FYI-Israel, February, 2008, almost Independence Day #60

But why stigmatize me for my entire life with a military profile which labels me as a mental case?
This morning I spent about an hour watching a program broadcast a few nights ago on Israel television. (If you speak Hebrew it's worth watching it yourself.)

There were two stories presented:

Israeli kids, actually young men and women, who participated in protests against the expulsion from Gush Katif and other such catastrophes, are not being allowed to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. In many cases they are excused from service because they are issued an IDF profile of 21 – which translated into military jargon, is mental health problems.

One of the women interviewed, named Techelet, was an honors student who decided to serve in the IDF rather than work as a volunteer for a year or two, as most religious girls do. She said, 'if they don't want me, fine, let them tell me so. But why stigmatize me for my entire life with a military profile which labels me as a mental case?'

Her military file states that she lives in a community (Maon, in the southern Hebron hills) which is legal (for the time being), which is full of hate to Arabs and that she wants to join the army to take revenge on them.

(I remember once having heard about similar method, that is, hospitalizing political opponents in psychiatric hospitals. In Soviet Russia.)

The second story dealt with seven girls, all minors, 14 years old, who were arrested for literally having done nothing, booked, strip-searched as (is done to terrorists) with police males present in the room and held for three weeks. Why? Because they refused to identify themselves, saying that they don't recognize the validity of the Israeli court system.

Why? First of all, they stated that they believe in Torah law, not secular law. And as their mothers said during the interview, 'after Gush Katif, everything changed. They (the girls) were totally torn apart. We used to treat soldiers almost as royalty. But after the expulsion my daughter told me that if I give a soldier a ride in the car, she'll get out and walk.'

The girls' parents weren't allowed to see them, talk to them, or make contact in any way. Finally, after over three weeks in a full-scale jail, a judge ordered their release. Fourteen year olds.

(Presently another women, Tzvia from Elon Moreh, no longer a minor, she's 18 years old, has been in jail for three months because she too refuses to accept the legitimacy of the Israeli court system. There was a period of time when she was denied food. Her heinous crimes include 'trespassing' on Jewish land where Arabs were harvesting olives, 'scaring' five Arab men, and 'pushing' them. (This has been defined, in Israeli criminal law, as 'aggravated assault.') The punishment, (before trial) is three months in prison for refusing to recognize the courts and sign legal documents restricting her movement, and forcing her to pay thousands of shekels bail.)

Israel, February, 2008, approaching Independence Day number 60. FYI.

It really is time to wake up!

All are asked to please pray for the full and speedy recovery of Taliya bat Yehudit Shlomit and Avichai ben Rivka

Have you ever wondered why, when you have an infection, it hurts. For example, if you have a tooth that's rotted, or you've cut yourself badly, but in a place where you don't necessarily see the wound, what would happen if it didn't cause you pain?

The answer is quite straightforward. The infection spreads, or if
When was the last time Israel reacted to attacks on its people?
you're bleeding, you keep bleeding, and eventually you die. It's as simple as that. In other words, even though we go to great pains to avoid pain, such aches can save our lives.

Israel is hurting, but for some reason we don't feel the pain. Or perhaps we're ignoring it. How long have we been hurting for? I suppose I could go back hundreds and thousands of years. There's original sin, but back then there still weren't Jews. Perhaps though, as far as Jews are concerned, there's a second version of original sin: bowing down to the Golden Calf or the rejection by ten spies of Eretz Yisrael. Today, thousands of years later, we are still suffering from the identical afflictions.

Let's not go back so far. Let's start with the 'first intifada,' in the late 1980s and going into the early 1990s. There were numerous terror attacks which left many too many Jews dead and wounded. But that war is primarily remembered for 'rock-throwing,' which was not considered to be a very serious crime.

Aside from the fact that rocks can, do, and have killed people, the significance of that period was twofold. First, our enemy organized himself to rebel against the state of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants, with the set goal of eventually wiping Israel off the map.

