A Million NIS to anyone proving that the Migron Settlement is on "Stolen" Land.

The Migron Community sits atop a mountain overlooking Highway 60 -- the main North-South traffic artery in the Binyamin region of the West Bank/Shomron and Yehuda territory.

The US Administration and Peace Now are both pressuring Israel to dismantle the small Jewish community of 50 families. Calling it an illegal settlement...an "occupation" settlement...a thorn in the side of the Palestinians...this community has been slated for destruction by numerous Israeli governments.

An excellent op-ed piece was presented in the JPost a few months ago, summarizing the injustices heaped upon the Jewish residents.

Despite extensive media coverage of Migron’s legal battles to survive, judicial edicts by a few members of Israel’s Supreme Court, and misrepresentations by those who oppose Migron’s presence, the facts concerning this Jewish community have not been presented fully, or fairly.

A small community of 50 families a dozen kilometers north of Jerusalem, Migron is a test case for all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and its fate may affect many within Israel’s “Green Line” as well.

The controversy revolves around two main issues: (1) who owns the land, and (2) if there was government negligence, who was responsible and who should be compensated. Despite the trauma of expelling 9,000 people from Gush Katif and the northern Shomron, Israel seems on the verge of repeating its mistakes.

Built more than a decade ago, Migron received the active support of the prime minister, the defense minister, the IDF commander, the civil administration, the housing and construction, transportation and communications ministries, the electric, water and telephone companies, as well as other government agencies. In other words, because of Migron’s strategic location, it was established with de facto government approval.

Part of the land on which Migron was built was registered to Arabs who left the region and cannot be found; this land thus came under the jurisdiction of the Custodian of Abandoned Property (apotropus) – a government agency established to manage land and property that is uninhabited and unclaimed. Another part of Migron was allegedly purchased by Jews, but not registered as such for fear of exposing the Arabs who sold it to the PA’s death penalty for such ‘crimes.’ (read the rest of this here, at the JPost)

To this day, except for legal battles being led by Peace Now, there is no one who contests the ownership of the land. Not one Arab has come forward to claim the settlers have "stolen" it.

To make the matter even more absurd, Israel's High Court has even adopted the position that Jews may be evicted from their homes even if no opposing land ownership claims are presented.

Of course, such a position is not held when it comes to Arab land claims in the West Bank, Arab land claims in pre-67 Israel, or Jewish land claims in pre-67 Israel.

To highlight the insanity, the Migron community has offered a 1 Million NIS reward (about $270,000) to anyone proving they own the land that Migron is built on. They aren't holding their breath that someone will come forward. (Walla)

In a normal society, if "Peace Now" didn't show up within a few days attempting to claim the million NIS, they would be humiliated and the slated destruction would be halted.

The problem that Migron faces, and Israel faces in general is that negative campaigning is more effective. It's so much easier to throw words into the wind that Migron needs to be destroyed, and watch Israel's media and Supreme Court pick it up and run with it, than to build.



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Never a Dull Moment in Israel Edition

1. Media Personality Yair Lapid announces he is entering politics to run for the Knesset. Lapid's party immediately polled-in at around 20 seats....mostly at the expense of Tzippi Livni's Kadima party.

Lapid's father Tommy Lapid founded the "Shinui" party which lasted for some time and was based on advancing the secularity of Israel.

2. The Knesset is so much fun these days -- today, Labor MK Raleb Majadele verbally insulted Yisrael Beiteinu MK Anastasia Michaeli...who responded by throwing a cup of water at him.

Lets see it on video...



3. Kadima MK Nachman Shai makes surprise visit to the Temple Mount (after going to the mikva, and wearing sneakers).

MK Shai was accompanied by MK Uri Ariel. Ariel summed up the meeting: "There is great importance to increase love and unity among Israel, and specifically the Temple Mount in United Jerusalem. I am happy that MK Shai agreed to be part of this enterprise and I hope that others participate as well.

MK Shai said: I came to the Temple Mount, one of the holiest places to Judaism and Islam to learn about its religious, historical and polticial importance. Obviously, the Temple Mount is a very sensitive site, and I also enjoyed myself here. (Datili)

4. Channel 2 News scoop: One of Yair Lapid's senior advisors...none other that squeaky clean ex-Kadima party hack (and previous Prime Minister of Israel), Ehud Olmert.

