Teachers in The United States Of America

Shavit Hakimi sing zachiti lehov- 2009

2009-05-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

Shavit Hakimi best collection

2009-05-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

We Love the Saadias - Shavit Hakimi

2009-05-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Book of Judges - Jeftach

2009-05-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you from the happening in our class these days.
In the book of Shoftim (Judges) chapters 11+12 we hear about the judge Iftach (Jephtah). Iftach was a famous judge because of 2 things: one is the vow that he made, and the second is the massacre that he did in the people of Ephraim. Iftach's vow was if G-d will let him win the war – when he will be back home, the first thing that will accept his face and come to him – will be to G-d. When I taught this in class, the students started right away to ask the question the all commentators ask – How could he make such a vow? What will happen if it will be a non kosher animal? How can he sacrifice it? What if it will be a human being?
I was very happy to see the excitement around it, and most of it was because he was a judge, a man who needs to know the Jewish laws. The problem became bigger when Iftach came home after the victory and his daughter came to him first. He was in shock, but he told her about his vow and that he could not change it. At that point the students could not believe for what he said. How could he do that? I told them that we must understand that the answer is not simple. In the text its not mention that he actually sacrificed her. It's written that she went to the mountains for 2 months and then came back for committing the vow. We have 2 opinions in the commentators to understand what was really happened here, and I asked them to think what our options are? They thought and found that one options is that he actually killed her, because its written in the vow, and other option is that he didn’t kill her because its not mention that he killed her. I told them that their answer is wonderful, but how this group will solve the problem of the vow? It means, if he didn’t kill her – why he was very sad? Why she asked to go to the mountain for 2 months and cry? Why since then the women in Israel lament for her 4 days a year?
One of the girls raised her hand and told me "Mr. Hakimi, maybe when he said "it will be to G-d" he meant to serve G-d like Shimshon (Samson) that he was a Nazir (Nazirite- a Jewish monk)". I told her right away that this is the answer that goes with the second opinion, she was really happy about that.
Our second subject about Iftach that we spoke in class was the connection between Iftach to Gideon (another judge that I spoke about him last article). I encourage them to find it and I told them that we have at least 4 points of similarity between them. They found that both of them had problem with faith, because Gideon asked for another two proofs from God after he had already one, and Iftach had the spirit of G-d but still didn’t believe that he is going to win the war. Another student found that both of them had problems with the people of Ephraim. Another student said that Gideon knew how to handle it (he was politician) and Iftach didn’t know how to handle it. The next point was (and that was the hardest one) the fact that both of them used a strange unique test to identify something. Gideon did "The Licking Test" to find who is the best soldier, and Iftach did "The Language Test" to find out who is from the people of Ephraim (The people of Ephraim had a genetic problem, they could pronounce "SH", they said instead "S". So after Iftach and his people took control on the Jordan River (It was a kind of a siege) any person that try to walk through needed to say one word "Shibolet". If he said that he survived, but he said "Sibolet" they would kill him.)
I enjoyed a lot from these lessons; I saw how much curiosity they have, and how much creative they can be.

An article - Shavit Hakimi

2009-03-26T17:25:00.001-07:00

It was a wonderful trimester and we learned many things. One of the important things that we learned from the beginning of the year was the new prayer "The Amidah". The Amidah "The Standing Prayer", also called the Shmona Esre "The Eighteen [‏Blessings‏]", is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the Amidah at each prayer service of the day—morning, afternoon, and evening. The weekday Amidah consists of 19 blessings, though it originally had 18; hence the name "Shemoneh Esrei". Since the service of the Beis Hamikdosh can no longer be done, every jew fulfills these services by reciting a prayer called Amidah. The Amidah is the holiest part of our daily prayers. This prayer contains requests for all our needs both as individuals and as a nation.
It was very important to me that the students will learn about the Amidah from the beginning of the year. I asked the students about the meaning of prayer for them. I heard wonderful answers from them, for example: "I pray because I want to succeed in school", another one said: "I pray because I want peace in Israel" and many other interesting answers. After this discussion I taught them that the essence of the Amidah is the Kavanah – meaning. The next step was to learn the ritual of the Amidah. I taught them the rules of this Tefilah, for example: How to behave while you are praying, how to start this Tefilah and how to finish it, where to bow exc. Every week I taught the student a new blessing, and we always review the earlier blessings. This Tefilah was said at loud with me with everyone together. After I felt that the students feel more confidence, they started to pray by themselves.
One of the important things that we do in 3rd grade is to understand the meaning of the Shema Israel – שמע ישראל. The students have workbooks contain many ideas that teach the students the subject. We have three Parashiyot – sections in this prayer. Each section introduced with the new words being in big hollow letter and we use it in a different ways in class. For example: to color in different colors which word means what, or to color the root in, or to color these letters which make it singular or plural. Each section also has a picture attached to it, which will be related to the section, so as to give the students a visual image of the meaning of each section, as best possible.
The students pray diligently every day. They know how important it is. The student's consistency adds special prayer for the sick. You just need to walk in the hallway in the morning to hear their beautiful pray.
I am so proud to be their teacher and watch them growing and learning somuch. Wish you Shabbat Shalom

