Christian Hutzpah!

24 of the Eighth Month 5771

Last Thursday at around 9:45 PM in Jerusalem, a Haredi man confronted a group of Christians from North America. They were walking up from the Old City toward Yaffo Street. Their paths met at the corner of King George and Ramba”n Streets.

The Jew told one of the women to tuck her cross, a three inch, golden cross, into her blouse, as it was offensive for her to walk around with such a symbol of idolatry in the City of Jerusalem.

Her response was to get into his face, and say that it was not a cross, but a crucifix (cross with Yoshke’s graven image), and that they can do whatever they want as they are on a pilgrimage, and are in the majority.

The Jew was puzzled, and asked, “How are you in the majority?”

The woman responded, “…in the majority, here.”

A man from the group then came up behind the Jew, and put him into a full Nelson. Fortunately, the Jew was able to get loose, fight back, and get away.

Personally, I believe he should have gone farther. But Kol HaKavod to his taking action, and not standing idly by.

The truth is that Christian tourists, particularly those overstaying their visas, are becoming increasingly hutzpahdik.

And frustratingly, Jews are increasingly oblivious to their true intentions and threat of Christians visiting, and residing in Israel, as well as those who send money to Israel.

They are fooled by their smiles, their declarations of friendship and support for Israel, and ...their money.

Response to HaEtzni’s "Revenge Attacks On Arabs Are Crazy"

19 of the Eighth Month 5771

The following is a response to former MK Elyakim HaEtzni’s statement that Revenge Attacks On Arabs [Are] “Crazy.”

Gil Ronen, 19 Marheshwan 5771/October 25, 1020

(Israel National News) Kiryat Arba resident and prominent nationalist spokesman Attorney Elyakim Ha'etzni spoke out on national TV Monday against the so-called “price tag” raids that were allegedly carried out by Jews against Arabs in Judea and Samaria. There is no proof that this is what occurred, however..

Ha'etzni, a former Knesset Member for the now-defunct nationalist Techiya Party, told Channel 10 news that the people who carry out such raids are “madmen.” (Read more…)

I guess I'm just frustrated with anyone who his thinks he "has THE answer," without including Torah. (sigh) And, yeah, I know I'm just talking to a wall when I make such comments. I know more than a few sane rabbanim who make the argument that burning Mosques and that like is not a good strategy, not helpful, etc., and can back up their statements. I am certainly willing to accept such arguments. When rabbanim say that such a thing is an aveirah, I want them to support their arguments with halachic sources, and not just Western cultural rhetoric. I always used to have a great deal of respect for hiloni, "right wingers," and still do for the frustrated guys on the street. I always believed this was some sort of spark in their neshamoth. But however "brilliant" such people as HaEtzni, and others are, they have to wake up finally to the fact that the use of Western logic to make Israel's case to the West is not going to make one darn bit of difference. עשו שונא ליעקב - ספרי בהעלותך ס"ט (Esau hates Ya'aqov - Sifrei, B'ha'alotehca 69) It's time to stop repeating the same mistakes over again, expecting different results.

Haveil Havalim #288 Is Up!

17 of the Eighth Month 5771

This week's edition of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival is up at Isramom's.

It's the Please Pray for RivkA Edition.

The title is in regards to fellow blogger RivkA of RivkA of Coffee and Chemo, who has been hospitalized, and needs our prayers for a Refu'ah Shelemah.

My Local Rag

12 of the Eighth Month 5771

A local rag... Every city has one. Being in Jerusalem, I suppose makes my local rag the Jerusalem Post, the supposedly “right of center,” English daily.

We have a subscription at work, mainly for my boss. When I see him arrive in the morning, I try to hand it to him, but he usually refuses. Only when his secretary arrives first does the paper make its way up to the upper floors where it finds a dark corner to collect dust until the custodian comes by to deliver it to the recycling bin. I don't why we don't just cancel the subscription. Do we maintain it for appearance's sake, perhaps?

