Saturday, August 17, 2002
Beres: Israel must learn to confront reality
In this piece Professor Beres sets forth indisputible truths--starting with, First, Israel must learn to recognize that it can disappear.
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Volunteer in Israel
Check out The Livnot Experience - - Volunteer in Israel. You may qualify for a scholarship or subsidy.
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Naomi Ragen: Awakenings and courage
She's back from vacaton, with more penetrating insights.
N'omi Orr comments about this:
MISS THIS AT YOUR PERIL! It tells what you can do to defend America from terrorism: Change your mind!
There is a PRECISE MINDSET that is softening up the U.S. for a rampage of terrorism covering the entire U.S. SIMULTANEOUSLY. That assault will make 9-11 look like a scraped knee by comparison. And it won't be just germs.
Read these Israeli's observations of their own and their countrymen's mistakes in regard to interpreting Arab promises--and threats.
Clue: They believed the promises Arabs made TO them, but didn't believe the threats Arabs made ABOUT them when speaking to other Arabs. Do we in the U.S. even really KNOW what Arabs are saying about the U.S. lately...or ever?
Yet they have been pouring into the U.S. by the tens of thousands, establishing safe houses and other terrorist "conveniences," AND STILL ARE.
Did you know Saudi Arabian planes can land in the U.S. without divulging the names of their passengers? Do they even go through customs? I don't think so.
But the warriors are here! And they have brought a ton of money. They have formed a global network of guerilla/terrorist groups who all have one aim: Conquer the United States. And they know how they can do it, too. They started by paying Americans--of high and low estate--to look the other way. And "think positive."
Read these sad yet INSTRUCTIVE commentaries from Israel, and apply the wisdom: 1. A note from Naomi Ragen, 2. "We Are People Too," by Moshe Sheskin, and 3. "The Ten Fatal Flaws of Oslo," by Yossi Klein Halevi.
RIVETING READING!
Love, N'omi
N'omi Orr comments about this:
MISS THIS AT YOUR PERIL! It tells what you can do to defend America from terrorism: Change your mind!
There is a PRECISE MINDSET that is softening up the U.S. for a rampage of terrorism covering the entire U.S. SIMULTANEOUSLY. That assault will make 9-11 look like a scraped knee by comparison. And it won't be just germs.
Read these Israeli's observations of their own and their countrymen's mistakes in regard to interpreting Arab promises--and threats.
Clue: They believed the promises Arabs made TO them, but didn't believe the threats Arabs made ABOUT them when speaking to other Arabs. Do we in the U.S. even really KNOW what Arabs are saying about the U.S. lately...or ever?
Yet they have been pouring into the U.S. by the tens of thousands, establishing safe houses and other terrorist "conveniences," AND STILL ARE.
Did you know Saudi Arabian planes can land in the U.S. without divulging the names of their passengers? Do they even go through customs? I don't think so.
But the warriors are here! And they have brought a ton of money. They have formed a global network of guerilla/terrorist groups who all have one aim: Conquer the United States. And they know how they can do it, too. They started by paying Americans--of high and low estate--to look the other way. And "think positive."
Read these sad yet INSTRUCTIVE commentaries from Israel, and apply the wisdom: 1. A note from Naomi Ragen, 2. "We Are People Too," by Moshe Sheskin, and 3. "The Ten Fatal Flaws of Oslo," by Yossi Klein Halevi.
RIVETING READING!
Love, N'omi
HE'S (Multi-) BILLION-DOLLAR ARAFAT By URI DAN
Uri Dan writes in NYPOST.COM World News that things may be even more bizarre than was hitherto disclosed.
Right is right, and left is wrong
After reading about Leftists chaining themselves to walls to keep the IDF from demolishing the home of the Petakh Tikva suicide bomber, and sending letters to IDF officers warning them that they may be charged with war crimes, I shook my head in perplexity. I identified. I used to be one of them.
Now--and especially in the situation they're facing in Israel--I keep asking myself: What are they seeing and thinking that is so different from what I see and think?
And another question came to mind: Why is the American Christian community so clearly aligned WITH the nationalist point of view in Israel, and so fervently? And why are all the 'warbloggers' of one accord in this matter? What do all these people really have in common? They are certainly a diverse group in terms of age, religion, race, and sex.
And then it came to me: You are either for G-d or against Him. Jew, Christian, or "uncertain," you are really choosing every moment: Your will, or His. (By the way, when I say "G-d," I do not mean "Allah.") And your words and deeds will reflect that.
America, which has been feeding, clothing, and inspiring the world, became "America" on the strength of people who aligned with G-d. Other countries want to conquer America, thinking if they capture the US, they will own its greatness.
Wrong.
Any country can have America's greatness. The price: To see the individual as someone created in G-d's image, and to structure society and government accordingly. All it takes is to acknowledge those famous "unalienable rights"--meaning rights which, if taken away, render a person less than human.
Where did I get all that? Take a moment to read it again: "WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, 1. that all Men are created equal [equally of value to God and in their right to respect] 2. that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights [rights that come from their Creator, not from governments or bureaucrats] 3. that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness [that last is often termed "property"] 4. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men [and securing these rights is the ONLY LEGITIMATE reason for the existence of governments] 5. deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed [we, the people, decided what powers they have and enumerated them in the Constitution of the United States] 6. [and it is also self-evident] that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government--laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Everything follows from that.
