Jerusalem's Future Growth

At the Begin Center this evening, a panel discussion and presentation-debate is taking place on the subject of the metroplitan growth of Jerusalem.

These vision maps will drive Ir Amim, etc. wild:

In case you didn't notice, the city could be planned for all the way to the Dead Sea.

If E1 is a problem, this should settle things once and for all.

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Low-Intensity Conflict Report, # 84 September 15 – October 15, 2013

This Low-Intensity Conflict Report # 84 September 15 – October 15, 2013 is prepared by Yehudit Tayar and publicized by Hatzalah Yehudah and Shomron with the clearance and confirmation of the IDF. 

Hatzalah Yehudah and Shomron is a voluntary emergency medical organization with over 500 volunteer doctors, paramedics, medics who are on call 24/7 and work along with the IDF, 669 IAF Airborn Rescue, the security officers and personal throughout Yesha and the Jordan Valley, and with MDA.


The volunteers of Hatzalah Yehudah and Shomron go out to rescue anyone who needs our emergency medical assistance; including civilians, military and Arabs also those within the PA territories. (with IDF presence) To us a life is precious and we go out at risk leaving home and family or stopping on the road to rescue anyone in need.


Due to terror attacks in 30 days 3 Israelis murdered, 46 injured, at least 100 fire bombs, 2 explosive devices, the emergency communications center of Hatzallah Yehudah and Shomron received reports of 190 rock throwing incidents, and remember in each incident buses, vehicles are attacked with intent to murder. 

Since the release of terrorist murderers with blood on their hands there has been an escalation of the attacks.

*IDF soldier Tomer CHazan HY"D was murdered in Kalkilia by a terrorist who wished to engage in negotiations for the body in order to release his brother who is in prison.
* Sergeant Gabriel Kubi HY"D was murdered in a shooting attack in Hevron.
* Saria Ofer HY"D was murdered in his home in the Brosh located in the Jordan Valley and his wife was moderately injured .
* 9 year old Noam Glick was moderately injured in her backyard in Psagot by a terrorist who shot her after he infiltrated and broke into the community.

Wounded by rock attacks:
14 IDF soldiers
3 Border policemen
19 civilians
5 injured from violent attacks by Arabs

Security forces prevented the following terror attacks: Terrorist caught at Tapuach Junction armed with knife and improvised gun, Tapuach Junction 2 terrorists caught with knife and 4 fire bombs,3 terrorists at Tapuach Junction caught with fire bombs, 2 terrorists caught with fire bomb at Bet El, between IDF  Base Bahd 3 near Shechem and Hawawara 2 younf Arabs caught with fire bombs and knife, Git Junction 2 terrorists caught  carrying a gun in their car.

Reported Rock attacks (understand that not all attacks are reported )
Jerusalem Region -10
Etzion Region -50
Judea Region – 35
Benjamin Region- 60
Shomron Region – 35
At least 100 reports on attacks with fire bombs
Etzion Region – 41
Jerusalem Region – 7
Shomron Region – 13
Judea Region – 17
Benjamin Region – 17

Attacks in the south of Israel: 1 rocket in Ashkelon region, 2 rockets in Sha'ar HaNegev Region, 2 rockets Eshkol Region.
Tunnel that was dug from Gaza for use in terror attacks- abductions was discovered and neutralized by IDF

North Ramat HaGolan: Attempts to place explosive devices on security fence system was prevented
In El Rom region shots fired on contractor and 2 hits injured IDF soldier moderately from shrapnel and another IDF soldier suffered trauma from the attack.  IDF destroyed the Syrian cannon that fired  the shots. 

____________

How low do they go?

Recent postings on one of Fatah's official Facebook pages reiterate the PA-Fatah strategy documented by Palestinian Media Watch of alternating between violence and diplomacy to put pressure on Israel to give in to the PA's demands.
       [Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," Sept. 8, 2013]
Under the headline "Fatah - All means of struggle until statehood" the administrator of the Fatah Facebook page posted three pictures showing different "means of struggle." One picture represents diplomacy as a "means of struggle," exemplified by a picture of PA Chairman Abbas speaking at the UN. The other two pictures represent the use of different kinds of violence as a "means of struggle." One shows a man wearing an Arab headscarf throwing a stone, while the other shows a man holding a rifle.

