Just to remind you that I post much more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  You're very welcome to visit those blogs.

How Should We Label Those Arabs?

Always eager to learn, I accept that my placement of "sic" before the term "Palestinian" may be incorrect.  Sabba Hillel commented on my blog that I should write "sic" afterwards.

For a long time, I refused to use the "P" word at all, unless it was in quoted text.  Then I vainly I admit began adding it, with "sic" before and both italicized, to attract google and other internet searches to my blogs.  But if he's correct, I guess I need a new way of mentioning that false people, the one invented by the British to prevent the Jewish People from receiving all of our Historic Homeland.  The Balfour Declaration declared that we, the Jewish People, should be given our Land, which the international community had labeled "Palestine."  But then the British brought in the Hashemites, declared them to be the rulers (king) over the territory east of the Jordan River and began inventing a history, culture etc.

 That act was typical of the way the British treated their "colonies."  They played G-d.

I have always placed the "sic" before, because we must say "bli neder" before the thing we don't pledge to do. I feel it necessary to indicate that the "Palestinians" sic are a false nation before the word is even read or pronounced.

After over a decade of EFL teaching, I have no doubt that people don't read all the words, so I need to warn them that I don't recognize a separate Arab nation here. But back to proper grammar combined with accurate history.  I guess I ought to write it this way:

Pseudistinians, AKA "Palestinians" sic,

Although I don't post here all that frequently, I do on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Here's what I think of the weak dollar, and read my ongoing saga about bringing my 89 year old father to live with us.
No concessions, gestures, gifts of Land etc will placate the Arabs

What Will It Take For Israel To Read The Writing on The Wall?

All those years successive Israeli Governments ignored the missile attacks against it from Arabs in Gaza and Lebanon have increased the danger.  The latest military intelligence is that Arabs in Gaza, (and possibly Lebanon, too), have rocket launchers which can reach Tel Aviv.

Each time a Kassam is launched by the Arab terrorists at Israel, they are practicing.  This isn't some innocent baseball pitching.  They are out to destroy us and they're not too shy to say so.  We just have to listen.  We have to hear what they are saying and not what we want them to say.

The Israeli politicians, urged by its media and foreign busybodies, like Obama, Clinton (both,) Blair, Sarkozy etc refuse to accept the truth.  No concessions, gestures, gifts of Land etc will placate the Arabs. 

They want us dead and gone.  Our only defense is to refuse to obey foreign advice.  We must be strong and only do what's best for us.  The world will rally around or look for someone else to bully.

Shabbat Shalom!  There's always more to read on Shiloh Musings and me-ander, which are updated much more frequenlty.  Please visit.

The Israeli media is now full of 1984-style programs and statements in memory of their idol, Yitzchak Rabin.  In contrast, many of us remember a different Rabin and a different Israeli History.
Israeli society is still suffering from pre-State hatreds and the Yitzchak Rabin murder is being utilized as a tool against a large and growing segment of the Israeli public

Yitzchak Rabin was a David Ben Gurion loyalist, a Palmach officer, an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Chief of Staff, twice Israel's Prime Minister, who was murdered (assassinated) after a public appearance at a Left wing rally, fourteen years ago.  Since then Israel's Left, media, politicians, academics etc have used it as the springboard, justification for massive character assassination against anyone who dares to disagree with their opinions and ideology.

If this was literature, instead of history, it would be written as a classic case of poetic justice, "...a literary device in which virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice punished, and often in modern literature by an ironic twist of fate intimately related to the character's own conduct."

That brings us to the Altalena, a tragedy caused by vile hatred of Jew against Jew.  It dwarfs the despicable sezon, when Ben Gurion's followers gave names of fellow Jews to the British to have them arrested and worse.

In 1948, Menachem Begin's Irgun had managed to buy much-needed arms for the battle for Israel's Independence.  An agreement had been reached with the new provisional government concerning how they were to be used and distributed, with a priority for freeing Jerusalem's Old City.  But David Ben Gurion tricked him and ended up sending his soldiers, including Yitzchak Rabin, to attack the ship, sink the weapons and murder Jews.