The stories of Avimelech - Shoftim 10 - Judges - Shavit Hakimi

2009-03-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Navi, the study of prophets comes alive for students in grades 5-7 through study and analysis.

In class we just finished the story of Avimelech, one of the judges of Israel. Avimelech ruled over the city of Schechm. After 3 years of judging, an argument ensued between the people of Shechem and Avimelech. This argument was a breaking point in their relationship and led to war. The people of Shechem had no chance in a battle against Avimelech, Then something strange happened. Zevul, the minister of Shechem, sent messengers to Avimelech to warn him of the Schechem’s plans. At this point the students asked why Zevul would betray his own people.

I told them to use their knowledge from the stories that we already learned and to think about why Zevul would do this. Why would someone betray the people they know and care about? The class had many ideas. One student said "He thought about the future. Zevul knew that Avimelech would win the battle so he wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to him!" That was a wonderful answer. But then I made it harder, I asked them to give me example from the Bible of the same idea. This was harder, but after some deliberation and a little help from me they remembered the story of the conquering of Jericho. When Rachav helped the Jewish spies so she could avoid being caught by the army, Joshua told her that because of this she and her family would be saved. Another answer was from the story of Gideon. When Gideon came to ask for food from the city of Sukkot, they said "You are not winning yet, so why we will help you?" They were afraid that if the Midyanites (the enemy) would win and they knew that the citizens of Sukkot helped Gideon against them that they would be killed!

The point of this lesson was to teach the students the reality of those times and how military and political decisions made today are based on the same fears and ideas.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom
Mr. Shavit Hakimi

The story of Jephtah - Shavit Hakimi - My student

2009-03-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

This summery was written by one of my students, Thank you Greigory!

The story of Jephtah is a very interesting and strategic story. Jephtah fought, was expelled, and basically had to kill his own only daughter.

After the death of Jair the Gileadite in the 2764 the people of Israel started acting wickedly in Hashem’s eyes. They started worshiping idols again and did not follow the 10 commandments or the laws of the torah. Ammonites started coming from Jordan into Israel and quickly conquered the land of Israel. From all the anger they had that the idols did not protect them so they destroyed all their idols and started praying to Hashem.

Then the people remember a man, Jephtah, he expelled from Israel by his half-brother and now he was living in the land of Tov. He was a brave a fearless man. When they called for him he asked him if he can be their prophet, at first he did not agree reminding them of how they
Jephtah sent a note to the Ammonites saying that the children of Israel fought for the land that was earlier sihon’s and Og’s. When he saw that the note did not work he sent them another saying that if they don’t leave the children of Israel will make them leave like they did with Sihon and Og.

The ammonites still did not listen so they went into attack through the mountains. The ammonites lost the battle and had to withdrawal their settlements back to Jordan.
Shortly after the battle the tribe of Ephraim came to Jephtah with a complaint that they were not invited to fight nor were they invited to discuss if they should attack them or not. The tribe of Ephraim set up a war against Jephtah which they lost in a bloody was, 1,000 people from the tribe of Ephraim died.

Before the battle Jephtah made a very strange vow that if he comes home victories' he will sacrifice to god whoever comes out his house. His daughter was the one that ran out the house to greet her father. There is an argument between 2 facts that he really killed her or he just broke some bone of hers which is considered her dead.

Jephtah ruled for six years until his death. He died without children. After his death the children of Israel started doing sins again. But the whole time that Jephtah ruled the children of Israel were good.

Disgrace for England - Holocaust - Shavit Hakimi

2009-03-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Disgrace for England !

