Response To Reclaiming Zionism

24 of the Eighth Month 5772

Below is my response to a post, I found on one of the blogs I like.

Reclaiming Zionism
Samantha, The Israel Situation Blog

In recent weeks, various members of the global community have renewed their efforts to delegitimize Israel and call into question the legitimacy of Zionism as a movement. There has been an ongoing effort to take Zionism, which at its core is Jewish nationalism, and twist its meaning and intentions, distorting the term. Lack of understanding of Zionism has led to its corruption, Zionism being equated with racism by the United Nations, and many Jews not understanding the meaning of the term, its relevance, or their own connections to Zionism. Click to read the entire post...

Although, I like this blog, I think Eric is great (& as a DJ, too!), and you said something VERY important...

"To call one a Zionist is not to say that one blindly agrees with all of the policies of the State of Israel."

...and I think that I understand the audience you are trying to reach, I still believe that Zionism can (& should) be summed up in 2 sentences:

1) "Zionism is simply part of the Torah." - Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel, B'nei Braq.

In other words, there are many other misswoth to perform, as well as the "Zionist-oriented" ones, and the only justification we Jews have for laying claim to Israel is the Torah, not revisionist history, not who conquered it, and certainly NOT who was here first. The Cana'anites were here first, but The Almighty took care of that (See RaSh"I on Parashath Bereishith).

2) Zionism without aliyah is nothing. (paraphrase from Avraham Duvdevani, Chair, World Zionist Organization)

Torah and aliyah are the bottom lines, not just for our survival, but for our authentic identity as a people, as well.

It is time for us to stop being Jews in those other countries, and start being Jews in our own and only true country.

South Park: The 99% VS The 1%

21 of the Eighth Month 5772

As many of you know, I find the television cartoon show "South Park" to be one of the greatest commentaries on American culture.

Recently, "South Park" set out to express its two cents on the "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

(clockwise: Muscleman Mark, Peter Panda, Polly Prissy Pants, Rumper Tumpskin, Clyde Frog, Eric Cartman)

In last week's episode, Eric Cartman represents the "1%," and the rest of his schoolmates represent the "99%," demonstrations included. Butters leads a demonstration, by occupying a piece of a parking lot.

As with many causes, there is an ounce of truth and good intentions to be found. Yet, whether a "Tea Partier" or a "Wall Street Occupier," or an Israeli housing price protester, there is no shortage of infiltrators to control the protesting pawns. The illusion of dissent is, thus, provided without any real threat to the "powers that be."

In this South Park episode, we see how the media employs the use of "creative journalism," or deep denial,or both. I don't even have to get into how the illusion of an adversarial relationship is propped up between different news media groups, made to appear on opposite sides of the fence of various issues.

South Park hits the nail on the head here, showing just how deep the Occupy Wall Street protests really are aren't.

Here is part one of "1%," embedded here for your convenience. You can also watch on-line for free at South Park Studios.com.

The Krembo Challenge - Updated!

17 of the Eighth Month 5772

This is the Krembo Challenge. I challenge all Jewish and Israel-related bloggers, writers, and tweeters (see below) to write about Krembos, Israel's traditional winter treat.

Your post on Krembos can be about how much you love then, or how much you hate them. You can sing the Krembo's praises, or rant about how unhealthy they are. It can be a new post or an old one. It does not matter, as long your post(s) is about Krembos.

Your post may be from a political or a religious perspective. It does not matter what that perspective is, as long as the post really is about Krembos.

Krembo recipes, whether dairy, pareve, raw, etc. will also be accepted. Kosher recipes only, please.

Posts must be received before Shabbath Qodesh Parashath Wayishlah 5772/December 9, 2011.

Please also put a a link to this post somewhere within your submission.

You may submit your posts via the Carnival Of Krembos On-Line Submission Form.

If you experience problems with BlogCarnival.com's submission form, then either click the name "Ben-Yehudah" on the Carnival Of Krembos page, to send the link to your post directl to me. Or, you may leave the link below as a comment. It will not be published as such, but be assured that I will receive it!