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," Sept. 22, 2013]

Another Fatah posting also illustrated the use of violence as one of Fatah's "means." A picture showed a member of Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, taking aim with a rifle, accompanied by the following text:

"The Al-Aqsa [Martyrs'] Brigades:
When they speak - they act;
When they promise - they fulfill;
and when they strike - they cause pain."

Click to view examples of PA and Fatah officials referring to the strategy of alternating between diplomacy and violence.
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=462

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'They Should Burn'

Here:

No further comment necessary.

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South Carolina and Yesha

Did you know there's a Shiloh in South Carolina?  A Hebron site?  Beth El, too?  Even a Samaria.

Well, then it may come as no surprise that we in Yesha have support in South Carolina.

From Women in Green:

A member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Alan Clemmons, visited Shdema in East Gush Etzion on Friday (Oct. 18) to strengthen and show solidarity with the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Clemmons, accompanied by his wife Laura, toured the Shdema Camp...[and] were moved by the determination of the activists who weekly come from all over Israel to stay there and demonstrate a Jewish presence.

Clemmons spoke to the dozens of activists who were present and told them about the excitement that stirs him as he "walks the holy land that G-d gave to the Jewish people". He mentioned the fact that G-d formed a covenant with Abraham and gave the Land to him and his descendants, and added that the American people support Israel and the historic right of the Jewish people to the Land.

Heads of the Women in Green, Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar...thanked Clemmons for his warm words of support and called him "a true friend of Israel", a friend who recognizes the fact that G-d gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people. Later on in the event, the two leaders of Women in Green gave Clemmons a gift of a woven rug, which shows a picture of Jerusalem with the passage "For Jerusalem I will not stay silent".

 

 

P.S.  I missed a dinner with him the previous Tuesday evening but he enjoyed the company of some of my friends and was taken on a tour of the Shomron, I understand.

P.P.S.   I think a very good idea would be an initiative of the Yesha Council to outreach to communities in the United States (and other countries as well) that are named for Biblical Land of Israel locations in Judea and Samaria and offer exchange of information, pen-palmanship, visits, even twinning.

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Hollywood and Virtual Reality

If you ever wondered why American Jews are either under-informed or misinformed about Israel, consider this itinerary for Temple Israel of Hollywood:

Day Two: Thursday, October 3, 2013
ARRIVAL

    Arrivals at Ben Gurion International Airport.
    Individual transfers on own to Jerusalem and check into the hotel
    6:45 p.m. Meet your tour educator and group members in the hotel lobby for introduction and orientation.
    7:30 p.m. A Grassroots View of Israeli Society: Dialogue with Dr. David Mendelsson of Hebrew Union College over a welcome dinner at Olive & Fish, offering an international-styled kosher meat & fish menu with a Mediterranean flair.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Day Three: Friday, October 4, 2013
THE STRUGGLES FOR JERUSALEM

    6:00 a.m. Early breakfast at the hotel.
    7:00 a.m. Join Women of the Wall for Rosh Hodesh prayers at the Western Wall.
    Walking tour through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, for visits to archaeological treasures and other highlights, among them:
        The Cardo, the main street of Jerusalem in the 6th century
        King Hezekiah's First Temple-period “Broad Wall”
        Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish Quarter
    12:00 p.m. Visit the Reform Movement's Hebrew Union College with Rabbi Dr. Michael Marmur, Provost of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation at Hebrew Union College.
    Enjoy a multi-cultural tasting journey through the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem's Machaneh Yehudah open-air market: Enjoy the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of this vibrant area where Jewish Jerusalem shops.
    Return to the hotel.
    6:00 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service at Kehillat Mevasseret Zion led by Rabbi Maya Leibovitz, followed by a festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Day Four: Saturday, October 5, 2013
SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    Optional Shabbat prayers.
    Visit the renewed Israel Museum, one of the most creative and innovative museums in the world with a wide and eclectic collection, ranging from Judaica and archaeology to Renaissance and contemporary Israeli art, concluding with a visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Shrine of the Book and the Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem.
    Lunch on own, en route.
    One Mountain, Three Religions: Embark on an interdenominational search through the traditional burial site of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and a mosque, all in one building.
    Return to the hotel.
    6:56 p.m. Ben Kodesh Lechol: Havdallah overlooking the Old City.
    Free time to explore Downtown Jerusalem, including the Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall and Nachalat Shiva Street, with dinner on own.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Day Five: Sunday, October 6, 2013
PALESTINIAN PROGRESS? - SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE WEST BANK

