9 b'AV

A custom among many Shilo families on the 9^th of Av is to read “Eicha” (Lamentations) at the site of the Ancient city of Shilo, which is in the community boundaries. The families gather at nightfall and pray Ma’ariv (Evening Prayer) and then read “Eicha” lit by either candles or flashlight.

Last night as I looked around at the families gathered, I couldn’t help but see our history before my eyes. Here we were at Ancient Shilo, the first capital of Israel, where Joshua set up the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Above us the lights of modern day Shilo, and surrounding us, the other Jewish communities of the Shilo Bloc. This alone spanned over 3000 years of our history, from the start of our presence in the Land of Israel till today. I looked at the faces, while gripped with mourning for what was, I saw the strength of those who have rebuilt and continue to build our people, our land. The faces are those of Jews from all over the world, the Kippahs are those from all over the spectrum, the customs come from the four corners of the earth, the hearts are those of one.

It was truly uplifting to be part of this, despite it being the 9^th of Av. One of the reasons we do not recite Tachnun (supplications), on this day is because this day will become one of joy (Gd willing in the near future), and seeing this strength, this future brought a smile to my face. My family and I had just landed the night before from a trip to the US where we spoke to and met with different communities. We found many to be distraught regarding Israel and the treatment we are receiving from the US administration, worse was the rampant lack of knowledge and understanding of the communities in Judea and Samaria and how integral they are to the entire State of Israel, and to the Jewish people. It was saddening to hear one of my children remark at one of the speaking events, that he doesn’t understand why the Jews don’t care more about Judea and Samaria. Thank Gd we found many that do, and many more that want to hear and learn more.

However, over all, seeing the lack of connection, the lack of involvement truly set the mood for the 9^th of Av. In this time of relentless attacks on the Jewish State, regardless of law or justice, we can get a feeling of what occurred so many years ago. The self hatred of our own people towards the land and people living in Israel, the financial support that is given to our enemies by so called allies and “Human Rights” groups is not going to weaken us, it will have a boomerang effect. More and more people in the world are waking to the tyranny of Washington and the hypocrisy of the present Peace process. We will continue to have enemies in this world, like everybody else, it is our unity or lack of which determines how strong they will be. It is how we chose to be involved that will set the pace.

As I gaze into the future, the faces of the present families surrounding me at the site of our ancient city of Shilo, I know that we will endure. I see our people slowly coming together again throughout my travels. They look for strength and integrity and they will find it again from where it all began, in the land of Israel, in a region of our country called Yehuda and Shomron.

Preaching to the Choir

It has often been said of many of the speakers that come to the US to address the “Settlement Issue” or to speak, or raise funds for various projects throughout Yehuda and Shomron (Yesha), that they are usually “Preaching to the Choir”. There is no doubt that this is a correct statement. However the task is not “Preaching” it is Teaching. It is teaching that same choir how to sing that is needed most. Most “Choirs” know the sermon by heart, but few can repeat it out loud. Heads shake in agreement, but when the verses are needed to be heard and to be heard out loud by others, the words and tunes are mysteriously jumbled or forgotten.

Our “Preachers” erred greatly when they only approached those that came to choir practice. They forgot to look for talent outside of the box. Perhaps this is why we only hear the music on select channels and not all over the bandwidth.

It seems that many choir members are tired of hearing the same sermon, time and time again to the point that they do not sing anymore.

The sermon must change and new members are needed. Talent must come from all over and not just the closed doors of the sanctuary. This task is in the charge of the Preachers, and they must learn that all octaves are needed to make a great choir. Relearning is needed by all.

The Jewish people are at a crossroads, with their souls being chased by many. One thing for sure is that a wrong decision will have dire results for all of us all over the world. The entire concept of legality and truth are being rewritten before our eyes, a double standard is quickly becoming a double-edged sword. Israel’s personal business has become everybody’s business with the world telling us we don’t have the right to decide anything for ourselves. As children we have all learned that there comes a time when we have to stand up to bullies, now is that time, no matter how many there are.

Nobody in this world has the right to dictate to Israel what to do, it is the other way around, and it is up to Israel to show the world what to do.

