The first time I recall hearing about Niso Shacham was at Kfar Maimom when, with as much vulgarity as you can imagine, he gave orders to his policemen to use excessive violence against the unarmed civilians protesting against the evil order to expel all the Jews from Gush Katif.
Seven years later, almost to the day, Niso Shacham has been given leave from the police due to the investigation against him.
Perhaps it should have been obvious to those above him that someone who could speak so disgustingly, so sexually violent, that he may also be personally acting out against others in the same manner as he was speaking and telling his subordinates to act. Who else knew about him should also be investigated.
According to the reports, Shacham had possibly been harassing and assaulting policewomen under his command, including “illicit relations” – it not clear to me if that means consensual or not, but since they were under his command, that’s already a problem.
Furthermore, another of his subordinates was allegedly involved in covering up the complaints.
Since Gush Katif, we’ve been hearing ‘Yesh Din v’Yesh Dayan’, as one official after another, connected to the Expulsion has been taken down for some illegal or immoral act or another.
Here at the Muqata we pointed something out a long time ago.
It’s no accident that these people are all getting caught doing dirty deeds or not acting in a manner befitting their position.
The fact that they had no moral problem kicking out thousands of Jews from their homes already told us they had no morals. What we’re just seeing now is them getting caught in other areas which doesn’t happen to involve Settlers.
Yesh Din v’Yesh Dayan - there is Judgement and there is a Judge, but it's their own fault.
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 08, 2012
The Chareidi Gush Katif
There’s no question that Chareidi (ultra-Orthodox) society in Israel has a serious problem, and that Israeli society as a whole will have a serious problem because of the Chareidim.
But, the problem is not that most Chareidim don’t serve in the IDF. The problem is their minimal participation in the workforce, and the unsustainable growing financial burden that this is placing on both the Chareidi family and on the rest of the country.
Baruch Hashem, Chareidim have large Jewish families, but they are also the poorest sector in Israeli society (along with the Arabs).
The reason they are poor is both legal and societal. Most don’t want/can’t join the IDF (for a number of reasons, some valid, some not - and that isn't the point of the discussion here).
But because they don’t serve, they also can’t work, as Israeli law doesn’t permit them to. So they are instead trapped in a situation they can't get out of.
Unfortunately, many of those screaming the loudest for forced Chareidi inclusion in the army are not doing so in order that the Chareidim can join the workforce. They aren’t doing it for “equality” or "societal justice" (otherwise they’d be just as vocal and immediate about the Arabs and the Leftwing pacifists that don’t serve). And they aren't doing it because it's about what's good for Israeli society.
Instead, they are doing it because they see this as way to attack Chareidi society in a way they hope will break down Chareidi walls and religion. And worse, some see this as a form of revenge on a group they hate. (Sound familiar?).
Meanwhile, in their own self-serving way, the Chareidi newspapers are reporting more and more stories about Chareidim who served (and are serving) who are being insulted and attacked on buses and public places for "not doing service". They are reporting more stories about secular Israelis telling them how IDF integration will be their revenge.
Undoubtedly, the stories, while probably marginal, are true, but they just succeed in making the Chareidim entrench themselves even deeper against the assault.
It’s witch-hunt season again, but instead of Settlers, it’s Chareidim.
In one form, or another, the government is going to probably pass a law that will ultimately force Chareidim into the army, but like in Gush Katif, is the government addressing the real problem? Is the government prepared for the day after? Is the army prepared to handle so many Chareidim and their special requirements?
The answer is no, just like the government wasn’t prepared to handle the 10,000 homeless Settlers it stupidly created overnight.
And Israeli society certainly isn’t prepared for the time when the Chariedim will start to follow the path of the Settlers who now make up more than half the combat officers. They’ll start to complain about that too, how the Chareidim have stolen their army away from them.
There is no easy solution here, but the first step must be an honest explanation of the goals.
Social engineering is not a good short term goal. 'Equality' is not a good short term goal (especially when it isn't being equally applied).
If the government wants to solve the real problem, perhaps the first thing it should do is tackle getting the Chareidim into the workforce immediately – without the army, while offering benefits to those who join, while only a few years from now start requiring a universal draft (or getting rid of the draft entirely and creating a professional army).
Not fair to those of us who have served or are serving?
