He Ru Follow us: Make a7 your Homepage
      From the Hills of Efraim
      by Yisrael Medad
      This blog will be informative, highlight foibles, will be assertively contentious and funny and wryly satirical.
      Email Me
      Subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed

      Yisrael Medad is a revenant resident of Shiloh, in the Hills of Efrayim north of Jerusalem.  He arrived in Israel with his wife, Batya, in 1970 and lived in the renewing Jewish Quarter, eventually moving to Shiloh in 1981. 

      Currently the Menachem Begin Center's Information Resource Director, he has previously been director of Israel's Media Watch, a Knesset aide to three Members of Knesset and a lecturer in Zionist History.  He assists the Yesha Council in it's contacts with the Foreign Media in a volunteer capacity, is active on behalf of Jewish rights on the Temple Mount and is involved in various Jewish and Zionist activist causes.  He contributes a Hebrew-language media column to Besheva and publishes op-eds in the Jerusalem Post and other periodicals.

      He also blogs at MyRightWord in English and, in Hebrew, at The Right Word.


      Nissan 18, 5768, 4/23/2008

      Israel's Treachery


      If this is true:-

      According to U.S. law enforcement officials and various documents, Kadish got in touch with his Israeli contact after Israel agreed in 2004 to secretly acknowledge to American officials that Pollard was not an isolated case, thereby confirming longtime American suspicions that Pollard was not the only American spy working for Israel.

      Then the real treason here is that of Israel under Ariel Sharon.  Being treasonous to Jay Pollard.

      Israel said kaddish over Pollard, symbolically.

      UPDATE

      I just now spotted this in the Washington Post:-

      The handler and Kadish renewed their ties on March 20, according to the FBI affidavit, after federal agents interviewed Kadish for the first time. "Don't say anything," the handler allegedly said. "Let them say whatever they want. . . . What happened 25 years ago? You didn't remember anything."

      The next day, FBI agents again questioned Kadish, who allegedly denied the call had taken place.

      On second thought, not only treacherous but it seems that some Israelis, even those supposedly spies, are plain stupid.  Talking on an open line?  After the caller informs you he was questioned by the FBI the previous day?

      UPDATE 2

      And this seems to continue to lead me to my supposition that Mr. Kadish was considered more important to Israel than Jonathan Pollard. And I think that, perhaps, somehow, to keep a possible spotlight off this man, who even may have been personal friends with Rafi Eitan, Shimon Peres or Yitzhak Rabin, that Pollard was sacrificed - kicked out of the embassy, documents were handed back to the US and for a good few years, interest and concern for Jay was kept at the barest minimum.:

      Mr. Kadish, friends and neighbors said, was a staunch defender of Israel and Zionism; he was born in Connecticut but grew up in Palestine and fought for Israel’s independence.                            Source



      Nissan 17, 5768, 4/22/2008

      Chareidi Street Theater


      And here I thought that modern forms of protest were beyond the imagination of a public that is known for its demonstrations.  But I just read this:

      Yeshiva student undresses in store to protest chametz sale

      Police on Monday afternoon arrested a 27-year-old yeshiva student for undressing in a Bat Yam supermarket...to protest a recent controversial court ruling which permitted the sale of chametz in some businesses.

      A few weeks ago, a Jerusalem Magistrate's Court judge ruled that the matzot law, which prohibits the display of chametz (foods Jewish law prohibits on Passover) in public places during the holiday, does not apply to supermarkets, pizzerias and restaurants, as they are not considered "public."

      The man was detained for interrogation on suspicion of performing an indecent act in public.

      Eyewitnesses stated the 27-year-old had the inscription "this is not public" scrawled on his abdomen. He claimed that since chamez was sold on the premises, it could therefore not be legally recognized as a public place, and as such, there were no grounds to press charges against him.

      Police were left unconvinced by this defense...

      Even my fellow blogger, Tzvi Fishman could not have come up with a better idea.  I will admit that once, some 15 years ago, I thought of organizing a protest on the beach of Tel Aviv under the slogan "learn long-distance swimming now", explaining in satire that when the Pals. get weapons, eventually our best option will be Cyprus and points west.  I had to cancel that idea as none of my friends would appear in bathing suits.

      But this act of street theater is refreshing.  We do have a future.