Every moral law is being broken regarding the Jews of Israel. What would be deplored as blatant discrimination and hatred and injustice is quickly becoming Standard Operating Procedure towards Israel. Accepted once again is discrimination against the Jews, this time at government and international levels.

Lack of leadership, lack of direction and the compromise to terror has brought us down this path. The land of Israel has always represented strength and unity to the Jewish people. As the attempts to carve it up increased, as our leaders gave in to the world, it has affected all of us as a people. The momentum decreased, we started to splinter and this is the opportunity our enemies were waiting for.

The many faces of the Jewish people started looking elsewhere for leadership often forgetting that we are one. We allowed our differences to take over and separate us, the first victim being the heartland of Israel and the dedicated Jews living there. The target is Jewish strength and Jewish identity.

The choir has been coming apart, no longer are their voices loud enough to be heard over the shouts of hatred. We find ourselves now on the defense. Jewish students on campuses throughout the US desperately seek ways to respond to Arabs and Left wing enemies of Israel. Israel did not become a strong nation by responding, but by taking the initiative and moving forward. When we perceived a threat, we made the first move in order to preserve life, to protect life. Israel learned that responding to attacks cost too much blood. Yet today our brothers outside of Israel cower and hide or worse, adopt the enemy standpoint.

So it is time to reorganize the choir, to teach them to sing loud, to teach them to sing together, to deafen the shouts of our enemies. A successful choir must include many octaves, and they must learn to work together despite the tonal differences.

The preaching will continue, and the teaching will continue until we can rebuild that choir. We will learn to sing again, together as one, and the world will be our audience, and the music and voices will be heard again from our hearts and our heartland, Yehuda and Shomron.

Judea and Samaria

“Judea and Samaria, the story of every Jew”, so the campaign goes. This campaign was started a while back to wake up Israelis as to their heritage in the heartland of Israel. It was quite successful. The message however, must be continued. Judea and Samaria IS THE STORY OF EVERY JEW. It doesn’t matter what kind of Jew you are, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Progressive, Regressive, Expressive, and so on and so on, if you are a Jew this land is part of you, like it or not. The connection occurs the second you claim to be a Jew, sorry, but that’s the way it is. When you go to Shul, Synagogue, Temple, Prayer Meeting, whatever works for you, and read from the Torah, Prophets, or any of the other Holy writings, or when you just sit back at home and are reading the best selling book of all times, the places you hear mentioned in your history are here in Judea and Samaria. It is who you are, whether you are aware of it or not. When anyone in this world talks about giving this land up, they are talking about you. They are talking about giving up a piece of your history, your heritage, and your land. Now there are many who don’t care whether this land is given up or whom it belongs to, but facts are facts and we must accept them.

In fact, anyone who accepts what is written in that Book has to accept this fact, if you don’t accept the Book, that’s something else.

Lately there are so many making every effort possible in distancing themselves from this land and its history and doing whatever they can to get the Jews out of this land. The party line is that giving up Judea and Samaria to the “Palestinians” will bring piece to the region, and how is that? By giving a non-people a land?

There are nearly 300,000 Jews living in Judea and Samaria; that is not just a number that is a reality. These people do not live in shacks, they live in houses, and they have their livelihoods there and are raising their families there. There is no way that 300,000 people are going to just get up and leave. How the world can expect this is beyond me, imagine if this was asked of any other people besides the Jews how it would be looked upon. These people have come to be the cream of the crop of Israel, they represent the strongest, Zionist entity that has been in this region since Joshua’s time, and THAT is the reason the Arabs want us out, and that is why the world wants us out. It has NOTHING to do with land, it has to do with people, and that people is the Jewish people. So if you are part of the “tribe”, whether you agree or not, this is all directed at a part of you, and that part is called Israel.

Next step. Open your eyes, I just read an interesting quote that I would like to share, I sincerely hope that when the president goes in for his annual check-up, the doctors at Bethesda will do a brain scan. Surely something must be terribly wrong with a man who seems to be far more concerned with a Jew building a house in Israel than with Muslims building a nuclear bomb in Iran." --columnist Burt Prelutsky

The Muslims of Iran ARE building a nuclear bomb because Jews ARE building houses in Israel, and not just in Judea and Samaria, they don’t want Israel to exist at all, and this is what all the Arab nations in the Middle East want, believe it or not, just look at what they teach their children. The only reason that they are singing a different tune now is because they haven’t managed to defeat us and wipe us out, yet, and this is not going to happen. They also have a new friend.