True, rocks doesn’t seem that dangerous, but look at where they’ve led! That can be examined though point number two: That is, they attacked, they declared war, and we, collectively, the state of Israel, the prime minister, the defense minister, the cabinet, the armed forces, ignored them. In their eyes it was not a war, rather it was an 'uprising,' which could be quelled. However I remember quite vividly Defense Minister Moshe Arens, who then had the power and authority to do whatever was necessary, saying that 'it would take time.' Look how much time has passed and where we are today.


When was the last time Israel reacted to attacks on its people?

The infection had taken hold and was starting to spread. But where was the pain?

Then came Rabin-Peres-Oslo-Hebron-Wye. The disease had made its mark. Rather than fighting the infection with a good strong antibiotic to kill the illness, Israel's so-called leaders decided upon radical surgery: Amputation. Cut off a limb or two to save the rest. But sometimes the disease spreads faster than originally thought and local amputation isn't enough.

Israel kept hurting, the infection kept spreading. The pain continued but we insisted that it really didn't hurt. We offered to amputate more – Camp David II, version Barak, included a lobotomy. To no avail.

Intifada II. Major warfare. Hundreds and thousands of civilians and IDF personnel murdered in cold blood. Yet again our 'leadership' refused to accept the reality of the situation and continued to deny the throbbing of open, festering infections, swiftly spreading through the body of our country, our land, our people. Again they attempted major amputation. Gush Katif and the northern Shomron. Some ten thousand people expelled from their homes and their land, our land, abandoned to the cancer eating away at our souls.

But that too wasn't enough to eradicate the infection, the disease. Despite the tears of so many thousands of people, the pain of expulsion and destruction, the rest of the country was insensitive to their misery.

Where are we today? Rockets, falling by the hundreds and thousands on Sderot, fired from the same land we abandoned, shouldn't surprise anyone. Neither should the total disregard of the Israeli government shock anyone. After all, why shouldn't the terrorists shoot at us? When was the last time Israel reacted to attacks on its people? Mortars fell on Gush Katif for years and years, yet no one saw them, heard them, or felt the trauma and physical injury they caused. Gunfire was directed at Hebron and other communities throughout Judea and Samaria for two years, the source of which, again, was land that Israel GAVE to the enemy. For two years the Israeli government totally overlooked the suffering of its own people. Ditto Kiryat Shmona and other northern cities, who lived with Katusha fire from Southern Lebanon for years, yet had to watch as Israel fled, only to leave them again at the mercy of terrorists who utilized the vacuum to prepare and then shoot hundreds of missiles into Israel.

One more brief current example fresh out of Hebron. The Supreme Court recently ruled that, despite the continued rocket attacks on Israel, we must provide the 'civilian population' in Gaza with 'humanitarian aid.' Yet here in Hebron, twenty families in Beit HaShalom, legally purchased property, were not allowed to install windows or electric lines or tar the roof, despite the freezing winter weather. The windows have arrived but electricity still runs through a generator and apartments are full of puddles from water draining through the roof and walls to the floor.

Where do we stand today? The foreign minister, (an extremely apt title, because she is foreign to everything Israel ever really stood for) declares that we must continue to chop up our country for the sake of peace, even though the other side is incapable of keeping their side of the deal. We have a Prime Minister, (reminiscent of Chamberlain, holding an umbrella over the head of Abu Mazen), who insists that "Jerusalem is not on the table," or will only be discussed 'last.' But his counterpart denies this and proclaims, 'everything is being discussed.' Simultaneously, political parties such as Shas, continue to contradict reality, remaining in a government on the verge of amputation, stage III – this time the head and heart go.
I highly suggest, as a way to start coming out of the stupor, that every single person reading this article find or purchase a DVD called 'Farewell Israel


Where are the people? Does anyone remember that only a few weeks ago a member of an official national committee of inquiry admitted that their conclusions were based, not on the virtues of a specific event, in this instance, the behavior of Olmert during the Second Lebanese War, rather on political factors: if he can bring 'peace' that must be a major consideration before any conclusions are reached.