I was at a high-tech meeting (of the Israel CAD/CAM Society) in Herzliya in the early eighties. Venture capital was just getting going in Israel. Dan Tolkowsky, former commander of the Israeli Air Force, and head of the VC unit of Bank Discount, spoke to us.
Angrily addressing a room full of a couple hundred influential engineering and software professionals, he said, "Israel will never have a high-tech industry until we are willing for some people to make a lot more money than others!"
The "ruling class" of Israel, to that point, had been solidly Socialist. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Following this dictum, Socialism brings about a society in which the dominant dynamic is envy, the dominant emotion is hatred, and the dominant attitude is cynicism. Tolkowsky rightly pointed out that that would have to change.
But envy is based on the idea of a "zero-sum game": For you to have a bigger piece, my piece must be made smaller. And that's what Socialism offers. But Socialism wasn't the only way to look at things. Just not in Israel.
But even then a fresh wind had already begun to blow.
Efy Arazi had come back to Israel from years at MIT and Itek, and had founded Sci-Tex, which was a great success--not only in terms of business, but in terms of changing the way a business treats its employees. Sci-Tex was one of the first companies in Israel to use paint on its walls, instead of whitewash that comes off on your hands and your clothes. Comfortable, modern furniture. Working hours to accommodate parents. Intercoms.
Courtesy!
The company's every policy and action spoke louder than any published mission statement could: We care about our people--and about our customers. People are important, and should be respected. That was new for Israel, and alien to Socialism.
In the eighties and nineties, more and more Israelis went to school in the States, and after living here a while returned to Israel with new expectations: To be treated decently; to live and let live; and to PROSPER.
Prosper? Why "prosper"? Because when you honor a person because you see him--or your political system sees him--as created in G-d's image, you liberate the G-d-given creativity within them--the only truly renewable, even inexhaustible, source of wealth on the planet.
To be sure, the Left tried some of the attitudes. But because their religion teaches that Man is an accident--one of the animals evolved from the Primordial ooze--Leftists have no basis for thinking humans are endowed with anything unalienable.
But you can't have a right attitude based on wrong beliefs. Your behavior will eventually break down and reveal the true attitudes generated by what you think. So Leftists try to fill that void with things to feel good about--compassion for the downtrodden, for example. But since it is not founded in reality, but only in a quest for good feeling, it is blind and stupid.
So Israel, with all the troubles from the Arabs, must now also face this polarization of its own society--between Left and Right; between a self-generated zero-sum-game and a self-generated creativity-induced prosperity.
Between hate and love.
Between hope (a passive desire for things to be better) and faith (which is acting as if G-d is real, and means what He says).
In the end, of course, Love wins. I just wish the other guys would stop fighting, and accept that.
Now--and especially in the situation they're facing in Israel--I keep asking myself: What are they seeing and thinking that is so different from what I see and think?
And another question came to mind: Why is the American Christian community so clearly aligned WITH the nationalist point of view in Israel, and so fervently? And why are all the 'warbloggers' of one accord in this matter? What do all these people really have in common? They are certainly a diverse group in terms of age, religion, race, and sex.
And then it came to me: You are either for G-d or against Him. Jew, Christian, or "uncertain," you are really choosing every moment: Your will, or His. (By the way, when I say "G-d," I do not mean "Allah.") And your words and deeds will reflect that.
America, which has been feeding, clothing, and inspiring the world, became "America" on the strength of people who aligned with G-d. Other countries want to conquer America, thinking if they capture the US, they will own its greatness.
Wrong.
Any country can have America's greatness. The price: To see the individual as someone created in G-d's image, and to structure society and government accordingly. All it takes is to acknowledge those famous "unalienable rights"--meaning rights which, if taken away, render a person less than human.
Where did I get all that? Take a moment to read it again: "WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, 1. that all Men are created equal [equally of value to God and in their right to respect] 2. that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights [rights that come from their Creator, not from governments or bureaucrats] 3. that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness [that last is often termed "property"] 4. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men [and securing these rights is the ONLY LEGITIMATE reason for the existence of governments] 5. deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed [we, the people, decided what powers they have and enumerated them in the Constitution of the United States] 6. [and it is also self-evident] that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government--laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Everything follows from that.
I was at a high-tech meeting (of the Israel CAD/CAM Society) in Herzliya in the early eighties. Venture capital was just getting going in Israel. Dan Tolkowsky, former commander of the Israeli Air Force, and head of the VC unit of Bank Discount, spoke to us.
Angrily addressing a room full of a couple hundred influential engineering and software professionals, he said, "Israel will never have a high-tech industry until we are willing for some people to make a lot more money than others!"
The "ruling class" of Israel, to that point, had been solidly Socialist. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Following this dictum, Socialism brings about a society in which the dominant dynamic is envy, the dominant emotion is hatred, and the dominant attitude is cynicism. Tolkowsky rightly pointed out that that would have to change.
But envy is based on the idea of a "zero-sum game": For you to have a bigger piece, my piece must be made smaller. And that's what Socialism offers. But Socialism wasn't the only way to look at things. Just not in Israel.
