Thu 09 September, 2010

September 9, 2010, 12:15 pm
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlWed 08 September, 2010

add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl

September 8, 2010, 6:17 pm
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
September 10, 2010, 10:27 am
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
September 8, 2010, 6:15 pm
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlTue 07 September, 2010

Needless to say, the case was far more complex than I had ever imagined possible. I cannot blog about the specifics, but it was perhaps the worst aliya nightmare story I had ever heard of.
Regardless, this evening the nightmare has come to an end, and the situation has worked itself out in a nearly miraculous way.
I would like say that Nefesh bNefesh came through, and sincerely did everything possible to help this family of olim.
Many elected officials offered their help. Government officials offered their help.
Countless friends helped -- from recommendations to support for the family.
And a public official I spoke to this evening whose intervention was invaluable, said to me, "...with all the bureaucracy, there are actual people who can help behind the scenes. Despite this crazy situation, the State of Israel encourages aliya, and does not want new olim to be put into impossible situations...which is why I did everything I could to help."
And he helped!
Today's outcome of this nightmare truly reaffirms my faith in the people of Israel.
Wishing all our readers and friends a wonderful new year -- one of good health and happiness, and may G-d bestow upon us all the brachot of the Cohen Gadol's prayer.
עלינו ועל כל עמך בית ישראל:
שנת אורה שנת ברכה שנת גילה שנת דיצה
שנת הוד שנת ועודה שנת זימרה שנת חיים
שנת טהרה שנת ישרה שנת כבודה שנת למודה
שנת מלוכה שנת נוה שנת שמחה שנת ענוה
שנת פריה ורביה שנת צהלה שנת קדושה
שנת רווחה שנת שבע שנת שלווה
שנה תמימה שנה שלא יקום צר ואויב עלינו
שנה שתוליכנו קוממיות לארצנו
שנה שתשיבנו לבית מאוויינו
שנת חיים טובים שנת עיבור תירוש ויצהר
שנה שימתיקו שיחים את תנובתם ושדות את תבואתם
שנה שתברך את לחמנו ואת מימנו
שנה שתמלא לנו את כל משאלות לבנו לטובה
שנה שלא תפיל אשה את פרי בטנה
שנה שתקרב את גאולתנו ותביא משיח במהרה בימנו ותשלח מבשר טוב לארצנו
שנה שלא יצטרכו עמך ישראל זה לזה ולא לעם אחר
Jameel & Co.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl

add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
Despite allegations of Gaza food shortages, Gazan food products are finding their way from the blockaded Gaza Strip to a movie set in Turkey, reports the New York Times.
For some, apparently, art comes before food.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlMon 06 September, 2010

Kort film av Khaled Abu Toameh om det mest politiskt inkorrekta – en palestinier som rapporterar om hur palestinier behandlas i arabvärlden, av sina egna bröder.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
[In the summer of 1979, between my junior and senior years at Princeton University, I had a plum job as an intern feature writer for Newsday, a major daily based in Garden City, New York. After the summer I wrote this piece for the September 12, 1979 issue of the Princetonian, for incoming freshmen. The anxiety in the piece about driving and gasoline reflected the gas crisis of that summer, which led to long lines at gas stations. My harebrained efforts to conserve gas and limit driving in my 1971 AMC Hornet got me into ridiculous situations. I’ve added bracketed explanatory notes to flesh out the last 31 years of life experience.]
Once school had ended last spring, but before my summer as a reporter on Long Island began, I immediately immersed myself in the cathode hot tub of American culture. On any evening in early June I hunkered down in front of Colonial Club’s TV, deliciously slack-jawed while advertisements played the summer hard sell, showering this winter shut-in with scenes of beach frolic, the open road and heavy, heavy socializing. [Colonial Club was the eating club to which I belonged at Princeton.]
The message fit nicely with the brochures sent to the Newsday interns. TV said WHAT to do, while the booklets and maps told me WHERE to do it. (With WHOM was the problem.) Equipped with my first car, the Newsday social calendar and, of course, lots of gasoline, I was bound and determined to enjoy myself, even if I nearly killed myself in the process.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
Had Arab countries given the Palestinians their rights, Palestinians living there would not pose a problem to peace prospects by seeking to “return to Palestine.” Even Arab countries that were civilized enough to allow Palestinians to obtain citizenship still discriminate against them and exclude them to the fullest, squeezing them into yearning for any change possible, even if it means looking back to Israel as their homeland.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
In July we noted that media outlets which obsessively cover Israel -- such as the New York Times and Washington Post -- failed to report on Hezbollah's buildup of weapons in Lebanese civilian areas in violation of U.N. Resolution 1701.
It seems that not even a massive explosion Sept. 2 of one of these facilities -- whose aftermath was caught on film -- was enough to wake those journalists from their slumber. While some, such as the Associated Press and Boston Globe, did cover the explosion in the town of Al- Shahabiya, the leading national newspapers -- the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times -- did not.
All the news that's fit to print? Make that "some of the news."
A video of the evacuation of arms from the building, released by the Israeli army, is below:
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
What was his crime?
In the aftermath of the Arab riots throughout Palestine in 1929, the British convened a commission of inquiry to investigate the cause of the unrest. The Shaw Commission's recommendations granted the Arabs absolute ownership of the Western Wall and adjacent property. Jews were forbidden to bring Torah scrolls to the Kotel, to pray loudly, or to blow the Shofar, so as not to offend the Arab population.
Despite this restriction, for the next seventeen years, the shofar was sounded at the Kotel every Yom Kippur. Shofars were smuggled in to the Kotel where brave teenagers defiantly blew them at the conclusion of the fast. Some managed to get away - others were captured and sent to jail for up to six months.
Six of these men are still alive.
Two weeks ago, these six men returned to the scene of their "crime". Armed with shofars, they recounted their individual stories and blew shofar again at the Kotel.
Their powerful and inspiring story is told in Echoes of a Shofar, the first installment in the "Eyewitness 1948" short film series produced by Toldot Yisrael and the History Channel. It is the centerpiece of an educational pilot program being developed with The iCenter and made possible through the generous support of the Jim Joseph Foundation.
Toldot Yisrael is a Jerusalem based nonprofit dedicated to recording and sharing the firsthand testimonies of the men and women who helped found the State of Israel. Over 300 video interviews have been conducted with those who were involved during the pre-State struggle and the momentous events of 1948. Our aim is to conduct hundreds more over the next several years – while it is still possible. The Eyewitness 1948 series will present stories that address the heroism of the era as well as the complex moral dilemmas confronted as the young nation battled for its existence. Toldot Yisrael’s footage will serve as primary source materials for the Israel Education curriculum, bringing to life the founding of the State of Israel for today’s young Jews.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlSun 05 September, 2010