Let's go back to our toothache. Such a small piece of bone, yet it can cause such excruciating pain. Sometimes, as first aid, the doctor or dentist will fill the area with some kind of temporary painkiller, to numb the pain.

It seems that this is what Israel has done to itself. I'm not sure if we have injected ourselves with some kind of Novocain which has totally dulled our senses, or have swallowed a large dose of sleeping medicine. But one way or the other, these 'medications' have seemingly killed all pain, thereby allowing the infection invading our body to run rampant, totally uncontrolled, bring us to an extremely dangerous threshold. Unfortunately there are times when the doctor, referring to a gangrenous limb, says, 'either the limb or the life.'

Many years ago, Rabbi Meir Kahane hy"d suggested transfer of Israel's Arab population from the State. He was called a racist, imprisoned and forbidden from running for Knesset. Another Jew, Rehavam Ze'evi, (Gandhi) hy"d, also suggested 'transfer' as a solution to the Arab-Israel conflict. He too was called a racist. The Arabs took both men seriously. Both were assassinated.

Presently Israelis, including ministers and MKs are offering payoffs to Jews, as incentive to transfer (expel) them from their homes in Judea and Samaria, in the name of peace. They are not called racists. They are called 'lovers of peace.'

The Jews in Judea and Samaria are, at present, the only people keeping Israel alive. They are the only ones who have not succumbed to the Novacaine-Sleeping Pill cocktail ingested by the rest of the country. But it is very difficult for a small number of people (percentage wise) to swim against the current of the rest of the population. We haven't been able to stop or prevent past catastrophes and I'm not sure that we'll be able to this time either. By ourselves. It is time for the rest of the Jewish world, in Israel and around the globe to stop the medicine, to arise, to feel the pain – no not the personal aches of individuals, but the pain of Am Yisrael over the ages, the pain of Eretz Yisrael, who seeing her children come home is now witnessing a process of self-destruction.

I highly suggest, as a way to start coming out of the stupor, that every single person reading this article find or purchase a DVD called 'Farewell Israel,' written and directed by Joel Gilbert. It can be ordered at http://www.farewellisrael.com . This is one of the most important, and also one of the scariest documentaries I've ever seen. I cannot recommend it enough. And after viewing it a few times, internalize it and pass it on to a friend. If this, together with present current events in Israel doesn’t stir you, I'm not sure if anything ever will.

It really is time to wake up.

The ZOA in Israel - A Landmark Event Today in Jerusalem

It didn't take long to realize that Mort Klein is, without doubt, one of the heroes of present-day Jewry.

All reading this: please pray urgently for the full and speedy recovery
of Taliya bat Yehudit Shlomit and Avichai ben Rivka

ZOA ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW
JERUSALEM/ISRAEL OFFICE

Many years ago I had the privilege to meet Mort Klein, President of the Zionist Organization of America. It didn't take long to realize that Mort is, without doubt, one of the heroes of present-day Jewry. Almost singlehandedly Mort Klein took the ZOA, a once prestigious Jewish organization which had, over the years, declined, to the forefront of true Jewish patriotism in the United States. Standing virtually alone amongst major Jewish organizations in the U.S., Mort refused to keep quiet in the face of continued Arab terror and oppresion against the state of Israel. Many other organizations, for one reason or another, refused 'to buck' policies of the Israeli government, irrespective of their consequences to the Jewish people and the Eretz Yisrael. Israeli state policy was, as far as many were concerned, the equvilent of 'gospel.'

Mort Klein, realizing the dangers inherent in Oslo, the Hebron and Wye Accords and the planned expulsion from Gush Katif, refused to sit quietly by the side. He stood tall and proud and made his brilliant voice be heard, representing true Zionism in the name of the Zionist Organization of America.  Frequently he found himself standing alone, with other Jewish leaders of major Jewish organizations almost abandoning their brethren in Israel, in order to tow the line of Prime Ministers Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu, Barak and Sharon, on the road to  forsaking their land, their people and their beliefs.