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    8:30 a.m. A Different Vision for Israel: Dialogue with Avraham Burg, former Speaker of the Knesset and currently the chairman of Molad, the Center for Renewal of Democracy.
    Opening session by Felice and Michael Friedson.
    Depart the hotel for Ramallah.
    Field seminar in Ramallah; meet with political and academic Palestinians to gain further insight into the challenges and accomplishments of the Palestinian Authority.
    Lunch in Ramallah with local Palestinian representatives.
    Field trip to the new city Rawabi and meet with key economic personalities.
    Return to Jerusalem.
    Dinner on own and evening at leisure.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Day Six: Monday, October 7, 2013
THE STATE OF THE DEMOCRATIC STATE

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    8:30 a.m. Initiation of the Secret Talks Between Israel and Hamas for the Release of Gilad Shalit: Dialogue with Dr. Gershon Baskin, former chairman of IPCRI.
    11:00 a.m. Take part in a VIP tour of the Knesset.
    12:15 p.m. Lunch on own at the Knesset.
    1:00 p.m.  Meet with a member of the Knesset to discuss current political agendas.
    3:00 p.m. The Struggle for Citizen Equality in Jerusalem: Tour of Sheikh Jarrah and dialogue with Sara Beninga, a left wing activist from Solidarity Sheikh Jarrah.
    Return to Jerusalem.
    7:30 p.m. Challenging Democracy in Israel: Dinner and dialogue with Prof. Naomi Chazan, former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and currently Dean of the School of Government and Society at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, at Canela restaurant.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Day Seven: Tuesday, October 8, 2013
THE STATE OF THE DEMOCRATIC STATE

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    8:30 a.m. Challenges and Triumphs of Religious Pluralism and Social Justice in Israel: Dialogue with Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC).
    10:00 a.m. The Geopolitics of Jerusalem - Travel through the city of Jerusalem exploring some of the political and diplomatic complexities of recent years around the seam zone and its effect on the local communities, with a representative of Ir Amim.
    12:45 p.m. Lunch on own, en route.
    2:30 p.m. The City of Our Forefathers: Visit to Hebron for an inside look at one of the most pivotal components of the discussion of Jewish settlement, including the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Ma'arat HaMachpelah) with representatives from the  Hebron settlers community.
    7:30 p.m. Dialogue, Mediation & the Israel-Arab Conflict: Dinner and dialogue with Professor Gerald Steinberg of Bar Ilan University, at Luciana restaurant.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

Day Eight: Wednesday, October 9, 2013
DREAMERS, SETTLERS AND REALITY

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    8:30 a.m. Check out of the hotel and drive north towards Eli.
    9:15 a.m. Stop at the Binyamin Region Visitor's Center and meet with Miri Maoz Ovadia, spokesperson for the Binyamin region.
    10:30 a.m. The Land of Our Forefathers: Study session with Rabbi Netanel Elyashiv on Moshav Eli, followed by a tour of Eli and a chance to meet some residents.
    12:30 p.m. Lunch at Eshel HaShomron.
    1:30 p.m. The Other Side of the Story: Tour of Samaria with Peace Now social activist, Lior Amihai.
    Drive to Tel Aviv, known as the “city that never sleeps” with its centers of culture and recreation and national history such as the Habima Theater, sprawling beaches, Dizengoff Street and Rabin Square.
    Check into the hotel.
    Dinner on own and evening at leisure.

Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

Day Nine: Thursday, October 10, 2013
LEADERSHIP THEN AND NOW

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    8:30 a.m. Ethics & Dilemmas in the Field: Dialogue with Col. Benzi Gruber, Deputy Commander of an Armored Corps brigade.
    10:30 a.m. Walk through the museum at the new Rabin Center, dedicated to the history of society and democracy in Israel, with the life of Yitzhak Rabin serving as a connecting thread between the various sections of the exhibition, both chronologically and substantively.
    LaDa'at Ethnic Tasting Tour: walk through Tel Aviv's famous Levinsky Market, where you'll find a combination of foods and sweets from all over the Mediterranean and hear the unique stories of the individuals who sell them.
    2:00 p.m. Strangers in a Strange Land: Explore the reality of the foreign worker in Tel Aviv as you walk through the streets of South Tel Aviv with  Sigal Rozen, founder & Public Policy Coordinator for the Hotline for Migrant Workers.
    Take a walking tour through colorful Neve Zedek, one of Tel Aviv's earliest neighborhoods. Today it is a cultural mecca, with many small boutiques and galleries, and the Suzanne Delal Dance and Theater Center.
    Dinner on own and evening at leisure.

Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

Day Ten: Friday, October 11, 2013
EDUCATION AND CULTURE IN TEL AVIV

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    9:00 a.m. Challenge, Question, Engage, Enlighten: Visit Bina, the Secular Yeshiva, representing the Secular Jewish Renaissance and Yahadut Hevratit (Jewish Social Activism) in Israel.
    Visit the Old City of Jaffa and stroll through the renovated artists' colony and the ancient port and walk through the newly renovated and world-renowned Jaffa Flea Market - Shuk Hapishpishim.
    Lunch on own.
    Stroll down Rothschild Boulevard to view examples of the intriguing Bauhaus-style architecture from the 1930s. The local proliferation of the style won Tel Aviv recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the nickname of ‘the White City'.
    Pass by Independence Hall, where David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel on May 14th, 1948.
    Return to the hotel.
    Kabbalat Shabbat service at Mishkenot Ruth Daniel in Jaffa, led by Rabbi Mira Raz.

Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

Day Eleven: Saturday, October 12, 2013
SHABBAT IN TEL AVIV

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    Optional Shabbat morning services.
    11:00 a.m. The Art Scene in Tel Aviv: Visit the galleries which have put Tel Aviv at the forefront of the local and international art scene; meet with gallery owners for an insight into their world, led by Vardit Gross, the leading art critic of Yediot Aharonot.
    Walk down Bialik Street in Tel Aviv for a visual journey through Tel Aviv's past and present, including a view of the houses of artist Reuven Rubin and writer Chaim Nachman Bialik.
    Lunch on own and afternoon at leisure.
    6:50 p.m. Ben Kodesh Lechol: Havdallah overlooking the beach.
    8:00 p.m. Late check-out from the hotel (for those departing this evening) and depart the hotel.
    8:15 p.m. Festive farewell dinner at Liliyot which offers an attractive menu mixing Mediterranean and Californian cuisine;  Liliyot works together with the Elem association, giving work to youth with difficulties and donating part of their profits to the association.
    Return to the hotel or individual transfers on own to Ben Gurion International Airport.

Overnight: Flight/Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

You noticed the number and type of left-of-center persons versus those of the right, did you not?

A Rabbi is proud of the total imbalance in the amount and quality of views expressed from one side versus the other.  Blindsiding his congregants.  It's one thing, as a synagogue, to highlight Reform Judaism's projects but the tour was political.  


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Responding to JewishIsrael's Ellen Horowitz

Ellen Horowitz, a good friend, in a personal sense, who heads JewishIsrael, a group that has erred in the matter of the HaYovel group, left a comment on a post here and I think I should upgrade the discussion.

She wrote:

JewishIsrael is taking a very painstaking and careful approach to this problem. People in Yehuda and Shomron were up in arms about the Wallers and their missionary affiliations long before JewishIsrael started investigating or issuing reports.

We don't know what kind of hot heads are dwelling among you who see fit to issue provocative poster campaigns and threaten rabbis. That is not JewishIsrael’s style. However, we don't need people like you and David Rubin leveling false accusations at us over an issue that requires serious debate and consideration by the Jewish community.

The rabbis who have thus far viewed the same material we presented at Har Bracha are very soft spoken, mild-mannered and thoughtful in their approach. And yet they concur that the material presented is "of great concern, very serious in nature, and requires follow-up" and "they can't understand how Rav Melamed could possibly ignore such vital information."

I'm reminding you that it was you who originally suggested to me that there be a serious site set-up to inform the Jewish community of the various problematic evangelical groups and personalities active in Israel.

At the very least these leaders in Yehuda and Shomron should have the integrity to admit to their own communities that, "Yes, for what we consider to be the good of the yishuv, we made a decision to partner with hundreds of Christian missionaries. But they have assured us that they will not proselytize or share their faith with you - at least not here in this community. But we don't have control over their larger agenda and what they do and what their plans are for the rest of Am Yisrael"

Perhaps it is the lack of honesty that is the real "Chilul Hashem".