Lots of things in life aren’t fair, but anyone who thinks you can suddenly force an entire society to turn on a dime is fooling themselves and looking for disaster. Once the Chareidim begin working, it will eventually follow that they will want to join the army too when they see the tax benefits they would be otherwise getting (for instance).
But the way things look to me right now - it just reminds me of the Gush Katif Expulsion– and many of the motivations and decisions that were behind that fiasco.
Ultimately not only were the targeted Settlers badly hurt, but a significant portion of the rest of the country has had to pay the price for that short-sighted (and underhanded) thinking.
The same here.
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But, the problem is not that most Chareidim don’t serve in the IDF. The problem is their minimal participation in the workforce, and the unsustainable growing financial burden that this is placing on both the Chareidi family and on the rest of the country.
Baruch Hashem, Chareidim have large Jewish families, but they are also the poorest sector in Israeli society (along with the Arabs).
The reason they are poor is both legal and societal. Most don’t want/can’t join the IDF (for a number of reasons, some valid, some not - and that isn't the point of the discussion here).
But because they don’t serve, they also can’t work, as Israeli law doesn’t permit them to. So they are instead trapped in a situation they can't get out of.
Unfortunately, many of those screaming the loudest for forced Chareidi inclusion in the army are not doing so in order that the Chareidim can join the workforce. They aren’t doing it for “equality” or "societal justice" (otherwise they’d be just as vocal and immediate about the Arabs and the Leftwing pacifists that don’t serve). And they aren't doing it because it's about what's good for Israeli society.
Instead, they are doing it because they see this as way to attack Chareidi society in a way they hope will break down Chareidi walls and religion. And worse, some see this as a form of revenge on a group they hate. (Sound familiar?).
Meanwhile, in their own self-serving way, the Chareidi newspapers are reporting more and more stories about Chareidim who served (and are serving) who are being insulted and attacked on buses and public places for "not doing service". They are reporting more stories about secular Israelis telling them how IDF integration will be their revenge.
Undoubtedly, the stories, while probably marginal, are true, but they just succeed in making the Chareidim entrench themselves even deeper against the assault.
It’s witch-hunt season again, but instead of Settlers, it’s Chareidim.
In one form, or another, the government is going to probably pass a law that will ultimately force Chareidim into the army, but like in Gush Katif, is the government addressing the real problem? Is the government prepared for the day after? Is the army prepared to handle so many Chareidim and their special requirements?
The answer is no, just like the government wasn’t prepared to handle the 10,000 homeless Settlers it stupidly created overnight.
And Israeli society certainly isn’t prepared for the time when the Chariedim will start to follow the path of the Settlers who now make up more than half the combat officers. They’ll start to complain about that too, how the Chareidim have stolen their army away from them.
There is no easy solution here, but the first step must be an honest explanation of the goals.
Social engineering is not a good short term goal. 'Equality' is not a good short term goal (especially when it isn't being equally applied).
If the government wants to solve the real problem, perhaps the first thing it should do is tackle getting the Chareidim into the workforce immediately – without the army, while offering benefits to those who join, while only a few years from now start requiring a universal draft (or getting rid of the draft entirely and creating a professional army).
Not fair to those of us who have served or are serving?
Lots of things in life aren’t fair, but anyone who thinks you can suddenly force an entire society to turn on a dime is fooling themselves and looking for disaster. Once the Chareidim begin working, it will eventually follow that they will want to join the army too when they see the tax benefits they would be otherwise getting (for instance).
But the way things look to me right now - it just reminds me of the Gush Katif Expulsion– and many of the motivations and decisions that were behind that fiasco.
Ultimately not only were the targeted Settlers badly hurt, but a significant portion of the rest of the country has had to pay the price for that short-sighted (and underhanded) thinking.
The same here.
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Monday, July 02, 2012
Did Germany Go Too Far? Tell Them
Last week, a German court felt brazen enough to declare that Bris Milah, religious circumcision is against German law.
Yesterday, the Jewish Hospital in Berlin (not really a Jewish hospital) suspended all religious circumcisions.
Since the Shoah, Germany had the [fill in the word] to suppress their anti-Semitism.
But now it seems that whatever it is that controlled it, has begun to wear off.
Some people claim that this is the action of one judge, and just one hospital just following orders.
But it's not.
Because besides a token German minister or two saying something, we should be seeing major public acts of contrition on the part of Germany in the face of this most blatant of anti-Semitic acts.
And we're not seeing it.