"Begin had meanwhile boarded the Altalena, which was now heading for Tel Aviv. He hoped that it would be possible to enter into a dialogue with the Provisional Government and to unload the remaining weapons peacefully. But this was not the case. Ben-Gurion ordered Yigael Yadin (acting Chief of Staff) to concentrate large forces on the Tel Aviv beach and to take the ship by force. Heavy guns were transferred to the area and at four in the afternoon, Ben-Gurion ordered the shelling of the Altalena. One of the shells hit the ship, which began to burn. There was danger that the fire would spread to the holds which contained explosives, and the captain ordered all aboard to abandon ship. People jumped into the water, whilst their comrades on shore set out to meet them on rafts. Although the captain flew the white flag of surrender, automatic fire continued to be directed at the unarmed survivors. Begin, who was on deck, agreed to leave the ship only after the last of the wounded had been evacuated."

The late Shmuel Katz, told me that he had always believed that the main goal of the attack was to assassinate Menachem Begin, whom Ben Gurion considered his strongest rival.  Menachem Begin, always the noble gentleman, in his naive innocence could never accept such a theory, nor would he demand apologies and cheshbon nefesh, accounting of the soul, from those who attacked him and his followers.

In Psychology there's a principle called projection, "Projection also appears where we see our own traits in other people..."  That explains why Menachem Begin and Israel's pro-Jews in the Land of Israel Right wing do not constantly verbalize character assassination and incitement against the Left, but the Left always does it against the Right. 

The Israeli Left has a documented history of discrimination and violence, for example the Altalena and Amona, against the Right, though they have no problems constantly proclaiming us as violent and guilty of attacking fellow Jews.

Israeli society is still suffering from pre-State hatreds and the Yitzchak Rabin murder is being utilized as a tool against a large and growing segment of the Israeli public.  I don't know if we'll ever really know who was behind that assassination.  I just know that the Left has enthusiastically adopted it as their mantra, their weapon of choice against loyal and innocent Jewish citizens.

I post more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander, so please visit there to read lots more.

Antisemitism, Can It Be Stopped?

"Why do people hate Jews?"

In some ways it was the most difficult question I had ever been asked. Her family and other members of the group stood around embarrassed, happy that they weren't expected to respond.

The irrational emotion/ideology of antisemitism has been around a long time, probably since our forefathers, Abraham, Issak and Jacob wandered the HolyLand thousands of years ago. Until the true Moshiach ben David, Messiah son of David brings us Redemption, we Jews will suffer from hatred, discrimination and violence.

No doubt that modern Jews aren't the first to mistakenly believe that we can find a cure for it. It's so ingrained in many cultures, that people are unaware that their statements show strong anti-Jewish sentiment.  And too many Jews think it's up to us to irradicate it. 

They think there's a simple cure, like antibiotics against bacteria/infections.  The Israeli Government thinks rebranding will get us more allies, not being willing to recognize that latent and "out of the closet" antisemtism is the cause of our diplomatic isolation.

We must fight antisemitism by recognizing it, labeling antisemites in all instances and making it clear in actions and words that we're proud Jews.  We do what's best for us regardless of what others think or want.

This will give us respect, both self-respect and respect from others.  That's it, straight and simple.

Yes I'm back.  I've managed to post a bit on Shiloh Musings  and me-ander this morning.  And, yes, my father at the age of 89 made aliyah.

The Year of Double Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, and No Simchat Torah

This year I didn't celebrate Simchat Torah.  No, it wasn't a private protest against G-d and the Jewish religion.

For family reasons, I had to fly from Israel to New York, and there are differences between the calendars and customs.  In Israel, we celebrate the Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals, Succot, Passover and Shavuot with single day Holy Day restrictions, while in Galut, the Diaspora, they are double-days.  The result is that Passover lasts eight days in the Diaspora, rather than the Biblical seven in Israel, and Simchat Torah is a day later abroad, since Succot is a day longer. 

This year had another difference, because Succot began on a Shabbat.  The usual custom is to read Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, on the Shabbat during the week of Succot. Since there was no Shabbat Chol HaMoed (intermediate day,) it was read the first day of Succot in Israel but in the Diaspora the following Shabbat which was the day before Simchat Torah.  Because I'm an Israeli, I wasn't required to observe Simchat Torah on its Diaspora day, and I just walked very discreetly back to my parents' home after Shabbat.

