A day at the Knesset

My daughter's kindergarden teacher: "Children! This is gan, NOT the Knesset, please be quiet!"

HaAretz: Dislike the Media? You must be a Radical Fanatic.

In a hatchet job against Kibbutz Sha'alvim, the HaAretz newspaper tries to show us that this kibbutz has turned into a monstrous den of right-wing fanatics. Ordinarily, a newspaper would try to bring objective facts to the table -- at least in the first paragraph. Yet the way HaAretz reports the news, they first shoot an arrow and then draw the target around it, "cleverly" showing how top notch their reporting is.

The article states:

עד לאחרונה נחשב שעלבים לקיבוץ מתון. היום, חצי שעת נסיעה מירושלים או תל אביב, ההרגשה היא שאתה חוצה גבולות ונמצא באחת מההתנחלויות היותר קיצוניות בשומרון. השנאה לתקשורת בולטת, הפרנויה שולטת ואדם הבא מבחוץ ונראה כאיננו שייך למקום, נתפס בקלות כאיום

"Till recently, Shaalvim was considered a moderate kibbutz. A 30 minute drive from Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv, the feeling is that you pass a border and are found in one of the most radical settlements in the Shomron. The hatred towards the media is pronounced, paranoia rules, and any arriving outsider is automaticaly suspect as a threat."

HaAretz wants its readership to know the following "facts"

1. Shaalvim gives you the feeling of being in a different country. (or political entity)
2. If you hate the media, (or don't subscribe to HaAretz) you are a radical right wing fanatic.
3. HaAretz is very good at doing hatchet jobs against anyone who has a different viewpoint than their own, so if you are paranoid they will write something bad about you, you are probably correct (which also makes you a radical right wing fanatic).

Hevron, Shechem and Yerushalayim.

Painting by Hevron's famed artist, Baruch Nachson.

This past shabbat, parashat Chayei Sara, marks the annual "Shabbat Hevron", in which tens of thousands of Jews visited the biblical cave of "Machpela", which Avraham purchased from Ephron the Hitite. Visitors stayed in the city of Hevron and in the adjoining city of Kiriat Arba, prayed in the landmark cave, and toured the Jewish neighborhoods in Hevron.

In a rare glimpse of solidarity between Hebron's Arabs and Jews, Hebron's Arab population asked for help from the city's Jewish residents in ridding the city of the radical anarchist leftists from the International Solidarity Movement. Several local Arab residents told the Kol Ha’Ir newspaper that the ISM activists have been exposing the local youths to drug use and sexual promiscuity.

Picture of Hevron from the 1800's.

One has to wonder what in the world the midrash was thinking, when it wrote, that there are 3 locations which the world can not say were stolen by the Jewish people, because each site was purchased outright for hard cash.

Mearat HaMachpela in Hevron was purchased by Avraham

The field containing Kever Yosef in Shechem was purchased by Yaakov

The Makom Hamikdash in Yerushalayim was purchased by King David.

If anything, the world does everything possible to ignore our claim to these 3 sites! I guess the midrash was referring to Jews needing to understand that these locations belong to the Jewish people. Only once we are convinced and understand that these places of historic and religious importance actually belong to us, will the world admit it as well.

This picture of Kever Yosef in Shechem, taken around the time of WWI by a British soldier is more interesting in what's missing, than what you see. Note the almost total absence of Arab homes. If you want to see pictures of what the area currently looks like, you can see many pictures on the Kumah website.

Milluim...every bone in my body aches.

I haven't posted in 2 days. Two days of intensive milluim (IDF reserve duty) has left me exhausted. Every bone in my body hurts, every muscle feels over-stretched. Walking up the stairs is a major effort. My legs hurt from every ligament. One big mess of throbbing pain.

I have to admit, putting on my uniform on Wednesday morning before shul gave me a very weird feeling. Its the first time I've put it on since the "Disengagement", and while I used to be proud putting it on, I just felt very strange this time. Not proud...but I also didn't have any of the "revulsion" which some try to make a big issue out of, saying that religious Jews have "Disengaged" from the army.

I can't go into much detail about what we did, but part of the exercise was 8 hours of tactical paintball, where you shoot at terrorists (or vice-versa) at a distances of 2 meters, instead of the regulation 7 meter minimum distance in civilian paintball. Everyone has black and blue blisters all over them. I "killed" lots of terrorists, and was killed just as many times.

Yet, at a bar mitzva tonight I was able to dance with more energy than I've had in a long time.

Historical Coincidences?

First, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon destroyed Gush Katif. He then set out to destroy the Likud. He ignored the party referendum he personally called for, which voted overwhelmingly for Israel not to "disengage" from Gush Katif.

Using his personal clout and cadre of 1000 hand picked members of the Likud Central committee, he defeated a motion to advance the primaries in the Likud party, claiming that it was in the party's best interest. This week, he abandons the party which brought him to the Prime Minister's chair of the Israeli government.