The Carnival Of Krembos will be released shortly thereafter, along with awards in various Krembo Categories.

Happy Krembo Eating (& Writing) Season!

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Twitter: For those of you who do not blog, but tweet instead, a special Tweeting category has been added especially for you!

Please submit your tweets as a comment below, along with your e-mail. The comment will not be published. But, you will receive a confirmation that your tweet has been received.

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The Carnival Owner reserves the right to spam, noodge, black mail, and otherwise manipulate his fellow bloggers into participating.

ADD/ADHD: To Drug Or Not To Drug

17 of the Eighth Month 5772

I was recently sent a link to this page on the web. My 10 agaroth is below.

Parents Against Drugging Children

To educate all parents about the danger of drugging our children with ADD, ADHD, and SSRI drugs.

Even when I was in practice in the U. S., I was of the school that only one in 50 children who were on Ritalin (etc.) should have been. It was relatively easy to tell which children benefited from treatment, and which children were drugged up so that the parents did not have to deal with the real issue: their marriage (mostly).

Keeping the focus on their child kept them deep in denial about whatever that really issue was.

I also believe that diet must be addressed in these children, before even thinking about drugs.

I do not believe that it is a coincidence that the vast numbers of sugars and preservatives in the diets of many of these children, combined with the increased amount of toxins in the environment correlate positively with the increased numbers of reported cases.

I can also not even begin to address the conflicts of interest I personally suspected of existing within the physicians doling out Ritalin and other drugs.

Furthermore, the classroom needs to be more flexible. Many of these so called ADD/ADHD kids are actually kinesthetic learners. In other words, they learn most effectively using movement, as those are their most effective pathways to and from the brain.

No, I am not asking teachers who are already overworked to teach the lessons according to 30 different learning styles. I am asking them to be more flexible about kids moving around. I am also asking principals to allow this.

Regarding SSRI's (eg. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, etc.), I personally do not believe that children need to be on these drugs, except under very unusual situations.

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Note: I am not a psychiatrist/physician; I am a psychologist.

Glossary:
ADD = Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD = Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
ADHP = Attention Deficit Disorder with Hair-Pulling

SSRI = Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor: most commonly used to treat depression. Anxiety and ticks may also be treated with these drugs.

The Gilad Shalit Deal, Part 2: Galuth-Mode Judaism vs. G’ula-Mode Judaism or Why Rabbi ‘Ovadhya Yoseph Is Dead Wrong… Again

Motza'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parashath Hayei Sarah 5772

The Gilad Shalit Deal, Part 2: Galuth-Mode Judaism vs. G’ula-Mode Judaism or Why Rabbi ‘Ovadhya Yoseph Is Dead Wrong… Again

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim
Rosh Machon Shilo

10 of the Eighth Month 5772

Click here to read Part 1: The Gilad Shalit Deal: An (Authentically) Jewish Perspective?

Before expressing an opinion on a matter, a poseq (an Halakhic decisor) needs to be apprised of the facts. (The classic example is requiring expert medical opinion before deciding if an unwell individual may fast on Yom HaKipurim – see Rambam’s MT, Sh’vitath ‘Asor 2:8).

Many of you have probably viewed the brief video clip in which HaRav ‘Ovadhya Yoseph, spiritual mentor of Israel’s Shas party and widely considered a great Tora sage, can be seen and heard commending PM Binyamin Netanyahu for striking the deal with Hamas terror leaders which resulted in the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit. Rabbi Yoseph goes on to explain his position thus: “that [future terror attacks] is only a possibility, this [saving Gilad Shilat] is a certainty”. These were his exact words in Hebrew: "יאדו הפו קפס המש".