5. Noam Shalit -- father of abducted and released IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, announces he is entering the Knesset political race, and is joining....the Labor party. (JPost)

6. Reports that Karnit Goldwasser, widow of abducted and murdered IDF soldier, Ehud Goldwasser is considering entering the Knesset political race....(scoop -- waiting for formal announcement)

7. So much more...will update soon.



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Wave of Violence Against Chareidi Population

As if the violence against the Orot Banot schoolgirls isn't bad enough, now some self-styled revenge vigilantes have been attacking Chareidi/Ultra-Orthodox school children...and adults.

1. From the Israel HaYom news-site:

Ultra-Orthodox girl attacked by secular passenger on bus

A young man reportedly got on a bus in Jerusalem, shouted "the cursed ultra-Orthodox," and threatened a 10-year-old girl • The man allegedly kicked the young girl from behind and warned her not to ride the bus again.

A 10-year-old ultra-Orthodox girl was apparently attacked by a secular passenger on a bus in Jerusalem on Monday, according to a report by Army Radio.

The young man reportedly got on the bus, shouted "the cursed ultra-Orthodox," and threatened Bluma [Spitzer]. He also allegedly warned her not to ride on the bus again. Shimon Moses, a Jerusalem-based businessman and friend of the Spitzer family, said, "When the bus arrived at her stop, she started to get off and the man kicked her in the back, causing her to stumble out of the bus. Secular people on the bus yelled at her to 'get off the bus, it's ours.'" (Yisrael HaYom)

2. From the Kikar Shabbat website:

Boy attacked by secularists says, "I'm afraid to walk in the street"

David L. aged 11, was attacked this morning by 2 secularists. In a "Kikar Shabbat" exclusive interview, the 11 year old said, "they threatened me, slapped me and screamed at me. I couldn't stand up."

The mother said, "the boy was attacked by 2 thugs. They caught him at the bus stop, and then punched him in his face and from behind, all while screaming at him."

The mother also said that her son is now traumatized, and she has filed a formal police complaint. According to the mother, "the cause of the attack was due to the anti-Chareidi incitement by the media"

Kikar Shabbat: is your son now afraid to go to school?

Mother: Yes, but first and foremost, my son wants his attackers caught. (translated from Kikar Shabbat)

3. Burning cigarette thrown at Ultra Orthodox man; burning his beard. (source)

Enough is enough.

Instead of trying to resolve the tension, idiots are now actively calling for a civil war, and getting press time in Israel's idiotic leading newspaper.

Update: In response to the commenter as to the accuracy of the above reports, the JPost also reports on the anti-Chareidi violence in its breaking news section, though they basically paraphrase the news from the Kikar Shabbat website (as I did, before them).

Ultra-Orthodox report attacks against children
By JEREMY SHARON
01/03/2012 19:44

At least two incidents of abusive attacks against ultra-Orthodox children have been reported to the police this week, in the wake of the recent storm surrounding several incidents of haredi extremism and the intense media attention that has followed.

According to a report from the haredi news website Kikar Hashabbat, on Tuesday morning an 11-year old boy, referred to as David L, was physically assaulted by two secular men.

While waiting at a bus stop in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Sanhedriah, David was approached by two men he described as “big, and without yarmulkes or pe’ot (sidelocks).”

According to the boy’s mother, Malka, the two men began shouting at him, and struck him in the face several times. They also attempted to prevent him getting on to his bus although he eventually succeeded on boarding by sticking close to a group of people also getting on the bus.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the boy and his mother came to the police station and filed a complaint later that day. The police opened an investigation into the matter.

The Israel HaYom newspaper is not any more unreliable than Haaretz, NRG, YNet or the JPost.


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Exploiting Holocaust Imagery

This past Saturday evening, there was a ultra-Orthodox protest in Jerusalem against the media's ongoing blistering attacks on the entire Chareidi population of Israel.

Raising people's ire was the use of Holocaust imagery, as demonstrators wore "Jude" yellow stars -- similar to those that Jews were forced to wear in the Nazi era of the Holocaust, and others wore concentration camp prison uniforms.


Every media outlet in Israel reported on it the following day; how outrageous and wrong it was for Holocaust imagery to be used. The NY Times grabbed the story and ran with it (the image above is from their website)...

Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, described the scenes at the protest as “shocking and appalling.”

“The use of yellow patches and small children raising their hands in surrender crosses a red line which the ultra-Orthodox leadership, who are largely responsible people, must not accept,” he added in a statement.

Avner Shalev, chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust remembrance authority, condemned the use of symbols of the Holocaust, telling Israel Radio that it was “unacceptable.” NY TIMES

Haaretz got into the act and quoted every politician they could find who would slam the imagery.

And yet...the truth is, there's only one reason everyone is upset. It's because the demonstrators are Ultra Orthodox.