But even then a fresh wind had already begun to blow.
Efy Arazi had come back to Israel from years at MIT and Itek, and had founded Sci-Tex, which was a great success--not only in terms of business, but in terms of changing the way a business treats its employees. Sci-Tex was one of the first companies in Israel to use paint on its walls, instead of whitewash that comes off on your hands and your clothes. Comfortable, modern furniture. Working hours to accommodate parents. Intercoms.
Courtesy!
The company's every policy and action spoke louder than any published mission statement could: We care about our people--and about our customers. People are important, and should be respected. That was new for Israel, and alien to Socialism.
In the eighties and nineties, more and more Israelis went to school in the States, and after living here a while returned to Israel with new expectations: To be treated decently; to live and let live; and to PROSPER.
Prosper? Why "prosper"? Because when you honor a person because you see him--or your political system sees him--as created in G-d's image, you liberate the G-d-given creativity within them--the only truly renewable, even inexhaustible, source of wealth on the planet.
To be sure, the Left tried some of the attitudes. But because their religion teaches that Man is an accident--one of the animals evolved from the Primordial ooze--Leftists have no basis for thinking humans are endowed with anything unalienable.
But you can't have a right attitude based on wrong beliefs. Your behavior will eventually break down and reveal the true attitudes generated by what you think. So Leftists try to fill that void with things to feel good about--compassion for the downtrodden, for example. But since it is not founded in reality, but only in a quest for good feeling, it is blind and stupid.
So Israel, with all the troubles from the Arabs, must now also face this polarization of its own society--between Left and Right; between a self-generated zero-sum-game and a self-generated creativity-induced prosperity.
Between hate and love.
Between hope (a passive desire for things to be better) and faith (which is acting as if G-d is real, and means what He says).
In the end, of course, Love wins. I just wish the other guys would stop fighting, and accept that.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Why?
More money transferred to Arafat. I'm sure someone has a rationale for this; I just don't see it.
Sunday, August 11, 2002
israelinsider: A time to choose
In this thoughtful and thought-provoking piece, Yaakov Nathan brings us face-to-face with a fundamental question.
Saturday, August 10, 2002
Glick: The road to irredentism
An irredentist is "One who advocates the recovery of territory culturally or historically related to one's nation but now subject to a foreign government" (American Heritage Dictionary). I would quibble with Ms. Glick's choice of term here, but the content of (her JPost column about Israeli Arabs in universitities more and more dissociating from Israel is cogent and comprehensive.
Woman in Jordan Valley moshav killed by Arabs
Jpost reports that a terrorist broke through the security fence to kill residents. He was killed after taking the life of the woman and wounding her husband.
Thursday, August 08, 2002
Wednesday, August 07, 2002
Christian Support for Israel Rally
The Christian Coalition is sponsoring a Christian Support for Israel Rally October 11, 2-4 PM on the Ellipse, near the White House. Read the list of demands; would that Israeli politicians were as clear!
And check out that organization's position statement on opposition to a "Palestinian" state, which they have maintained in the face of many "Christians" denouncing and abandoning them for it.
And check out that organization's position statement on opposition to a "Palestinian" state, which they have maintained in the face of many "Christians" denouncing and abandoning them for it.
Gelernter :No Trophies for Terrorists
I love David Gelernter. He is a Yale computer scientist, an overcoming victim of the Unabomber, and a delightful writer. In No Trophies for Terrorists, he says, inter alia:
"When anyone is murdered there are consequences--the "cycle of violence" is called "justice," except where Israelis are involved."
"When anyone is murdered there are consequences--the "cycle of violence" is called "justice," except where Israelis are involved."
"Militants"?
Ha'aretz writes of the "Hamas militants" and "Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade militia."
"Militants"? "Militia"? Hamas has claimed--not merely "accepted"--responsibility for most of the last several terror attacks. Do they not rate the epithet, "terrorists"?
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade--how does Ha'aretz think their "martyrdom" comes about? Is it not by attacks on non-combatants for the purpose of influencing their government? Is there any other definition of "terror"?
This is a piece worthy of the Arab News, or the BBC. Fooey.
"Militants"? "Militia"? Hamas has claimed--not merely "accepted"--responsibility for most of the last several terror attacks. Do they not rate the epithet, "terrorists"?
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade--how does Ha'aretz think their "martyrdom" comes about? Is it not by attacks on non-combatants for the purpose of influencing their government? Is there any other definition of "terror"?
This is a piece worthy of the Arab News, or the BBC. Fooey.
Arab justice
JPost reports the execution by Arafat's "justice system" of a mentally ill Arab who raped his grandmother and killed two other elderly women. Personally, I am in favor of the death penalty in general. And I have no faith whatsoever in "Palestinian" justice.
But can you picture the international outcry if this very same item had been reported about Israel? Yet I will be very surprised if it even sees the light of day in the news services--let alone if it is protested by the pious protectors of human rights in Europe and elsewhere who daily take Israel to task for imagined offences.
But can you picture the international outcry if this very same item had been reported about Israel? Yet I will be very surprised if it even sees the light of day in the news services--let alone if it is protested by the pious protectors of human rights in Europe and elsewhere who daily take Israel to task for imagined offences.