Here are some statistics: According to Elyaqim Rubinstein speaking during his term as Attorney General, 80% of terrorists released in earlier deals returned to their terrorist ways. (Rubinstein currently serves on Israel’s Supreme Court.) 180 people have been murdered by released terrorists since the year 2000. To date, at least 854 released terrorists have been re-arrested for murder. If you’re still unconvinced, someone has done the math for you: there exists a 99.9% likelihood of at least one lethal attack resulting from this latest release of mass murderers – as close to statistical certainty as you can get. (Would it make a difference if we modified some of the parameters and came up with a likelihood of 90%? I think not.) Of course, the likelihood of multiple attacks with untold dead and wounded, while not 99.9%, remains extremely high.

Nor did we need to wait long. Moshe Ami, 56, of Ashq’lon, died of wounds sustained in a recent rocket attack (01-08-64│29-10-2011), the latest in a string of such attacks since Shalit’s release after many months of relative calm. Add to this the unprecedented stabbing of a 17-year-old y’shiva student in the Ramoth neighbourhood of Jerusalem by a man who then escaped to the nearby Arab village of Bet Iksa, and the attempted stabbing attack in Gush Essyon the day after the release of 477 terrorists (the first ‘installment’ of the Shalit deal), and the picture begins to take shape. The blood bath has only just begun.

Moreover, not only is his analysis irrational; HaRav ‘Ovadhya Yoseph’s position contradicts the Mishna quoted in the first part of this blog. Why? Because clearly the Mishna is also speaking of sapheq versus waday, a possibility versus a certainty. If we ransom a captive Jew, it is certain that he will be a captive no more. (It is also very possible that we are saving his life). Yet we are instructed by the Hakhamim not to overpay lest we encourage the evil-doers to kidnap more Jews, i.e. a possibility, even a likelihood, but not an absolute certainty. In other words, due to the likely consequences for the community of our actions, we do not give priority to the certain salvation of the individual; the collective welfare of the many outweighs the welfare of the individual. Wherever it is reasonable to assume that overpaying for a captive will have negative future consequences (see Ran on Riph, Gittin 23a) Hazal instruct us to look at the big picture. No matter how painful. Even where our refusal is likely to lead to his death (see TB Bava Bathra 8b and Rashi ad loc.; Ramban to Gittin 45a; Pithhe T’shuva YD 252:4).

The flaw in Rabbi Yoseph’s reasoning, however, runs much deeper. For even if none of the above were true, the Shalit deal would still be utterly wrong because our situation is fundamentally different from that discussed in the foregoing sources. As described in the first part of this blog, the Halakhoth pertaining to these matters were formulated not for the present-day State of Israel but for the realities of Galuth (Exile): Jewish communities, both inside and outside the Land, dealing with criminals, in a time and place where piracy for profit was commonplace and targeted any and all available victims, Jewish or gentile. For the kidnappers it was simply business; the overarching imperative was not to provide an added incentive to kidnap Jews.

Hamas, and similar organisations, on the other hand, are not businessmen. They and their sponsors are not driven by money. They are driven by Islamic blood-lust. Their express aim is to wage jihad against the Jewish people until we cease to exist as a sovereign nation in our Land, until all Jews are returned to their ‘proper’ former status of dhimmitude. Kidnapping Jews in order to achieve the release of baby killers is not a career move; it is an act of war intended to demoralise the enemy, weaken his resolve and prepare the way for his elimination.

Even the massive loss of life that will inevitably follow the wholesale reintroduction of terrorists into circulation is not the core issue here. The real question is this: How does a nation-state conduct its affairs vis-à-vis the outside world, and specifically with regards to those waging war against it?

This is not the first time Rabbi Yoseph has led many astray. Since the Six Day War, he has supported the policy of ‘land for peace’ based on the argument of piquah nephesh (saving of life). His reasoning is based on the Talmudic dictum that if a Jew is coerced to transgress the Tora or be killed, he is to choose life, with the exception of three areas: the worship of foreign gods, bloodshed and certain types of illicit sexual behaviour (TB Sanhedrin 74a). While agreeing that handing over parts of the Land to gentiles is forbidden, Rabbi Yoseph points out that this sin is not one of the three singled out by Hazal. Thus, he reasons, seeing that people die in war, it is permissible to hand over land in order to save lives.