If this upsets you, as much as it upsets me, then sign this petition.
The Jewish Press will be sending it to the German Embassy in Israel, so they can hear from the Jewish People that we don't accept their anti-Semitism, and they have "no moral or ethical right to pass any laws or make any statements regarding Brit Milah (circumcision) or on any other Jewish practice."
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Yesterday, the Jewish Hospital in Berlin (not really a Jewish hospital) suspended all religious circumcisions.
Since the Shoah, Germany had the [fill in the word] to suppress their anti-Semitism.
But now it seems that whatever it is that controlled it, has begun to wear off.
Some people claim that this is the action of one judge, and just one hospital just following orders.But it's not.
Because besides a token German minister or two saying something, we should be seeing major public acts of contrition on the part of Germany in the face of this most blatant of anti-Semitic acts.
And we're not seeing it.
If this upsets you, as much as it upsets me, then sign this petition.
The Jewish Press will be sending it to the German Embassy in Israel, so they can hear from the Jewish People that we don't accept their anti-Semitism, and they have "no moral or ethical right to pass any laws or make any statements regarding Brit Milah (circumcision) or on any other Jewish practice."
Visiting Israel?
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Find the Historical Errors
Children's paper Otiyot recently ran the following comics, part of a time-travel story series.
It says as follows:
Tel Aviv, end of the 19th century.
Waiter: How's the Hebrew dictionary coming along, Mr. Ben Yehuda?
Ben Yehuda: Fine, Gershon. Do you have an idea for a word to call for help?
There is one factual error and two conceptual errors in this comic.
Can you spot the historical errors?
(click to enlarge)
It says as follows:
Tel Aviv, end of the 19th century.
Waiter: How's the Hebrew dictionary coming along, Mr. Ben Yehuda?
Ben Yehuda: Fine, Gershon. Do you have an idea for a word to call for help?
There is one factual error and two conceptual errors in this comic.
Can you spot the historical errors?
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Writing on the Wall
While I was writing this article, Arabs desecrated the ancient synagogue of Naaran, near Jericho. I thought maybe I should write instead about Jericho and it's Jewish history. Then a week later Jews desecrated the ancient synagogue in Hamat Tiberias. Which made me think that maybe I should write about the many synagogues in Israel that were built in the Byzantine era.
However, I soon realized that I can't write a post about such weighty subjects in a week. The posts will have to wait, but I don't want to ignore these events either. These mosaic floors are part of our heritage. They were built by Jews who lived here in the days when most people think we weren't here.
For example, in a recent Yesha Council Parsha page (PDF here), the children's story ended with the following sentence: "Jerusalem became a Roman city … And yet Jews continued to reside in the Land of Israel for centuries more, until they left to Exile".
Everybody 'knows' the Jews went into Exile because that's what we hear over and over again. The Jews left the Land and only came back when Herzl led them back. The romanticism of Zionism trumps reality. The author of the story had no idea when this mythical Exile started, but he knew it had to have been somewhere in the past 2000 years.
But Exile doesn't mean "Diaspora". The Jews who lived here didn't "leave for Exile". They "lived in Exile", because they were living under occupation, because they were not allowed to pray at our most holiest of sites, and to rebuild the Temple. That is why we find Piyyuttim where Israeli poets mourn the Exile they were in. The Exile was steady oppression and neglect by foreign rulers who couldn't care less about this country, and Jews living here and yearning and working for national redemption.
There is an old Jewish custom to leave one's name on holy sites. This is probably the root of the modern custom of leaving a note by the Western Wall.
Binyamin of Tudela, who visited Israel in the 12th century, prayed by the Golden Gate (at the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount) and mentioned that Jews would write their names on the wall. He also visited Rachel's Tomb, next to Bethlehem, and describes how Jews would write their name on the tombstone.
In 1654 a Karaite Jew named Moshe ben Eliyahu Halevi, visited the Tomb of Joshua in Timnat Heres (Kifl Hares) and wrote "And there on the walls of the cave are written the names of those who came there, and we also wrote our names".
In 1785 another Karaite Jew, Binyamin ben Eliyahu, wrote of his visit to sites around Jerusalem: "Every prophet we visited, we'd pray and read from the prophecies of that prophet and we'd write our names on the stones."
In 1838 Dr. Eliezer Levi (Louis Loewe) describes Rachel's Tomb as a building painted white, with tens of thousands of names written on it in Hebrew script. In Hebron he visited the Tomb of Avner, which was also covered with the names of many visitors.
