Kvelling Avigdor And Grinning Bibi

 ערב שבת קודש פר' וארא
ערב ראש החודש האחד עשר תשע"ג

Israels' Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman (Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu) with his granddaughter

הגן של נכדתי הגיע למשכן הכנסת במסגרת פרוייקט ביקור של גני ילדים במקום. אין ספק, לקבל באמצע יום עבודה חיבוק כזה מהנכדה, מעניק רגעים גדולים של אושר. 

My granddaughter's Kindergarten visited the K'nesseth as part of a project.  Without a doubt, getting a hug like this from a granddaughter in the middle of a workday gives me great moments of happiness.

Prearranged photo opportunity?

Maybe.  But, it's still clever, even cleverer that Tzippy Livni's attempt to have parents identify with her having a son in the IDF, and on the the front lines.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu) has snowball fights with his family, in yet another shameless photo opportunity precious, family moment captured on film.

Too bad it's a month too late.  This could have made the cover of a great Christmas Hanukkah card.

Jews, Arabs, Chuck Hagel, And Snow

ערב שבת קודש פר' וארא
ערב ראש החודש האחד עשר תשע"ג

While the nationalist Otzmah leYisrael political party was taking advantage of the snow, by having a Snowman Making Contest, what were Jerusalem Arabs doing? 

Building snow rockets, near the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

(Tip Credit: Elder Of Ziyon)

Hagel, apparently whispering sweet nothings into the president's ear.

Former Senator and President Obama's choice for Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (R-NE) might say that this was just a symptom of their "oppression," a perfect example of a Westerner trying to hammer an Arab peg into a Western hole.  It doesn't fit.

Yet the denial of the true Yishma'eli (Arab) nature, mentality, and culture, continues.  The Western attitude that its culture is superior to all others on this planet prevents the West from seeing the truth, and from accepting the reality of the Yishma'eli nature and role on this earth.

The Yishma'elim lie, they steal, they are violent for no reason.  Just look at the Tana"kh (Bible).   

They are also sexually violent.  Is their an excuse sexual violence?

The true Yishma'eli nature is expressed even in the snow.  Mothers believing that their primary goal is to impart jihad values to their children, and to encourage them to become martyrs.  The snow rocket is more than representative of the Yishma'eli desire to see the complete destruction of Israel.

That either makes Hagel prey to Yishma'eli lies, or a collaborator. 

Hagel: Terrorists Attack because they lack hope. Defense Nominee Claims Palestinians ‘Chained Down Many, Many Years’

Aaron Klein, January 10, 2013

JERUSALEM — Terrorism is not a belief but instead is a response to despair and a lack of hope, argued Chuck Hagel in unreported remarks during a 2007 senate hearing.

“But when people have no hope, when there’s despair, little else matters,” said Hagel.

He continued: “And this is not about terrorists don’t like freedom. Tell that to the Palestinian people who have been chained down for many, many years. Terrorism is not a strategy, it’s a tactic.

Terrorism is not a plan. It’s not a belief like democracy or monarchy. It’s a tactic.” Hagel was speaking during a January 24, 2007 Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on Iraq.

His comments were captured in this CSPAN video.

Hagel’s views on terrorism are not abnormal for the Obama administration.

John Brennan, President Obama’s counterterror adviser, once defined them term jihad as to “purify oneself or to wage a holy struggle for a moral goal.”

Brennan is now Obama’s pick to head the CIA. (cont.)

Jerusalem In The Snow

ערב שבת קודש פר' וארא
ערב ראש החודש האחד עשר תשע"ג

The city started shutting down yesterday afternoon, on orders of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barakat. I must admit that it was probably a good idea, cutting down on traffic accidents, and possibly saving money in the long run.  Those who saw the snow come and go yesterday, never sticking to the ground are probacbly now appreciative of theis move on the mayor's part.

Unlike New York, Chicago, The occurrence of snow in the Holy City is so rare that is does not pay to invest in the equipment and people power necessary to keep the city open.  Although I have been told that the City does own six snow plows, in addition to plows which can be attached to almost any vehicle.

Many of us got the day off, given the option to work from home, or even told that they had no option, and had to work from home.

My buddy and neighbor Yitzchok Meir (Isaac Shiraz), founder of The Jewish Unity Project and Thank Israeli Soldiers, created this video, showing the rare and unusually large amount of snowfall in Jerusalem this morning.

Jerusalem Snow Day 2013 from Y Meir Malek on Vimeo.
Here's the comment I left...