Quite apart from the fact that only the reality challenged could actually believe that handing over land to our enemies could possibly lead to peace and saving lives, such a policy is plainly suicidal. Imagine that our enemies demand a part of our homeland, threatening war if we do not capitulate. Now assume that we acquiesce, based on Rabbi Yoseph’s logic. If our enemies have their wits about them – and they do – they will realise that they are on to something. What if months or years later, they present us with a similar demand, only this time for another piece of our homeland? According to HaRav ‘Ovadhya Yoseph’s Halakhic paradigm, we would have no choice but to fold yet again because piquah nephesh trumps everything else, right? And thus it would go until we found ourselves in the sea. Put another way: according to Rabbi Yoseph’s Halakhic system, a Jewish state, any Jewish state, is unsustainable. Valuing the lives of individuals over and above the national imperative of Klal Yisrael’s (the Jewish people’s) continued sovereign existence, capitulating to one’s sworn enemies time and again, can only lead to extinction.

The lacuna in Rabbi Yoseph’s thinking stems from a mind-set: Galuth (Exile)-Mode Judaism. GMJ focuses on the individual and the community. It is never about the nation. Why? Because in Galuth there is no nation, only a collection of scattered communities and individuals. The issues pertaining to establishing and running a sovereign Jewish state in Eress Yisrael – something we are commanded by the Tora (Sh’moth-Exodus 19:6) to do – are simply not on GMJ’s radar. It is no accident that the return of Klal Yisrael to its homeland, with all the nearly insurmountable challenges that this entailed, not to mention the long dormant aspects of Jewish life that needed resurrection and revivification, could not be and were not undertaken by Jews steeped in the ways and modalities of GMJ, but rather by Jews who by and large had broken with that system.

And so it is with Gilad Shalit type deals. GMJ Halakhic thinking gets clouded when faced with issues which are essentially beyond its ken. This is at least one of the reasons why we heard nothing from Israel’s chief rabbis. (Another, of course, is the fact that the State pays their salaries.) Nor, apparently, did the Haredi (ultra-orthodox) world and its rabbis have anything to say; experience tells us that they do not remain silent when they object to something strongly. On matters such as these, GMJ rabbis are simply out of their depth.

The antidote to GMJ is GMJ: G’ula (Redemption)-Mode Judaism (which is confusing, so we’ll refer to it here as RMJ). RMJ, or Torath Eress Yisrael (the Tora of EY) as it is sometimes called, is not a slogan. It is a very real and extremely serious business, animated by the recognition that the direction and leadership that the Jewish people need and deserve cannot be based on the Tora of the shtetl.

Make no mistake. It is a matter of life or death.

The Gilad Shalit Deal: An (Authentically) Jewish Perspective?

4 of the Eighth Month 5772

The Gilad Shalit Deal: An (Authentically) Jewish Perspective?

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim
Rosh Machon Shilo

28 of the Seventh Month 5772

"The release of convicted terrorists before they have served their full sentences seems like an easy and tempting way of defusing blackmail situations in which innocent people may lose their lives, but its utility is momentary at best. Prisoner releases only embolden terrorists by giving them the feeling that even if they are caught, their punishment will be brief. Worse, by leading terrorists to think such demands are likely to be met, they encourage precisely the terrorist blackmail they are supposed to defuse."

Binyamin Netanyahu, Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorists, 1995.

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The recent deal concluded by the Israeli government with Hamas – an Islamo-fascist terror organisation that openly declares its purpose of bringing about Israel’s demise – has served to cast in sharp relief the greatest danger facing our nation today: the appalling lack of moral clarity, wisdom and courage which characterise those who would lead us.

The malaise is not limited to the political arena; it permeates the Tora world as well. HaRav ‘Ovadhya Yoseph, spiritual mentor of Shas, supported the deal. Referring to this support, the New York Times asserted: “In an unspoken, little-noticed way, religious tradition informed a real-world decision.” In fact, nothing could be further from the truth."