This week in England every memorial of the holocaust has been removedfrom the schools study programs, arguing that it hurts the Muslim population that denies the holocaust.That is a sign of an upcoming worldwide disaster, terrifying evidenceof how easily countries can give in to anti-Semitism.
It has been more than 60 years since the end of World War 2 in Europe.This email has been sent in order to create a chain of memory for those 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and > 1900 catholic priests, that have been murdered, raped, burnt, starved to death, and humiliated by the Nazis.
Now, more than ever, considering the efforts of Iran and others 'denying the Holocaust, it is most crucial to do whatever it takes to ensure that the world never forgets .This email should reach at least 40 million people in the world.Join us and become a link in the chain of memory for those who have past in the terrible events of the Holocaust. Help spread this email around the world so others may understand and help as well.
Please send this message to at least 10 of your friends or contacts.Please do not delete this email; it only takes one minute to pass it on. Thank you for your efforts.

The story of Shimshon/Samson - Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is another amazing essay from one of my students.

Thank you Anat!

Shimshon

Perek 13

Shimshon is one of the most famous prophets. His life had its ups and down, including two loves, fits of rage, and a heroic death. When Bnai Yisrael continued the circle in the book of Shoftim, or judges, the story of Shimshon began. Bnai Yisrael had been under the rule of the Pleshtim for 40 years. His father was from the tribe of Dan, and his name was Manoach. His mother had trouble having a child when an angel visited her. The angel told her, “Right now you are not pregnant, but you shall have a son. But you may not drink and freshly pressed or intoxicating wine or anything ritually defiled. You may not cut his hair because the boy will be a Nazarite from the womb. And he shall save Bnai Yisrael from the Pleshtim.” The woman, Shimshon’s mother, told her husband, “A man of Hashem came to me who resembled the appearance of an angel of Hashem- extremely awesome. I didn’t ask him where he was from and he didn’t tell me his name. “Then she repeated what the angel had told her. Manoach begged Hashem to send them the man who had talked to his wife so he could instruct them what to do, again. Hashem accepted the prayer, and sent the angel again, and the couple verified that the angel was the same as before. Then Manoach asked the angel or the regulations of which their son should follow. The angel repeated his previous instruction. Manoach offered to host him, but the angel replied he could not eat, but they should offer Hashem an Olah offering. The Olah offering is completely burnt on the altar, and corresponds to the highest level of communication between us and God. Manoach repeated his question, “What is your name, we want to honor your instructions?” What does that mean? According to Rashi, he meant he wanted to fulfill the mission. Then Manoach offered the goat to Hashem. Just like in the Byt Hamigdash, fire came from heaven and the sacrifice was accepted. The angel no longer “revealed” itself to them. Just them Manoach realized that the visitor had been an angel. Manoach told his wife that they were probably going to die. But she replied, “If he was going to kill us then wouldn’t have accepted the Olah and meal offerings. He would not have revealed all this to us, and at this time, he would not have told us of appraised us in this way. What does that mean? According to Rashi it mean! s that he would not have given them a set of criteria about their son.” She gave birth; the boy grew up, and named him Shimshon. Shimshon has the word shemish in it, or sun. Hashem was the sun and shield. Just as Hashem protected his nation, Shimshon protected his generation. Hashem was with him, for example, Hashem gave him visions.

Perek 14
Shimshon met a Pelishtite woman, who he fell in love with. He told his parents that he wanted to marry her, but they said no.“Is there no one among the daughters of your kinsmen or any of my people, suitable as a wife, that you must go out and take a wife from the uncircumcised Pelishtim?”Shimshon said, “Take her for me, for she appears appropriate in my eyes.”Neither of his parents knew that Hashem had decreed it. So Shimshon said an accusation against the Pelishtim. Why? Rashi says that, that way he would be able to meet the Pelishtim. When Shimshon went with his parents to Timnah, he passed through a vineyard. A young lion came toward him, intent on attacking. Shimshon, with Hashem, tore it to pieces; without a weapon. He continued on, and talked with the woman’s relatives. When he came a few days later to claim her, he noticed that there was a beehive in the remains of the lion. He took some of the honey and continued he even gave some to his parents. His father visited the woman’s relatives, and thought her appropriate. At his marriage feast he gave the 30 companions a riddle. If they solved it he would give them 30 linen suits and 30 linen cloths. The riddle was, “From that which eats came forth that which is eaten; from power came sweetness.” They had seven days to solve the riddle. On the 7th day, they told his wife to make her husband tell her answer to the riddle for them. If not they would burn her and her fathers house in flames. So she tried to make Shimshon tell her. Finally he told her the answer, and she told the men. The answered,“What can be sweeter than honey and what is more powerful than the lion” Shimshon answered them, “If you had not plowed with my calf, you would not have solved my riddle.” But he had to pay them the linen rewards. So he went to Ashkelon, with Hashem, killed 30 men, and gave their suits to those who had solved the riddle. He was enraged with his wife, and went to his father’s house. His bride became attached to a friend, or wedding attendant.