Let's go over that and concisely respond.

"People in Yehuda and Shomron were up in arms about the Wallers"

People?  And there are people who aren't, who don't care or who are actually excited about their volunteering.  And maybe those "people" are wrong"?  And who cares if JI was late?  You're in at present and leading the charge.

"You"?

Why not "you"?  How do you know they are amongst "us" but not "you"?  I don't.  But I can guess they are much more motivated by what "you" put out then anyone else on this planet.  They didn't get that link from out of thin air?  Or maybe it was Mina Fenton who was the source and she is much more connected to JI than HaYovel is to me. Or maybe they just fed off your misinformation?

False accusations?

No more than yours, and much less.

"The Rabbis".

Maybe the word threat should be clarified, soft-spoken or otherwise.  If a meeting is called by you, and you inform the person, a Rabbi, that if certain demands are not met, then verbal or published injury against the Rabbi will be taken, most people would think that a threat.

 

"The material".

Of course, the question is: is your "material" relevant, true, exact or supposed?  Does it actually indicate your main charge - that HaYovel is a danger in that its participants engage in missionary activity?  Does it?  How 'vital' is it?  Or is the innuendo?  Guilt-by-association?  Implied?

More important, is it not true that some of your rabbinical support not even care about the details?  For them, the issue is not missionary activity but something termed "achiza ba'aretz" and "ma'amd"?  For them, it is not an issue of halacha but theology and therefore, they prefer not to deal with the particulars and that, perhaps, even if I proved that I am correct as to what is actually happening, or more importantly, what is not happening, it wouldn't make a difference with them?  And so, all this discussion is useless.  They are interest in facts.

it was you who originally suggested

Well, if I was so smart then, why don't you trust me now?

I never said there wasn't a problem.  What I am saying is that in this specific instance, you're wrong.  And I will add that given the situation Israel is in, and given the guidelines I think exist in the Tanakh, and given halachic possibilities, we should not reject outright rapprochement but rather seek new frameworks.

"to partner with hundreds of Christian missionaries".

They aren't though.  Can't you get that?  Have you proof that they do missionize in Yesha?  Has anyone been snared?  I fully accept that a Christian, especially an evangelical, sees his purpose in life to convince others to believe in Jesus.  I trust our Rabbis and educators are doing their job to offset that threat.  The situation here is different.  You refuse do admit that and  prefer to smudge the reality to fit your agenda.

"Lack of honesty"?

What lack of honesty?  You haven't proven, in a solid, indisputable fashion, any of your specific claims.  Doesn't that count as a moral failing on your part?

^

Never on a Saturday

NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers chopped down more than 100 olive trees in the Nablus district village of Qaryut early Saturday, a Palestinian Authority official said.

Ghassan Daghlas, a PA official who monitors settler activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Eli destroyed over 100 trees belonging to village residents...

Saturday?

The Sabbath?

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GraphicZionism: A Word From Bonnie Parker

.

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Can You Find the Difference?

The NYTimes has expanded its op-ed section and it now includes:

Ali Jarbawi and Shmuel Rosner.

Here's Jarbawi's cv:

[He] became a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times in the fall of 2013. A political scientist, he received his B.A from Birzeit University in 1976 and his Ph.D from the University of Cincinnati in 1981.

Dr. Jarbawi served as the Palestinian Authority’s minister of higher education in 2012 and 2013 and as minister of planning and aid coordination from 2009 to 2012. From 2002 and 2004, he was the general commissioner of the Central Election Committee for Palestine.

Dr. Jarbawi is also an active member of civil society and nongovernmental organizations.  From 1997 to 2000, he was director general of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights (now known as the Independent Commission for Human Rights).  He has written numerous articles and scholarly studies on Palestinian issues, both in Arabic and English.

Here's Rosner's cv:

Shmuel Rosner became a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times in the fall of 2013. Mr. Rosner is a columnist and editor based in Tel Aviv. He is the senior political editor for The Jewish Journal, a weekly newspaper based in Los Angeles, and writes the blog Rosner’s Domain.  He is also a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a think tank founded in 2002 and based in Jerusalem, and the chief nonfiction editor for Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir, a leading Israeli publisher. 

Mr. Rosner was previously a columnist for The Jerusalem Post, from 2008 to 2011, and was chief United States correspondent, head of the news division and head of the features division at the daily newspaper Haaretz, where he worked from 1996 to 2008. He has written for many publications, including Slate, Foreign Policy, Commentary, The New Republic, The Jewish Review of Books.