Sharon's new party is called in Hebrew, "Kadima", or Forward/Ahead.

Nobel Prize award winner, Shimon Peres often speaks about the importance of not learning anything from history. That's probably good advice, since the name of the Fascist Revolutionary newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini, was also called "Avanti" (Forward/Ahead in Italian).

Don't ask me who put up this link, but it wasn't me. I'll try to follow Shimon's advice, lest I get in trouble.

Hesder Yeshiva student/soldier, single-handedly kills 4 Hizbullah Terrorists

Yesterday afternoon, 4 Hizbullah terrorists on motorcycles and ATVs attacked the Israeli border town of Rajar. Ynetnews reports:

IDF Paratrooper David Markovitz shot, killed 4 Hizbullah terrorists who planned to abduct soldier Monday on northern border. Markovitz, recruited only 8 months ago, 'functioned extraordinarily,' commander says.

Markovitz joined the army in the framework of the Hedser Yeshiva program in March 2005. He resides in the community of Gamzo, and will celebrate his 21st birthday next week.

The incident took place Monday during an ambush near the border crossing in the village of Rajar, which is located on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

"The soldiers spotted four terrorists dressed in black, and moving in an orderly fashion toward the roadblock. Behind them the soldiers noticed jeeps and motorcycles - logistic support for the abduction operation," Elaluf recounted.

"The group was carrying an antitank missile, which was ready to be launched. They approached the force and at a distance of about 40 meters from the force, soldiers opened fire before the terrorists had a chance to respond," he said.

Markovitz, who was the force's marksman, "calmly conducted precise shooting. He shot, diverted the weapon, and hit all four men. The missile they were carrying blew up. Three were killed immediately, and the fourth terrorist fell on the ground, crawled for a short time and then died as well," Elaluf described.

'Remained calm under fire'

The precise shooting by the young marksman, Elaluf said, was what thwarted Hizbullah's plan. The four men were armed from head to tow, and had they been able to get closer to the soldiers, they could have easily abducted one of them.

These "Hesder" yeshiva student soldiers are among the most highly motivated in the Israeli army, and know exactly why we are living in Eretz Yisrael, and have no doubts of our validity to live here. Its unfortunate that General Elazar Stern (Head of IDF Manpower) has no qualms about shutting down the hesder yeshivot, and Shulamit Aloni never has a nice word to say about these top quality soliders either.

"Members of the hesder yeshivas, as well as their rabbis, have a lot of atoning to do this coming Yom Kippur, as none of them are unemployed or starving, and none of them were disinherited or abandoned. They are going back to Israel; back to their sovereign country, where the IDF, police and treasury tend to their every need."

Rays of Hope over Jerusalem

Haveil Havalim #45 - at Mirty's Ranch.

As the lead-off story, how could I not advertise this week's Haveil Havalim #45 Mirty's research lets you know instantly what's really worth reading.

Shkoyech!

Zionist Turkey?

Click Turkey for a Special Thanksgiving Message from the GodolHador.

Every year when I casually mention that I'm going home from work early for a "Thanksgiving" dinner, it blows someone's fuse. Its one thing to celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, where there are very clear viewpoints on the matter.

There is a 3-way halachik argument between HRHG R' Feinstein, R' Soloveitchik, and R' Hutner about whether Thanksgiving is considered a holiday of the gentiles, and can one "celebrate" Thanksgiving. R' Soloveitchik held that Thanksgiving is religion-agnostic, thereby allowing an annual celebration including turkey dinner. R' Feinstein considered it a problem to celebrate a secular holiday, and permitted turkey dinner, but not a "celebration". R' Hutner considered it a full gentile holiday, and forbade turkey dinner and any celebration. My family in the US always held from R' Soloveitchik, and had an annual celebration, turkey and all.

An excellent roundup of the halachik issues can be found here and I would also suggest seeing Appendix A for an interesting postscript on Halloween.

Still, holding onto the Thanksgiving tradition in Israel is a completely different issue. Am I betraying the Zionist cause by celebrating an event that occurred between Gentile Pilgrims and Native American Indians in North America a few hundred years ago? What does Thanksgiving have to do with living in Israel today (if anything)? My friends in Israel who made aliya from Canada are totally against Thanksgiving, because its a totally Christian holiday in Canada, undertones, overtones, and gentile themes everywhere -- including a different date then US Thanksgiving.

Of course, the entire issue of Turkey being a kosher bird is fascinating; had it been discovered today instead of a few hundred years ago, you would be hard pressed to find an Orthodox Rabbi that would consider it Kosher.

This year, I have milluim, a wedding, and a Bar mitzva to go to, so I guess the point is moot unless we have turkey another day.

Thanksgiving on a Friday night...in Eretz Yisrael.

Blasphemy!