      UPDATE

      Here's his video (in Hebrew but you can see the writing on his stomach and he is definitely not crazy)



      Nissan 13, 5768, 4/18/2008

      If Only, Part II


      I blogged just the other day about a bit of wishful-thinking, that Jimmy Carter would be arrested for harming America's security in his meetings with Hamas.  I even quoted a respected security commentator who agreed.

      Well, someone else agrees.

      Here's her press release (which I found here - blogging can be a bit convoluted) wherein she says:

      Rep. Sue Myrick (NC-9) called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to revoke former President Jimmy Carter’s passport.  This is in response to the former President traveling to Syria to meet with Hamas, an organization officially designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
       
      “Former President Carter has acted in contradiction of international agreements to isolate Hamas.  He has acted in defiance of both United States policy and international policy.  His actions reward terrorists, lend support, and provide legitimacy to their belief that violence will eventually get them what they want,” said Rep. Myrick.

      But, we have another fallout, Minister Yishai from Shas:

      Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai asked former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to tell Hamas leaders, including Khaled Meshal, that he would like to meet in order to expedite a prisoner exchange that would bring home kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

      Yishai relayed his message to Carter during a meeting on Monday. The meeting was held at the request of the former president, who wanted to meet with Israeli political leaders from across the political spectrum. The meeting was arranged through the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

      So, as you can see, politics is treachery.   Shas hides itself from what is going on over the Jerusalem negotiations and now Carter.

       



      Nissan 11, 5768, 4/16/2008

      If Only


      I was informed that someone has been playing around with a photoshop program, and its way past Purim.

      But I felt that my Arutz 7 blog faithful deserved a smile if not an outright laugh.  The story is here but enjoy this picture of former President Jimmy Carter been arrested on suspicion of aiding terrorists:

                                                     

      Bob Maginnis thinks Carter is arrestable.

      Carter’s proposed meeting will also violate part of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 which prohibits any US citizen from knowingly providing “…material support or resources” to a foreign terrorist organization (18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b)). The phrase “material support or resources” includes “expert advice” which is what former presidents provide. A citizen found guilty of violating this law could be imprisoned for life.



      Nissan 4, 5768, 4/9/2008

      Rabbi Riskin on Christian Support for Israel


      This past Friday, Pastor John Hagee visited the Menachem Begin Heritage Center on the occasion of the publishing by Gefen of a Hebrew translation of his book, "Supporting Israel".  He was most impressed by what he saw and heard, very much so.

                                     

      Rabbi Riskin was present and spoke.

                                        

      At one of my wife's blogs (here), Ellen Horowitz published an attack on Rabbi Riskin prior to his appearance, suggesting that Rabbi Riskin, in this matter, is not promoting Torah Judaism.

      I asked Rabbi Riskin for a response and received this:-

      For the last five years I have been involved with some major evangelical groups on many different levels; never during those years was there any kind of missionary activity which they initiated, certainly not with me, but neither with any other Jews in Israel or the Diaspora. The Jewish people is facing an existential battle for our lives against Islamic Fundamentalism, which is fast taking over Europe and is slowly becoming more and more vocal and visible in the United States. This is the most critical threat facing us a people and facing the entire free world - and there are only less than thirteen million Jews against over a billion Moslems. And there are at least a billion and one half Christians

      Yes, for close to 2,000 years the church has spewed anti Semitic hate and its only interest in the Jews was either to kill us or convert us. Open your eyes ! This is not the situation today ! The evangelical community in USA are the staunchest supporters of Israel and especially of settlement Israel, they believe in us and our right to be where we are. And if they believe that at the time of the resurrection we will convert to Christianity, I respect their right to that belief; I believe that in the Messianic age all the Christians will convert to Judaism, and I say this vocally. The Nature of our relationship is not eschatological theological debate.

      Rav Soloveitchik spoke to and lectured Christian theological groups . His first address on the Lonely Man of Faith was presented in a Catholic University in Boston (I believe it was St. Johns) He was against theological debate on religious issues in which we are not respected equals in the eyes of the Christians. So am I. However, I do not believe he would be against our relationship today on behalf of world peace and against Islamic Jihad.

      Not only do I believe my activities are important; I believe that for the love of Israel and the future of the free world, there is perhaps no more important association that I can think of or involvement that I believe we should be engaged in. I urge you to hear my last CD.

      With every best wish and Torah Greetings

      I remain sincerely,

      Shlomo Riskin

      I am glad to act as a forum for the exchange of opinions.



      page: 1 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37