In any event, this means that I more or less have my own personal subscription to the Jerusalem Post, which I can read when I arrive to work early or on a break. Yet, every time I pick it up, it's the same ol' “religious-bashing, Netanyahu-loving, Israel is just an extension of Europe and the U. S.” Jerusalem Post.

It exists only to perpetuate the lie of “fair and balanced,” mainstream Israeli news coverage. Those of you who know me, will also understand what having a “Christian Edition” of an Israeli newspaper does to my already low opinion of it. (It lowers it even further.) Thus, I see no reason to bother with the Jerusalem Post.

I suppose that when I finally get Internet at home again, I will find a way to subscribe to Sarah Honig's column, probably the only redeeming quality of the aptly nicknamed J-Post. (...as in Jay-walking. Any relation to J-Street?)

I much prefer the leftist YNET News on-line. At least they don't make any bones about where they're coming from. Plus, if I read YNET's report on something which happened in Yehudah & Shomron, for example, I will be properly informed, because I will know that the exact opposite of the report is what really happened.

Sometimes, I read Arutz 7/Israel National News,...when I'm bored. But, with blogs, Facebook notes, and e-mail lists, I already know what I need to know about the goings on in Jerusalem, Yehudah & Shomron, or in the K'nesseth, thus making Arutz 7/Israel National News, and its “Judeo-Christian Values,” for the most part, irrelevant. Although, I suppose that when I have the time and Internet access, I really should give the Hebrew version a fair chance. I hear that it still tries to hold true to Rebbetzin Melamed's original vision, founded on the principle that the pre-existing Israeli radio stations were insufficient for the Religious [Zionist] community.

But, I digress....

Here are some of last week's J-Post headlines, illustrating why I no longer bother with it....

Two-State Solution Is Over, Fatah Official Says

Really? Hurray! The Arabs save us, yet again! Wait a minute. Isn't this like the um-teenth time they have said this? But, why doesn't the Jerusalem Post mention this obvious fact?? Could it be that the J-Post doesn't want to upset anyone?

The Arabs have been playing this same, silly, childish game for years now. And the truth is, they don't really want a state. The minute they get their state, they will no longer be able to moan and groan (as much) about how everything is Israel's fault.

They will start being held accountable (a little bit) for their financial funny business, among other things. With the focus (somewhat) off of Israel, it will not be as easy for the Arabs to hide their various human rights violations and discriminatory practices toward women and minority groups. Did you know that Jews are still banned from entering Saudi Arabia? Did you know that in (Democratic?) Iraq, Jews, unlike other ethnic groups, are being denied petitions to reclaim property absconded stolen by Sadam Hussein ysh"w?

I wouldn't worry about the Arabs, though. They will find some new, sneaky way to attack Jews. They might even steal the idea from the European Union [EU]....

The next headline...

Israel Dubs EU Call To Guarantee Equality "Kicking At An Open Door"

"...EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton' spokeswoman [said] on Tuesday that Europe expected Israel to guarantee equal rights for all its citizens, 'whether they are Jewish or not.'"

The EU has nothing to worry about. We Jews will bend over backwards and slobber all over the goyim for validation and self-esteem. Rights of the children of foreign workers will be uplifted to a level of sanctity never before seen in any other country. The Black Fake Hebrews, Bedouin, and to an extent, the Druze, have been granted defacto autonomy, unprecedented in any other country in the world. Whereas we have already seen the human rights of soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] trodden on in favor of the Arab terrorists they are meant to search out.

The EU official is, of course, referring to the Loyalty Oath Law, requiring Israeli citizens to sign a loyalty declaration, which includes a statement of support for "Israel as a Jewish State."

EU officials will also be pleased when they see how the so-called Loyalty Law is used against those "settlers" and other Jews, including IDF soldiers, unwilling to follow an Israeli law when it is in violation of the Torah. This is the prediction I made this so-called loyalty oath.

Also from last week...

Baroness de Rothschild launched the Rothschild Ambassadors Program

...which "will train 100 young people to be the country's leaders of the future."

