide by. I suppose that the riots will not start until reality sets in for them,...when individual countries make it so.

Fear of wave of legislation
The council further called on states to "initiate a public debate, including intercultural and interreligious dialogue, aimed at reaching a large consensus on the rights of children to protection against violations of their physical integrity according to human rights standards" and to "adopt specific legal provisions to ensure that certain operations and practices will not be carried out before a child is old enough to be consulted."

This is just code for "You are not allowed to follow the Torah."

According to the JTA, large majorities rejected five amendments that sought to remove or alter references to the circumcision of boys. For example, many of the members supported an amendment that removed a reference to the "religious rights of parents and families."

The Council of Europe is a pan-European intergovernmental organization whose resolutions have no legal force and do not bind its member states, but European organizations fear that this declarative move will be perceived as a professional recommendation by the most important body in the continent on democracy and human rights issues, which may lead to a wave of legislation banning circumcision across Europe.

See? Democracy is NOT the Jews' friend! Human rights? Human rights, but not Jewish rights.

The Jewish groups are mainly protesting the failure to distinguish between male circumcision, which is seen as legitimate not just among Jews, and female genital mutilation, which is considered in nearly every culture as a violation of a woman's body and dignity and is strongly opposed by human rights organizations.

A reasonable premise, but these "Jewish groups" are in big time denial that Jew-haters are not reasonable.

'Violation of freedom of religion'
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, told Ynet that in the short time since the resolution was passed, he and his associates had managed to appeal to many of the council members on the issue, and that these members plan to demand a new debate which will consider allowing male circumcision.

"The war against circumcision and ritual slaughter conceals the new anti-Semitism, which is a violation of the freedom of religion all EU countries have signed," said Rabbi Goldschmidt. "Although this is not a binding resolution, it encourages the dark forces which seek to see Europe clean of Jews."

The struggle for the right to practice circumcision has been held in several countries, and in the past year Jewish and Muslim organization scored a significant victory in Germany, where circumcision was permitted after five months of uncertainty since a court in Cologne defined the ritual as "a serious and irreversible interference in the integrity of the human body."

The German parliament passed a law protecting the right to circumcise infant boys and granting parents the right to circumcise their sons using a certified circumciser. Meanwhile, in Scandinavian countries there have been increased calls to ban the ritual.

(Tip Credit: The Torah Revolution)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Well, well, well...

Is anyone surprised? If so, then you've got sand in your ears. You know, from having your head buried in the sand all this time!

With all due respect to Rabbi Goldschmidt, who is doing the galuth (exile) rabbi's job of protecting Jews and Judaism in galuth,...could this act of the EU be just more writing on the wall that European (and North American) Jews simply refuse to see?

New anti-Semitism? This is most certainly not the first time that the practices of brith milah (Jewish circumcision) and shehitah (kosher slaughter) have been fought through legislation. Did no one learn about the Roman Empire in school???

And so, the New and definitely UN-holy, Roman Empire/Edom (B'reishith Rabba) strikes again in its war on The Almighty's Will and His Holy Torah!

Just as Esau reveals his many different faces in the Torah, when going up against his Ya'aqov, so his descendants, whether European "progressive" elite or the Christian Crusaders of today or 1,000 years ago, have always worked toward the same goal,...his (Israel's) destruction.

And, of course,...Esau was never circumcised; he never had a brith milah (ie. not a part of the "covenant")

I cannot emphasis enough, that this is not about giving up the fight for the freedom to be Jewish, and have that protected in galuth (exile). This is about reading the writing on the wall, and moving back to only place where ones Jewish identity can be expressed to its fullest extent.

In this week's parasha Lech-L'cha, Avraham Avinu, then still Avram, was commanded by The Almighty to get up and move out his native land, away from all that he knew, and travel to a Land foreign to him (...to the land that I will show you. - Gen. 12:1), where he and his descendants were to settle.

Rabb Yehudah HaLevy, the author of Sefer HaKuzari teaches that as high a level which Avraham Avinu was on, the only place where he could reach perfection was Eretz Yisrael (The Land of Israel).*

That perfection, of course, also included brith milah, now on its way to be legislated out of the European Union. The two go together, brith milah and Eretz Ysira'el, along with a third, the Torah, and its various other "signs," such as Shabbath observance.

How long will Jews wait, before they finally realize that Eretz Yisra'el is the ONLY Land for them?

How long will it take for Jews to wake up and realize that they are not truly a part of their nations of temporary residence in galuth?

How long will it take for Jews to remember that galuth?is the punishment? The punishment is NOT having to pack up, leave many of your belongings behind, and travel to a Land foreign to you (...to the land that I will show you. - ibid.), where you and your descendants are to settle.

wait, before they finally realize that Eretz Yisra'el is the ONLY Land for them?

********

*as cited in Eretz Yisrael in the Parashah (2006) by Rabbi Moshe Lichtman

World Trend: Countries Protecting their Systems of Indoctrination

אסרו חג העצרת תשע"ד

I frightening trend has been manifesting itself on the world scene. However, it is far from being a new trend. World Net Daily [WND] reports on it. Here are some of the highlights:

WND: Frightening new assault on homeschooling
[Dutch] Education chief: Parents should not be allowed to teach

Bob Unruh, September 25, 2013

1. Among major democratic nations, homeschooling already is banned in Germany, under a Hitler-era law, and in Sweden, where authorities have taken offspring out of their family’s arms to crack down on the educational method.