Despite its seeming isolation, the ZOA has played a major role influencing policy in Washinton, with a permanent presence in the House of Representatives and the Senate. When the ZOA visits Washington for its annual major lobby mission on the Hill, Washington takes notice. Major senators and congressmen welcome ZOA representatives from around the United States, while others address hundreds at the organization's conference.

Today the ZOA opened a new Israeli office in Jerusalem, headed up by another old friend, Jeff Daube. Jeff, who has dedicated his life to Jewish-Israel activities, recently made aliyah, a very welcome addition to the citizens of the State of Israel.

I have no doubt that Mort Klein, together with Jeff Daube and other devoted individuals, will carry on in the best tradition of the ZOA, supporting Eretz Yisrael, Am Yisrael and Torat Yisrael. I can only add that I am proud to be able to include myself as a friend of these wonderful people.

T
He stood tall and proud and made his brilliant voice be heard, representing true Zionism in the name of the Zionist Organization of America.
o Mort, Jeff and all the others involved in New York, Washington and Jerusalem, best wishes and lots of luck!

ZOA ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW
JERUSALEM/ISRAEL OFFICE
 

      The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is pleased to announce the opening of its new Jerusalem office in Israel.  On February 24, 2008 at 9AM there will be a press conference at the Begin Center in Jerusalem to formally open the ZOA/Israel office.  We are pleased to announce that Ambassador Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, and President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, will be addressing the media and friends at this event.  Joining Amb. Gold will be Mr. Morton Klein, President of the ZOA and Mr. Jeff Daube, the new Director of ZOA’s Israel  office.
 
Included among the objectives of the ZOA office are:
 
Develop relationships with members of Knesset, Cabinet Ministers, and media elites to educate them on ZOA’s view of the important issues facing Israel.
 
Promote legislation calling for the development and implementation of educational policy and curricula to strengthen Zionist/Jewish identity.
 
Meet with birthright Israel and other mission visitors to Israel.
 
Meet with US government officials visiting Israel; assist in ZOA meetings  with Israeli government officials.
 
Meet with and offer activist training to MASA participants and volunteers in Israel, including college and pre-college students spending a year or semester in Israel.
 
Monitor, report on and combat anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bias on Israeli campuses.
 
Develop programs, projects and materials with Israeli students; engage them in the political process off-campus.
 
Get American expatriates more involved in Israel-US crossover politics (e.g. Jerusalem Birthplace Act).   
 
Assist in the development of a robust, vocal, and active Anglo-Israeli nationalist presence.
 
Provide first person reports to ZOA leadership on political/ideological    climate and events in Israel through a publication called “The View From Here – ZOA Israel Report”.
 
Build coalitions with like-minded organizations and think tanks.
 
Maintain (pre-existing) database as a resource for US and Israeli interested parties.           
 
Track the activities of ISM, hostile NGOs and other like-minded anti-Israel agitators.  Develop proactive measures to mitigate their impact.
 
Engage in humanitarian-political projects drawing attention to most pressing needs especially those neglected by government institutions.
 
Address the misinformation and misconceptions among government representatives, on both sides of the Atlantic, one towards the other.
 
Publish letters and essays in the Hebrew and English local outlets.
 
 
Mr. Jeffrey Daube’s extensive experience on Capitol Hill advocating for pro-Israel legislation over 14 years gives him a unique ability to communicate an accurate sense of Congress to the Israeli people. His noteworthy contributions to the passing of the Jerusalem Birthplace Act (October 2002) and the US-Israel Energy Cooperation Act (December 2007) further demonstrate the efficacy of citizen involvement in the political process, a political advocacy culture which the ZOA would like to see promoted more in Israel.
 
In particular, with well over 200,000 North Americans living in Israel currently, the ZOA plans to help empower this often politically underrepresented group of steadfast Zionists. Daube comments: “In my brief tenure here thus far, I have been gratified by the response of this community to the opening of the ZOA office. Expatriate North Americans desperately want to do their part to support and strengthen Zionism, and are just looking for the appropriate means. ZOA in Israel hopes to offer one such mechanism, working with like-minded organizations wherever possible, to help this group attain a robust and respected nationalist voice.”
 