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Monday, August 05, 2002
Some suggestions for PM Sharon
"Hamas takes responsibility" - yet Israel continues to treat Hamas' institutions as if they are not part of that responsibility-embracing body. Isn't it time to shut them down and arrest them?
My son just said, "Why not turn off their power? They haven't paid their electric bill in years. Let them try to assemble bombs by candlelight." Now, there's a humane idea!
My son just said, "Why not turn off their power? They haven't paid their electric bill in years. Let them try to assemble bombs by candlelight." Now, there's a humane idea!
A day of blood and murder
Please read this, especially the brief bios of some of the victims, to help you remember that these are real people, not statistics.
NYPOST.COM Post Opinion: BETRAYED BY THE STATE DEPT
Another indictment of our Jew-hating State department; this one by Sherri Mandell, mother of Koby, murdered last year by our "peace partners."
Jew-hating Berkeley unrepentant
Please read this, then sign the petition- or write or phone ((510) 643-2494) UC Berkeley. CA residents, is this a good use of your taxes?
The Politics and Poetics of Palestinian Resistance
Course Number: English R1A LEC 4 Units
Semester and Year: fall 2002
Location and Time: 204 Wheeler TuTh 2:00-3:30
Instructor: Shingavi, Snehal
...
Course Description: This is a course on Palestinian resistance poetry. It takes as its point of departure the Palestinian literature that has developed since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, which has displaced, maimed, and killed many Palestinian people. The Israeli military occupation of historic Palestine has caused unspeakable suffering. Since the occupation, Palestinians have been fighting for their right to exist...
The Politics and Poetics of Palestinian Resistance
Course Number: English R1A LEC 4 Units
Semester and Year: fall 2002
Location and Time: 204 Wheeler TuTh 2:00-3:30
Instructor: Shingavi, Snehal
...
Course Description: This is a course on Palestinian resistance poetry. It takes as its point of departure the Palestinian literature that has developed since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, which has displaced, maimed, and killed many Palestinian people. The Israeli military occupation of historic Palestine has caused unspeakable suffering. Since the occupation, Palestinians have been fighting for their right to exist...
An urbane condemnation of Peres
Film producer Arthur Cohn writes from Switzerland to Peres about his Der Spiegel interview. Why is this man foreign minister?
Sunday, August 04, 2002
Hamas Supporters Celebrate Bus Attack
(IsraelNN.com) 10,000 Hamas supporters danced in Gaza on Sunday, exhibiting their pleasure after learning of the suicide bombing attack against a bus at Meiron Junction. Nine persons were murdered in the attack and 53 injured.
Three more Jews murdered by Arabs
Parents driving in a car were killed, and their children injured.
Update: The couple's names, Avital and Avi Volansky, have been released. Avital was 27 and Avi was 29. Their children are two years old and nine months old.
Further update: That's three dead; Avital was pregnant.
Update: The couple's names, Avital and Avi Volansky, have been released. Avital was 27 and Avi was 29. Their children are two years old and nine months old.
Further update: That's three dead; Avital was pregnant.
Honey money for Israel
Economic Honey Campaign is a great idea. Buy some Rosh haShanah honey - or honey for any other time - from Israel!
2 killed, 14 hurt in Jerusalem shooting attack
This Ha'aretz article tells of an Arab who attacked a group of Border Police officers and a Bezeq Telecom vehicle with a pistol. Police shot and killed the gunman. This was three hours after the Meron bus explosion.
IDF: Demolishing terrorists' families' homes works as deterrent
In this piece, the IDF reports on interviews with two who had contemplated suicide bombings, then decided against them when they realized it could result in the destruction of their families' homes.
Friday, August 02, 2002
FALSE MORAL EQUIVALENCE HEADLINE OF THE WEEK:
HonestReporting.com points out:
(courtesy of Agence France-Presse)
"Two Israelis, Two Palestinians Killed in Suicide Bombings and Ambushes"
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020730/1/31286.html
In this case, two does not equal two. The two dead Israelis were brothers who had gone on Tuesday to a Palestinian village to sell fuel. The two dead Palestinians were a suicide bomber (Jerusalem falafel stand), and a man who broke into a Jewish home and stabbed two Israelis, before being shot by security guards.
Complaints to:
nicosie.redaction@afp.com
(courtesy of Agence France-Presse)
"Two Israelis, Two Palestinians Killed in Suicide Bombings and Ambushes"
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020730/1/31286.html
In this case, two does not equal two. The two dead Israelis were brothers who had gone on Tuesday to a Palestinian village to sell fuel. The two dead Palestinians were a suicide bomber (Jerusalem falafel stand), and a man who broke into a Jewish home and stabbed two Israelis, before being shot by security guards.
Complaints to:
nicosie.redaction@afp.com
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Hamas: All Jews must leave Israel or be killed
N'omi Orr forwarded this note from Gary Bauer with her own comment.
