Communication - Please Reply

Hi Yishai,

We have never personally met, but you know my husband Hezy Bentzur.  We live in the Jordan Valley.  Don't know if you know our personal history, but we converted about 7 years ago, along with our 5 kids, and made aliyah shortly thereafter.

Our two oldest kids were 8 and 11, and we have witnessed their difficulties, and continually pray for their strength.  My daughter is now 14.  She handed me this poem that she wrote last night, and it brought me to tears.  I thank G-d for the beautiful feelings there, and it gives me encouragement.  I would like to share it with you, if you don't mind:

Wouldn't Change a Thing

I used to be a little girl
Who didn't know anything about this world.
I grew up to be around eight and a half,
When I realized my mom and dad had changed their path.

I didn't really know what was going on,
The one thing I knew was that God's land is where I belong.
My life was changing all around,
I felt so lost and I couldn't be found.

But Now I look back on all those years,
I laugh so hard that my eyes fill up with tears.
Things I knew then, and things I know now,
Are all so different, and yet, the same some how.

My life has changed and yet stayed the same,
I'm the same little girl, but with a different name.
I used to miss my "home" in the USA.,
But now I wouldn't live my life any other way.

I have my G-d, My Torah, my house, and most of all
I have my family, who went through it all.
I have my dreams, I have my hopes,
but my love for God is what I need the most. (and I have it)

Kayleigh Bentzur, age 14

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Shalom

I´m Fernando from Lisbon.

I want to ask Israel National radio to organize a 3 days special Pray for Rain. Fast Pray And Party.

I sugested that Rabi Richman Chaim from temple Institute may help choosing the dates. Soon. Start today, start tomorrow, notlater.

We need a symbol, it may be a simple Phrase in Hebrew . Then the translation to all other languages possibles.
Gift/Jpegs to put in all websites possible, print , Tshirts etc.

People all over the world could do their videos, animations, just talk - Pray to the camera and uploaded them to all Video-sites, Youtube etc.

Lets ask for all people to get in this idea. Jews, and non Jews. Lets make it big, as big as possible and "inform" all our enemies to Whom we are Praying for Rain. Let everyone know and see what means  " El Shadai ".

I Hope that I did not bother you with this, in such a troubled moment.

Come On Let The Light SHINE.  Fernando

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Shalom Dear Yishai,
 
You and the other Israel National Radio hosts, writers and family  have been such a source of hope and inspiration for me in my life.... I listen and read to Arutz Sheva almost everyday as my daily source of news, education and inspiration here in the settlement of California - and I always leave with something positive and hopeful - despite the all the hate, lies - anti-Semitism - in the world.
 
As a non-Jew, I thank G-d that He's blessed me with such a deep appreciation, gratitude* , hope and love for your people, The Jewish and Israeli people - Yishai. When it comes to the descendants of Avraham, Issac and Yakkov - I always think of this quote from Genesis 12:3:
 
" And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. "
 
Even though I'm not well versed in The Torah, Tanakh - Yishai  - I've just been so very much blessed  - and impressed  -by the values, hope and kindness* The Jewish people have had pressed upon my life... Sometimes I find myself thinking - wow - I wish I could be Jewish!
 
The world may be getting darker and darker by people's disregard and disdain for one another and for G-d - but -  I hope and pray that  I may always stick with you and your people, Yishai - through thick and thin - as we head into testing waters ahead of us all.
 
I'll finish this email off with this blessing:
 
G-d bless, keep, and restore all of Israel. May Israel, The Jewish people and their friends only see goodness, hope, blessings and life - together - in the service of The Eternal - G-d of Israel. May we all see G-d's Final and Ultimate Redemption and the Third Holy Temple built  - speedily in these days.
 
Thank you Yishai and family! Shalom and G-d bless ~always~ 

Your friend, Eddi from the Virtual Studio

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Watching you on CNN International now

Do you realize how silly and dismissible you sound, Yishai Fleisher. I'm a Jew who was brought up in observant home and I'm ashamed to hear the words coming out of your mouth. There were no Palestinians in the land of Israel before we came? That's as ridiculous and absurd as the Holocaust denial crap that comes out of Iran. So you completely ignore the fact and deny the existence of 700,000 Arabs who were living in the area now comprising Israel and the West Bank? Or is it that you reject the idea of calling them one nation of "Palestinians?" What differences does it make what they are called, Arabs or Palestinians... the fact is they were there just as Jews were always there through history. You talk about the Palestinian narrative but it's your narrative that does a disservice to Jews around the world. Grow up and admit that there have always been Jews and Arabs living side by side in the land of Israel. If you don't, you sure have a lot of historical documentation and archaeological evidence to destroy to support your claims. I'm sure if you undertake this effort, it'll look a lot like the Nazi book burning bonfires. As my Bubby would say, what a schmuck!