Cute and well-done video, with great message. But, I'm a SUN Diegan with snow-phobia and tanorexia. Shabbos shopping was done yesterday, so b'li neder, I ain't leaving the house till the amount of white decreases by at least 80%.

My mother often tells me how much I would like Eilat, being so much like "home."  That's home, as in San Diego.  I like to travel.  But, after making my home in Israel over 15 years ago, I still have yet to make it down there.

My mother also reminds me how affected I was in the dark of winter, even during the mild, San Diego winters.

I now make my home in Jerusalem, but not for the weather.   I make my home in Jerusalem, for the people, the atmosphere, and the outlook on life, which differs sharply from other parts of Israel, particularly fellow big city Tel-Aviv.

All around Israel we need the precipitation, of any kind.  I am grateful for that which we get.

Yet, in the back of my mind, there reside visions of sunny Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, the sunset sitting on the top of La Jolla Cove, and the relaxing, dry heat of the California-Arizona Dessert, not to mention the number , the number 80, the number of days left from today until the official start of spring.

As I often explain to people, I make my home in Jerusalem, but not because of the weather.

As the saying goes, "אין כמו ירשלים"

There is nothing like Jerusalem!

תהילים פרק קמז

יב  שַׁבְּחִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם, אֶת-יְהוָה;    הַלְלִי אֱלֹהַיִךְ צִיּוֹן.
יג  כִּי-חִזַּק, בְּרִיחֵי שְׁעָרָיִךְ;    בֵּרַךְ בָּנַיִךְ בְּקִרְבֵּךְ.
יד  הַשָּׂם-גְּבוּלֵךְ שָׁלוֹם;    חֵלֶב חִטִּים, יַשְׂבִּיעֵךְ.
טו  הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אִמְרָתוֹ אָרֶץ;    עַד-מְהֵרָה, יָרוּץ דְּבָרוֹ.
טז  הַנֹּתֵן שֶׁלֶג כַּצָּמֶר;    כְּפוֹר, כָּאֵפֶר יְפַזֵּר.
יז  מַשְׁלִיךְ קַרְחוֹ כְפִתִּים;    לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֹ, מִי יַעֲמֹד.
יח  יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיַמְסֵם;    יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ, יִזְּלוּ-מָיִם.
יט  מַגִּיד דְּבָרָו לְיַעֲקֹב;    חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו, לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
כ  לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן, לְכָל-גּוֹי--    וּמִשְׁפָּטִים בַּל-יְדָעוּם:
הַלְלוּ-יָהּ.

Psalms 147
12 Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
13 For He has made strong the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within thee.
14 He makes your borders peace; He gives you in plenty the fat of wheat.
15 He sends out His commandment upon earth; His word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the hoar-frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends forth His word, and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters to flow.
19 He declares His word to Ya'aqov, His statutes and His ordinances to Yisra'el.
20 He has not dealt so with any nation; and as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Hallelujah.

*********

*Tanorexia - The belief that one is never tan enough; the need to be tan in order to feel right, complete, or accepted by others.

The Wheel Of Time: A Bittersweet Ending

כ"ו לחודש העשירי תשע"ג

A Memory Of Light Cover

January 8, 2013 is the official release date of the fifteenth, and final, book in Robert Jordan's The Wheel Of Time series.  The title is A Memory Of Light (#14).  It is known as Book #14, as the prequel to Book #1, A New Spring, is considered Book #0. 

Jordan died while in the middle of Book #12, what was to be the last book.  Jordan's widow sought someone to complete the series, using her late husband's notes, including his outline for the ending.  Due to the large amount of material, the last book turned into the last three books.

The author, and The Wheel Of Time fan, she found for this endeavor was Brandon Sanderson.

A friend of mine bought a copy in a Jerusalem bookstore back in December.  Before anyone starts yelling "Zionist conspiracy," I will say that many people around the world were able to obtain pre-release date copies, often under the the condition that they not reveal any of the content until after January 8, or something like that.

To my good fortune, he finished it rather quickly, and lent it to me.  Of the 909 pages, I'm on page 174.  Although there is no comparison between the writing, in particular the dialogue, of Sanderson and Jordan, all Wheel Of Time fans have been waiting with baited breath for the continuation of the plot, and various subplot lines, and well as the answers to countless, unanswered questions, elements to which Sanderson does do justice.

In a nutshell, The Wheel Of Time series could be described as something of a Lord Of The Rings.  Yet, instead of three sets of characters set on three different stages, and engineering three parts of the plot simultaneously, there can be up to seven or eight, simultaneously occurring stages of interacting characters.