7 killed in Hebrew U. Mt. Scopus cafeteria; injuries in Jerusalem yesterday
News report gives some details; Hamas claims it's in retaliation for Shehadeh.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
IDF - from the Hamas Web forum: How to kill Americans
From the Hamas web site forum:
1. Al- Awsad (user number 1):
Once a week, a group of American "dogs" come near us on the sea front. I have been following them for a long time and am interested in your suggestions for ways to get rid of them secretly.
...
8. UNITY_MANAGER (user number 6):
Put cyanide in the water (tank). They will die within 10 seconds. They won't even have time to scream in pain. Make sure that they DESERVE TO DIE, that is, that they are soldiers OR JEWS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. (emphasis added)
The entire thread can be found at: http://www.idf.il/english/announcements/2002/june/forum_hamas.stm
1. Al- Awsad (user number 1):
Once a week, a group of American "dogs" come near us on the sea front. I have been following them for a long time and am interested in your suggestions for ways to get rid of them secretly.
...
8. UNITY_MANAGER (user number 6):
Put cyanide in the water (tank). They will die within 10 seconds. They won't even have time to scream in pain. Make sure that they DESERVE TO DIE, that is, that they are soldiers OR JEWS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. (emphasis added)
The entire thread can be found at: http://www.idf.il/english/announcements/2002/june/forum_hamas.stm
Two from Kfar Tapuach killed; three injured in Jerusalem suicide bombing
Voice of Judea reports: Motti and Shlomo Odessar, two brothers from Kfar Tapuach were killed while delivering diesel fuel to a nearby Arab village Tuesday morning.
Earlier at approximately 6 AM, several miles north of Tapuach in the village of Itamar, a terrorist was shot dead after sneaking on to the Yishuv, into a home and stabbing a man.
Those wishing to support the Jewish Legion dog defense program in Tapuach and Itamar or to volunteer for guard duty can call 054 876 709 or email JewishLegion@aol.com, or visit www.JewishLegion.net.
In Jerusalem, shortly after noon, 3 Israelis were injured, after a suicide bomber exploded on Rehov HaNeveim, in the city center, near the Bikur Holim hospital.
Earlier at approximately 6 AM, several miles north of Tapuach in the village of Itamar, a terrorist was shot dead after sneaking on to the Yishuv, into a home and stabbing a man.
Those wishing to support the Jewish Legion dog defense program in Tapuach and Itamar or to volunteer for guard duty can call 054 876 709 or email JewishLegion@aol.com, or visit www.JewishLegion.net.
In Jerusalem, shortly after noon, 3 Israelis were injured, after a suicide bomber exploded on Rehov HaNeveim, in the city center, near the Bikur Holim hospital.
Monday, July 29, 2002
Update from HonestReporting.com
A report covering a range of issues from the vigilant media watchdog.
israelinsider: Views: The enemy within
The Israeli press officer in Dubline condemned the Gaza attack. A sane Foreign Ministry would immediately remove the traitorous Dr. O'Carroll. But then, a sane Foreign Ministry wouldn't be headed by Peres.
Glick: Strategy for victory
In her JPost column, Carolyn Glick puts forth common sense for the Israeli government.
Sunday, July 28, 2002
If you want to know what Jews are really like, read this
Here is a translation of the eulogy spoken by Tzvi Yehuda Dickstein, not yet 21, the eldest of the surviving nine children of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Dickstein, 44, and his wife Chana, 42. Murdered along with them in their car was their son Shuva'el Tzion, 9.
N'omi Orr: A Russian proverb few remember
As this piece points out, the "logic" of the left in Israel is seriously flawed.
Some perspective from Gary Bauer
This brief note reminds us that our actions are not unique in recent history.
Friday, July 26, 2002
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Gems in Israel: First Prize - What Israel Means to Me
From a 9-year-old in Ohio (via this 'Support Israel' site, which deserves your visit).
Gary Bauer: One Thug Gone.
Read this succinct description by a friend of Israel, followed by a good joke about context.
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
Monday, July 22, 2002
Get Freud out of politics
Sigmund Freud was a distinguished Jewish intellectual with a profound influence on our civilization. The Freud Museum website (http://www.freud.org.uk/l) reflects that legacy with its archives and historical research on the life and works of Sigmund and his daughter Anna Freud. The museum is housed at 20 Maresfield Gardens in Hampstead, London, the home of Sigmund Freud and his family following their escape from the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938 until Anna Freud, the youngest daughter, died in 1982.
But part of the large website of the Museum is a section called "Freud Today" . There the generally academic tone of the museum goes off the rails into anti-Israel personal opinion. The "Freud Today" section has the stated goal to "show how Freud himself or psychoanalytic ways of thought might respond to everyday situations and issues of the day". In fact, it shows how the writers of the section can attempt to use Freud's name to push their own pro-Palestinian Arab propaganda.
Examples:
1. September - November 2000, "The Arab-Israeli Conflict". Reprints a suspect translation of a Freud letter rejecting a call for him to condemn Arab riots in 1929. The museum writer concludes from this that Freud would have been "gratified at the growing call within Israel itself to pull out of the occupied territories".
2. December 2000 - March 2001, "Holocaust Memorial". The museum writer turns from a discussion of the Holocaust into this statement: "That is why today, as I write this, I feel a sense of pride - as a human being - when I read the headline, 'ISRAELI ARMY DESERTED BY SOLDIERS WITH A CONSCIENCE'". This outrageous linkage between the Holocaust and the internal Israeli issue of soldiers serving in the territories is nothing more than the writer's personal opinion, yet the platform of the Freud Museum is hijacked to present these views.
