RE: Your 2/6/09 Show

You and Malkah were talking about Muslims infiltrating countries as sleeper cells. I recently returned to the small town I was raised in, in Oregon. A town of 1000 population, completely white, and other than my family, cousins, Aunts Uncles completely Christian. This is a community of Loggers, farmers and ranchers. This is a model rural American Town, white, nice, uncomplicated in acts of kindness to their neighbors ect. As a Jew I found something that shock me to the bone, that re-enforced my commitment to Aliyah.

My wife and I haven't been back other than for a week in 12 years. We so much looked forward to the return to see people we hadn't seen in years, friends and family. Also to revisit old memories and locations such as walking out of town on the railroad tracks to a train trussel where there is a swimming hole in the river named Elk Creek where I swam as a boy. You get the picture.

One day my wife was ill and therefore she went to the doctors clinic in town for some medicine. As she sat there reading a magazine passing the time waiting for her turn to see the doctor three women came into the waiting room and Shannah nearly dropped the magazine as her jaw hit her lap. Three Muslim women in full garb, veiled like they were in Saudi Arabia entered the waiting area. My wife thought maybe they lived somewhere else, surely they didn't live here, she questioned the receptionist and to her/our horror, these Muslim families quietly moved into the country near town a couple years ago and keep to themselves other than shopping or using a doctor. They are everywhere!!!

I think they choose communities like this one due to the trusting nature of the locals. People who live here think the best of people, they see the terrorist actions of the world happening anywhere but here, after all this has always been a 'safe' community, right? When I grew up my parents, like most locals never, ever, not even once locked their doors not even on vacation. Now! B''H my brother who lives there is now considering aliyah after seeing the new Muslim families. He doesn't accept "Islam is a 'peaceful' religion."

Daniel, Cleveland

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Yishai, Shalom,
 
I loved your response to Vienna Mike on your blog. You hit the nail on the head, Mike is all about negativity, which you describe as a characteristic of Amalek.
 
Elections:
I read interviews of MK's Aryeh Eldad and Benny Begin in the "Olam Katan" Parsha sheet.
 
Benny Begin said the Supreme Court is the "protector of democracy" and opposes Jewish prayer on har ha-Bayit.
 
Whereas Aryeh Eldad said that we should rebuild the temple and offer korbanot there !!!
 
That was enough for me to make up my mind, I'm voting Tet.
 
I admire Moshe Feiglin and I wish him success, but I have a feeling that in the year 2024, he will have more excuses why he didn't make it in the Knesset that year. Bibi will continue with his dirty tricks to prevent Manhigut from achieving any real gains.
 
Besides, Lieberman and Livni didn't have the Likud brand name behind them, and they are doing well in the polls. Why? Because the media is behind them. The media pretends to be against Lieberman but it is actually building him up.
 
Lastly, regarding Amalek & negativity, Rav Nebentzahl uses the word "Leitzanut" for the same purpose. He describes Pharoah, Amalek, and Korach as practitioners of "Leitzanut" which he defines as "Bitul" or nullification by ridiculing something in a way that bypasses logic.
 
He asks how can Pharoah chase after the Israelites after all the plagues he has suffered.  Because he nullifies the plagues in his mind. How could Amalek dare to attack Israel when 40 years later, people in the land of Canaan were still frightened because of the plagues and  the parting of the reed sea.
 
An even better example is Korach, who brought a woman before the people and told a fictitious story about how she lost all her belongings because of tithes to Moshe and Aharon. The story is obviously false, because they hadn't entered the land of Israel yet.  Also, if the woman had been too poor to pay tithes, she might have been exempt from tithes. But Korach was a demagogue, he wasn't interested in the facts or logic, he wanted to sway the people, and he used "leitzanut" for this purpose.
 
kol tuv,
Dan

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Dear Yishai and Malka,

As always I enjoy listening to your programmes, and enjoy the insights you give us on the stormy events through which the Jewish people are going. I listened to the beginning of your Thursday programme discussing whom to vote for – I didn't have time to listen to the whole 3 hours, so forgive me if what I am about to say is irrelevant.
 
You talked about the merits of voting for a prime-ministerial party, and about Moshe Feiglin's strategy. My take is different:

1. It is important to have a strong ideological party in parliament which must be taken into account by the 'prime-ministerial' parties.

2. Such a party, if it is big enough and even if it sits in the opposition wields a certain influence. This is because coalitions are often fickle and riddled by different factions vying for conflicting interests. Bad legislation can often be prevented by a large ideological party causing friction between coalition partners (e.g. between the Haredim and the prime-ministerial party), and also between factions within parties (e.g. putting pressure on the ideologues of the Likud).

3. A large ideological party will be appointed to parliamentary committees, and will also have easier access to the public's ear (even through our biased media) than the man in the street.

4. A large ideological party, which raises the flag of Torah and the Land of Israel, is in itself a public statement of confidence which will encourage more people to join Land of Israel activism.

5. None of the 'prime-ministerial' parties are truly ideological. The people in the Likud are mostly there for the ride, and Bibi's worst nightmare is that the press label him a 'right wing extremist' – remember where he, Limor Livnat and all the other big mouths were until 3 days before the expulsion; remember how Bibi and Co did not issue an effective ultimatum to Sharon, when a 60-40 Likud vote against the expulsion was brazenly ignored…and of late, did Bibi even open his mouth against Barak's political vendetta against the good Jews of Hevron's Peace House, or against the massacre of Amona?

6. That there are a handful of ideological people in the Likud does not mean that we should vote for a list where 80% are there for the ride. Isn't it better to vote for a party where 100% are there for the ideology?

7. If Tzippi Livny gets in by the skin of her teeth, so be it. She will make a fractious coalition ridden by egoistic interests which will not have the moral authority to do any serious damage to the Land of Israel or to the Torah (which are in fact one and the same thing) – as the saying goes, only the Likud can (expel Jews, close Arutz 7…).

8. As for Moshe Feiglin, these are the third elections in which he has been manoeuvred into irrelevance. He is a good man with sound ideology, but if he has not yet understood that he is barking up the wrong tree, his supporters should tell him that in plain language.
 
This time round we have a sound ideological party which can represent the Land of Israel and true Torah values, and manned by people who are true ideologues… come on, vote "Ihud Leumi", we need every single vote!
 
Blessings,
Yoni,  Petah Tikva