We read in the Torah how Israel’s archenemy, Amalek used the strategy of attacking the weak and those that straggled behind in order to weaken the People of Israel. This is what the Arabs and our other enemies are attempting to do, to weaken us and separate us from one another, and separate us from our land, and this we must not allow to happen. So whether we agree with one another or not, lets remember and understand that Judea and Samaria ARE every Jews story, and a part of us all, forever.

History Again

I had hoped to be able to stop writing about the abuse of power the US and Europe tend to show towards Israel, but it doesn’t seem to stop. The latest demand on Israel is to stop building in Jerusalem. President Obama and his team, along with Sec of State Hillary Clinton are leaving no stone unturned in their relentless attack on the demise of the Jewish State, that’s right the Jewish state. The actions that they are demanding of Israel will affect the entire state, and not for the good. They wish to go back in time, instead of forward. In fact the ripples they cause will spread to other shores. The lack of understanding of the Middle East they are demonstrating is frightening when one thinks of the sphere of influence they belong to.

Apparently words have no affect on these people, the columns are full, the airwaves are full, but to no avail. The fact that this adventure will cost the United States a high toll in the world is already showing. How many nations have started to turn to Russia and others, more than a few are “checking out the possibilities”. The US administration has already forfeited the next elections, the question is how much damage will they cause now?

Analysts of every defense ministry around the world are already working on the possible scenarios of the reaction of Islamic states as to the creation of a “Palestinian State”. Let me tell you, it has them scared, very scared. No matter how you play it out, the scene ends bringing more violence with it, to the entire world. If a Palestinian State is created, it proves 1; violence does work, and promotes the use of more violence and terrorism, 2; it will be used by Islamic extremists to further their causes against the west and destabilize other Arab nations, 3; every group will claim responsibility for defeating Israel AND the West by use of violence and not peaceful methods, 4,5,6, the list goes on and on. The world leaders forget; Islamic society is not Western society, different rules to the game, they don’t use dice.

The misinformed, ignorant and naïve will tell you how the Arab world has advanced intellectually in accepting the State of Israel. They will tell you of a “new dawn”. What they wont tell you is the only reason those Arab nations accept Israel is because they have yet to defeat Israel in battle and wipe Israel off the map. They will also not tell you how frightened the leaders of many Arab nations are at the possibility of a new Arab nation and how it will undermine the stability of many regimes in the Middle East. The “Analysts” and Statesmen forget that this is the Middle East and not Vermont.

The way the party line goes is that America will stand by Israel no matter what, so we have nothing to worry about, yeah, right. The speed in which the US administration has adopted its “change” boggles the mind. Israel is no longer so welcome at “court”.

Now here is the funny part, the “court” is chock-full o’ Jews. I stand dumbfounded, what has Israel done to the world and to it’s own people to deserve this treatment? It is obvious and clear that those Jews that do not approve of Israel are really not in the know of what really is going on here, that includes Israel’s own populous who have sided with the Arabs.

It is very reminiscent of the Greek empire taking on many Jewish people into their folds and then it was these same Jews who came to work against their own people and land. It is a bit frightening, because the Greek Empire went down in a big way leaving a trail of blood and destruction behind it.

But enough about that, just more bad news. Israel gives more to the world on average than most other countries, and will continue to give to the world, despite that the world only shows contempt towards this tiny nation. I would like to say ask your “average Joe” on the street about Israel, but it seems Arab propaganda has probably gotten to him also, and Yusuf (Cat Stevens) sings about peace, but I digress. There is a saying “Too much good is a bad thing”, maybe this is the new philosophy being heeded, that would explain everything.

Israel is going to keep producing good, and Israel’s heartland of Judea and Samaria is going to continue leading the production of good, in every field, especially that of good, strong people. If the world doesn’t like it and prefers the “other side”, all will loose out, but we will keep on, keeping on, because that is “who” we are.

Maybe we are thinking too much about everything and our minds are clouding up, maybe we have become blind to good and are letting deceit get in the way of truth.

One thing you can count on, History always repeats itself, best we learn from it and take two steps forward and not six steps backward.

