Temple Mount "Stars"

Last year's best seller, "The Yiddish Policmen's Union" by Michael Chabon, just recently translated into Hebrew, starred the Temple Mount and I commented on that here.  And the Coen Brothers, who just walked off with some Oscars have retained the rights to the film production of the film.

Well, we now have a second book:-

Doesn't that look neat?  I mention the book here briefly but let me add something.

I do not know if this is a "Christian" publication or the very honest effort of a writer to break into the big scene and it makes no difference to me. Everyone, whatever religious or political stripe, is free to do all his literary skills permit him.  It is obvious, though, that the Temple Mount possesses tremendous importance no matter how hard our Israeli politicians have attempted to shun the matter off to the side, to ignore it, to disregard it, to suppress it or whatever.  True, it also attracts the violent and the uncontrollable.  But everytime one lights a match, the potential for destruction exists - one must be trained and aware of limitations.

The Muslim forces, be they the Waqf, the Islamic Movement or others, have destroyed Jewish artifacts and threaten that any assertion of Jewish rights to the site or on it, whether archeological, cutlural or religious, not even to mention political sovereignty will be met with violence.  And for 40 years and more, the political establishment in Israel, backed by political, media and cultural elites, has done its best to maginalize the issue as if it is crazy.

Well, I don't know if the book will make the top of the charts but I am willing to guess that the Bros. Coen picture will.  And the Temple Mount will once again be right up in everyone's faces.  Will Israel's elites then be prepared to deal with the matter in a proper manner?

There is Another College

Seems that the administration of the Sapir College has finally acknowledged that Ehud Olmert's policies vis-a-vis Gaza, the Qassams and Israel's general security needs are affecting the enrollment at the institution (here).  The murder of a student on Wednesday, the continuing landing of rockets yesterday and today and the extension of the Arab terror missiles' range up to Ashkelon is a problem.

Of course, there is another institution.  The University Center at Ariel, the former College of Judea and Samaria.  So far, this area of the Land of Israel is proving to be not only safer and more secure - so much so that students drive daily in from the state of Israel - but its academic reputation is increasing annually. 

Moreover, students don't have to fear being derided and abused by lecturers who are post/anti-Zionist.  The Ariel Center is proud to be assertively Zionist.

Maybe wealthy donors and philanthropists from abroad will also see the logic in granting the considerable sums necessary to create a really great academic center in Samaria.

Students should perhaps transfer to Ariel.  It can be for the better for all: the students, the institution and the land of Israel.

Amazing what Qassams can do.

Hasboro is Playing By Arab Rules

I presume that you are all aware that Monopoly is seeking to replace street locations with cities and that Jerusalem, "Jerusalem, Israel" that is, is doing well in the ballotting.

No longer.

It's now "Jerusalem".  No country.

I think that's not right.  Maybe even false advertising as my friend Mike told me.  After all, the contest went on for over a week or more with voting for "Jerusalem, Israel" and now, it's just "Jerusalem".  Is that Jerusalem, New Zealand?  Georgia?  Wherever.

Anyway, I've expanded more on this subject here.

But this seems to be a not-funny game.

P.S.  Was just informed that the wild card cities still have their countries listed.