Steve K,
USA/Brooklyn

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Southern California School Publicly against Israel

Dear Mr. Fleisher, My name is Jeremy and I am a Jew currently going to college in Southern California at University of California San Diego. I have been fighting for the last few weeks resolutions which would in a sense condemn Israel for its actions in Gaza. It has come to my attention that the Ethnic Studies department at my university has posted on our University website an article fully denouncing Israel and its actions. It even goes as far as to refer to Israel as a state which practices "racial terror." Not only are the facts completely misconstrued, I find the article completely one sided and absolutely irresponsible for a department to post on a University website. Here is a link to the article to which I am refferring wanted to bring this to your attention because I am afraid that a massive trend of Israel bashing is taking full steam. I also feel guilty that I am in a way endorsing these ideas by paying the school to attend. I am conflicted on what sort of action I should take about this, and I welcome your advice.

Thank you, Jeremy,
United States

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Aliyah

Dear Yishai, I listen to your show and I find it highly informative and interesting. I have a question about Aliyah. I would love to make aliyah with my family (I'm 29, am married and I have 2 kids)after I graduate from school (I am completing my MBA in about a year and a half in accounting. I am also a certified teacher). I am a "American Charaidei" and over the past few years I have come to learn chassidus and I would now consider myself "chasidic".My major concern is about the army issue for my kids (B"H I have two boys ages 3 and 1). I don't know how I would sleep at night knowing that they would have to go to the army. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for the great show.

Moishe,
USA

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Moving to Israel

Shalom Yishai & Malkah: I listen to both of you on INN, and love your show. I love hearing the passion in your voices about Eretz Yisrael. I have a question that I did send before, but I am curious as to any possible changes. My statement & question is: My family and I love Israel. Our hearts long to be there. I have even thought about my kids (with pride) serving in the IDF as they get older and we teach them about Israel. We want to live in Israel, but...(sigh!!) we are not Jewish. Our family loves and tries to follow Torah. Do you think that Israel will ever let non-Jews live in Israel forever??!! Shalom V' Todah Rabah!!

Disoungh ,
USA

Get Out the Jewish Vote!

By Dr. Tziona Fleisher
 
If you want an Arab Knesset, do not vote on Febuary 10.

"Remember Florida!"  That is what I tell people when I hear that old argument that "my one voice will change nothing". At least once it did. In the 2000 elections Bush's victory over Gore was decided by a few hundred votes during the Florida recount.
 
In the Israeli elections every Jewish vote is worth pure gold.
 
Let's make some calculations:

We currently have 10 Arab members in the Knesset, making the ratio of Arabs to Jews in parliament 1 to 11. The actual demographic ratio of Arabs to Jews in Israel is about 2 to 10, more that twice as high, meaning Arabs are underrepresented in the Knesset. This is due to various reasons: some voted for Jewish parties, some were not yet voting age, some refrained from voting due to their lack of interest in Israeli democracy …  All that was in the past, but only very nearsighted and unimaginative people think that the past will be necessary repeated in the future.

Let's continue our calculations: If no Jews came to vote, then Arabs would take all 120 seats in the Knesset. That would never happen, my opponent will say. I agree, it will probably not happen. But as opposed to 2003, when 68% of Israelis voted in the elections, only 63% of the Israelis came to vote in 2006. 
 
Apparently in the past, Arabs and Jews were equally apathetic and the same percentage of them decided to ditch their social responsibility and go hiking instead of voting.  On this February 10, the picture might be different. If in this election only 60% of the Jews come to vote ("There is nobody to vote for!") and 100% of Arabs come to vote ("There are good Jihadi parties to vote for!"), the ratio of voting Arabs to voting Jews will be 2 to 6. Arab parties could take 1/3 of the Knesset seats. Maybe they will not become the ruling party, but this is not their goal. The mechanism of taking legal power is such that if Arabs are the second biggest party in the Knesset they will become partners in the coalition. Imagine that!
 
Why do we tend to think that Arabs are stupid and can not make the simple calculation that we just made? They are not stupid, and they have already figured out the power of voting in numbers. In the Haifa Municipal elections a few months ago, the Jews showed total indifference while Arabs were highly organized, with whole families, houses, and neighborhoods going out to vote.  They actually decided the Haifa mayoral election, choosing a member of an anti-religious, pro-Arab Shinui-Green party ticket.

Stopping them is easy. We just have to come and vote for a Jewish candidate, even if we do not love him with all our heart.  Vote!  Vote for somebody! Not voting is the worst possible choice. It is like opening the doors of your house and inviting the enemy in.  Not voting is like Gush Katif again, but this time it is not the Government that does it.  We do.