The Jackal and the Noose

The world is buzzing with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech regarding his vision of Israel and the continuation of the Peace Process. Many were surprised by his acceptance of the creation of a “Palestinian” state, the speech was considered by most world leaders to be an important step towards the renewal of the “Peace” negotiations. The Prime Minister set conditions that he considers necessary in order to assure a peaceful existence in the region. The principal conditions were a Demilitarized “Palestinian” State and the recognition that Israel is a Jewish state. Really nothing new here, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria all abide by the same conditions, except for the official acceptance of Israel as a Jewish State, but fact is fact. The reason is quite obvious, after all the attempts at destroying Israel, it is the least one can ask for, a secure existence. As for the “Jewish State”, it was the basis for the creation of Israel, as also mentioned in the “partition” of the land back the days when England and the U.N. were playing Gd.

Whether or not you support what Prime Minister Netanyahu said, it has caused the true intentions of many to show, again. The concept of a Jewish State that is capable of defending itself is not acceptable to the Arabs. Forget the defending itself “issue”, the concept of a Jewish State alone is simply not acceptable to Israel’s Arab neighbors.

The initial response of world leaders to the speech seems favorable, and as for the conditions presented, they are “studying” it. “Studying” means they are confused and don’t know how to respond yet, as they are waiting for the Arabs to tell them what to do next. As the first wave of “shock” from the speech sinks in, one of the first words we have heard are from the Champion of Peace Jimmy Carter, who has been requesting that the world remove Hamas from the “Terrorist List”. Indeed he surprised everyone by saying that the Jewish communities of the Etzion Bloc should not be removed. This same direction regarding Hamas is being followed by the European Union also, however in a more discreet manner. The EU is slowly changing their tune regarding the conditions that Hamas must meet in order to be involved with the EU. The US, in the mean time is trying to figure out what to do, as the continued Jewish support of the administration is a factor. Apparently many Jews in the US didn’t take so kindly to President Obama’s speech, and they too are beginning to voice their feelings.

The “Jackals of the world” will regroup and renew their unrelenting attack on the State of Israel, while the demand that we close the wombs of our women and force our children to move away from their parents still ring in our ears. New reasons, why Israel’s demands for a secure existence are unacceptable will make headlines, and the weak minded and those lacking identity and filled with self-hatred will gather, again, to the flag of Israel’s enemies, uniting in their efforts to rip our heritage and land from the Jewish people. They will continue to try to push our necks into the noose hanging from the gallows, which they term the “Peace Process”.

You see a Jewish State is not really acceptable to anyone as long as the Mullahs sing their song and world leaders continue to dance to their tune. The Jewish people should be grateful that the true intentions of this so called “Peace Process” raises its ugly head once again, this time with a bit more clarity. Of course this clarity is only visible to those that wish to see it and are not blinded by hatred and distain for the State of Israel and the Jewish people, or distorted by the false version of Arab history and the Arab version of the Middle East conflict.

None of this is new to those who already have their eyes open, but maybe some more people out there just may become a little more enlightened.

Back in the Heartland we are already hearing the winds of war howling once again. Renewed threats of another Intifada are being voiced, again, this time with new confidence. The difference being the training and arming they have been receiving from the U.S. under Lt. Gen Keith Dayton. The Arabs of Judea and Samaria feel they have a new ally, a new champion of the cause, that being President Obama. Having trained on “Attacking Jewish Villages” in Judea and Samaria, new techniques in fighting the IDF, their continued instruction by the US and EU nations in combat, they will delusion themselves into believing that they can achieve victory against the Jewish people of Israel. They will be wrong, again.

Where will the US actually stand in this picture? They are already limiting arms sales to Israel and increasing the budget to the Arabs. Major funding is going towards “Rebuilding” the Palestinian Authority by from US, as funds are being cut across the board to the Jewish Communities of Judea and Samaria by the Israeli government. Mostly affected is the funding of basic Security needs to the communities of Judea and Samaria.

