"No weapon engineered against you will succeed...." -- Isaiah 54:17

Those words from last week's Haftarah comforted this mother who sits in a leaderless country run by lunatics; with Iranian-backed Syria literally looming on my horizon and my sons assigned to combat units.
The Jewish unity needed to ensure victory, security and sanity seems eons away.

America's liberty crusade through the Middle East has been turned into a shop-'til-you-drop arms extravaganza for peace, with headlines blaring: "US military deals with Mideast promote stability." There's talk of war, but our army is preoccupied with desecrating the city of our forefathers (Hebron); while those affected are so pained as to blaspheme our army. The Jewish unity needed to ensure victory, security and sanity seems eons away.

Nu? So what else is new?

Some warn of global warming and others of nuclear winter. Through it all, I pray that my family will remain firmly planted on the ever-shifting Syrian-African rift. Armageddon is not on my mind - but Redemption always is.

I believe the words of the Prophets are true, but I know that whereas good prophecies will be actualized, the bad ones can be overturned by human endeavors. I know that battles can be fought in the Heavens, rather than on earth. I anticipate miracles, but I've got a few gerrycans of water and extra blankets stored in the corner - just in case.

"Bible thumping" is something I do before Pesach - while cleaning book shelves in search of random crumbs. "Doomsday" is what my youngest kid will face if he brings another stray cat into this house. "Tribulation" is what I went through two weeks ago as I tried to keep my children, the goats, dogs, cats, chickens, birds and rabbits cool through an incredible heat wave. "Rapture" is what I felt when the temperature broke, leaving me - and a stressed-out air conditioner - alone.

And when I'm alone, domestic and international difficulties never fail to invade my bliss. As a creative religious woman, living in the Holy Land, I confess that I've toyed with numerous spiritual scenarios and various political and military options. But I have never entertained thoughts of a Biblically based Christian-Jewish merger against Islam. I'm grateful for remaining fairly lucid, despite the chaos (with regards to this issue, many have not).

Not long ago, a person could have gone through a lifetime without having heard of the term "eschatology". "Judeo-Christian" described a cultural tradition within the framework of Western civilization; it was not a religion. What exactly is "Islamo-Fascism," if not a newfangled term for an ancient problem called "Amalek"?
"Rapture" is what I felt when the temperature broke.

A corrupted fusing of faiths, ideology and political interests has produced some mutant relationships - born in sin - which have infringed upon the independent belief systems of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. These hybrid hydras have smashed all that is sacred by trespassing the boundaries that have ensured civil society.

Retired Israeli General Shimon Erem is now described as "an early mobilizer of Judeo-Christian anti-Islamofascism" who feels compelled to warn the US "that it must quickly end its indifference before it ceases to be a society of Christian ideals." (You won't find that stuff in the annals of IDF protocol.)

Rabbi MK Benny Elon broke historic Jewish precedent by appealing to missionary leaders to convert Muslims to Christianity, and by inviting missionaries to become an integral part of the Jewish State's political process.

Israeli academic and Director of The Jerusalem Summit, Dr. Dmitry Radyshevsky, calls for a Christian restoration of Europe, and for Christians and Jews to unite "politically and spiritually" in the face of radical Islam. He believes "Jews and Christians are one tree, with the Jews forming the roots and the Christians the branches...."

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin's Jerusalem Post editorial ran roughshod over his rebbe's staunch position opposing interfaith dialogue. Perhaps Rabbi Riskin was unaware that those evangelical leaders he praised are actively promoting a Messianic Jewish (Hebrew-Christian) restoration in Israel. I believe his understanding of theological grafting - which touched him - is incomplete.

I'll go out on a limb and suggest that not only does the metaphor of a grafted Judeo-Christian olive tree constitute a prohibited union; but that any Jew who adheres to, advocates, or entertains this belief is dabbling with avodah zarah (literally, "strange worship").

In order to understand just how forbidden this concept is for Jews, you can delve into Rambam, consult with your rabbi, or simply read the following quote from the website of the youth division of the ICEJ (International Christian Embassy):

Ephesians 3, vs. 6 - "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."

When Islamic Jihadi meets Christian Crusader over the future of the Land of Israel, and the amen choir is made up of religious Zionists, Knesset members and sundry Jewish national leaders, where does that leave concerned Jews who may not be Torah literate or textbook Zionists, but who possess beating Jewish hearts, a natural aversion to alien theology, and an overwhelming sense of terrestrial responsibility? Do we just dismiss them as godless liberals and saw off that branch in order to make room for faithful Christians? Grafting 50 million Evangelicals onto the far-right branches of our now-lopsided tree means we stand to lose a few good roots - and lose ourselves when that tree topples.

And what about the rest of the forest - the rest of humanity?

"G-d fearing" used to be associated with responsibility, accountability and foresight.
"G-d fearing" used to be associated with responsibility, accountability and foresight.
Reciting Biblical verses verbatim and creatively interpreting prophetic writings was never a prerequisite to walking with G-d or being a great leader.

The most disappointing aspect of our current voluntary liaison with the cross, is that we stand to surrender an essential part of ourselves - and our universal role. It was Jews who had shown the world how to temper and refine religious zeal with wisdom. We were able to transport heavenly concepts into an earthly domain by channeling the inspiration into concrete, productive, ethical, responsible and compassionate behavior and action that was universally accepted. We never felt comfortable with the gushing "hallelujah crowd," because, for us, religious experience had always been personal, intimate and non-intrusive. We were to win converts by sanctifying G-d's name, serving as outstanding individual and collective examples.

At the end of the day (as opposed to "the end of days"), Israel's Left will have to foot the bill for initiating Oslo and the upheaval that ensued. However, the Zionist camp could have it worse. In our desperation and isolation we knowingly forged a forbidden relationship and initiated programs that caused spiritual destruction and gross erosion of the fences built around the Torah.

In an historic Biblical reversal, it seems we have tried to sell our birthright to some clean-shaven, faithful preachers in exchange for the opportunity to rake in some needed tourist bucks, secure influence in Washington, and to pass the burden of caring for our own peoples' humanitarian needs on to ready and willing Christians.

Without immediate correction, we may have to call this epic chapter in Jewish history, "Esau's revenge."