There are more such instances that you can find for yourself. Fortunately this irresponsible and unprofessional activity has been noticed and an on-line petition is available to protest. You will find the petition here with more information on the offending material:
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Protest_Freud_Museum/
FYI,
Chuck/JIA
But part of the large website of the Museum is a section called "Freud Today" . There the generally academic tone of the museum goes off the rails into anti-Israel personal opinion. The "Freud Today" section has the stated goal to "show how Freud himself or psychoanalytic ways of thought might respond to everyday situations and issues of the day". In fact, it shows how the writers of the section can attempt to use Freud's name to push their own pro-Palestinian Arab propaganda.
Examples:
1. September - November 2000, "The Arab-Israeli Conflict". Reprints a suspect translation of a Freud letter rejecting a call for him to condemn Arab riots in 1929. The museum writer concludes from this that Freud would have been "gratified at the growing call within Israel itself to pull out of the occupied territories".
2. December 2000 - March 2001, "Holocaust Memorial". The museum writer turns from a discussion of the Holocaust into this statement: "That is why today, as I write this, I feel a sense of pride - as a human being - when I read the headline, 'ISRAELI ARMY DESERTED BY SOLDIERS WITH A CONSCIENCE'". This outrageous linkage between the Holocaust and the internal Israeli issue of soldiers serving in the territories is nothing more than the writer's personal opinion, yet the platform of the Freud Museum is hijacked to present these views.
There are more such instances that you can find for yourself. Fortunately this irresponsible and unprofessional activity has been noticed and an on-line petition is available to protest. You will find the petition here with more information on the offending material:
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Protest_Freud_Museum/
FYI,
Chuck/JIA
New Blog: In Context
Add In Context to your regular stops, for thoughtful, chewy analysis. Current topics: broken Tikkun; Palestine Media Watch.
Gedankenpundit thoughts on deportation
From Solly's comments:
...Next, listen to what Saeb Erekat has to say:
"Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat also denounced the deportation idea, calling it a war crime and violation of the fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of civilians in war zones"
Heavens! Mistreatment of civilians in a war zone? Why, next they'll be deliberately killing civilians by blowing them up, perhaps with explosives packed with shrapnel dipped in an anticoagulant to make the victims bleed more profusely!
Oh, wait. The Palestinians are doing that already.
...Next, listen to what Saeb Erekat has to say:
"Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat also denounced the deportation idea, calling it a war crime and violation of the fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of civilians in war zones"
Heavens! Mistreatment of civilians in a war zone? Why, next they'll be deliberately killing civilians by blowing them up, perhaps with explosives packed with shrapnel dipped in an anticoagulant to make the victims bleed more profusely!
Oh, wait. The Palestinians are doing that already.
Can you believe Mubarak?
I mean this in the rhetorical and ironic sense: This crazy is working his own Jew-hating agenda, even cutting and pasting words from Israeli pleas for peace ("He said Israel should not "waste the historic chance that exists to end the dispute and fighting and enter a new stage where people face the challenges of development and progress."") to tell his lies.
It's in this JPost article, along with his praise (with a medal, yet) for neighbor cuckoo Qadafi.
It's in this JPost article, along with his praise (with a medal, yet) for neighbor cuckoo Qadafi.
Bret Stephens in JPost: New sympathy for Israel?
This well-written piece by Stephens explores the "wave of charitable coverage of Israel," and links it to our protests. Keep it up!
Sunday, July 21, 2002
Women in Green/US
We've put up a site for the US operations of Women in Green. Visit for the latest information about the activities of this wonderful group of selfless and compassionate people. Talks by Ruth and Nadia matar, resources, and other information, all updated regularly. Check out the upcoming International Conference and Ingathering, November 13-24.
israelinsider: Free Lebanon now!
This article is a reminder that if you are looking for an oppressed people on the eastern Mediterranean shore, suffering from decades of military occupation and cruel oppression, you can find it: the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
Thursday, July 18, 2002
David Pryce-Jones re "Mein Kampf" on National Review Online
As Charles of LGF points out, David Pryce-Jones offers some powerful insights (again) into the nature of Arab society - and not much hope for change.
israelinsider: Israeli consul denied seat on U.S. flight because he was a 'security risk'
This is the beginning of something bad.
Fusillades across anti-Semitic lines -- The Washington Times
This report of JPost's (justified) accusations of anti-Semitism and pro-Arabism against The Economist, and the latter's blustery denial of same, is worth a read. In my view, its most significant aspect is that it brings to center stage the fact that anti-Semitism is now openly and widely pursued in many "respected" (not by me) publications.
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Lamentations 2002
From Naomi Ragen:
Friends,
Tonight we will gather fasting in the synagogue, sit on the floor, tear our clothes, put ashes on our heads and read the scroll of Lamentations. We do this every year on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, on the most terrible day in the Jewish calendar: The ninth day of the Jewish month of Av.