I heard Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, twice, first in my own neighborhood synagogue here in Shiloh and then a week later in the Great Neck Synagogue, where I was a guest.  For those who don't know what Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, is about, it was written by King Solomon, King David's son, who built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.  It's a beautiful philosphic testimony in which he admits that he wasted much of his life on material persuits. The phrase, "nothing's new under the sun," is repeated many times.  Kohelet is also the origin of:

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 קֹהֶלֶת א לַכֹּל, זְמָן; וְעֵת לְכָל-חֵפֶץ, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם. {פ} 1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: {P} ב עֵת לָלֶדֶת, וְעֵת לָמוּת; עֵת לָטַעַת, וְעֵת לַעֲקוֹר נָטוּעַ. 2 {S} A time to be born, {S} and a time to die; {N} {S} a time to plant, {S} and a time to pluck up that which is planted; {N} ג עֵת לַהֲרוֹג וְעֵת לִרְפּוֹא, עֵת לִפְרוֹץ וְעֵת לִבְנוֹת. 3 {S} A time to kill, {S} and a time to heal; {N} {S} a time to break down, {S} and a time to build up; {N} ד עֵת לִבְכּוֹת וְעֵת לִשְׂחוֹק, עֵת סְפוֹד וְעֵת רְקוֹד. 4 {S} A time to weep, {S} and a time to laugh; {N} {S} a time to mourn, {S} and a time to dance; {N} ה עֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֲבָנִים, וְעֵת כְּנוֹס אֲבָנִים; עֵת לַחֲבוֹק, וְעֵת לִרְחֹק מֵחַבֵּק. 5 {S} A time to cast away stones, {S} and a time to gather stones together; {N} {S} a time to embrace, {S} and a time to refrain from embracing; {N} ו עֵת לְבַקֵּשׁ וְעֵת לְאַבֵּד, עֵת לִשְׁמוֹר וְעֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ. 6 {S} A time to seek, {S} and a time to lose; {N} {S} a time to keep, {S} and a time to cast away; {N} ז עֵת לִקְרוֹעַ וְעֵת לִתְפּוֹר, עֵת לַחֲשׁוֹת וְעֵת לְדַבֵּר. 7 {S} A time to rend, {S} and a time to sew; {N} {S} a time to keep silence, {S} and a time to speak; {N} ח עֵת לֶאֱהֹב וְעֵת לִשְׂנֹא, עֵת מִלְחָמָה וְעֵת שָׁלוֹם. {פ} 8 {S} A time to love, {S} and a time to hate; {N} {S} a time for war, {S} and a time for peace. {N}

For me this was an extra reminder of why I was in New York instead of being at home.  My elderly parents need my help.  My mother's in the hospital, and I had to bring my father back to Israel with me.  They both must leave the house they have lived in since 1962.  They have to give up most of the possesions they have amassed in almost half a century.  Havel Havelim, Vanities of Vanities, is how King Solomon describes it all.

ו עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא-ירחק (יֵרָתֵק) חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף, וְתָרוּץ גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב; וְתִשָּׁבֶר כַּד עַל-הַמַּבּוּעַ, וְנָרֹץ הַגַּלְגַּל אֶל-הַבּוֹר. 6 Before the silver cord is snapped asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit; ז וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל-הָאָרֶץ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה; וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב, אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ. 7 And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. ח הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר הַקּוֹהֶלֶת, הַכֹּל הָבֶל. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; all is vanity. ט וְיֹתֵר, שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם: עוֹד, לִמַּד-דַּעַת אֶת-הָעָם, וְאִזֵּן וְחִקֵּר, תִּקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה. 9 And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. י בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת, לִמְצֹא דִּבְרֵי-חֵפֶץ; וְכָתוּב יֹשֶׁר, דִּבְרֵי אֱמֶת. 10 Koheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. יא דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים כַּדָּרְבֹנוֹת, וּכְמַשְׂמְרוֹת נְטוּעִים בַּעֲלֵי אֲסֻפּוֹת; נִתְּנוּ, מֵרֹעֶה אֶחָד. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; they are given from one shepherd. יב וְיֹתֵר מֵהֵמָּה, בְּנִי הִזָּהֵר: עֲשׂוֹת סְפָרִים הַרְבֵּה אֵין קֵץ, וְלַהַג הַרְבֵּה יְגִעַת בָּשָׂר. 12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. יג סוֹף דָּבָר, הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע: אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא וְאֶת-מִצְו‍ֹתָיו שְׁמוֹר, כִּי-זֶה כָּל-הָאָדָם. 13 The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man. יד כִּי, אֶת-כָּל-מַעֲשֶׂה, הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט, עַל כָּל-נֶעְלָם: אִם-טוֹב, וְאִם-רָע. {ש} 14 For God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. {P}

In the end, what is life all about?

Shabbat Shalom uMevorah

May You Have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat