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Kislev 3, 5766, 12/4/2005
Making Concessions to Hamas?
Israel this week made an astonishing concession to Hamas, with barely a peep of protest to be heard anywhere.
Despite Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s previous threats, Israel has now agreed not to interfere in Palestinian elections even if Hamas is allowed to take part.
 As Yediot Aharonot reported the other day, “Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz tells U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Israel would not interfere with Palestinian elections even if Hamas participates, backing off earlier threats.”
The absurdity of this stance was made lethally clear when Hamas took credit for the murder of a 20-year old Israeli soldier on Wednesday, the very same day that Mofaz was giving the terrorist group a free pass to participate in the upcoming Palestinian balloting.
And so, we are back to the old pattern of Palestinians killing Jews, and Israel responding with capitulation, cowardice and weakness.
The government’s handling of this issue is an utter and complete disgrace, if only because it suggests that armed terrorist groups such as Hamas can be considered legitimate participants in democratic processes.
At this rate, don’t be surprised in a few months’ time if Israel tries to start opening talks with the terror group. With a government as depraved as this one, it seems that just about anything is possible.
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Cheshvan 7, 5766, 11/9/2005
A Spark of Hope in Trying Times
In these trying times for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, it is especially important to remember that not all is dark and gloomy.
Just last week, a very special ceremony took place in Jerusalem, one that underlines both the power of Jewish memory as well as G-d’s unfolding plan to restore His people to their Land.
For the first time, descendants of the Jewish community of Kaifeng, China, got married under a wedding canopy in Jerusalem.
 With the help of Shavei Israel, the organization that I head, Shlomo and Dina Jin recently completed their conversion back to Judaism by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, and they have now been joined together as husband and wife in accordance with Jewish law. Their daughter Shalva, who also returned to Judaism, recently completed a year of volunteer national service (Sherut Leumi) at the Shaarei Zedek Medical Center, and will soon begin her studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The Jin family hails from Kaifeng, on the banks of the Yellow River, where Jews first settled over 1,000 years ago. At its peak, under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the community may have numbered as many as 5,000 people. But by the middle of the 1800's, assimilation and intermarriage had taken a heavy toll, weakening the community spiritually and numerically. The last rabbi of Kaifeng died sometime in the first half of the 19th century; a few decades later, the synagogue and the community it had served were no more. Until today, however, there are still some 500 people in Kaifeng who continue to cling to a Jewish identity.
The return of the Jins marks the closing of an historical circle. Nearly 200 years after the Kaifeng Jewish community essentially ceased to exist, the first of its offspring have now come home to Jerusalem.
This symbolizes the indestructible spirit of the Jewish people – as well as the fact that even in the face of governmental retreat and withdrawal, the march of the people of Israel toward redemption continues to move forward.
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Cheshvan 3, 5766, 11/5/2005
An Independence Day Message
 As Israel celebrates the 57th year of its independence, it would be easy to look around and start to wonder what all the excitement is about.
Talk of withdrawal from parts of the Land of Israel, the ongoing assault on Jewish and national symbols, and the weakness of our politicians is enough to drive even the most committed optimist to moments of despair.
But a Jew is not permitted to succumb to despair, so here is a brief, but inspiring story well worth repeating:
The Ponevezher Rav was approached by someone a little more than 30 years ago who wanted to know what the esteemed rabbi thought about the situation in the State of Israel. "Rabbi, please tell me - is the cup half full or is it half empty?"
To which the Rav answered: "The important thing to remember is that there is a glass at all. Whether it is half-full or half-empty matters far less."
The point of the story is clear - we often get so caught up in the daily turn of events here in Israel, that we lose sight of the larger miracle - namely, that the Jewish people have a State.
It may not be perfect, and we all have a lot of work to do to make it so, but on this day especially, we should all look heavenward and declare: "Thank G-d for the State of Israel."
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Fundamentally Freund
by Michael Freund
An Alternative Approach to Israeli Political Commentary
Michael Freund is Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel, returning "lost Jews" to the Jewish people.
Previously, he served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning under former premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
A native of New York, he holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BA from Princeton University.
He has lived in Israel for the past decade.
Shavei Israel
For Our People's Return
www.shavei.org |