We will sit on the floor and remember: The passenger bus coming back from B’ nai Brak full of the voices of children, the tiny voices of babies and the comforting noises of their mothers, and we will remember how it wound its way through Judah, nearing home. And then we will hear the sounds: grenades thrown through the roof by..men? Is that the name we shall give them? The bombs lobbed at this unarmed bus full of women holding babies, and young fathers, and grandmothers and teenagers.
And then we shall see them, one by one, as they tried to get off the bus. We will see Judith Weinberg, 22 years old, a teacher in Bait Yaakov, returning after successfully completing her final teacher’s exams, in her eighth month of pregnancy, as she lumbers down the steps, her body heavy and slow. And we shall see the men who turn their rifles towards her, piercing her stomach. Doctors performed a c-section, delivering her little boy. He lived one day.
“How does the city sit solitary that was full of people!
She weepeth sore in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks
She has none to comfort her among her lovers
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
They have become her enemies” (Lamentations 1,2)
Still in the bus was the Shilon family. Ayelet and her husband Gal had spent the weekend in Givatayim with her parents, Zilpah and Moshe. The grandparents enjoyed their grandchildren, the eight-month old twins, Galia Esther and Sarah, and two-year old Or Chayim (the light of life). The father, Gal, a former pilot , returned home to Emanuel on Sunday. His wife followed with the children on bus 189 on Tuesday. Grandmother Zilpah accompanied her daughter to help her with the babies on the trip home. When the bombs started, Ayelet called Gal on her cell phone. He didn’t have a car, so he ran all the way until the town’s gardener gave him a lift to the entrance of Emanuel. There he saw three men dressed as Israeli soldiers in uniform. When he approached them, they turned around and shot him in cold blood. On the bus, the same three men killed his eight month old Sara, and her grandmother Zilpah. His wife Ayelet is fighting for her life. Or Chayim has shrapnel in his head, and a bullet in his two-year old shoulder. Only Galia Esther was unharmed.
Jerusalem remembers
In the days of her affliction and of her anguish
All her treasures that she had
From the days of old
And now her people fall by the
Hand of the adversary
And none do help her
They have mocked at her desolations.
Ilana Sitton, a cosmetician, was returning after having registered her 14-year old daughter for high school. She was murdered. Her daughter is hospitalized. Yonatan Gamliel, a sixteen year old high school student returning home, was murdered. Keren Kashani, 30, a single mother with one son, was murdered on her way home..
Let it not come unto you, all you that pass by!
Behold and see!
If there be any pain like unto my pain, which
Is done unto me…
Friends,
Tonight we will gather fasting in the synagogue, sit on the floor, tear our clothes, put ashes on our heads and read the scroll of Lamentations. We do this every year on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, on the most terrible day in the Jewish calendar: The ninth day of the Jewish month of Av.
We will sit on the floor and remember: The passenger bus coming back from B’ nai Brak full of the voices of children, the tiny voices of babies and the comforting noises of their mothers, and we will remember how it wound its way through Judah, nearing home. And then we will hear the sounds: grenades thrown through the roof by..men? Is that the name we shall give them? The bombs lobbed at this unarmed bus full of women holding babies, and young fathers, and grandmothers and teenagers.
And then we shall see them, one by one, as they tried to get off the bus. We will see Judith Weinberg, 22 years old, a teacher in Bait Yaakov, returning after successfully completing her final teacher’s exams, in her eighth month of pregnancy, as she lumbers down the steps, her body heavy and slow. And we shall see the men who turn their rifles towards her, piercing her stomach. Doctors performed a c-section, delivering her little boy. He lived one day.
“How does the city sit solitary that was full of people!
She weepeth sore in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks
She has none to comfort her among her lovers
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
They have become her enemies” (Lamentations 1,2)
Still in the bus was the Shilon family. Ayelet and her husband Gal had spent the weekend in Givatayim with her parents, Zilpah and Moshe. The grandparents enjoyed their grandchildren, the eight-month old twins, Galia Esther and Sarah, and two-year old Or Chayim (the light of life). The father, Gal, a former pilot , returned home to Emanuel on Sunday. His wife followed with the children on bus 189 on Tuesday. Grandmother Zilpah accompanied her daughter to help her with the babies on the trip home. When the bombs started, Ayelet called Gal on her cell phone. He didn’t have a car, so he ran all the way until the town’s gardener gave him a lift to the entrance of Emanuel. There he saw three men dressed as Israeli soldiers in uniform. When he approached them, they turned around and shot him in cold blood. On the bus, the same three men killed his eight month old Sara, and her grandmother Zilpah. His wife Ayelet is fighting for her life. Or Chayim has shrapnel in his head, and a bullet in his two-year old shoulder. Only Galia Esther was unharmed.
Jerusalem remembers
In the days of her affliction and of her anguish
All her treasures that she had
From the days of old
And now her people fall by the
Hand of the adversary
And none do help her
They have mocked at her desolations.
Ilana Sitton, a cosmetician, was returning after having registered her 14-year old daughter for high school. She was murdered. Her daughter is hospitalized. Yonatan Gamliel, a sixteen year old high school student returning home, was murdered. Keren Kashani, 30, a single mother with one son, was murdered on her way home..
Let it not come unto you, all you that pass by!