2. Scotland is taking a different approach, demanding that all children be assigned a “nanny” at birth to make sure they get educated. [This means that] the government is proposing a plan that  “would assign a government social worker to ‘promote, support or safeguard the wellbeing’ of every child from birth.” That “named person” would have great authority to order what the child – and parents – must do throughout life, regarding schooling, health, social activities and the like.

3. Now officials in the Netherlands are looking to join the crackdown on parents.

4. A report from the Examiner has listed nations where homeschooling also is illegal, including mostly socialist-leaning or former communist territories. They include Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, El Salvador, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago and Turkey.

5. The Obama administration has argued in court that parents essentially have no right to determine how and what their children are taught, leaving the authority with the government.

6. “I want the American homeschool community and other friends of liberty to take note – this mindset isn’t limited to Germany. Many U.S. policymakers and academics agree. … They are even working to see them realized here. So far, thankfully, homeschooling isn’t a legitimate reason (anymore) for the government to kidnap your children if they don’t go to state approved schools,”
- Michael Farris, Chairman, Home School Legal Defense Association [HSLDA]

7. [There are] “already too many voices in the United States that want to advance the idea that the state must control education for the safety of the state or other reasons.”
- Michael Donnelly, director of international relations, HSLDA

8. “And this is the same rationale of the German government in perpetrating deplorable acts like this,” he said. “Why should we think it couldn’t or won’t happen here?”
- Michael Farris

9. “Can’t a government that can order you to get health care tell you that you don’t qualify for certain life-saving treatments, tell parents they can’t allow their children to get certain kinds of counseling or that they must have a particular kind of medical treatments or that certain religious speech is intolerant and may not be permitted or must be punished, or that only national curricular standards are acceptable for all children, etc. – can’t a government like that order you to send your children to school? And then punish you if you don’t?”
- Michael Donnelly

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I believe that this piece really speaks for itself. I will add only a few personal observations and professional experiences.

As a school psychologist in the California public schools, I saw first hand how children were expected to fit into a box. I'll never forget when I when I asked to observe a child in his Kindergarten classroom, because while standing with the other children, singing the ABC song, he was double tapping his feet. The teacher found this quite disturbing, and was almost ready to cry "ADD." I, on the other hand, was almost ready to cry, "So what if he's tapping his feet. Get over it!" I knew that this teacher would simply not hear it. Even after only a couple of hours in the classroom, I was pretty sure that this kid was a kinesthetic learner, and not the disruptive student and burgeoning sociopath this Kindergarten teacher was making him out to be.

"Sheeple" (Sheep + People)

But, fitting children in neat little boxes was from the worst thing that could have been done to them. Sitting still, absorbing information fed to them, and refraining from questioning authority are only a few which I personally recall. Being kept in numbed out, within the illusion of having "freedom" and a "say in government policy" through elections were the masterpieces I can now see in retrospect.

To get a better picture of children's learning styles, and how they fit in, or rather, how they are not allowed to fit into the "traditional" American classroom, I recommend reading the very short story Animal School, attributed to George H. Reavis, Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio (1940's).

This brings me to Israel. In a nutshell, those of us in Israel need to be aware, and to keep watch over government crackdowns on homeschooling, independent, alternative, and semi-private educational institutions. As a teacher in Israel's public religious and secular schools, I saw that the indoctrination process simply has different appearance than that in the U. S. The goals are the similar, though:

1) Increase and maintain citizens' trust in the State.

2) Increase and maintain citizens' loyalty to the State, through reward, as well punishment.

3) Discourage independent thinking, and loyalty to anything else besides the State and its laws, including The Almighty, and His Torah.

Sitting still and absorbing information is not the Israeli focus, when it comes to indoctrination into a loyalist society. In the religious schools, students ask questions, and are encouraged to do so. But, the answers are all in line with government policy, or else that teacher does not last very long. In high schools, the government is sometimes presented as correct. This is when any mass opposition is expected. When the government is presented as being flawed, this is immediately followed with the need to respond with patience and love, and to remember that The Almighty's hand was in the forming of the State. The fact that the State's constant battle against the Torah is staring these teachers and students right in the face simply falls by the waste side, and parents allow it to remain so.

The State is to be held in such high regard, even if it appears to be leading Am Yisra'el down a path toward communal suicide. Civil disobedience is out of the question, and an soldier can never refuse to carry out an order which violates the Torah, because the students and future soldiers are that there is just no such thing. They are taught that it is all just "part of the path toward ge'ulah (final redemption)." (sigh)

In the secular schools, attempts at removing all Holiness from the Tana"kh (Bible) is the order of the day.

Now you know why Haredim are so protective of their school systems. Whether they are not simply doing the same thing with their communities, to "keep them in line," and whether they should be taking any money from the State of Israel in order to fund them are discussions for future posts.

Of course, there are parents, those who can afford it, who send their children to private schools, semi-private schools, even Haredi schools, not to mention those who go to battle with the Ministry of Education for the "right" to home school their children. The harassment some of these parents receive is truly unbelievable.

Threats from the Ministry, threats from the front line soldiers, the State's social workers are regular occurrences, all in the name of making certain that Israeli children receive a "proper" education, emphasis on the word "proper." What "proper" means, is determined by the government, not the parents, and certainly not by rabbis, who have been demonized for their "disloyalty" to the State.