Hazal (Our Sages z"l) taught that although pidhyon sh’vuyim (redeeming captives) is a misswa of inestimable importance, it is nevertheless context-sensitive.

“CAPTIVES SHOULD NOT BE REDEEMED FOR MORE THAN THEIR VALUE, FOR THE GOOD ORDER OF THE WORLD [so that the captors should not demand excessive ransoms and be motivated to kidnap Jews]. CAPTIVES SHOULD NOT BE HELPED TO ESCAPE, FOR THE GOOD ORDER OF THE WORLD [lest captors put their captives in chains and otherwise maltreat them]” (Mishna, Gittin 4:6, TB 45a).

It is often said that prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. This is only half true, referring, as it does, to women. One of the most time-honoured professions among the males of our species is kidnapping. “We find kidnapping widely practiced in the ancient world” (The Encyclopedia of Kidnappings, Micheal Newton, p. 156). “The practice of kidnapping… has been known since the beginnings of history. It was common as a method for procuring slaves, and it has also been employed by brigands and revolutionaries to obtain money through ransom…”. Julius Caesar was captured by pirates near the island of Pharmacusa, and held until a ransom of 5o talents was paid. According to Plutarch, the pirates originally demanded 20 talents, but Caesar felt he was worth more. (Upon being freed he returned to the island, captured the pirates and their loot, and crucified them – a fate with which he had threatened the incredulous pirates during his captivity. Might there be a lesson for us there?)

The case of Julius Ceasar is instructive; it explains what was meant by not redeeming “for more than their value”. In those times, kidnapping for ransom was a boom industry, and just like its sister profession till this day, there was ‘a going rate’, calculated progressively according to status, wealth etc. This, then, was the historical and sociological context of the Mishna.

Jewish communities all over the world frequently found themselves dealing with pirates or brigands demanding ransom for Jewish captives; redeeming fellow Jews was considered the highest form of ss’dhaqa (charity). The knowledge that Jewish communities – due to their ingrained rahmanuth(mercy, compassion) (see B’midhbar Raba, Naso, 8:4 and Rambam’s MT Isure Biya 19:17) and solidarity with their fellow Jews – could be counted on to pay ransoms at many times the going rate would have provided a tremendous incentive to those ‘in the industry’ to redouble their efforts to take Jewish captives.

Overpaying for Jewish captives was clearly a self-defeating policy. So why did Hazal need to formulate this Halakha? Was this conclusion not self-evident? Hazal were compelled to make such a pronouncement precisely because rahmanuth is one of our essential traits, so much so that we often cannot help ourselves even when we should know better.

Is it possible that this Halakha will sometimes result in a Jew languishing in captivity or being put to death? Of course it is possible. In fact it is likely. But Hazal understood what our present, unworthy leaders do not: our actions in the real world must be governed by rational deliberation based on objective realities, not feel-good soppiness.

Was the price tag for Shalit’s release – the release of 1,027 terrorists, many of whom murdered Israeli and foreign civilians including babies and children – “for more than his value”? I shall answer with a question: Can anyone point to the conclusion of a similar deal with terrorists by any other nation?

This dishonourable and immoral deal can only encourage our enemies to attempt similar abductions in the future. Far from being based on religious tradition, Netanyahu’s shameful deal sets at naught the wisdom, experience and explicit instruction of our Sages.

On these grounds alone, this ignominious capitulation to naked evil must be condemned.

Some will ask: Is Rabbi ‘Ovadhya Yoseph unaware of these sources?

I shall address this question, with HASHEM’s help, in the coming installment.

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The Gilad Shalit Deal, Part 2: Galuth-Mode Judaism vs. G’ula-Mode Judaism or Why Rabbi ‘Ovadhya Yoseph Is Dead Wrong… Again

Top Ten Words and Phrases of תשע"א/5771

Erev Shabbath Qodesh Parashath No'ah 5772

The compiling of the long-awaited, and VERY tardy, Top Ten Words And Phrase of תשע"א/5771 has finally been completed.

The annual list of Esser Agaroth's Top Ten Words And Phrases has been around since תשס"ד/5764. The top Ten Words List includes words which have been overused, underused, or significant to the universe in one way or another. The links below indicate previous posts which have addressed, or have attempted to address, the issue. Those words which are not linked? Stay tuned for some good ol' fashioned smacking of those who need to be smacked from Esser Agaroth during תשע"ב/5772! (click the link above for past years' lists)

This year's list is dedicated to Efraim HaKohen in Jerusalem. Please let him know.

10. Coffee - Self-explanatory.

9. Rabbi – Many of you know that I try to stay far away from "rabbis," and stay close to Hakhamim. Yes, there is most certainly a difference! I especially try to stay far away from those calling themselves "rabbis" who have allowed themselves to be influenced by those from whom they have received salaries or donations (eg. The State, Government of Norway, Christians, etc.).

8. Nakba/Intifada – These words do not even deserve their own entry. These contrivances from the Pseudostians (Honorable Mention goes to Batya @ Shiloh Musings for the addition of this word to our vocabulary!), under the manipulative hands of the European "High Left," must be from ejected from our vocabulary.

7. The State – Doesn't that sound like the title of a good ol' fashioned dystopian novel? Well, sometimes living in Israel can feel that way. Check out what fellow blogger Ariel at The Torah Revolution thinks about The State, keeping in mind that he believes that Jews must come back home to the Land of Israel to re-settle it, unlike Neturei Karta types.

6. צדק חברתי/Social Justice – How this concept has been expressed, both recently in Israel, and years ago in the U. S. is neither "social" nor "justice." Discuss amongst yourselves.

5. Shimon HaTzadiq - 'Nuff said.

4. Christian Friends - The most effective way for me to express my feelings on this phrase would be in the traditional fashion of the San Fernando Valley, in the 1980's: "Like, gag with a spoon!"

3. 1,000's of Arab Terrorists - Yeah! Let's hear it for the Arabs Terrorists יש"ו! (eyes rolling) May they all get what they really deserve! (May their names and memories be blotted out!)

2. רכבת קלה/Light Rail – As a Jerusalemite, and as a Jerusalemite who benefits a great deal from our new light rail system, the…had to be on this year's list! Stay tuned for Esser Agaroth on the…

1. Gil'ad Shalit – How could I not put Gil'ad in the No. 1 spot?

Well, that's a wrap for 5771!

Have a great 5772, and make sure to pay attention to those catchy words and phrases!

Swedish Anarchists Deface Sukkah In Shimon Hatzaddik

27 of the Seventh Month 5772

Remember the sukkah I visited for a barbecue in the Shimon HaTzadiq neighborhood of Jerusalem?

That sukkah was vandalized.

From the Kalashnokover Rebbe...

Swedish anarchists defaced the Sukkah in Shimon Hatzaddik and were arrested by Police - אנרכיסטים שווידים חללו את הסוכה בשכונת שמעון הצדיק ונעצרו ע''י המשטרה

Personally, I agree that we should "stop the occupation."

אני מסכים - די לכיבוש

Stop the Arab occupation of Jewish houses!

די לכיבוש הערבי!

Stop the Arab occupation of the Land with gave to Ya'aqov (Jews), and not to Yishma'el (Arabs), and certainly not to Esau (Euro. Left AND Right-wing Christians).

To deny this, is to deny the very validity of the Torah. None of this... "Well, it depends on what you mean by Torah." crap. "Torah" means both Written AND Oral Torah, sans denial and distortions.

As politically-incorrect as that sounds, limiting the Land to a specific people, I refuse to allow the truth to be silenced.

Saudia Arabia does it.

The Palestinian Authority will no doubt do it, when some Jews decide to stick around irregardless of what the Israeli Government decides or does not decide.

Believe you me. Some of them us WILL stick around.

But, in the eyes of the so called "International Community," that's OK. After all, we are only Jews, and who the hell are we to believe in the Torah, and who the hell are we to dare expect to possess a tiny strip of Land, and call it home?!