In addition, one minor character might appear in Book #3, disappear in Book #4, and the re-appear in Book #8, only to be raised in status from minor to major character.  So difficult is it to keep track of the characters and plot at times, the on-line WOT Encyclopedia have become a necessity, rather than a complement to the series.

When I finish Book #14, it will be bittersweet.  I have been told that almost all of my questions will be answered, yet no longer will I be able to look forward to what happens next, as there will not be anymore "next."

I recommend the Wheel Of Time Series to any fantasy lover, and to anyone enamored by the sword fights and magic, like those in the Arthurian legends.

Israel's Sha"S Party Hits New Low

כ"ה לחודש העשירי תשע"ג

(Click to enlarge)

Various portions of the avodah zarah (forbidden worship) in the photo have been blacked out.

אריה קינג (מפלגת עוצמה לישראל): "אריה דרעי במצוקה לאור זליגת הקולות מש"ס לעוצמה לישראל, לאור זאת הוא הלך לחפש מצביעים שמעוניינים להחזיר עטרה ליושנה...בכנסייה, בסיוע כומר מקומי.

 "תודה לאנשי המטה החרדי בעוצמה לישראל על עבודת הקודש שלהם. תמשיכו כך!"

Aryeh King (Otzmah leYisra'el Party): Aryeh Deri (far left) at of risk losing votes from his Sha"S Party to the Otzmah leYisra'el Party. In light of this, he went to look for voters who are interested in returning their former glory to the church, with the aid of a local priest.

Thanks go out to Haredi officials for their holy work. Keep it up!

Pardon my naivete, but I was actually surprised when I saw this photo. Sha"S is one of the few religious groups, along with Hassidei Gur, which actually seems to understand the dangers of Christian missionaries. Massive rallies are held in Tel-Aviv arenas, and fights are not shied away from, when encountering these nasty people.

Apparently, though, no one bothered to tell Aryeh Deri, or rather, they did not bother to education themselves, regarding that there is no difference between "these Christians" and "those Christians."

I do not recognize this particular oved avodah zarah's (practitioner of foreign worship) flavor, except that he is "orthodox."  The decorations (upper right) are certainly indicative of their avodah zarah, winter holiday season.

I will still try to give Aryeh Deri and his Sha"S Party the benefit of the doubt, and assume they were not actually participating, an act which is forbidden (Ramba"m, Hil. A"Z 9:4).  That these Jews were there at all there is still a very troubling, even more so, as they were seated in apparent places of honor.

Sha"S also appears to be ignorant of the fact that both the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches have been engaged in land grabs for quite sometime now, aided, no less, by various Israeli government officials.

One Greek Orthodox Bishop was even scolded (or worse) for doing to the opposite, by selling off some of their church's property to a Jew.

Unfortunately, I do not know just how many people will see this photo, Aryeh King posted on Facebook, and of those who do, how many will actually be moved by it.

Too many Israelis (including Anglo-Israelis) are either too numbed out, grasping for straws of help from any non-Jew, already seduced and completely taken in by Christian money, or all of the above.

And, thus I will have to say that although I hope that Aryeh King's statement above will come to fruition, and that Sha"S will lose votes to the Otzmah le'Yisra'el (Power To Israel) Party, I am not optimistic.

Egypt: Six Of One Arab, Half A Dozen Of Another

כ"ה לחושד העשירי תשע"ג

Arutz 7: Egypt's Islamic Jihad: Jews Deserve to be Killed 
The Islamic Jihad terrorist group vows to fight Jews if they return to Egypt in the wake of remarks by Muslim Brotherhood official.

Elad Benari, January 4, 2013

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo Members of the Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo Reuters The Islamic Jihad terrorist group has vowed to fight Jews if they return to Egypt, saying they deserve to be killed, the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Thursday.

The Islamic Jihad called on the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party’s Essam al-Erian to resign from his role as advisor to the president and apologize to the Egyptian people for his statement asking Egyptian Jews to leave Israel and reclaim their properties back at home.

Last week, Erian caused a storm in Egypt when he said during a television interview that "it is better for Jews to live in a country like Egypt rather than in a country contaminated by occupation." (cont.)

Esser Agaroth Commentary

Muslim Brotherhood Official: Let's lure the Jews back to Egypt, and killed them here.

Islamic Jihad: No. Let the Jews stay in Israel. We'll kill them there [in Israel], and keep the property we stole from them here [in Egypt].

Six of one. Half a dozen of another.

Focus On The Western Wall

כ"א לחודש העשירי תשע"ג

The Kothel (Western Wall/Wailing Wall)

Esser Agaroth (2¢) commentary is in blue italics.