A year later, Judith Montefiore writes of her visit to the Tomb of the 70 Elders in Awarta that many Jewish names were written and inscribed on the walls of the cave. When she reached Rachel's Tomb, she writes "and we wrote our names among the tens of thousands of other names".
So why don't we see those names today?
Because our history was literally white-washed away.
Prof. Shmuel Klein writes "We still remember the inscriptions on the stones of the Western Wall until recent times, until the 'tyrants' (ie, British) came and erased them in the summer of 1930, in preparation for the arrival in Jerusalem of the international commission on the issue of the Western Wall". And so with a few swipes of a brush, history was re-written for the benefit of a UN commission which was to decide the fate of a Jewish holy site.
In this article, I'll focus on the inscriptions left by Jews on the Temple Mount. Such inscriptions, all written in Hebrew, were found all around the Temple Mount (all four walls as well as inside the structure). Three of these inscriptions are easily accessible, the others not so much.
Many more inscriptions have been found, all are evidence of the eternal bond between the Jewish people and our most holiest of sites, the Temple Mount.
All these inscriptions are in the archeological garden in the Southern Wall area. In a normal country, these inscriptions would be protected from both humans and the elements. Since they're not: please DO NOT TOUCH, and so ensure they are to be preserved for the next generations.
Location: Western Wall, under Robinson's Arch. This site explains exactly how to find it. The site is in Hebrew, but has very helpful pictures.
However, this inscription was written at what was street level up to Crusader times, and there were quite a few other times in that period when Jews thought Redemption was around the corner.
In the 5th century, Empress Eudocia, wife of Emperor Theodosius II, influenced her husband to allow the Jews to come back to Jerusalem. A Christian monk writes that the Jews sent a letter to their brethren: "The time of our Exile is over, and the day of the in-gathering of our tribes has arrived, for the Roman Emperors have commanded that our city of Jerusalem be returned to us. Hurry and come to Jerusalem on Sukkot, because our Kingdom will be established in Jerusalem."
In 613, the Jews helped the Persians conquer Israel , and were rewarded with a promise that the Temple will be rebuilt and Jews will regain some measure of autonomy. A few decades later, the Muslims conquered Israel, and they too allowed Jews to settle in Jerusalem.
And, of course, it's possible this was simply written as a hopeful prayer sometime during the Byzantine or early Muslim period, with no connection to any specific event.
The next two inscriptions are inaccessible, but I thought they were quite interesting.
This inscription was discovered in 1863, along with several others, and was since covered following renovations.
We know from Jewish and non-Jewish sources that after the Muslim conquest Jews prayed on the Temple Mount. They were later only allowed to pray at the gates, and later limited to just one gate.
Some researchers (Sukenik, Dinur) think this inscription is proof that Jews had a synagogue there, and that Jonah and his wife either donated to this synagogue or wanted to encourage others to come to Israel now that praying in the Temple Mount was allowed. Dinur points out that according to the Israeli midrash "life" is "Israel". "Be strong in life" might mean "be strong for Israel".
In any case, Jews frequented this site throughout the Middle Ages. A 13th century chronicler tells us of caves under the Temple mount which led into the area of the Holy of Holies. As late as the 17th century: Moshe ben Eliyahu Halevi, mentioned above, visited those 'caves under the Temple Mount'.
(according to another reading: Build this house in the lifetime of.. )
Location: Northern Wall
This inscription, as well as a few others, were found inside a madrassa built in the 14th century. It is located a few meters from the "Dark Gate". The northern Temple Mount area is filled with buildings bearing Jewish names, which points to a Jewish neighborhood in that area.
The names in the inscription are Byzantine, with Christian connotations. This inscription was probably written either during Byzantine times, or by Jewish pilgrims who came from Byzantium.
[All images were copied from Cathedra 40 (1986), available online as PDF. The original article, written by Meir Ben-Dov includes additional inscriptions and pictures.]
See here for more articles about our history in Israel.
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
However, I soon realized that I can't write a post about such weighty subjects in a week. The posts will have to wait, but I don't want to ignore these events either. These mosaic floors are part of our heritage. They were built by Jews who lived here in the days when most people think we weren't here.
