"If people think my views are extreme, then fine, I'm an extremist," said Batya Medad. "I have no problem with that." Batya lives in the Jewish settlement of Shilo, in the middle of the "West Bank" (though Batya does not use that term, instead calling it by the Biblical regions it covers, Judea and Samaria).

Every country around the world, except for Israel, considers settlements like Batya's illegal, built on occupied Palestinian land. When I put that to her, she responded angrily. "We (Jews) are the only ones with history here, we were here first and we should be here now. It's totally immoral to say we can't be," she says.

Batya instantly felt at home when she moved from New York to Shilo. "I don't care what the world thinks. They didn't care when the Nazis started against the Jews and when Jews were murdered. So why should I care?"

Batya and her husband, Yisrael, were both born and raised in New York, but moved in 1970. She says she never had a feeling of belonging when she was in the United States, but that when she moved here, she instantly felt at home. Israeli and Palestinian politicians, supported by the international community, are meant to be working towards an end to the Israeli occupation here and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. However, Batya says she thinks that the peace process will go nowhere, and that her future in Shilo is not under threat at all.

I just disagree with his description of my responding "angrily." I think that the picture gives a more benign image. But, all and all, I don't think that anger is misplaced as a response to statements like his.

• The big mistake in our hasbara, information campaign, "rebranding," is being too nice.
• Why should we be willing to compromise and give gifts to those who want us dead?
• Why should we be deprived of basic human rights?
• Why should we agree that our HolyLand be empty of Jews?

And Aleem Maqbool surprisingly missed a major bit of our story. We didn't move directly from New York to Shiloh. It's a funny thing for him to get wrong, considering that we told him that we had lived in London for two year in the middle 1970's. And he must have known that we and his photographer discovered that we had lived in the same Bayit, V'Gan, Jerusalem building in the early 1970's.

All in all, I consider it a successful interview. I got my message across, and he published it in his diary. He included neither me nor my husband in the accompanying video. Whoever did the editing decided that the public cared more for his donkeys, which, like the old Pony Express, had been changed a few times, than they cared about hearing from Jews living in Shiloh.

Someone sent me a cheerful little Youtube ditty, I'm Keeping Kosher for Christmas. It makes light of the children of intermarriage and the competition between Chanukah and Xmas.

It's funny but not. Even though it's cheery and humorous, it's sad, because there are lots of Jews who are caught between Judaism and the prevailing non-Jewish culture where they live.

I remember watching the Jewish TV show, "The Eternal Light," (I'm pretty sure it was that show,) soon after the Diary of Anne Frank was published. There was a skit, in which combined the Greek persecution of Jews with that of the Nazis. The characters discussed how much they would risk to keep the Jewish traditions and laws. One very proudly expounded on how he'd be willing to risk his life. The other one resonded:

"Now you do have the right to observe all of the Jewish Laws. Why don't you?"

That made a great impression on me and is one of those pivital moments that inspired me to be a Torah observant Jew and move to our Holy Land.

Chag Urim Same'ach

Have An Enlightened Chanukah Holiday

This is cross-posted on Shiloh Musings
We must totally and completely and unembarrassedly defeat our enemies

There's only one way to establish peace. You must defeat your enemy in war. And you then must behave like a victor. We had peace, for a few minutes after the 1967, Six Days War, and then Eshkol's government decided to give possession of הר הבית Har HaBayit, The Temple Mount, The holiest place in the world for the Jewish People, to the Moslems. After that, things have just gone down hill, as the saying goes.

For some perverse and peculiar reason, Israelis refuse to recognize the single-mindedness and violent fanaticism of our enemies. Government after government continue with the same failed policies, wishful thinking, hoping that our friendly gestures, Lima Syndrome, will make the Arab terrorists into peace-loving people. Even affluence and education don't change our enemies, as the British have been reminded recently, during the trial of the Arab doctor terrorist. Instead we keep getting attacked. Ashkelon, Sderot, the Negev were all attacked by Arab terrorists who launched kassams. But the politicians, media and judicial all make light of it.

What right does a "legal advisor" have to give the government military instructions? Another annoying thing I point out frequently is the ridiculous headlines in the media. Today Arutz Sheva went "poetic" instead of accurate. Terror from the Skies in Sderot: 3 Wounded in Shopping Center

Sorry Charley, but the terror wasn't from the skies. The terror was from terrorists, Arab terrorists. Please don't be creative with the truth. This isn't some game. Those Arab terrorists want us all dead and our country destroyed, so don't get all cute and flowery.

There is only one way to stop terrorists, and there's only once way to have true peace, not the rhinestone variety.

We must totally and completely and unembarrassedly defeat our enemies without apologizing, without trying to make them happy, without compensating them for their losses.

A few weeks ago, I discovered that I had just led a group of "Jews for Jesus" on a tour of Tel Shiloh. Even worse, was finding out that they are living in our Region, Mateh Binyamin, and have a "good working relationship" with Avi Ro'eh, the governor.
We came here for a Jewish Life in a Jewish Country in a Jewish Land

Now, Ellen Horowitz has written an expose` about one of Israel's most famous American-raised rabbis, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, of Efrat. I'm still reeling in shock.

Four years ago, I wrote an essay disagreeing with his defence of Disengagement by "pleading Democracy." I consider it a foreign "god," which stands hand in hand with "liberalism." Its "child" is "multi-culturalism."

Zionism is its antithesis. We came here for a Jewish Life in a Jewish Country in a Jewish Land. The different "flavors" of the various Jewish ethnic communities provide us with enough cultural diversity. We don't need to encourage other religions here. It is our only HolyLand. In Efrat Riskin now has an interfaith endeavor - Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation.

This is not an easy post for me to write, and I know that many people will be angered, but I'm not running in a popularity contest.  I consider the issue of Christian holds in Jewish areas dangerous. The Arab muslems have been driving them out of their cities and neighborhoods, and the ones we, Jews, are welcoming are the most dangerous for the status of Judaism in Israel.

Last night my husband and I attended the Dinner in Honor of Rav Adin Steinsaltz.  The program featured the Israeli writer Aharon Appelfeld.

Learn Hebrew!

I'm sure that the thing that really hit home to me wasn't in any way what Appelfeld considered the most important thing he said.  He mentioned how he taught himself Hebrew.  He copied the Bible word for word and learned from that.  As a new immigrant, a Holocaust survivor, whose formal education was interrupted in the First Grade, Appelfeld knew that he had a lot to learn, and Hebrew was top priority.

That's how Aharon Appelfeld was able to become a great Israeli, Hebrew writer.  He learned Hebrew; he taught himself Hebrew.  I didn't make any real effort to learn Hebrew after managing to "function" in Hebrew.  That's why my writing is restricted to English.  After over thirty-eight years in Israel, I very rarely touch a Hebrew newspaper, and I'm almost phobic about writing more than a few sentences in Hebrew.  "What if I make a mistake?  People will think I'm stupid!"

I know, many of you are going to tell me that it's not too late.  Will I start making more of an effort?  I don't know and am afraid to promise.  Unfortunately, it's possible to live in Israeli without a high level of written Hebrew.  But that's no excuse.  My advice to potential immigrants and new immigrants is to make every effort to reach a high level of Hebrew.  Don't live in the popular "anglo ghettos."  Join Israeli society.  It's the only way we can make a truly valuable contribution to our precious country, Israel.