Perek 15
Shimshon visited his wife with a kid, young goat, during harvest time, and asked to see his wife. But his father in law refused, saying, “I assumed you hated her, so I gave her (marriage) to your friend. Isn’t her younger sister better than her? Please, take her sister to be yours in place of her.”Shimshon said, “Now I am innocent with regard to the Pleshtim, as I inflict injury upon them.” Shimshon captured 300 foxes, he took torches, twisted each tail into the next, and placed a torch in the center, between the two tails. What does it mean he twisted the tail? Rashi explains that it means that he twisted others. Then, Shimshon set fire to the torches, and dispatched the foxes into the Pelishtite grain fields. They ran for there freedom, burning the haystacks to the standing grain to the olive orchard. I interpret this as they burned some crops, but mostly they ended up lighting haystacks. Haystacks are produce, very flammable, and are probably next to buildings, fields, or more crops. Therefore, the damage was increased by having haystacks on fire, spreading the fire. I also have a question. How were foxes more suited for this job than any other animal? I think, based on what I have learned, there are a few reasons. First foxes might have been easier to catch than other animals. Second, foxes are known as animals with a sly character. Third, foxes run on the ground, while other animals might hid in a tree or fly over the fields. And finally, foxes have long tails, which could help hold the torches in place. When the Pelishtim found the damage, they asked who had done it, they were told Shimshon did it, and explained why. So they burned his previous wife and her father. Shimshon asked them “Is this the way you behave? Nothing but vengeance against you, and only afterward will I stop.” So he struck them down, cavalry and infantry, with a tremendous blow. He settled on the cliff of Eitam. The Pelishtim descended and encamped in Yehudah. The men of Yehudah asked, “Why have you come against us?”They replied, “We have come to tie down Shimshon so we can treat him as he has treated us. (Midah kenehged Midah). 3.000 men descended from Yehudah to the cliff. They said to Shimshon, “Were you not aware that the Pelishtim rule over us? What have you done to us?Shimshon replied, “Just as they treated my, I treated them”They said to him, “We have descended to tie you down and deliver you unto the hands of the Pelishtim.”Shimshon said, “Swear to me that you will not execute me yourselves. “They said, “No, we will merely tie you down and deliver you into their hands, but we shall surely not execute you.” They tied him with two new ropes and brought him up from the cliff. He was made fun of, Hashem visited him, the ropes on his arm’s burned, and he was free. He found a moist cheekbone of a donkey, and struck down a thousand men with it. He was thirsty, cried to Hashem, and Hashem made a miracle, water flowed out of the jawbone. He judged Bnai Yisreal for 20 years.