For example, in a recent Yesha Council Parsha page (PDF here), the children's story ended with the following sentence: "Jerusalem became a Roman city … And yet Jews continued to reside in the Land of Israel for centuries more, until they left to Exile".
Everybody 'knows' the Jews went into Exile because that's what we hear over and over again. The Jews left the Land and only came back when Herzl led them back. The romanticism of Zionism trumps reality. The author of the story had no idea when this mythical Exile started, but he knew it had to have been somewhere in the past 2000 years.
But Exile doesn't mean "Diaspora". The Jews who lived here didn't "leave for Exile". They "lived in Exile", because they were living under occupation, because they were not allowed to pray at our most holiest of sites, and to rebuild the Temple. That is why we find Piyyuttim where Israeli poets mourn the Exile they were in. The Exile was steady oppression and neglect by foreign rulers who couldn't care less about this country, and Jews living here and yearning and working for national redemption.
Historical Precedent
There is an old Jewish custom to leave one's name on holy sites. This is probably the root of the modern custom of leaving a note by the Western Wall.
Binyamin of Tudela, who visited Israel in the 12th century, prayed by the Golden Gate (at the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount) and mentioned that Jews would write their names on the wall. He also visited Rachel's Tomb, next to Bethlehem, and describes how Jews would write their name on the tombstone.
In 1654 a Karaite Jew named Moshe ben Eliyahu Halevi, visited the Tomb of Joshua in Timnat Heres (Kifl Hares) and wrote "And there on the walls of the cave are written the names of those who came there, and we also wrote our names".
In 1785 another Karaite Jew, Binyamin ben Eliyahu, wrote of his visit to sites around Jerusalem: "Every prophet we visited, we'd pray and read from the prophecies of that prophet and we'd write our names on the stones."
In 1838 Dr. Eliezer Levi (Louis Loewe) describes Rachel's Tomb as a building painted white, with tens of thousands of names written on it in Hebrew script. In Hebron he visited the Tomb of Avner, which was also covered with the names of many visitors.
A year later, Judith Montefiore writes of her visit to the Tomb of the 70 Elders in Awarta that many Jewish names were written and inscribed on the walls of the cave. When she reached Rachel's Tomb, she writes "and we wrote our names among the tens of thousands of other names".
So why don't we see those names today?
Because our history was literally white-washed away.
Prof. Shmuel Klein writes "We still remember the inscriptions on the stones of the Western Wall until recent times, until the 'tyrants' (ie, British) came and erased them in the summer of 1930, in preparation for the arrival in Jerusalem of the international commission on the issue of the Western Wall". And so with a few swipes of a brush, history was re-written for the benefit of a UN commission which was to decide the fate of a Jewish holy site.
Temple Mount Inscriptions
In this article, I'll focus on the inscriptions left by Jews on the Temple Mount. Such inscriptions, all written in Hebrew, were found all around the Temple Mount (all four walls as well as inside the structure). Three of these inscriptions are easily accessible, the others not so much.
Many more inscriptions have been found, all are evidence of the eternal bond between the Jewish people and our most holiest of sites, the Temple Mount.
Accessible Inscriptions
All these inscriptions are in the archeological garden in the Southern Wall area. In a normal country, these inscriptions would be protected from both humans and the elements. Since they're not: please DO NOT TOUCH, and so ensure they are to be preserved for the next generations.
1. "And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and their bones as grass"
Location: Western Wall, under Robinson's Arch. This site explains exactly how to find it. The site is in Hebrew, but has very helpful pictures.
(it's unclear whether there's an 'aleph' at the end or if it's a scratch)
The most famous inscription is also the most unusual. It is a partial (mis)quote of Isaiah 66:14 : "And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like young grass".
The misquote might be intentional or not. "Their bones" makes more sense in the context of the verse (the living and dead shall each rejoice in their own way). It might also be a reference to a nearby cemetery.
In any case, from early times Rabbis said this verse speaks of Redemption and the rebuilding of the Temple.
The inscription is usually attributed to the 4th century - in 363 Emperor Julian (Julian the Apostate) ordered the Temple rebuilt. One of the Jews who came to rebuild the Temple might have excitedly written about it.
However, this inscription was written at what was street level up to Crusader times, and there were quite a few other times in that period when Jews thought Redemption was around the corner.