The ZOA presence in Israel will also provide opportunities for post-high school, collegiate, and graduate students studying in Israel to increase their appreciation for and pride in the State of Israel, especially in anticipation of their returning to campuses that are often fraught with anti-Israel rhetoric. The already active ZOA presence on these campuses will bolster the impact of awareness-building activities begun in Israel.
 
Daube comes to this position with a wealth of experience in the pro-Israel advocacy world. Besides being very actively engaged with many Zionist organizations, including ZOA, NORPAC (board member), AIPAC, Tehilla (steering committee member), One Israel Fund, Palestinian Media Watch, and Peace for Generations, Daube has also authored various educational materials, including Israel Between The Lines, a weekly newsletter; Dubious Allies: The Arab Media’s War of Words Against America,an exhaustive compilation exposing anti-US sentiment; and many other in-depth reports on Palestinian incitement, Palestinian terrorism, Palestinian abuse of civil and human rights, anti-Semitism in the Egyptian press, Saudi Arabian sponsorship of terrorism, the Hebron Accords, the future of Jerusalem, energy independence, and the Iranian/Russian nuclear threat. In addition, Daube prepared much of the background material for NORPAC’s annual missions to Washington. He has also had numerous letters to the editor published in major Anglo-Jewish and community newspapers.
 
Serving as co-chair for his synagogue’s Israel Emergency Fund, Daube managed the collection and distribution of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, mainly on behalf of victims of terror and their families, IDF soldiers, and paramedical groups, since the Palestinian Arab terror war began in late 2000. He also initiated and coordinated numerous pro-Israel community events in his former home of Riverdale, NY, and plans to use those organizational skills to arrange ZOA activities in Israel, including programs for visiting leaders and missions.
 
Daube, who received a B.A. and two M.A. degrees from Columbia University, including one in Instructional Technology and Computing from its Teachers College, had been an educator for 31 years prior to his aliyah at the end of December. As such, he had made the pervasive destructive messages to children found in Palestinian textbooks and media one of his signature issues; also a major focus of his lectures and seminars delivered to community and university groups throughout the US. In his new capacity at ZOA, Daube will continue to highlight this phenomenon as a paramount threat to lasting peace in the Middle East.
 
Daube, who has devoted his entire life to the Zionist cause, sees his Israel appointment “as a tremendous opportunity and responsibility” stating, “I am sure that, with the guidance of the National ZOA Office in New York,  and the help of numerous committed Zionists both here and in America, the ZOA in Israel can make a difference.”
 
ZOA President Morton A. Klein said, “We are pleased to open our new ZOA office in Jerusalem.  We look forward to giving a stronger voice to a majority of Israelis who are opposed to supporting consideration of any Israeli concessions before there is full Palestinian Arab compliance to their Oslo/Hebron/Wye/RoadMap obligations to end terror, arrest terrorists, confiscate illegal weapons, and end incitement.  We will also be fighting to take Jerusalem and the so-called Palestinian refugee issue off the table.  ZOA also opposes any discussion of a Palestinian Arab state before there is a total transformation of the Palestinian Arab culture to one that promotes peace and conciliation.  We are also pleased to have such a talented and committed individual as Jeff Daube to be our director in Israel.  Many Israelis have repeatedly asked us over the years to open a ZOA Office in Israel.  I am glad we have now fulfilled that dream.”

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ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA: Media Advisory

VETERAN US JEWISH GROUP OPENS JERUSALEM OFFICE - TOP PRIORITY: JOINT INITIATIVE OF AMERICAN JEWS & AMERICAN OLIM

Ambassador Dore Gold headlines news conference this Sunday together with Mort Klein, President, Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and Jeff Daube, ZOA Israel Director

PRESS CONFERENCE: Sunday, February 24, 2008.  9:00a.m. sharp, Menachem Begin Heritage Center, 6 S.A. Nahon Street, Jerusalem

Contact: Jeff Daube
On 052-538-0840 or via email: jdaube@zoa.org

Jerusalem Feb.20th 2008 — The opening of a Jerusalem office by America's oldest pro-Israel advocacy group, the Zionist Organization of America, is the beginning of a new initiative to involve American olim and pro-Israel Jews in the US in joint actions on behalf of the Jewish state.