Perek 16
Shimshon went to Azah, and he visited a woman innkeeper. The Azirites heard, and surrounded him in ambush. A midnight, Shimshon grasped the city gate and the two doorposts, uprooted them, and placed them on his shoulders’. He carried them up to the summit of the mountains. He fell in love with a woman, Delilah. The Pelishtim nobles told her to find where his strength came from so they can capture him, tie him down and torture him, and they will each give her eleven hundred pieces of silver. So Delilah asked Shimshon, “Where his strength came from. How can you be tied down and tortured.? He responded that if he was tied down with seven moist cords he would lose his strength. The nobles brought her the seven moist cords, deployed in the room, and she tied him. She shouted, “The Pelishtim are upon you!” He snapped the cords easily and was free. Delilah was upset asked him the same question she had before. This repeated two more times with fresh ropes and with his hair woven on to a weaving mount. Finally he told her, “If you cut my hair I would be powerless.” She felt like he was telling the truth, and called the spy. They surrounded him, gave her the money, she cut his hair, and cried out to him. He tried to escape before he realized Hashem had left him. The Pelishtim captured him, gouged out his eyes, bound him, made him the prison miller, and his hair began growing again. The Pelishtim assembled to offer an enormous sacrifice to their god, Dagan, and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy; destroyer of our country the one who had multiplied the number of our dead.” When they were drunk they had Shimshon brought to frolic for them. He entertained them, and then told the boy who was holding him by the hand to release him and let him rest on one of the buildings pillars. The whole building was supported, mainly, by two pillars. The building was filled with Pelishtite nobles, and 3,000 men and woman were on the roof. Shimshon cried out to Hashem, “My master, Hashem! Please remember me; please strengthen me, just this once O Hashem. Let me avenge one of my two eyes from the Pelishtim. Shimshon held on to the two supporting pillars, and cried “Let my soul perish with the Pelishtim!” What did he mean about using one of his eyes? Maybe, according to Rashi, he meant to use the reward for his second eye in the World to come. But let him use his award for his first eye now. He pushed on the pillars, they collapsed making the building collapse, and everyone, in it and on it, died. The people he killed in his death surpassed the number he killed during his lifetime. His brothers came down, and all his fathers house, and buried him. He was a judge who was known for his strength, his commitment to Hashem, his people, and to defeating his enemies

Avimelech - Judges 9 - Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Avi-Melech

Another article from my one of my students:

Avi-Melech the son of Yerubaal (Gidon) went to his mother’s house looking for supporters to help him become king. His father didn’t want this, but Avi-Melech did. He wanted it more than anything! He was even willing to trick his family and kill his 70 brothers. When he got to his mother’s house he talked to his family. He tried to convince them with would they rather one king or 70 that would fight for power. They agreed with him and spread the news to the rest of shechem and soon Avi-Melech had a LOT of followers. He also gave some people money to support him. In the torah it says that they were empty. If you think about this like a glass, then you see if the glass is empty you can fill it with anything you want. But if it is full you can’t fill it at all. That is what Avi-Melech did to the poor. He filled them up and they were loyal to him. After he finished this he killed his 70 brothers.
We later find out that Avi-Melech only killed 69 of his brothers. For his brother Yotam was hidden and survived the incident. Yotam stood on top of Mt. Gerizim and started to tell a fable.
At one point the trees decided they wanted a king. They went to an olive tree and asked it to rule over them. The olive tree wondered if he should leave his fatness. He decided not to and refused the leadership. So the trees went to a fig tree and they asked if he would be their king. But the fig tree wondered if it should leave its sweetness. It decided not to and turned their offer down. So they went to a vine and asked him to be the ruler. He wondered if he should leave his wine and decided not to. He told them no. They finally went to a bramble and asked him. The bramble said that if they really wanted him to be king to go under his shade. But if not, he said they would catch on fire.
Then Yotam said to the people that if what Avi-Melech did was right then they would live happy lives. But if what Avi-Melech did was wrong and they supported it, then they should catch on fire.
Avi-Melech was prince over Israel for 3 years. Everything was fine until hashem sent an evil spirit to come between Avi-Melech and the men of Shechem. They got angry with him for slaying his brothers and they sent people to watch for him and rob anyone who came by. When Gaal the son of Ebed came, the men of Shechem liked him. He challenged Avi-Melech and tried to overthrow him.
During the battle Avi-Melech took refuge with a women and she through a rock at his head, cracking is skull. When he was on the ground dying, he asked his soldier to kill him so that no one would say he was killed by a woman. After Avi-Melechs death, the men of shechem were burned for the awful things Avi-Melech did.

Bibi Netanyahu - The new priminster of Israel - Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

How happy am I for Bibi was chosen. He is the right man for the mission.

I am little bit worried and i hope that he will do something about it.

I think that everybody can understand that all the war that we had is a diversion for the big plan - erase Israel with Nuclear bomb. If the entire world is busy with Gaza - Iran can continue working on the Nuclear Bomb without distractions.

We must start to take the Iranian situation seriasly and fix it.

Jotham's Fable –Chapter 9 – Mr. Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

Jotham's Fable –Chapter 9 – Mr. Shavit Hakimi

Power - for what?