I was talking on the phone to a cousin, when the Magen David Adom emergency dispatcher put out a priority message on my United Hatzala radio.
"First Responders: A terror attack has taken place on road 55, with people wounded by gunshot..."
1. Hang up the phone.
2. Make sure the kids stay in the house.
3. Notify dispatcher that I was responding.
4. Run out of the house to my car, turn on my flashing red strobe, drive in direction of the wounded.
5. Call my wife, tell her to stay off the road (she was driving home)
6. Responders all informing dispatcher they were on their way
7. I say I'll be there in 30 seconds...cars get out of my way.
8. Arrive at the scene -- no car, no wounded, I notify the dispatcher.
9. Responders line up car after car, as we put on emergency medical vests and bullet proof vests
10. Close the outgoing gate of our community to prevent additional cars from being on the road.
Conflicting reports reverberate for 15 minutes -- till the car is located at an IDF checkpoint. No wounded, but there is damage to the car.
The car was attacked on the main highway 55, alongside the Palestinian town of Nabi Alias, in front of the "Shayish HaShalom" store -- "the marble counter tops of peace".
Gullible Israelis think that shopping at Nabi Alias is a bonanza, and Haaretz has a field day reporting what a wonderful place it is.
They neglect to mention:
- Cars have been stolen from there with people still in them (kidnapping)
- The shin-bet routinely has active terrorist warnings for that village
- People have been held up at gunpoint while shopping for bargains
- Terror attacks have taken place there...including rock attacks on an almost daily basis.
After last week's deadly terror attacks, and tonight's attack, I feel like we're in a time warp, going back to the bad old days of the Oslo 2 "peace" accords, which didn't bring any peace, and only brought murdered and wounded Israelis.
Hoping the rest of the night will be quiet.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl

As we noted last week, any incident whiffing of Israeli incitement, including Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's vitriolic remarks make big news, but Palestinian incitement, including Abbas and Fayyad's honoring of a mastermind of the Munich massacre, continue to go unreported.
With a new week, we are confronted with fresh examples of officially-sanctioned Palestinian Authority incitement, and yet again, the continuing silence of the Western press corps.
In the first incident, the Palestinian Authority's Minister for Prisoner Affairs Issa Karake honored a mother whose four sons were involved in suicide bombings and other terror attacks. He praised her:
The Palestinian mother is a central partner in the struggle... It is she who gave birth to the fighters, and she deserves that we bow to her in salute and in honor.
Karake also visited the home of Ayyat Al-Akhras, who murdered two Israelis in a 2002 suicide bombing attack in a Jerusalem supermarket.
Second, the Palestinian ambassador to Tehran, Salah Zawawi, called for "eradication of the fabricated regime [ie, Israel] in due course."
While this information is published in the government controlled Palestinian and Iranian media, and translated into English thanks to Palestinian Media Watch, Western journalists simply can't be bothered to report Mideast incitement unless they can point a finger at Israeli Jews.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl

In an article in American Thinker, CAMERA's Eric Rozenman and Myron Kaplan describe the ongoing problem of anti-Semitic callers finding a home at C-SPAN's "Washington Journal"
As is often the case, a frequent anti-Israel caller is allowed to a) violate C-SPAN's ostensible "one-call-per-thirty-days" rule, b) go completely off-topic, c) make preposterous anti-Israel and anti-Jewish claims ("the neocons -- you know -- the Israeli lobby, AIPAC is pushing us into more wars in the Middle East") and d) cite fringe anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli websites. The host sits silently, and "Washington Journal" technicians don't cut off the caller.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
Normally, I wouldn't bother posting this except for two reasons:
1. A close relative is performing (!!?!)
2. I thought it was hilarious what music they started playing at 3:35 into the video. Obviously someone in the band has a great sense of humor :-)
Shavua tov.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlSat 04 September, 2010

add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
Den internationella rätten (avseende blockad) ser helt olika ut om det råder krig eller fred. Jag vet inte vad Ove Bring hade för underlag, men jag tycker att han hade fel. Hamas’ stadgar och mängder av uttalanden säger klart att Israel ska utplånas genom jihad, som här måste tolkas som genom våld. Israels parlament har också – före Gazakriget 2008-2009 – beslutat att krigstillstånd råder mellan Israel och Hamas.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlFri 03 September, 2010

Allmänheten på båda sidor stöder en tvåstatslösning. Det gör även en majoritet av araberna. Den enkla sanningen är att de flesta människorna i Mellanöstern är trötta på konflikten och om Netanyahu och Abbas kan nå en genomförbar överenskommelse, kommer allmänheten på båda sidor förmodligen stödja uppgörelsen med stor majoritet.
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furlThu 02 September, 2010

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
add to del.icio.us. look up in del.icio.us.
add to furl