"There are many areas of Israel-US crossover politics where a strong body of involved American-Israelis and American Jews can bring about positive change," notes ZOA President Mort Klein. 

Several new initiatives will be announced at Sunday's news conference.  Ambassador Dore Gold will introduce Jeff Daube, the new ZOA Jerusalem office director. Prior to his aliya, Daube was a long-time Israel activist with organizations including NORPAC, AIPAC, Tehilla, One Israel Fund, Palestinian Media Watch, Peace for Generations. Daube is also the author of the Israel Between The Lines newsletter; Dubious Allies: The Arab Media's War of Words Against America; and reports on Palestinian incitement; Palestinian terrorism; Palestinian abuse of civil and human rights; anti-Semitism in the Egyptian press; Saudi Arabian sponsorship of terrorism; the Hebron Accords; the future of Jerusalem; energy independence and the Iranian/Russian nuclear threat.

With 30,000 U.S members and chapters in 13 major American cities, the ZOA is one of America's most active and vocal pro-Israel groups.  ZOA works to strengthen US-Israeli relations through educational activities, public affairs programs, working on Capitol Hill and combating anti-Israel bias in the media, textbooks, and on campuses.

The Zionist Organization of America was founded in 1897 and is a long-standing member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Past presidents include Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and Rabbi Dr. Abba Hillel Silver.

 NEWS RELEASE
Zionist Organization of America
Jacob & Libby Goodman ZOA House, 4 East 34th Street, New York, N.Y. 10016
(212) 481-1500     Fax: (212) 481-1515    email @ zoa.org      www . zoa . org
 
February 11, 2008
Contact:  Morton A. Klein – 917-974-8795; Jeff Daube – 011-972-538-0840
Attn:  NEWS EDITOR
 

The Jerusalem Conference: Different points of view

What a way to kill a day. On the way into Kiryat Arba this morning I stopped to buy gas. As I was hanging the gas pump back in place after having filled the tank, I suddenly realized that I'd filled the car with 28 liters of solar - that is kerosene, rather than gas. Big UGH. So, it took a while to get someone to open the tank and drain it, so I could keep going. But rather than spend the day at the Jerusalem Conference in Jerusalem, for the 2nd day of the proceedings, I spent most of my time at the gas station. By the time I'd finished I figured that if I sat down to listen to lectures I'd probably fall asleep. So I didn't make it. (Instead I sat and wrote a new article posted on the Hebron website: [http://www.hebron.com/english/article.php?id=381]

The idea behind this conference is tremendous. The left holds a very prestigious conference annually called the Hertzelia Conference. Amongst other things, this event serves as a front for political leaders to spout their nonsense. As I recall this is were Sharon announced his plans to destroy Gush Katif.

My friends at Arutz 7, about 5 years ago, had a great idea: let's sponsor our own conference, bring who we want, and espouse a different view from those heard in Hertzelia.

Each year the event seems to get bigger and better, with many important people participating, dealing with various significant topics important to Israel and the Jewish people. I was sorry I missed it this year. (The first day of the two day event we were snowed in here in Hebron.)
How can we reach our goals if we are not even setting them? How can we find the best solution to a problem if we are not considering all options?
 (See: The Jerusalem Conference in Video and Audio (Day 1)http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125328)

However, while looking through the schedule, some question marks popped up in my head. Did they really have to invite Tzippy Livny to speak about the importance of 'peace' with the terrorists?

Earlier today I received an article from a man I've never met, but whose email I receive regularly. He asked some of the same questions. Actually he didn't ask; he made his views very clear. I decided to post the article here and throw it out to you to comment on.  So with that...