It has been said that “Everything is for the Good”, it is up to us to see the good from all of this and learn from it. Hopefully the Jews and Peace-loving peoples of the world will now be able to see the true face of our so-called “Peace Partners” along with their “new friends” and will realize their true intentions, that of the destruction of Israel as a Jewish State. I pray Mr. Netanyahu and the Jewish people have not put their trust in the world regarding Israel’s security. But that is not enough. Action now must be taken to stop the momentum gained on this treacherous path before it leads to disaster. Action must be taken by all and not just by the Jewish people living in Israel. It is time to stand up to the tyranny that has taken off its mask.

As more and more Israeli’s travel out to see the “Settlements” they realize the people there are the future of Israel. They realize the people there are not the monsters that the media portrays them to be. The “Settlements” are not makeshift huts, they are living, vibrant communities which offer the best of the best to the State and People of Israel. They are not illegal. Israel is waking up and it is time for the rest of our people and the world to follow.

Old Strategy, New Era

It is official, President Obama will do everything in his power to assure the creation of a new independent Arab State that will be called, get this, “Palestine”. There are a lot more Muslims in the world than Jews, and it seems in their inability to defeat Israel and destroy the Jewish state, they now need the assistance of the United States. They have an open channel to the top why not use it. I don’t blame them everybody does the same thing. For that matter many Americans are already saying, there are more Muslim countries than Jewish ones, why not go with the Arabs and Muslims? How can you argue with logic like that? I mean really, there are even Jews that back the idea. We can at least attempt to understand it.

I don’t think President Obama is as ignorant as others would like to portray him. He and his staff are doing what they think is best for the US, that is their job and duty. For years different administrations have been trying to find a solution to the Israel/Palestine issue. One of the differences is that due to a strong Judeo-Christian base in the upbringing of most of these leaders, they couldn’t find it in their heart to rid the Holyland of the Jews, for that matter if we look at US history it is filled with Americans since 1776 attempting to repopulate and establish a Jewish presence in what was known as Palestine. The book, Power, Faith and Fantasy (Michael B. Oren) is an excellent reference for this and US dealings in the Middle East since US independence.

So it hasn’t worked till now for a number of reasons that are in view. A strong Jewish lobby, understanding of the lack of stability among Arab nations, the list goes on and on. In order to wrench the land of Israel from the Jews, the Jews themselves must be the targets. Next problem, how do we target them while appearing to still be their allies? We lie, we say that this in the interest of peace and justice. Now lets get down to details, who may teach us how to do this? The answer is history, no exiting new strategy here, just some old successful campaign used by a guy named Hadrian, the Roman Emperor. He understood that he must disconnect the Jews from their land and heritage in order to defeat them. The name of the land was changed at first to Syria-Palaestina and later to Palestine. It worked as the Jews learned to forget the connection to the land and their heritage till modern times. This process only started reversing itself with the establishment of Israel as a Jewish State and the eventual liberation of Judea and Samaria. This is a topic that cannot be covered in a short article.

So basically, the strategy is understood, it has been implemented, whether out of hatred or US interest, it has started. The Muslim world has not known this level of joy for years, I guess we, as intellectually and culturally advanced individuals should be happy for them. After all we want change and a new reality, mutual understanding and respect for all, peace and love between all, like in all of the Muslim nations. Now that we know the US is one of the “largest Muslim nations”, what other direction could there be to take?

The best part of this sitcom is how the Jews are backing this plan. I mean, the Presidents Chief of Staff is one of the main players. What even makes me laugh harder is that the people who are being hurt the most are the same who regard Mr. Emanuel, the senior, and what he stood for, a hero. Here is another one, the people who hurt Mr. Emanuel the senior the most, are the same who are backing this “Two State Solution”, and sucking up to the US administration. Mr Rahm Emanuel must be ecstatic at the irony of the situation, the ones who hurt his father are now are the ones who are “buddying” up to him and are his new “best friends”. If this is not the script for a Mel Brooks comedy, I don’t know what is, I’ll bet Ari Emanuel is already putting a casting call out for the sequel.

I don’t believe this is some devious plot against the Jews of the world, only against the Jewish State of Israel, and it is not devious, it is thought out, cold, and viciously cruel. Make no mistake though, the Jewish people living in the United States will suffer, their identity will be the victim, their future as “Jews” in America, a question.