In the Middle East, demography and democracy are weapons of the same old war. Arabs are not stupid – we are, if we let them win.

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Dr. Tziona Fleisher is a former Zionist refusnick from the USSR and a Doctor of Chemistry

The Diaspora Leadership Argument

Shalom Yishai,

 

I was listening to your show during which, among other things, you interviewed the American yeshiva student, Aryeh Wasserman.  In asking him about how he was affected by his program, you asked him if he was planning on making aliyah & being a jewish leader in E'Y.  While he said that making aliyah was "the idea" for himself, he raised the issue of Diaspora communities also needing Jewish leaders as a "justification" for otherwise committed Torah-Jews remaining in chutz la'Aretz.  This is not a new argument, nor is it at all new to your show or to other shows on INR.  One quaint counter-argument that has been levied against this point is the example of Avraham Avinu being commanded to make aliyah notwithstanding the impressive "missionary" work (lehavdil) he was doing in Ur Qasdim.  This counter -argument is nice but I feel much more is needed. 

 

Thus, I felt the need to add my proverbial 2 cents.  As is see it, there are two fundamental errors inherent in the Diaspora leadership argument. 

 

The first has to do with an assumption.  It's an assumption which, as far as everything I've read and /or heard so far, seems to have been entirely overlooked and accepted as absolute truth.  I'm referring to the assumption that maintaining a Jewish leadership in the Diaspora necessarily implies that rabbis must permanently dwell here, in chutz la'aretz and, consequently, that these same rabbis could not possibly make E'Y their permanent dwelling place via aliyah. This assumption is manifestly false. 

 

Could not a council of rabbis be formed (with remuneration, of course!) which would, on a rotating basis, deploy rabbis from E'Y to serve as teachers and leaders in the communities of the Diaspora?  Each one could serve a "tour of duty" of several months(from 2 - 4 I figure) in order to fulfill the needs of those remnants of b'nei Yisrael who would remain in chutz la'Aretz after the initial wave of exodus which would surely follow the announcement and subsequent aliyah of the rabbinate.  Does not "from Zion emanate Torah"?  Would not the teachings and leadership of this kind of rabbinate carry a different weight?   Surely the answers are a resounding "yes".  Surely this assumption of the Diaspora leadership argument demonstrates nothing other than the desperate weakness of spirit, of conviction and of vision of each rabbi who professes it or defends it.  Those who are honest and capable of true self-evaluation know the truth of these words.

 

The second fundamental flaw inherent in the Diaspora leadership argument can be revealed on the flipside of the same coin.  Volumes have been said about the imperative, especially in 5769, for b'nei Yisrael, acting both individually and as Am Yisrael, to lovingly embrace if not leap at the opportunity afforded by the miraculous re-opening of the gates to Zion.  Indeed, not only has Hashem obviously rescinded his decree of geographic exile, but He has, in His abundant Kindness, created a context in which it has been, as you and many others have pointed out, easier and more pleasant than EVER in history for b'nei Yisrael to return to and dwell in Eretz Yisrael as Am Yisrael.  The only thing it is not (YET), is more meaningful and more True than ever - but it will surely be so once we all come Home - for surely at that point the Ultimate Geulah will come. 

 

You may be saying "Ok Yechiel, nice need-for-return-to-E'Y speech, but how does it relate to the 2nd flaw?".  Well, in his comments Aryeh mentioned that part of this hypothetical rabbi's job in the Diaspora would be to essentially prepare and teach other "simple Jews" to make aliyah.  However, it occurred to me that that simple Jew would not be unlikely to take that rabbi's words with a grain of kosher salt!  Put another way, how can any Jew, who's serious about his Torah, who's serious about fulfilling Hashem's Will and who's serious about living a life of greater Kedushah rely upon the teachings, the rulings and the general leadership of any rabbi who, through his refusal to make aliyah, continues to refuse to acknowledge AND avail himself of this precious Blessing received from Hashem in 5769? 

 

Now I'm not suggesting that because of this a rabbi all of a sudden forgets his Halachot, can't read Rashi anymore or becomes unable to understand the Gemarot.  I am suggesting that when it comes to problems of substance and character - the things we REALLY need our rabbis for - a rabbi who refuses to make aliyah in 5769 undermines his own fundamental legitimacy.  Thus he undermines the very reason for which he purported to not make aliyah in the first place!

 

Clearly, the Diaspora leadership argument carries no weight.

 

I acknowledge the brutality of the words I have chosen.  However, as regrettable as they may be, their use is so crucial at this most critical time in our national history. 

 

Think about it.

Yechiel