YNET: Zealotry Threatens Western Wall
Op-ed: Liberal, conservative fanatics trying to turn Jerusalem holy site into ideological battleground

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, January 1, 2013

Over the past few years, I have been under two simultaneous attacks: The conservative zealous camp is attacking me over the fact that I actively support bringing thousands of students and soldiers to the Western Wall, while the liberal zealous camp criticizes my firm stance against the attempts by members of the Women of the Wall group to undermine the Supreme Court's ruling, which upheld a government ban on women wearing tefillin or tallit prayer shawls, or reading from a Torah scroll at the Western Wall.

Both of these groups ask – in the name of religious tolerance – that I "take their feelings into consideration." One group urges me to avoid bringing non-religious groups to the Kotel, while the other wants me to allow its members to conduct controversial and unusual ceremonies at the holy site. In the name of tolerance, they are asking that I allow them to turn the Western Wall - maybe the only place that still unites all Jews – into an ideological battlefield. (cont.)

Rabbi Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall, writes an interesting piece, in particular his conclusion...

This is how fanaticism operates. It asks for protection in the name of tolerance, then thrives and flourishes until it becomes too late to stop the devastation it brings on us all.

Meanwhile, while supposed Jewish women are making a political statement at the Kothel, the Western or "Wailing" Wall in English, another Jew attempts to honor The Almighty and his religious heritage, making a point not to cheapen his actions by turning them into a political statement.

Moshe Feiglin on Detention for Bowing on Temple Mount

As I do on the 19th of every Hebrew month, this morning I ascended to the Temple Mount. At a certain point, I bowed down to my G-d at this holy place. I did not do this as a provocation. In fact, it was only the plain-clothes policeman following me that noticed my actions.

Moshe Feiglin

I was detained for questioning and informed the investigator that I would give him any information that he needed, but that I would not cooperate in any way with the unfortunate police policy of infringing on the liberties of those questioned unnecessarily. I told him that I would not post bond, give fingerprints, be photographed for a mug shot or the like as a condition for my release. "If you think that I am dangerous to the public or that I will get away from you in the future, you are welcome to arrest me indefinitely. If you do not think that this is the case, release me at the end of the investigation. It is permissible only for the court to rescind an individual's liberty - not for the police."

Ultimately, I was released with no restrictions. This is an important victory in the struggle for human rights in Israel. I am not at all surprised by the fact that this message of liberty for the citizens of Israel has been heralded by merit of our connection to the Temple Mount and the site of the Holy Temple. We are all servants of the King of the world, Whose Divine Presence rests at this place. We are subservient to no one else, for we already have a King.

(Tip Credit: Rafi Farber of Settlers Of Samaria)

Unfortunately, for us all of us, the focus is on a wall, on not on the Miqdash (Temple), which must be rebuilt, nor on the Mount upon which it must be rebuilt.

I do not believe that it is wrong from Rabbi Rabinowitz to connect soldiers and tourists to their, using the Kothel as tool to that end.  However, I believe that it is wrong to ignore, deny, or otherwise mislead Jews into thinking that the Kothel is the be all, or end all of Jewish historical significance.

It is not.

Those of us like Moshe Feiglin attempting to redirect the focus of the Jewish People toward the proper place, are followed by undercover police officers, detained, and otherwise harassed.

Unfortunately, this is but one of several examples of the Galuth (Diasporah) mentality, the "wait for Mashi'ah to come and do everything" mentality.

Let me tell you.  When the Mashi'ah (Messiah) does arrive, my guess is that he will want to know why he has to do all of the work, which should have been started well before his arrival.

What's wrong with this picture?

Separated At Birth: Hanan Ashrawi/Divine

כ"א לחודש העשירי תשע"ג

As I was digging around cesspools for photos for my Hags 'R Us piece, I came across a picture of terrorism-suborner extraordinaire Hanan Ashwari.

"Hmm...," I thought to myself, "She looks awfully familiar,...and not from the news either."

Then it dawned on me!

Hanan Ashwari looks just like world renowned singer, actor/ess, drag performer H. Glenn Milstead, AKA "Divine."

Here s/he is next to Hanan Ashrawi, in full costume and make-up from the 1972, John Waters cult classic, and "exercise in poor taste," "Pink Flamingos."

Left to Right: Hanan Ashrawi, Divine

Am I wrong?  Or is the resemblance uncanny?  All Hanan needs is a little make-up.

One final note: My deep apologies to female impersonator Divine's family for comparing her to such a vile individual as Hanan Ashwari.