Great. Just what we need, the Rothschilds mixing in, to indoctrinate new “leaders,” and then put them into power, sneakily making us believe that we actually voted for them. (eyes rolling)

See what I mean? It's just the same ol' “Israel is a Western nation, which needs to maintain its roll as a member of the 'International Community' in good standing” crap.

Why, I could just read any number of American newspapers for that.

Help Catch A Thief

12 of the Eighth Month 5771

Last Thursday an iPhone was stolen from fellow blogger David of DosMusic.co.il. Security cameras in and around the Tiveriah clothing store where it was stolen appear to have caught the thief on film. David reports that police believe this might be a serial thief.

If you have any information that could be helpful in tracking down David's iPhone, you may find his contact information on the video's YouTube page. David has very important files on this phone, and very much needs to have his phone returned.

Haveil Havalim #286 Is Up!

3 of the Eighth Month 5771

This week's edition of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival is up at Ima's.

It's Return To Normal Blogging Edition.

Israel Must Say "Yes" To Torah, Sooner Or Later

30 of the Seventh Month 5771

Israel must say “no” to the peace process, sooner or later.

Ted Belman, October 7, 2010

Israel must say “no” to extending the freeze formally or de facto.

Israel must also say “no” to the peace process sooner or later. Even if Israel continued to build and the PA was prepared to return to the peace process, Israel should refuse to negotiate unless of course she is prepared to swallow the deal the international community has in store for her. (Read more...)

Sounds good, right? Makes sense, right? You had better read his entire post. Then you will know why I responded with the following:

Yet, again another post from Ted Belman about Israel and the Jewish People without mentioning, the ONLY thing that matters for dictating what we Jews do.

A nod to Christians regarding their support for our "Biblical Heartland" doesn't count.

Furthermore, concerns and opinions of Christians, Democrats, Republicans, Americans....including Jews with goyshe ideas, are irrelevant.

Even more so, Palin, however much a "friend" of Israel you think Palin, you should know that she is associated with the Christian Dominionists, and should be trusted less than your other co-called Christian Zionist "friends," who should not be trusted at all.

We must separate from Esau (Rome/West/Christians) and the associated goyshe influence as much as we must separate from Yishma'el (Arabs/Muslims).

Read the fine print of your proposed amendment. Those of us who favor Torah over anything the State produces and expects which is contrary to Torah, will be targets of the law as much as, if not more than, the Arabs.

But, what do you care, Ted?

...as long as you have Sarah Palin as a friend.

Haveil Havalim #285 Is Up!

26 of the Seventh Month 5771

This week's edition of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival is up at Frume Sarah's World.

It's Back To The Beginning Edition.