In the 5th century, Empress Eudocia, wife of Emperor Theodosius II, influenced her husband to allow the Jews to come back to Jerusalem. A Christian monk writes that the Jews sent a letter to their brethren: "The time of our Exile is over, and the day of the in-gathering of our tribes has arrived, for the Roman Emperors have commanded that our city of Jerusalem be returned to us. Hurry and come to Jerusalem on Sukkot, because our Kingdom will be established in Jerusalem."
And, of course, it's possible this was simply written as a hopeful prayer sometime during the Byzantine or early Muslim period, with no connection to any specific event.
The next two inscriptions are dated from the Middle Ages. Throughout this period, Jews continued to come to the Temple Mount to offer prayer.
2. "Son of Caleb RIP, son of Joseph RIP was healed"
Location: Southern Wall, left post of the triple-arched Hulda Gates, about a meter high.
Caleb was a common Jewish name in the Balkans in the Middle Ages. This was probably written by a Jew who came to Jerusalem to thank G-d after he was healed from illness.
3. "Jeremiah son of Gedaliah son of Rabbi Joseph"
Location: Southern Wall, 15 meters east of the double-arched Hulda Gates, at about eye-level.
Inaccessible Inscriptions
There are quite a few inscriptions which are not accessible today to the general public. Some are inside buildings, others were painted over, and some were not seen again since they were first discovered.
The next two inscriptions are inaccessible, but I thought they were quite interesting.
4. "Jonah and Shabatiah his wife from Sicily be strong in life"
Location: In the passage leading from the double-arched Hulda Gate into the Temple Mount, under al-Aqsa mosque.
This inscription was discovered in 1863, along with several others, and was since covered following renovations.
We know from Jewish and non-Jewish sources that after the Muslim conquest Jews prayed on the Temple Mount. They were later only allowed to pray at the gates, and later limited to just one gate.
Some researchers (Sukenik, Dinur) think this inscription is proof that Jews had a synagogue there, and that Jonah and his wife either donated to this synagogue or wanted to encourage others to come to Israel now that praying in the Temple Mount was allowed. Dinur points out that according to the Israeli midrash "life" is "Israel". "Be strong in life" might mean "be strong for Israel".
In any case, Jews frequented this site throughout the Middle Ages. A 13th century chronicler tells us of caves under the Temple mount which led into the area of the Holy of Holies. As late as the 17th century: Moshe ben Eliyahu Halevi, mentioned above, visited those 'caves under the Temple Mount'.
5. "G-d, Lrd of Hosts, build this House. Give life to Jacob son of Joseph and Theophylactus and Cicnia and Anastasia. Amen and Amen. Selah.
(according to another reading: Build this house in the lifetime of.. )
Location: Northern Wall
This inscription, as well as a few others, were found inside a madrassa built in the 14th century. It is located a few meters from the "Dark Gate". The northern Temple Mount area is filled with buildings bearing Jewish names, which points to a Jewish neighborhood in that area.
The names in the inscription are Byzantine, with Christian connotations. This inscription was probably written either during Byzantine times, or by Jewish pilgrims who came from Byzantium.
[All images were copied from Cathedra 40 (1986), available online as PDF. The original article, written by Meir Ben-Dov includes additional inscriptions and pictures.]
See here for more articles about our history in Israel.
Visiting Israel?
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Haaretz on its daily warpath
Once again the Haaretz newspaper is on the warpath, targeting its bitter Zionist enemy, the State of Israel.
Note the following headlines from the past 24 hours:
"Hamas fires four rockets from Gaza into Israel, in rare move" [Since when is it rare for Hamas to fire rockets at Israel or try to kill Jews? Just 3 days earlier, the Hamas orchastrated a rocket attack on Eilat]
"IDF deploys tanks near Egypt border, in violation of peace treaty" [Ooops, Haaretz forgot to mention in the headline this was to quash a halt a real-time terror attack originating from the Egyptian held Sinai deset, in which an Israeli was killed.]
"Israel agrees to release hunger-striking Palestinian soccer player" [Why bother mentioning in the headline that he's affiliated with terrorist organizations?]
Yet do we see Haaretz mention anything about Israeli MK Ahmed Tibi's refusing to allow a space museum in the Israeli Arab of town -- to be named for Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon? Not a word.