And our brethren on the Left have this insane idea that even if we wanted to slice and dice the Land of Israel, that we could dish it out to not non-Jews.

We can't. It's not ours to give away!

Didn't anyone take the opportunity to read Rash"i's first comments on the Torah last week?

We do what we our supposed to do, follow the Torah, fight for the Land (among other things), and then HaShem decides which pieces fall into which hands, just like in תשכ"ז/1967, תש"ח/1948, and תשל"א/1973.

Even in תש"נ/1948, we made it all the way to the Litani River in what is now Lebanon, which according to many authorities is the northern border of the territories of Asher and Naftali.

Then in typical Erev Rav fashion, we handed it over to Arabs, just like the Sinai, the Temple Mount, Yericho, Hevron, Ramallah, Azza, etc.

I refuse to allow the truth to be distorted, by the left OR the right.

The response to the vandalism in the Shimon HaTzadiq neighborhood appeared to be the same. They expressed it by "fixing" the graffiti.

Haveil Havalim #335 Is Up!

25 of the Seventh Month 5772

Haveil Havalim #335 is up at The Rebbetzin's Husband.

It's the Gilad Is Free! edition.

Sukkoth In The Shimon HaTzadiq Neighborhood

Motza'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parashath Bereishith 5772

During Hol HaMo'ed Sukkoth, I went to a barbecue at a friend's place in the Shimon HaTzadiq neighborhood. The Shimon HaTzadiq neighborhood is located on the eastern side of Highway 1 in Jerusalem.

It was a lot fun, meeting old friends and new, as well as seeing the dog I helped raise, when I lived in K'far Tapu'ah (see photo below). Hot dogs, Kabob, and chicken were on the menu, along with singing and Torah in the sukkah.



During tefillath minhah, as the repetition of prayer began, Arab children came over to peak onto the property, and started making noise. Their mother came over, and joined in. Other Arabs began screaming, including very unpleasant things about God, surprisingly.

A few of us who had already prayed went out to investigate, and discovered several Norwegian Leftists inciting the Arabs against us. Esau and Yishma'el working together; Esau manipulating wild and idiotic Yishma'el, actually.

Women stood in front of the entrance to the property, knowing full well that it is forbidden for Jewish men to pray in the presence of women, especially how these women were dressed. One even trespassed on to the property, sat in back of our sukkah, texting to her heart's content, throughout the entire evening. We just ignored her, as she ended up sitting within the [supposed] property of one of the Arab neighbors.

The Norwegian Leftists' complaint was that we Jews were occupying "Palestinian" lands.

This demonstrated how truly ignorant AND Jew-hating these Europeans (Esau) are. Jewish have simply been reclaiming property which they had lost during the Israeli War of Independence.

Who is "occupying" whose land and homes???

After the fall of Sadam Hussein in Iraq, Iraqi citizens filed for reclamation of lost property, which had been confiscated or lost, due to the need to run for their lives. Doesn't anyone remember how Jews were singled out, and denied these rights? Did any Jews have Iraqi citizenship restored or property returned? For certain, they did not receive the minority status granted to other ethnic groups in Iraq. Yet, Jews have had a presence in Iraq for over 2,000 years.

Esau and Yishma'el treat us the same way here in our own homeland, while we continue to let them, and everyone else, to step all over us.

Irregardless of the light drama which played out, I had a nice time, and hope to go back sometime. The irony is that this neighborhood even has its own light rail station. As "occupations" go (eyes rolling), this one has a tremendous amount of mainstream support.

Now that I think about it, I wonder why we did not "release the hounds." Besides Shiksa, there was one other Belgian Shepherd available for Arab and Leftist chasing duty. I guess that even "right-wing fanatics" (eyes rolling) know when to choose their our shots. Go figure....