When the "social justice" (tzedek chevrati) movement used the exact same imagery this past summer, no one batted an eyelash.

Opposition Leader Tzippi Livni didn't crawl out from under a rock to blast the sacrilegious usage of a yellow star. Defense Minister Ehud Barak was strangely silent. IDF Radio, Haaretz, YNET, TV Channels 2 and 10 overlooked it.

No one cares. Social Justice trumps all. And the Ultra Orthodox will be blamed no matter what they do.

Photo of Social Justice Protestor from this past summer in Tel-Aviv.

The NY Times, Haaretz and YNET forgot to make a big deal out of it. (source)



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The Taliban Geniza?

Everyone is familiar with the concept of the "lost tribes" of Israel that were scattered to the ends of the globe. This has led many over the past few hundred years in a quest to find them; India, China, Japan...(even organizations like Shavei Yisrael that are dedicated to finding these tribes and bringing them home to Israel).

This past Friday, Israel Channel 2 news reported a startling discovery; a cave in Afghanistan, with buried scrolls, manuscripts and fragments -- of Jewish origin.

The importance of this find could even rival that of the Cairo Geniza. (The earliest example of Yiddish writing was found in the Cairo Geniza).

The JPost has the scoop:

The scholarly world is abuzz over the discovery of ancient Jewish scrolls in a cave in Afghanistan’s Samangan province.

If the scrolls are authenticated, they may be the most significant historical finding in the Jewish world since that of the Cairo Geniza in the 19th century, Channel 2 Arab affairs correspondent Ehud Ya’ari reported Friday.

“We know today about a couple of findings,” Haggai Ben- Shammai, professor emeritus of Arabic language and literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was quoted as saying.

“In all, in my opinion, there are about 150 fragments. It may be the tip of the iceberg.”

The scrolls, which were part of a geniza – a burial site for sacred Jewish texts – date from around 1,000 years ago and are in Arabic, Judeo-Arabic and ancient Persian.

One scroll, a replica of which was shown to the cameras, was apparently a dirge written for an important person whose identity has not been determined.

“Where has he gone?” reads the text. “His family members are now alone.”

Other texts said to have been found include an unknown history of the Kingdom of Judea, passages from the Book of Isaiah and some of the works of 10th-century sage Rabbi Sa’adia Gaon.

In addition, rings with names such as Shmuel Bar-Yosef inscribed in Hebrew on them have surfaced.

The area in which the scrolls were discovered is on the Silk Road, a trade route that connected eastern Asia with the Middle East and Europe, and that Jewish merchants often traveled.

Ya’ari quoted sources as saying the scrolls had first been moved to Pakistan’s Peshawar province, and from there been sold to antiquities dealers in Geneva, London, Dubai and Jerusalem. (JPost)

The analysis of the scrolls and remnants will help determine in what time frame they were buried -- is this the work of lost tribes? Travelers along the silk route to the Orient? Where did the Jewish community that buried those fragments end up?


View Larger Map

Great way to start the week - Shavua tov!

Indiana Jones Hat-tip to AS, who pointed me to this

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Fighting for the Soul of Beit Shemesh

There is an ongoing war in the Beit Shemesh/Ramat Beit Shemesh municipality, as the "Sirikim" (Ultra Orthodox Chareidi Extremists) have been targeting a national-religious girls elementary school "Orot Banot" which is at the edge of a religious neighborhood and at the edge of a Chareidi neighborhood. The "sikrikim" thugs have been spitting at the school girls (1rst graders!) and calling them all sorts of names: prutzot (sluts), zonot (whores), and more.

(map courtesy of Reb Akiva at MysticalPaths)

The following heartbreaking video report was broadcast last week, and has been subtitled into English by the Mom in Israel blogger. I highly suggest you find the time to watch it.

(updated video with slower subtitles)

Or, if you want an English language update (that's only 4 minutes long, here's another video update)

Tonight, there is going to be a demonstration outside the "Orot Banot" school in Beit Shemesh. While the initial organizers of the demonstration are from rights groups that I don't always see eye to eye with, I understand that many more mainstream organizations will be attending as well. I have even heard reports that moderate Chareidim plan on attending to express their outrage at the violence directed at the school children.

I will update this post a bit later with more thoughts on the issue -- and how its imperative for moderate Chareidim to vocally express their outrage at the behavior of the sikrikim.