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Note the following headlines from the past 24 hours:
"Hamas fires four rockets from Gaza into Israel, in rare move" [Since when is it rare for Hamas to fire rockets at Israel or try to kill Jews? Just 3 days earlier, the Hamas orchastrated a rocket attack on Eilat]
"IDF deploys tanks near Egypt border, in violation of peace treaty" [Ooops, Haaretz forgot to mention in the headline this was to quash a halt a real-time terror attack originating from the Egyptian held Sinai deset, in which an Israeli was killed.]
"Israel agrees to release hunger-striking Palestinian soccer player" [Why bother mentioning in the headline that he's affiliated with terrorist organizations?]
Yet do we see Haaretz mention anything about Israeli MK Ahmed Tibi's refusing to allow a space museum in the Israeli Arab of town -- to be named for Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon? Not a word.
Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) has asked Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi) to cancel the plan to name a new space center in Tayibe after Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut.Unless you consider yourself an anti-Zionist, its best to avoid reading Haaretz.
Ramon was killed along with six other crew members of the Space Shuttle Columbia when it disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003.
MK Tibi explained his request by saying that during his service as a fighter pilot in the Israel Air Force Ramon took part in "bombings of civilian populations during the first Lebanon war and in attacks in other Arab countries." (ynet)
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Thursday, June 14, 2012
A Paradox: Israeli Arabs vs. Illegal African Migrants
Ah, the tormenting mental gymnastics that the following paradox is causing Israeli leftists....
Today (Thursday) in Kfar Manda, an Israeli Arab village in the lower Galilee, Israeli Arabs lost their cool, and had an all out rumble with the illegal African migrants who have been occupying the town after too much noise was erupting from an apartment of Sudanese.
The question is - how will Israeli leftists spin this story? They must sympathize with the Illegal Sudanese migrants because after all - they are illegal. Yet its unethical to blame Israeli Arabs for their behaviour...
In fact, Haaretz is so embarrassed by the scenario they don't even have the report on their English edition website, only in Hebrew. Yet even in Hebrew, they try to soften the blow by headlining the article "Due to altercation, 100 Sudanese leave Kfar Manda." (Nothing about the eviction by the police).
I feel bad for the Israeli Arabs. They have it tough enough as is without having to worry about the illegal African migrants occupying their town as well.
More on the illegals here.
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Today (Thursday) in Kfar Manda, an Israeli Arab village in the lower Galilee, Israeli Arabs lost their cool, and had an all out rumble with the illegal African migrants who have been occupying the town after too much noise was erupting from an apartment of Sudanese.
For over an hour, Kfar Manda became a battle zone between the residents and the illegal African migrants, and the Israeli police had to intervene with force, -- including the use of tear gas. The Kfar Manda Arabs decided that they "had enough" of the Sudanese and decided to evict them all using bats, rocks and knives. The Israeli police intervention prevented bloodshed, yet the police decided for the Sudanese protection to evict all of them from the village. (anwrs.net, rotter.net)Here are some pictures after the rumble, the eviction of the illegal Sudanese, and a video of the police trying to clean up the mess.
The question is - how will Israeli leftists spin this story? They must sympathize with the Illegal Sudanese migrants because after all - they are illegal. Yet its unethical to blame Israeli Arabs for their behaviour...
In fact, Haaretz is so embarrassed by the scenario they don't even have the report on their English edition website, only in Hebrew. Yet even in Hebrew, they try to soften the blow by headlining the article "Due to altercation, 100 Sudanese leave Kfar Manda." (Nothing about the eviction by the police).
I feel bad for the Israeli Arabs. They have it tough enough as is without having to worry about the illegal African migrants occupying their town as well.
More on the illegals here.
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Obituary: Rav Yishayahu "Nitzan Or" Rotter, Founder of Rotter Net
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| Rabbi Yeshayahu Rotter z'l |
Known throughout the Israeli internet by his web moniker "Nitzan Or", Rav Rotter was responsible for one of the most influential media outlets on Israel's digital landscape over the past 15 years.
His son Noam founded "rotter.net" at age 12, and Rav Rotter managed the site on a daily basis, as well as moderating and commenting on the extremely popular "News and Scoops" message forum on the rotter.net website.
Garnering over 2 million hits a day, rotter.net is one of Israel's most popular news sites. Rotter.net broke the monopoly of Israel's media by effectively allowing free information flow, reported by non-professional, "average" Israelis. Freedom of the Press at its finest, anyone can post and publish on rotter.net, and it became home to thousands of Israelis wishing to find alternative sources to media stories, without the subjective agenda of the rest of Israel's web.