One is a civic society person and a long-time professional journalist.  The other is a former high political official, a public-diplomacy hack.

^

Here Comes The Attack

JewishIsrael is revving up its irrational campaign against the "foreigner who comes".

There are two posts which I'll briefly deal with.

The first is this:

 A JewishIsrael Statement of Concern Regarding Rav Melamed's Position in Support of Messianic Christian Volunteers

Snippets:

JewishIsrael has sought through various channels to meet with Rabbi Eliezer Melamed...pertaining to the deployment of Hayovel Ministry volunteers in the fields of Yehuda and Shomron (and now in the Golan Heights as well), a service Rabbi Melamed deems as a "fulfillment of prophecy".  These volunteers...are missionary in nature.  [At a recent meeting with the Rabbi's representative, he was informed that] we planned to go ahead in the near future with publication of the information presented, and that JewishIsrael hoped Rav Melamed would review the material shortly and respond with his opinion...Rav Melamed retained his position regarding Hayovel Ministries.

...other prominent rabbis viewed the very same presentation...JewishIsrael will soon begin publicizing the information we presented to Rav Melamed via Har Bracha’s community representative, Mr. Hermon. JewishIsrael believes it will show that Rav Melamed has chosen to ignore very serious evidence and an agenda which places Judaism's foundations in jeopardy, which will lead to spiritual confusion and worse for the Jewish people.

I heard from a Christian that he understands that some Rabbis are not only discussing this matter with Rabbi Melamed but are threatening him.

I do not know if this is true.  But, in any case, JewishIsrael and some of these Rabbis, it may be, have already scored their first major victory - they have caused a major chillul hashem.  This Christian told me, and I am paraphrasing, 'I can understand debate but if they are threatening him with verbal violence and perhaps seeking to undermine his status by causing financial injury to his institutions and his good name, I think that is horrible behavior'.


The second is this:

 "Jumping the Geula Gun" - a Response by Rabbi Sholom Gold to Rabbi Eliezer Melamed

JewishIsrael’s Rabbinic Director, Rabbi Sholom Gold, responds to Rabbi Eliezer Melamed's article, "Christians Fulfilling the Prophecy of Isaiah".
 

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed and other community leaders in Israel and America attribute the current outpouring of fundamentalist Christian support for Israel to a prophetic era of change...regardless of their worldview, and Judaism's ultimate expectations and hopes for the future, we Jews are obligated to hold our spiritual and physical ground...it is not our role as Torah-true Jews to grapple with, to accommodate, or to incorporate the prophetic views and shifting theology of various Christian sects. There is no rationale for jeopardizing or compromising the Jewish faith by openly embracing and encouraging evangelical designs for Israel.

I dispute that.  Torah-true Jews deal with everything, from what is written in Tanakh to the latest food fashion (to make sure it is kosher) and especially is what our Prophets wrote concerns our restored condition and what they are supposed to be doing in that redemptive process.

 ...One wonders if such spiritual leaders have lost their grounding or are perhaps suffering from a type of "messianic complex."...It's nothing less than tragic that at a time like this, when the Jewish community is confused and divided, that certain Torah observant leaders in Israel are unable to recognize and clearly respond to the viable spiritual threat presented by foreign Christian messianic sects whose adherents  are here to "love" and "serve" Israel  - which is  precisely the classic definition of a "missionary"!

That is the definition?  Really?  I disagree, respectfully.

 ...The rabbis involved are accomplishing nothing less than contributing to, inspiring, and establishing a first century type Christian Restoration cult in Eretz Yisrael...Christian evangelicals who are mesmerized by end-of-days scenarios which run contrary to Judaism,...[are] ethically questionable, spiritually untenable and [they] jeopardize[s] the future of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael.

I suspect there is another complex at work here.  Rabbi Gold seems to be the contrarian one.

Too bad.

^

The NYTimes: Is It That Hostile to Israel?

The claim that the New York Times.not only practices bias towards Israel in its news coverage and on its opinion pages has been documented, clearly, consistently and considerably.  Some think the paper hates Israel.  It is hostile towards the country of the Jews.


It's record during the Holocaust was evil, in a moral sense.

Is this just a 'Zionist screed'?