A power vacuum followed the death of Gideon. There were seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. There was also Abimelech, another son born to a concubine at Shechem. In the savagery of those times it was customary for those who aspired to power to eliminate all possible rivals. Polygamy left half brothers at great risk.
Abimelech seized the opportunity of his father's death to go to his mother's family in Shechem with a request: "Say this in the hearing of all the lords of Shechem - Which will be better for you that all seventy sons rule over you or that one rule over you? Remember that I am your bone and flesh." They gave him money to hire hit-men. The seventy were murdered, all but Jotham, the youngest, who escaped. Abimelech was made king.
One day Jotham appeared suddenly on a promontory above Shechem, and spoke to the people below in a parable:
The trees went forth to anoint a king. To the olive, so plentiful in the fertile valley, they said, "Reign over us!" "But I already produce rich oil by which gods and mortals are honoured. Why should I leave that to rule over the trees?"
Then they said to the fig tree, "You come and reign over us!" "Should I leave my sweetness for the sake of holding authority over the trees?"
They approached the vine: "You reign over us!" But the vine replied, "Should I stop producing wine that cheers gods and mortals in order to rule the trees?"
So at last they turned to the bramble that clings to the rocks round Shechem. "Will you be our king?" With alacrity the bramble replied: "If you mean to make me king, come and take refuge in my shadow. But if not, let fire break out in the dried up thorn and spread even to the cedars of Lebanon!"
"What is it like then," Jotham asked, "to be with Abimelech? Is it action of good faith, as with his father Jerubbaal, or is it fire?" Unchecked, the bramble takes over. The assumption of power carries responsibility.
The fire came. Conflict between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem reached the city gate. Abimelech took Shechem and slaughtered its people. The city was razed and sown with salt. When some leaders made for the stronghold of the temple of El-berith nearby, Abimelech set it on fire. But when he tried to do the same thing at Thebez a woman dropped a round millstone from the top of the tower onto his head. As he lay dying, Abimelech ordered a young man to use his sword, lest it be said that a woman killed him.
There is a postscript. In the experience of Israel kingship proved disappointing, and authority so corrupt that they looked back in nostalgia to the days when 'there was no king in Israel. All the people did what was right in their own eyes.'

10 Jews from Yemen landed in Israel - Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-19T03:27:00.000-08:00

The most dramatic moments in Jewish history have once again taken place in Ben Gurion airport minutes ago: 10 Jews from Yemen landed in Israel as part of a Jewish Agency special rescue and aliyah operation. It's a moment that captures who we are as a people, who we are as the Jewish State, and who we are as the Jewish Agency. Recent events in Yemen point to a rising virulence in anti-Semitic sentiment. On December 10th 2008, Moshe Yaish-Nahiri, a Hebrew teacher in the local school, father to nine and brother of a local prominent Rabbi, was shot dead near his home in Rida. The perpetrator, a young Muslim fundamentalist, also threatened further violence against the entire Jewish community. In response, the Yemenite government paid to relocate the community to the capital of Sanaa in January to better protect the community. But some Jews were refusing to move, according to a Yemenite news report, fearing it put them at yet greater danger.
Working through several clandestine channels to ensure the safety of both those who chose to come and those who chose to stay, the Jewish Agency launched a special operation to bring Yemenite Jewish community members to Israel. Among the two families and two individuals arriving today is Sayid Ben Israel, one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Rida, where anti-Semitism has dramatically – and dangerously – increased over the past few months.
To date, there are 280 Jews still in Yemen: about 230 in the city of Rida and 50 in the capital of Sanaa, who moved to the capital after their homes in Saada came under attack by terrorists associated with Al Qaeda.
A number of weeks ago, Sayid and his family came under attack by anti-Semitic extremists who threw a grenade into the courtyard of his home. Following this incident and additional threats to his life, Sayid moved with his wife and seven children to Saana. Today they are coming home to safety, to Israel. Upon their arrival today, the Ben Israel family will move to live in Beit Shemesh, receiving the full range of support services provided to new immigrants by the Jewish Agency. The remaining new immigrants arriving today will move to the Yeelim Absorption Center in Beer Sheva, where they will also receive assistance from the Jewish Agency integrating into Israeli society.
Rescuing Jews from persecution and ensuring their safety and success in Israel is our core mission. It is also part and parcel of our history: conducting operations to countries in distress and turmoil, no matter how dangerous, to rescue Jews and welcome them home to Israel. As explains Director of the Department for Aliyah and Absorption, Eli Cohen, "The Jewish Agency is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of the Yemenite Jewish community in light of recent events. We will strive to bring as many Jews as possible to Israel from Yemen who are interested in making aliyah as quickly as possible."
The Jewish Agency – and this special operation in particular – is funded by United Jewish Communities, major Jewish federations in North America, Keren Hayesod, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, foundations and donors from Israel and around the world. Representatives of all three leading organizations were on hand to welcome the new immigrants.