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Here is a video (Hebrew) of Yehonatan "Yoni" Yosef giving a guided tour through the neighborhood, lecturing on the rich history of this neighborhood. His grandfather, former Chief Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef celebrated becoming bar-mitzvah in this neighborhood, and was the ba'al qore' (Torah reader) there for several years.

The Jewish presence and history of this neighborhood begins thousands of years ago, and only had a short break from 1949 to 1967, when the armistice line was set, separating Jews from from there homes there.

The compositions of his tour groups are usually more mixed, Haredi, Religious Zionist, and and secular, all interested in the history and current activity of the Shimon HaTzadiq neighborhood.

סיור מודרך בשכונת שמעון הצדיק - לשעבר שייח ג'ראח


Below are some articles covering the Shimon HaTzadiq neighborhood, interspersed with my comments in blue italics.




JPost.com: The Guard Dogs Of East Jerusalem

Benjamin Spier, January 27, 2011

Meet Shiksa, one of dozens of canines sent to guard in West Bank settlements, dangerous neighborhoods.

In an east Jerusalem neighborhood where tensions between Arabs and Jews run high, sometimes a dog is needed to keep the peace.

Yaakov Fauci lives with his Belgian Shepard 'Shiksa' in one of the few Jewish houses of an almost entirely Arab neighborhood.

Israel’s Best Friend sends dogs like Shiksa to settlements in the West Bank and to Jewish homes in dangerous neighborhoods of east Jerusalem.

YNET: 13 Jewish Homes Approved In Sheikh Jarrah

Construction plans drawn up 'with sole aim of creating trouble,' says Meretz councilman, but head of Israel Land Fund argues, 'Arabs should thank Jews for letting them stay free of charge on land that belongs to them'

Ronen Medzini, February 7, 2011

Jerusalem Municipality approved 13 new housing units for Jews in Sheikh Jarrah on Monday, a move expected to further exacerbate tension in the Arab neighborhood.

The local planning and construction committee approved two separate plans for buildings to be erected near the tomb of Shimon Hatzadik.

The approval provides a recommendation for the Interior Ministry, which will decide whether to give the final green light.

Sheikh Jarrah has become a focal point of conflict between left-wing activists and Arab residents, and the dozens of Jews who reside there in 10 different houses.

(What Arabs call "Sheikh Jarrah" is actually farther north. What Arabs call "Wadi Joz" is to the east.)

The latter moved in on a court order which evicted the Arab residents from their homes. Aside from the approved 13, sources in the municipality said plans were in the works for hundreds of new homes.

"I imagine that within 5-10 years some 200 homes for Jews will be built in this area," Arieh King, the chairman of the Israel Land Fund, told Ynet.

"These are lands that belonged to Jews before the establishment of the state, and after 63 years they have been returned to the heirs. The Arabs that lived here illegally throughout these years should thank the Jews who let them stay for free, and now it's time for the Jews to actualize their rights to this place."

The municipality's Likud representative, Attorney Elisha Peleg, said anyone who rejected Jews' rights to build in east Jerusalem was engaging in discrimination.

"I hope as many Jewish neighborhoods as possible are built in east Jerusalem," he told Ynet, adding that the plans were drawn up by private companies and have nothing to do with the state.

"The lots are being built on illegally and invaded by Arabs right now and in the future, when we receive building permits, they will be asked to leave."

But Meretz Councilman Yosef (Pepe) Alalo said the new plans were destroying the status-quo. "Aside from the fact that the plans arrived insufficiently prepared, they are certainly improper and are entirely aimed at causing trouble," he said.

(Since when is returning property to its rightful owners "improper" and "aimed at causing trouble?")

"The plans were made in order to harm agreements by which Palestinian neighborhoods will be transferred to the future state of Palestine while Jewish neighborhoods remain in Israel. These plans destroy our final hope and have no regard for the fact that the families living in the homes will be thrown out onto the street."

(Well, I guess they should of thought about that, before squatting on Jewish property without permission, huh?)

Jerusalem Municipality stated in response that the plans were private and therefore the construction committee was charged only with checking the aspects related to technical planning, not the religion or nationality of the planners.