Behold and see!
If there be any pain like unto my pain, which
Is done unto me…
3 killed, many injured near old Tel Aviv central bus station
Ha'aretz - article with report. (Earlier, the number of dead had been reported as six.)
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
Slaughter of suspected collaborators by Arafat
TheAmericanProwler Article raises some issues nobody writes about.
Bus ambushed; at least seven dead
The incident is described here. Arafat's Hamas takes responsibility. I hope the government also takes its responsibility seriously, and removes the murderer Arafat and his henchmen.
Monday, July 15, 2002
Help buy bulletproof vests!
Aaron Singer is a personal hero of mine. This young family man from Brooklyn flies to Israel to do his reserve duty in the paratroops. And in his "spare time," he raises money for bulletproof vests for IDF soldiers and others. Please go to www.thesosfund.org and donate whatever your heart tells you to. And pass the url around!
Israelis continue to innovate
As this report from a marketing intern reveals, there is better news than gloom and doom in Israel's business life.
One man's response to terror: Kindness
Naomi Ragen shares from her heart about inappropriate and appropriate kindness.
Sunday, July 14, 2002
Former editor of Times on anti-Semitism
Harold Evans speaks out on anti-Semitism - and the Muslim component.
Voice of Judea: Muslim Justice
A Pakistani local jury sentenced an 18-year old girl to be publicly gang-raped because her brother had had a consensual affair with a woman from a higher tribe.
Voice of Judea commentary:
Theirs is a profoundly sick and sadistic society. Islamic civilization is obsessed with expansion and forcing its "morals" violently onto other nations. How it turns out is that our fight is not just for our own survival and Homeland: if we don't stop them here, they'll overrun the whole world. How it goes with Israel, so too with everyone else...
To Subscribe: Send mail to:VoiceOfJudea-Join@Judea.org from the address you want to use to receive the e-mail.
Voice of Judea commentary:
Theirs is a profoundly sick and sadistic society. Islamic civilization is obsessed with expansion and forcing its "morals" violently onto other nations. How it turns out is that our fight is not just for our own survival and Homeland: if we don't stop them here, they'll overrun the whole world. How it goes with Israel, so too with everyone else...
To Subscribe: Send mail to:VoiceOfJudea-Join@Judea.org from the address you want to use to receive the e-mail.
Saturday, July 13, 2002
History in a Nutshell - wonderful Flash presentation
It's back! The shortest, most engaging graphical history of Israel I've ever seen.
Friday, July 12, 2002
Prager: Hadayet scarier than Al Qaeda
In this article, Dennis Prager points out what should be obvious to anyone.
Thursday, July 11, 2002
israelinsider: Views: Coming home, full of hope
This account expresses the heart of many Jews in the diaspora. Something for all to think about.
israelinsider: Views: Syria, UN resolution 520, and the Security Council
This incredible insanity is almost funny. Almost.
Monday, July 08, 2002
Gary Bauer visits Israel
Gary Bauer visits Israel: "But the bottom line is this: The FBI is asking the wrong question. We aren't fighting a vague group called "terrorists." Terrorism is a tactic, not an enemy. The enemy is radical Islam and all signs indicate that Hadayat was a radical Islamist who engaged in an act of terrorism. "
Sunday, July 07, 2002
The LA Times cartoon - update
Yesterday I posted a hateful cartoon by an LA Times cartoonist and suggested writing to the editor about it. Apparently, this all happened about eight months ago. The cartoonist publicly apologized, and has done nothing anti-Jewish since.
Friday, July 05, 2002
Update: LAX killer was Egyption
As this JPost piece points out, the FBI still doesn't want to call it a terrorist act. Israel says it is. (I'm with Israel.)
Thursday, July 04, 2002
News as barometer
It is nice to see the number of visitors to this site decline. There is a perfect correspondence between horrible things happening in Israel or to Israel and rises in the number of visitors to this (and other Israeli news) sites.
Tuesday, July 02, 2002
An opportunity for a blessing
Here is an update on the Shabo family of Itamar, whose mother, Rachel, was murdered by a terrorist, along with three of her children. Two of the other children were severely injured; one lost a leg.
The house with all their possessions burned to the ground. They had no life or homeowner's insurance. The government has given them a total of $10,000.
Please visit this site to make a donation to help this family.
If you are Jewish, I hope you feel as I do, that these people are there in my place, fulfilling our duty to settle the land.
The house with all their possessions burned to the ground. They had no life or homeowner's insurance. The government has given them a total of $10,000.
Please visit this site to make a donation to help this family.
If you are Jewish, I hope you feel as I do, that these people are there in my place, fulfilling our duty to settle the land.
HonestReporting.com: CARTER'S DELUSIONS ABOUT ARAFAT
HonestReporting.com reveals Carter's insane obliviousness to the facts, and suggests actions we can take.
Michael Medved: Hollywood and Islam
Michael Medved asks: " Why won't Hollywood admit terrorism's Islamic link?
Sunday, June 30, 2002
U.S. News: Palestinians desire nationhood, but is this the kind of nation they want? (7/1/02)
This is one of far too few articles in the popular press on the lack of any social or cultural basis for democratic statehood among Arafat's hostages.
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