Jerusalem Conference – What a Waste!
by Steven Shamrak
StevenShamrak@gmail.com

I visited and reviewed an official website of the Jerusalem Conference which took place this week. The only thought that came to mind was "What a waste!" The waste of time, human and financial resources and the waste of opportunity to set the agenda for reaching a Jewish National Goal and uniting Jews and our true friends around the world behind it.

The site stated: "The Jerusalem Conference openly deliberates core issues that will determine Israel's future as a viable modern democratic Jewish State. The Jerusalem Conference provides a broad public forum for diverse viewpoints to freely discuss issues of national importance. Topics range from national affairs and security to social welfare and economics, from Jewish education to Aliyah, Israel as a Jewish State to its functional relationship with its neighbours and nations of the world."

Very fine words, but only words!  While I was reading an itinerary of the conference, I recalled the conversation between Alice and scarecrow in "Alice in Wonderland". She asked him which road to take, but did not know where she was going. His answer was: "Take any, it will get you there!" For many years, the leadership of the Jewish people has lost the vision of the modern Zionist pioneers and, unfortunately, has been pushing Israel toward self-destruction!

The Jerusalem Conference discussed wide range of topics:

Strategic Threat from Iran, Syria, Lebanon & Gaza; Importance of Aliya, Jewish migration to Israel; Israel's and the World's Economy; even the possibility of the World War III was discussed. Arab terrorism, the Palestinian Media and Education, The Winograd Commission, the new wave of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel Media bias also were mentioned.

I was surprised that one subject, which has been completely neglected and even sabotaged by governments of Israel for decades, was correctly defined: "Hasbara: Just Confused or Deliberately Non-Existent?"

Nobody booed Tzipi Livni or left in protest when the foreign minister of Israel told participants that she talks with Palestinians with "tears of paratroopers at the Western Wall" in her mind. "Time is not on Israel's side, and we will eventually have to concede parts of the country" she said. I wonder, were they crocodile tears? It is her government which, by exhibiting a total lack of self-respect and an absence of any determination to pursue the Jewish National Goal, has made "Time is not on Israel's side" a current ugly reality. She has no interest in and is completely ignorant of the fact that any reality can be changed by the setting of objectives and an enduring determination to achieve them!

Livni continued with her scare-mongering tactic saying that Israel would be faced with giving up its identity as a "Jewish, democratic and secure state" if it does not agree to a land-for-peace deal with the PA. She and all of those political hypocrites dishonour the memory of the Israeli paratroopers who liberated Jerusalem!

There were many distinguished people at the conference. Some of them tried to impress others with 'innovative' idiocy such as, US Senator Sam Brownback who advocated a confederation of Judea and Samaria, historical Jewish land, with Jordan. He does not care how detrimental it would be for the future of the Jewish people to lose all hope for reunification of Eretz-Israel. No one had pointed out to him that neither Jordan nor the PA is interested in this stupidity, but they are quite focused on the destruction of Israel. Alternative ideas like the Sinai Option or organising a transfer of all of the hostile population from all Jewish land to Arab and Muslim countries were not even raised.

How can we reach our goals if we are not even setting them? How can we find the best solution to a problem if we are not considering all options? So many important people attended the Jerusalem Conference – What a Waste!

An Amen Meal

A specially baked cake, prepared by Elisheva, with the
word Amen (in Hebrew) written on it.)

As I’m writing this, a very special event is taking place a few meters from where I’m sitting. Usually I sit in our living room, staring at this screen. However, tonight I was banished to my bedroom, while the living room was overrun by several dozen women from Hebron.
And then she cried out, ‘it’s been over 50 years since I could say Amen after Kiddush.’

A couple of nights ago my wife received a call asking if she could host Sunday night (tonight), a unique meal. It’s called a meal of Amens.

She agreed, and a few hours ago our apartment started filling up with all sorts of interesting and tasty-looking foods; fruits, vegetables, cakes and drink. By 9:15 the living room was full up with more women than there were chairs. One of the women, acting as the moderator, began talking. (I listened from a crack in the door, not too far from them).