Consider this story:

World Briefing | Middle East
Israel: Palestinian Is Killed at Army Base
By ISABEL KERSHNER
Published: October 17, 2013

Israeli soldiers on Thursday fatally shot a Palestinian man who drove a construction vehicle into an army base near Ramallah in the West Bank, barging through a gate and repeatedly trying to run over a soldier, the Israeli military said in a statement. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the man as Yunis Radeideh, 30. In two attacks in July 2008, Palestinians driving construction vehicles in central Jerusalem were shot and killed after plowing into traffic and pedestrians, killing three Israelis. In March 2009, the Palestinian driver of an earthmover flipped over an Israeli police car, wounding two police officers before he was shot dead. According to initial reports, the driver in that episode, Marei al-Radeideh, was a brother of the driver killed at the army base on Thursday.

Here's how it could - and should - have been written, my editorial rewrite:-

World Briefing | Middle East
Arab Breaks Into Israel Army Base; Killed
By ISABEL KERSHNER
Published: October 17, 2013

An Arab man who burst into an army base near Ramallah in the West Bank, barging through a gate with a construction vehicle and who repeatedly trying to run over a soldier, was killed an IDF spokesman said. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified last night's driver as Yunis Radeideh, 30.  He was the bother of Marei al-Radeideh, the driver killed in a March 20090 incident when an Arab driver of an earthmover flipped over an Israeli police car, wounding two police officers before he was shot dead.

In two similar previous attacks in July 2008, Arabs driving construction vehicles in central Jerusalem who killed three Israelis after plowing into traffic and pedestrians, were also shot and killed.

And since that WAFA report is only on Arabic, the NYT could have added this (via Google Translate) from the report:

The Israeli press sources reported that Israeli forces transferred the body of the Palestinian citizen to the 1948 Lands.  The Wafa correspondent reports that clashes broke out between citizens and the occupation forces in the town of Al-Ram, after the martyrdom of Citizen Radaideh, and Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and gas towards the citizens during the confrontations, which is still continuing up to an hour to prepare this news .

and, at the least, pointed out that pre-1967 Israel is still considered "occupied Palestine" - anyone in the NYT's editorial executive board still believe in the two-state solution? -  and that the terrorist who attempted murder is declared a 'shahid', a martyr?

^

With the Wallers and the HaYovel Volunteers

One of the more positive developments that has happened out here in Judea and Samaria, and for Israel, actually, is the various Christian Zionist efforts to support us in our fields and vineyards.  Of course, there are those who cannot tolerate any of this because they suspect intentions of missionary activity and will seek any and all so-called evidence to thwart this.  That they haven't found any does not deter them.

For those who follow my blog, you know of my ongoing 'battles' but I reject the attempts to distance these volunteers based on insinuations, innuendos, guilt-by-association and simple ignorance as well as a denial of indications in prophetic writings in the Tanakh that this phenomenon is to be expected.

The grape harvesting is almost over.  The 300 HaYovel volunteers, which this year included people from Norway and India, are finishing a 6 week session and they picked 400 tons of wine-producing grapes.  That is a lot of bottles of wine.  They use the "train method":

Tonight, we had a reception of farewell at the Psagot Winery.

Here I am with Sherry and Tommy Waller:

And here is a great T-shirt:

Some of the volunteers:

They do not seek to proselytize but rather wish to fulfill the tasks of the "foreigner".  They provide us with political and public diplomatic assistance.

I thank them and wish them well.

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My Caption for the Contest

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I tried entering the contest but I couldn't register (note: Any resident of the United States, Canada (except Quebec), Australia, the United Kingdom, or the Republic of Ireland age eighteen or older can enter or vote. )

Here's my suggested caption:


Didn't I tell you deliberating Iran and Syria without boots-on-the-ground was exhilarating?

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GraphicZionism: Contemplating the Two-State Solution

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Can't Wait for This To Reach Israel

In years past, one of my complaints' themes to Israel television was (and occasionally is) the mistranslations in captions, must usually of important speeches by American presidents.

And now I see this:

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom will begin a regular audit of the quality of broadcasters' subtitles from next year.

It follows complaints by viewers about inaccurate subtitles, or subtitles which are delayed, freeze or disappear.
Under the new measures, broadcasters will be asked to monitor the quality of their subtitling on live TV shows every six months, for two years.

This should be done here in Israel.