But lets not get so heavy, soon it will be in “fashion” to identify as a Muslim. There are “Rap” names, wait till the next fad, “Mus” names. I can see it now, “Yusuf” or as we knew him, Cat Stevens, and his Peace Train?, leading the new music scene, F-Tima, Mu-Hood and B-Sheer frequenting the hip new Mosque on Hollywood Blvd. Tye-dyed Bourkas in San Francisco and of course Shia-Sunni tolerance groups in Boulder.

So remember, lighten up, you wanted change, you got it, maybe not the one you wanted but…. Next time remember, we are all responsible for our actions and inactions, it is not to late to make a change and be involved so that our future as Jews be assured, live and learn!

Salam, Aleicum Brother!

Lawrence of Palestine

It seems that ignorance and arrogance rule when it comes to US policy in the volatile situation in Israel. Since 2005 the US has been leading the effort of the building of a “Palestinian Army”. Partnered with Britain, Canada and a few others, they have been training and building a military force for the “Palestinian Authority”. This force is said to bring law and order back to the “West Bank”, or as said by Lt Gen Keith Dayton in his address to the Soref Symposium in Washington DC, “to create a Palestinian State”, “The three 500-man battalions are intended to grow, to as many as ten battalions. Their mission, he said, is to “create a Palestinian state.” “If you don’t like the idea of a Palestinian state, you won’t like the rest of this talk.”

General Dayton takes his job very seriously, as he has agreed to sign on another two years to complete the goal. The general of course is aware how the situation overturned in Gaza and is doing his best to avoid the same happening on his watch. Yet reality on the ground is different. The simple fact is that this force is charged at keeping Abbas in power. The United States see him as a partner in their plans and demise for Israel, and they will go to all lengths at this point to keep him alive. Despite the fact that they are well aware of his weakness in the field, his ever sliding popularity, the vast corruption that runs through his government, and not to mention the current negotiations with Hamas, training and support continue full speed ahead. General Dayton regards the Jewish residents as obstacles to his goal of a “Palestinian State” in Israel. His concept of “Las Vegas laws” shows his lack of understanding of the situation in Israel and the Middle East.

Indeed I am amused by his observations of Yasser Arafat’s forces, as he describes them as not properly trained and equipped and lacking an effective security mission. I have news for the General, they knew exactly what they were doing, and thank Gd they were not “properly trained and equipped”, otherwise we would have had a lot more dead Jews around Israel. I guess we should be happy he and the US led team will assist in the training and equipping of the troops to achieve their “goals”, by the way, using US tax dollars. What will their response be when this equipment and training also ends up in Hamas hands, or before that, being used to kill Jews throughout Israel. Such a warning was even stated by the General at the symposium. The rhetoric coming out of the Palestinian mouths presented to the symposium could be considered the best stand up comedy for years to come, how many times will you subject us to the continued lies? How much Jewish blood must flow before the US administration and General Dayton is able to admit error in their doings. I would hate to think that this may be part of their motive, as we know war is used by politicians as a tool and blood is just a statistic to them, couldn’t be. If I sound skeptical, forgive me as I have had to clean up the bloody mess of mistakes, time and time again and am irked by the “Consultants” and “Advisors” who just go home and so “oh well”.

It was presented to the unassuming “Think Tank” how the Israeli’s are grateful to the General and agree with his “view”. I guess “Think Tank” has other meanings that I am unaware of.

More and more US money is being poured into the training, equipping and the creation of the Palestinian Army, or lining many pockets in the Abbas infrastructure while Israel cuts it’s security funding to the Jews of Judea and Samaria, at the request of our “friends”. Sounds devious, yet it is true. It’s all part of the big plan, the two State Solution that will bring peace to the world, that eludes us because of a piece of land smaller than some national parks in the US. Please stop insulting us.

So the US has it’s own Lawrence of Arabia (or Palestine), and who knows, maybe Hollywood will make a movie of the heroic dedication the US advisors and their friends are showing in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

I am sure the strangle hold on Israel being attempted will continue on and the attempted Ghettoisation of Jewish communities will continue in the Jewish heartland. US policy gets worse regarding Israel in its feeble attempt to please world Islam and give Yusuf (Cat Stevens) more song material. The US will go through the pangs of change, and the world will learn that friendship does have a price and the words Honor, Duty and Loyalty translate different in Arabic.