95% of the Ramat Beit Shemesh Chareidi population are offended by the behavior of the sikrikim. Not actively expressing their disgust, no matter what the reason (the Gedolim didn't tell us to demonstrate, Chareidi politicians are taking care of it, the demonstration is too political, the demonstration will lead to Lashon Hara, etc.) are all excuses that are tantamount to "Shtika k'Hodaa" -- or silence is admission (agreement with the sikrikim).

Update on the Hafgana here.

Details: Starting at 6 PM is the big hafgana against violence and extremism. The hafgana will be on the street outside the OROT Banot girls school on Herzog Street in Beit Shemesh.

People will be going from all over the country -- be there and make a difference! Stand up and be heard and counted!

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Who Said This Nationalistic Statement?

Having grown up in the yeshiva educational system in the United States, I was a bit surprised that I had no clue who said the following:

הארץ אשר שבנו לרשתה אחוזת אבותינו היא, ואין לאיש זר חלק ונחלה בתוכה. כי אויבינו שדדו נחלתנו ויאחזו בה בעון ובעוול, ועתה כי הצליח ה' את דרכנו לקחנו את נחלת אבותינו וישבנו בה

The land which we have returned to, to inherit, is the legacy of our fathers, and no foreigner can have a part in it. Our enemies have stolen our legacy from us and have unjustly taken it, and now G-d has made our path successful, we have retaken our fathers' legacy and we have settled in it.

Who said this, in what context, and what party were they from?


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The Way G-d Intended Jews to Live.

This isn't the first time I've seen such ideas articulated -- but this is the first time I've seen them so disconnected from traditional Judaism that views Israel as a central theme in the religion.

The following is a letter from a Jew living in the USA who can't fathom moving to Israel because its not nearly as spiritual as living in the United States, where she gets to keep 2 days of every holiday instead of 1. She addressed to letter to Shmuel Katz, and it was published in the 5tJt

“I recently read an article of yours in which you list reasons for making aliyah. While your reasons are quite compelling, there was one reason listed that our family always considers the one sad thing about making aliyah and that is the less yom tov days celebrated.

“While we look forward one day to live in Eretz Yisrael, during every yom tov that we celebrate in galut, we end up mentioning how if we would already be in Eretz, we would have a day less and we can’t imagine how hard it would be.

During Pesach, we cannot imagine only having one Seder. While we often enter the first Seder quite tired from all the preparation, we are always thrilled to know that we will have a second one the next night, which, after our yom tov naps, we enjoy even more.

“We cannot imagine Shavuot being one day. Our first day of Shavuot is spent half asleep, as the men (and sometimes the girls) have spent the whole night learning. We can’t imagine the loss of not having a second day when everyone is more awake to enjoy the yom tov meal and shiurim that take place that day.

We can’t imagine how the seriousness of Shemini Atzeret and the joyfulness of Simchat Torah have to be combined into just one day.

“Please do not be upset with me for my suggestion that perhaps your yom tov celebration is missing something if you conceive that less yom tov is a wonderful advantage.

“May all your yomim tovim be an inspiration and a source of spiritual growth and may we meet soon B’eretz HaKedoshah.

Shmuel Katz has a decent answer for her in his article. I just wonder if this woman would also be offended by billboards calling on yordim to move back to Israel.

Why would mashiach bother coming, when he can stay in Monsey and continue having 2 sedarim for Pesach (without kitniyot or gebruchts)

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Chanuka Special: Biblical Archeology Second Temple Artifact Found

In a rare Second Temple (Bayit Sheyni) period archeological find, Israel's Antiquities Authority announced today that a small, yet significant artifact was found as part of the City of David archeological dig.


The artifact apparently served as authorization that a particular item or food was considered ritually pure for use in the Temple. The item was found underneath the Robinson Arch, 15 meters North of the Southwest corner of the Temple Mount. The item was located in the layers of dirt which covered the foundations of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount -- which was the primary road during the second Temple period.

The excavated dirt was carefully sifted through by 3,500 volunteers, mostly Israeli high school students in the Emek Tzurim national park. The 2 cm artifact is made from tin, with the Aramaic words on it, "-daka" and "-leh" Daka in Aramaic means "pure" and "Leh" is part of G-d's name.

According to the directors of the Antiquities Authority, archeologists Dr. Eli Shukrun, and Professor Roni Reich from Haifa University, the words mean, "Holy to God." The artifact was a type of "bag check" for items brought to the Temple, ascertaining that it was holy and could be used.

The Mishna (Oral Torah) in Shekalim, Chapter 5, uses the word "Chotam" -- or signet seal. The Mishna lists 5 different types of signet seals, and this particular one is not listed -- thereby adding an additional historical fact not detailed in the Mishna. (sources)

Happy Chanuka!

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