The Jewish Democratic State

Hol HaMo'ed Sukkoth 5771 *Please go to the original YNET article, and join in the debate in the comments section! The Jewish Democratic State Op-ed: Israel must make a choice, as it cannot be both truly Jewish and democratic. Yoel Meltzer September 22, 2010 Roughly 60 years after the establishment of the modern State of Israel, by far the most ubiquitous term employed today to describe the political and social nature of the country is that Israel is a Jewish democratic state. Be it in the media or on the lips of politicians, the use of the term has become so widespread that most people in Israel simply accept it as a given truth without so much as a passing thought. Nonetheless, despite the extensive usage of the phrase, it should be clear to anyone with a discerning eye that the term resonates with cognitive dissonance. The term, or more properly the confusion that led to the term, started in the early days of the state. In May 1948, the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel proclaimed the Jewish nature of the country by declaring "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael." However, the same declaration also promised to “ensure complete equality of…. political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion….” Thus, on the one hand Israel was to be a Jewish state while on the other hand it was declared to be a state of all its citizens regardless of religion. As a result of this ambiguity, right from the start there was a built-in contradiction of terms. Namely, was Israel to be a Jewish state that would incorporate some democratic aspects or was it to be a democratic state with a “Jewish feel?" Since these terms describe situations that are mutually exclusive, Israel could not possibly be both. The Jewish component in the above equation was given precedence by the 1950 Law or Return, which stipulated that every Jew has the right to immigrate to Israel. However, the subsequent 1952 Nationality Law reestablished the confusion by stating, inter alia, “A person who, immediately before the establishment of the State, was a Palestinian citizen…. shall become an Israel national….” Thus citizenship, and with it the right to vote, was further anchored for the non-Jewish population. This lack of clarity continued for decades and then in 1992 under the activist court of Justice Aharon Barak, the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom was passed in order to “establish in a Basic Law the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” Moreover, according to Justice Barak’s subsequent writings on the meaning of the vague phrase “Jewish democratic state,” it became apparent that his intention in the law was to define Israel as primarily a democratic state, albeit one that also encompasses a variety of Jewish aspects. Of course, Barak’s litmus test for these Jewish aspects was that they must be consistent with the values of a democracy. Despite Barak’s true intention as to what actually took precedence, namely the democratic aspect, the neutral phrase “Jewish democratic state” has been promulgated ever since. This is a shame since the term is problematic for several reasons. Most importantly, the term perpetuates confusion and avoids dealing with a very serious issue. Israel has a large Arab minority, the majority of which will never connect to the collective dreams and aspirations of the Jewish people and likewise will never really feel part of a Jewish state. To think otherwise is foolish. In addition, it is demeaning to the Arabs to expect differently since they naturally have pride in their own culture and a bond to the larger Arab nation. Downplaying Jewish Component Thus, in order not to antagonize or alienate the Arabs, as well as to avoid being condemned for making statements that are not politically correct, Israel downplays the Jewish component and promotes the democratic one. To its own Jewish residents, however, the majority of which has some connection to the land and the tradition, it sells the Jewish component under the amorphous “Jewish democratic state.” Thus, the term is very useful for placating the Jewish population, even if doing so is somewhat misleading. More importantly, by hiding behind the term “Jewish democratic state” Israel continues to shirk its responsibility in dealing with a very complex and difficult issue. If Israel is a true democracy of “one man-one vote” then the Arab minority could hypothetically take over the country via the election process and change the nature of the state. However, since this is a scenario that most of the Jews in the country would never agree to and even fear, the phrase “Jewish democratic state” should stop being rammed down the collective mindset of the nation since it is only seeding more confusion. Moreover, should the Arabs ever get close to taking over the country, it’s a sure bet that most of the advocates of the phrase “Jewish democratic state” would be out of here in a flash, leaving the rest of us to deal with the mess. On the diplomatic front, a Jewish state connected to its inner meaning, its heritage and its land, would never consider relinquishing part of its ancestral homeland. However, a democratic state for which the Jewish component is weak or sentimental at best has no qualms under difficult times of relinquishing land since ultimately the land has no deeper significance. This fact is clearly understood by the Arabs as well as by all those who are pressuring us to surrender land. For this reason, the supremacy afforded the democratic component at the expense of the Jewish component has severely weakened Israel’s bargaining position vis-à-vis the Arabs. Moreover, since everyone knows that the term “Jewish democratic state” does not mean Jewish in any profound way, then constantly using the term to describe the State of Israel is only helping to facilitate its downfall. At the end of the day, Israel must choose. Either it is a Jewish state with some democratic aspects or it is democratic state with a Jewish flavor. It cannot be both. The continued use of the term “Jewish democratic state” is simply a way to avoid making this choice. Moreover, it represents a state of denial that underlies all the confusion and weakness that abound here. For the survival of the country, the term “Jewish democratic state” must be discarded and in its place the real “Jewish state” must rise. Esser Agaroth: *This is my talkback which YNET has yet to publish,...and probably will not. Meltzer is essentially correct. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. The Israeli government is hardly Jewish, and hardly a democracy. It can't be a democracy without true freedom of speech, which we absolutely do NOT have. It is a crime to call goverment officials a name, so called racist incitement is a crime. Asking to vote for whether Jews should leave Gaza or hostile Arabs should leave instead is a crime. Yet leftists protesting at the so-called security fence get away with violence toward Israeli law enforcement. Clearly the famous line at the end of George Orwell's Animal Farm applies here: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." However, the eventual goal of the Jewish People is too have a Jewish government in the Jewish Homeland. What is a Jewish government? ...one based on Torah with a king or a nassi and a Sanhedrin, the hachamim making the decisions which the masses should not have anything to do with. See “Governance Of A Jewish State” for more information on this. In the mean time, perhaps we could have a temporary democracy, yet those claiming the need for a constitution are mistaken. We already have one,...the Torah.