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How To Destroy An Outpost

Geulat Zion is an unauthorized outpost in the Shiloh Bloc. 

It is on the south side of the Vineyard Road, near Adei-Ad, across from Achiyah. It sits on state lands so there is no question of private Arab property. There were 2-3 structures there. 

It was destroyed last week. 

Watch:

 

Source

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I Bet Austria Wins Out

I bet you Haaretz could never even think, or imagine the association, they way I think on this.

Reported:

A wealthy Austrian Jewish family, whose works of art were seized...by the Nazis during World War II, is asking for the restitution of one of Austria's most renowned art treasures – Gustav Klimt's "Beethoven Frieze."  The monumental frieze, which is over two meters tall, 34 meters long and weighs 4,000 kilograms is currently displayed in a climate-controlled hall in Vienna's Secession building, which dates back to 1902...At issue is not the Nazi's seizure of artworks, but the Austrian state's handling of the stolen art following the war.

The frieze belonged to the Lederer family of industrialists, who had been patrons of the artist. The family managed to escape to Switzerland after the Nazi's 1938 invasion of Austria, but their art collection – including the frieze and 18 other works by Klimt - was seized.

They want stolen property back?

Heck, we can't even get the right to enter freely and respect the Temple Mount taken from us 2000 years ago and occupied since 638 CE by Muslims.

But I would bet Austria gives in before Israel's government provides us with our rights in Jerusalem.


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Temple Mount Absurdities

Where else can you prevent Jews from praying, throw stones at the police that perhaps could protect those Jews (if they were so commanded) and then enjoy full freedom to hang a poster glorifying you throwing those rocks while the police guard you and prevent Jews from even entering the Temple Mount this week?

And where else can you be a clown and be holy, too?

 

______________

A new op-ed.

Yet, even though the State of Israel is in full control of Jerusalem, Jews, Christians and all non-Muslims are forbidden entry to the Temple Mount, except during very limited hours. And during those few hours, Jews can only walk in near silence; they may not pray.

A member of the Wakf, the Muslim religious council, monitors the movements of Jewish visitors, and the Israel Police will arrest any Jew upon a complaint by a Wakf member that a Jew was praying on the Temple Mount.

This happened to me and my daughter when we visited the Temple Mount the day before her wedding.

Her swaying in silent meditation was enough to anger our Wakf monitor and land us in the police station for hours for threatening the public welfare.

A late find.
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Another 2000 Year Claim

A report:-

(JTA) – Ten longtime members of Women of the Wall are protesting the organization’s agreement to meet at Robinson’s Arch if certain conditions are met.
In a public statement Friday, the protesting members said the Women of the Wall board betrayed the group’s fundamental mission with its decision earlier in the week.
“We remain committed to the Kotel, the place sanctified by the memory, prayers, and hopes of Jews for 2,000 years,” read the statement, using the wall’s Hebrew name. “We remain unalterably committed to the right of all Jewish women to pray together in the ezrat nashim [women’s section] at the Kotel with tallit and tefillin, reading from the Torah scroll.”

What 2,000 years?

According to Yehuda Yitzhak Yechezkel in Zion, 3, 1929, the Western Wall only became a site of regular prayer in the 9th century CE, some 1150 years ago.  Before that, Jews came to all the other walls, to the Mount of Olives and also to the Temple Mount.  (Another contribution of his to the subject)ץ

In the 14th century, Ashtori Ha-Farhi does not specifically mention the Western Wall but rather notes that Jews attempted to approach any of the walls to pray although evidence from the Cairo Genizah notes an 11th century prayer at the Western Wall.

Ladies, your devotion is admirable but let's get the historical facts straight.

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Arab "Settlements" - Why Not?

I left this comment

and this satire site which had this lead in:

Latest Israeli settlements “real step in right direction” for new peace process
August 12, 2013

JERUSALEM: Following yesterday’s authorisation of 1,200 new homes to be built in illegal West Bank settlements, all sides involved in the newly restarted Middle East peace process were in agreement that the latest housing development would provide a definite boost to the negotiations.

“This is exactly the sort of rational, forward-thinking move we were looking for to help get discussions going,” said US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had been integral to bringing the Israeli and Palestinian parties back to the table. “Once again, Israel has shown that when it comes to taking bold steps in the search for a viable, lasting solution, it really does mean business.”

Will it be authorized?

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