If 20 years ago Israelis waited for hours to find out the details of breaking news stories, on rotter net, you could get details within seconds and minutes. Every rocket launch towards Israel from Gaza is reported, every siren, every newsworthy event (well, there are less newsworthy stories as well, which get their authors negative ratings), is found in real time on rotter.net, and the right/left, religious/secular debates rage on the forum.
Rav Rotter engaged everyone in debate, and was not ashamed to express his pro-Eretz Yisrael opinions.
Coming from a "Chareidi" background, Rav Rotter studied in the Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak and the Hebron Yeshiva in Givat Mordechai, Jerusalem.
He was an officer in the IDF, a PhD in Jewish Thought, a teacher in the Yavneh High School in Haifa, and an active member rabbi of Tzohar -- and he joyfully married over 1000 couples in Israel so that they could bypass the bureaucracy of the sometimes unfriendly formal Israeli Rabbinate.
Rav Rotter made his mark on the media in Israel, and was definitely one of the most influential individuals for improving freedom of the press over the past 2 decades. The Muqata blog has translated hundreds of news scoops from rotter.net over the past 7 years.
May his memory be a blessing. We'll miss him.
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Monday, June 11, 2012
A Sane Israeli is a Leftist Mugged by Illegal African Migrants
These illegal job-seeking immigrants are being deemed as "refugees" by all sorts of "aid groups" in Israel, who vocally protest all government actions to evict these illegals -- estimates ranging from 90,000 to 700,000. Many of the same "social justice" advocates who demand a better quality of life for Israel's lower and middle class, are also demanding equal rights for these thousands of illegals as well.
These "activists" live in fiscal fantasyland.
Israel's conservative fiscal policy is the last barrier preventing Israel from plunging into a recession that has befell most of the developed nations around the world since 2008. As the Eurozone stronger countries struggle to keep Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy afloat with hundreds of billions of Euro in bailout loans, Israel has no such financial sugar daddy. No one will bail out Israel's fledgling economy if we over-spend. No one will come to our fiscal rescue if we go bankrupt providing services and social benefits to the tens of thousands of migrant workers who have illegally infiltrated Israel. We're on our own, and our first responsibility is to ourselves.
Despite the ongoing rabble from the "refugee aid groups" who routinely pine on the Israeli guilty conscience that "we too were refugees, and its our responsibility to accept these illegal Africans," MK Ophir Okunis correctly stated this morning on IDF Radio that 99% of these refugees are NOT legally considered refugees. Less than a few dozen have actually fled their countries due to political or military persecution and have directly entered Israel. They have all entered Israel via Egypt, via Libya, and via other countries. Once the refugee left their country where they were persecuted and entered another country where the threat of persecution ended, they are no longer refugees from their country of origin. As they continue their trek to Israel via other countries, they are no longer in search of protection, rather in search of opportunity and jobs. Entering Israel via Egypt they are here in the quest of economic opportunity and the benefits which Israel's left are more than happy to offer.
Unfortunately, Israel as a Jewish Democracy cannot tolerate this situation; not economically, not demographically, and certainly -- not the awful crime wave which has descended upon us.
Left leaning Israeli Journalist Guy Maroz slammed right-wing MKs in March 2010 for wanting to create "labor camps" for these illegal workers. He was among the most vocal activists demanding that Israel not deport the children of these illegal immigrants with their families.
Till it hit home for him.
Till he woke up and realized that the problem isn't only in South Tel-Aviv or Eilat (which obviously aren't his problem because he doesn't live there)...and the illegals started flooding all of Israel, his hometown as well.
In a heartfelt letter to Israel's Prime Minister via an opinion piece in NRG/Maariv, Maroz begs PM Netanyahu to take action against the surge of illegals:
"The writer of these lines, and his wife were among the most strident activists against the expulsion of the the children of [illegal African] foreign workers. That is why I permit myself to scream today, "No More. No more flooding of the streets and lives of Israel's poorest citizens [South Tel Aviv].Israel needs to quickly take decisive action to quash the illegal immigration from Africa.
This week a friend hesitantly told me, and she is one of the most enlightened and liberal people I know, 'they have also come to us, to Hod Hasharon."
And they have arrived here as well."
This isn't racism. This isn't intolerance. This isn't immoral.
This is self-preservation. This is the responsibility of survival of the Jewish State, for us, our children, and generations to come.
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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
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