A Brilliant But Evil Plan!

12 Of The Seventh Month 5771

With the catastrophic expulsion of Jews from Azza (Gaza/Gush Qatif) in 5765 (2005), I have since often wondered how the Israeli government will attempt to implement the next expulsion of Jews, this time from Yehudah, Shomron, and even Jerusalem (May God forbid!).

Using Jewish towns in these areas as laboratories to see which sick plan for removing Jews from their homes and land will be the most efficient, the Israeli government appeared to have only a few options:

1. Pay Jews to move out, and help them to relocate else in Israel. These Jews may or may not get rewarded for their “initiative,” but probably not. (Not enough Jews will want to leave, and the Jews who would not mind leaving will not fall for this one,...again.)

2. Remove them forcibly, as the the powers that be did in Azza, then let them sit around in temporary housing indefinitely until the outrage in the Israeli news media dies down, and then just forget about them. (Too expensive.)

3. Bring in the bulldozers in overnight without warning. Then go to option 2. (Not enough bulldozers.)

Then I saw this. This fourth option did not surprise me in the least. After all the posters depicting Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu, removing his Ariel Sharon mask, can already be found in Jerusalem.

What did surprise me was the lack of coverage of this brilliant, but evil plan in the Israeli news media.

World Net Daily: Shock Plan: Palestinians Scheduled To Govern Jews
Aaron Klein, September 6, 2010

Netanyahu secretly proposed new plot in talks with Obama

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly has proposed a new plan whereby Jews living in the West Bank will remain in their communities after the territory becomes part of a Palestinian state, WND has learned.

Officials in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have confirmed the plan to this reporter, marking the first time an Israeli leader has ever put on the table in a serious way a proposal involving Jewish West Bank residents remaining in a Palestinian state.

Conventional negotiations always has assumed an Israeli evacuation of its communities inside any territory taken over by the PA.

Middle East officials said the plan is being considered seriously by the Obama administration, while the PA has been less than enthusiastic. PA sources said they held a meeting last week over the plan.

The full details of the plan, such as specific security guarantees for the remaining Jews, were not disclosed. (Read more…)

Such a plan is brilliant! Evil,...but truly brilliant. Why? The Israeli government will be able to achieve the following at little to no cost to it:

1. The Israeli government will not be inconvenienced by calling up the army or police. No post-expulsion trauma, no criticism from the settlers (...Maybe from YeSh"A Council, but who cares about them anyway?).

2. No worries about collecting settlers' weapons. Let them kill off a few Arabs in their pointless struggles. What does the Israeli government care? It gets to get rid of a few Arabs, and then blames those crazy settlers for it!

3. Those Jews who regret their decision to stay won't receive a dime! After all THEY decided to stay there in the first place, and must take responsibility for THEIR decision. Maybe a token few will receive money, and be raised up as "heroes for peace." It would be good PR.

4. The government will finally be rid of those pesky settlers. Sure, they may get massacred, like the Arabs tried to do in Hevron in 1994, and succeeded in doing in 1929 (May God forbid!), but that will only server to gain sympathy with the goyim! (Doubt it.)

(WND cont.) Debriefing his cabinet on his trip last week to Washington, Netanyahu stated, "What is required is creative, novel thinking in order to resolve these complex issues."

Creative? Novel?

I'll give you creative and novel, Mr. Prime Minister: Let's throw you out of office!