She spoke first of two subjects: speech and food. There is always so much to say. The question is whether we use our power of speech to express the positive aspects of our lives, and holiness, or do we desecrate our G-d – given gift of gab. And so too with food. There is such an overwhelming amount of food available, as opposed to thirty or forty years ago. Do we really appreciate what we’ve been given, or do we take it for granted?

One of the ways to sanctify both of these facets of our lives is to bless G-d prior to eating. The brachot – blessings – occur in two parts. A person who wants to partake of his meal, recites a blessing before eating. Whoever hears that blessing answers ‘Amen.’ And it is written, ‘he who answers Amen is greater than he who recites the blessing.’ Why?

The word Amen, in Hebrew, the letters Aleph, Mem, Nun,  are the initials of G-d, the faithful King. They are also the root letters of the word Emunah, which means faith. A person who answers Amen to a blessing is reaffirming his faith, his belief in G-d.

There are five kinds of food to be blessed: Wheat (break or cake), Wine (Grape juice), fruit of the tree, fruit of the earth, and anything else (meat, milk products, other beverages.)

Each type of food represents a different kind of worldy blessing. Wheat represents a blessing for employment; wine, for a mate; fruit of the tree, children; fruit of the earth, health and long life, and the last blessing covers anything and everything – happiness, repentance, etc.

As I’m writing the women are sitting in the other room, listening to various stories of people who recited special blessings and those who recited Amen. When they conclude a particular subject one of the women recites the blessing over a morsel from one of the above categories.  All the other women answer Amen. They then go around the room reciting names of people who are in need of such a blessing, be it for children, health, a spouse, or anything else.

I listened to some of the stories told and would like to repeat one of them.

A religious Jew acted as an escort for a sick person who had to travel to the United States for medical treatment. On a Friday night, following the beginning of the Sabbath, they were told that it was necessary to be x-rayed. Even though it would normally be forbidden on the Shabbat to ride in an elevator, for such medical needs it was permitted. The two men, the ill man and his escort, rode the elevator down 17 flights to the x-ray department where they waited to be called. While speaking to each other in Hebrew, they suddenly heard a weak voice calling to them. A very old woman, also waiting in the room, was speaking to them, in Yiddish.
 
They began talking and she told them her story. She had been born in Europe, and when World War Two began, her parents asked Gentile neighbors to hide their daughter. She survived the war and later immigrated to the United States, her Judaism long forgotten. And here she was, decades later, speaking Yiddish. She suddenly asked, ‘it’s Friday night, the Sabbath. Can you recite Shabbat Kiddush for me?’

In order to recite the special Sabbath prayer, the escort realized he would have to climb up 17 flights to bring back the wine needed for the blessing. He also realized that he would have to trek far outside to reach the stairs, to get back to his room. But he decided to do so, despite the distance. In very cold weather and the long walk, he climbed the stairs and reached the door to the 17th floor, only to find it locked. He looked towards the heavens and asked the L-rd to help him. Suddenly the door opened. Another person, having lost his way, had opened that door by mistake.

He took the bottle of wine, walked back down the 17 flights, found the woman and recited the Sabbath Kiddush blessing for her. As he finished, she said with all her might, “AMEN.” And then she cried out, ‘it’s been over 50 years since I could say Amen after Kiddush.’ She repeated herself over and over again, until the two men were called in for their x-ray. When they returned, the woman was no longer there. When they asked where she was, they were told that a few minutes earlier she had passed away.

It is written that a person who repeats the word Amen, with all their might, opens the door to the Garden of Eden (Tractate Shabbat, 119B). It seems that this is what she had done, only moments before departing from this world.

A few meters from me the women are still reciting blessings and many Amens, with goal of saying at least 100 Amens, praying for people who are in need of health, happiness, or anything else. This really is a unique meal, a meal of Amens, a meal sanctifying their beings, the food they eat and the essence of their souls.  I can only wish upon all of you that you too should be privileged to participate in such a meal, or, at the very least, like myself, witness it from not too far away. It is quite a purifying experience.