It gave me no pleasure in doing so.

Hags 'R Us

כ"א לחודש העשירי תשע"ג

Helen Thomas, Hag receiving some "palestinian" prize or what not, obviously for her "objective journalistic presentation of the facts." (eyes rolling)

Now, my experience with hags is that they are not this attractive. Microsoft Paint has its limitations, I suppose.

Maybe she looks more like a gnome.  I'm not sure.

Wicked witches are evil.  Hags are the result of the evil fully taking hold, and getting the best of them, and completely deteriorating their brains into total dementia.

Dorit Beinish and Hillary Clinton are just wicked witches; Helen Thomas is a hag.

Ridiculous! Samaria Resident Accused Of ESPIONAGE

כ"א לחודש העשירי תשע"ג

Esser Agaroth (2¢) commentary is in blue italics.

Arutz 7: Wife of 'Samaria Spy': The Right has Abandoned Us 
The wife of a man sentenced to jail for anti-demolition protests laments the lack of support from the right, rabbis.

Maayana Miskin, December 28, 2012

The wife of one of several Jewish men from Samaria (Shomron) sent to jail for warning outpost residents of impending expulsions told Arutz Sheva that the lack of support from the political right and religious world has been painful.

"I'm appalled that everyone is pleased about the plea bargain," said Ayelet Hashachar Cohen. "I'm appalled that everyone is silent. On the Right, nobody is standing up against this."

I DO sympathize with the HaCohen Family.  But, I am afraid I must say that if anything positive comes out of their experiences, it will be to help their fellow residents of Yehudah and the Shomron (Judea & Samaria) to wake up and smell the coffee.

She defended her husband, Akiva, and his friends, who were charged with illegally collecting military information, after having originally been accused of espionage. "All they wanted was to tell other people that they were going to be expelled from their homes, so that they wouldn't drag them out naked in the middle of the night," she said.

Sounds reasonable enough, doesn't it?  Unfortunately, the Israeli government does not share this opinion.  And, apparently, Akiva and Ayelet HaShahar HaCohen do not understand that such an act is considered to be an act of defiance against the will of the government.  They also do not appear to realize that the Israeli government's troops will not have any qualms about pulling these Jews out of their homes naked anyway.  Any act on Akiva HaCohen's part would, at best, prepare these Jews for the inevitable.

"They connected it to 'price tag' and turned us into extremists," she continued. "Unfortunately, the left-wing media has reached our community as well, and that hurts. Nobody stood behind us.

First of all, this blogger is still suspicious of the origins of the so-called תג מחיר "Price Tag" group.  Second, I am concerned that Ayelet HaShahar HaCohen feels compelled to distance herself from so-called extremists, especially in that she and her husband live in the ideologically oriented town of Yitzhar.  For now, she will receive the benefit of the doubt.

"This was about comradery, about helping our brothers. Anyone who has been evicted or seen their home destroyed knows how much it hurts. So my husband and his friends wanted to know when the expulsions would be, that's all. People see me in the street and tell me we are guilty of spying, it's simply shameful what is happening here."

Akiva Hacohen and others were given administrative orders in 2011, which effectively split them from their families. He was jailed shortly before his wife gave birth to the couple's fifth child, then sentenced to house arrest for months, with limits that left him unable to run the family business.

This type of action has becoming increasing typical of our "lovely," Israeli government.

The family ultimately agreed to the plea bargain after despairing of a better outcome, Ayelet Hacohen explained. "We knew the truth wouldn't come to light [in court]. So in order to stop our suffering, we agreed to go with the known outcome."

So, basically, even though Akiva HaCohen was innocent, they decided to cut to the punch, and get the whole process over with, because they already knew the outcome anyway.  An attorney told them, or friends with experience told them, or perhaps the line was laid down by a representative of the powers that be.  Pretty sad.

Attorney Adi Kedar, who represented Hacohen and four others, told Arutz Sheva that the plea bargain was a painful compromise. It was not a satisfying resolution, he said, but it highlighted the absurdity of the prosecution's approach.

I am really not trying to be mean, when I say that the HaCohens come off in this piece as being very naive.

When the residents of Azza, which includes Gush Qatif, were thrown out of there homes, seven and a half years ago, and their land was handed over to Arabs, their were in such denial in the form of disbelief

It is way passed the time to wake up from our numbed-out state of blind trust in the Israeli Government.

Let Jews never again be in shock when they (חו"ח) gets kicked out of their homes.

Better yet, let Jews never again be kicked out of their homes.