HOW TO SPOT A FAKE THE NORTH FACE JACKET - SHAVIT HAKIMI

2009-02-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

HOW TO SPOT A FAKE THE NORTH FACE JACKET

Hello all E-bay friends.

Several people including myself have purchased a fake The North Face Jacket off of E-bay (3 so far)! I have found a few guidelines to help you tell the difference.

1. The fake jacket only comes with one tag attached. It is a red tag and has The North Face written on it and also a price. The real jacket tag comes with 2 to 3 tags! Make sure that the tag reads north face denali jacket instead of Five Boroughs jacket etc... E-bay sellers of fake North Face Jackets are stealing the tags from real jackets that don't match and attaching them to thier fake one's!

3. Look at the inside stitching of the jacket. The real North Face Jacket has no skips in stitching just smooth zig zag stitching! The real jacket also has no threads hanging that have been cutt due to the machine skipping! The seams of the inside (under the arms)of a real north face jacket are basted together with one complete stick instead of several off line stitches. A real Jacket is made with great guality all seams are faced perfectly.

4. The fleece on the Real North Face Jacket is fuzzy like fleece would be. The fake fleece has a slick feel to it and is almost smooth. The smooth stuff is not water proof anf will not keep you warm!

5. Sometimes the Fake jacket has a very heavy odor due to the fake fleece it is made out of.

6. Ask the seller if it is real or fake! If real they respond, if fake they ignore you! They are paying $10.00 at the Chinese market for these and then selling them for $100.00 plus dollars!

7. Look at what other items the seller is selling! Most of the fake ones are for sale along side of fake football jersey's, purses and other items that you feel might be fake!

8. Most of the sellers of fake jackets have a business name like jerseyconnections or something similar and they are selling a bunch of these jackets.

9. Usually the seller does not put in listing that it is 100% authentic in listing, therefore it is not 100% authentic. Therefore ask them before you by so that if it is fake once you recieve it, you can report then to the E-bay investigators!

10. If all this information does not help go to thenorthfaceguru online and register! Hope this helps some of you avoid being SCAMMED!

11. Jackets do not come in a factory sealed bag, the seller has to place them in a bag to mail!
Customer comments added:

Shmuel the Prophet - Shavit Hakimi - One of my students

2009-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Shmuel the Prophet

Shmuel was a great judge and leader to Bnai Yisrael. He was also the only judge that had the ability to prophesize. He was the last judge of the circle, and may have been the greatest to ever live.He was a miracle even as a child. His father, Elkanah, had 2 wives; Chana and Penina. Penina was able to have children, unlike Chana, who was barren. Elkanah would go to the Cohanim once in a while and brought korbanot to pray for a child. They worshipped and davened to Hashem all day long, and then finally Eli sent them a child.One interesting story about Shmuel is about Bnai Yisrael and their quest for a king. They had said they were tired of going in the same circle, so they pleaded to Hashem for a new ruler, like a king. Hashem told Shmuel to go and fetch Shaul, later the king of Bnai Yisrael (Shmuel temporarily raises form the dead and tells Shaul of future). Hashem was outraged with Bnai Yisrael and so was Shmuel. I don’t think that this meant that Bnai Yisrael did not love Shmuel, it was just that they needed a change.Shmuel’s name has many different meanings, all in relation to Hashem. Some of the names are Heard of God, Name of God, or son of El . His name is a representation of his closeness to Hashem and how he was portrayed. At a very young age, Shmuel was faced with a war with the Phillistines, and took it on with great courage. He organized an army, and defeated the Phillistines, with the help of God. Another interesting theory is that in the stories of Shmuel, he brings sacrifices to the sanctuaries, and he also built altars. The Cohanim and the Levyim are the only people permitted to sacrifice, and being a prophet and a nazir isn’t enough. But in his case, it was. This proves that Hashem had a special bond with him, unlike many other judges. Right before Shmuel’s retirement as a judge, he gave a sort of “farewell speech”, to people at an assembly at Gilgal, and told them not to fall into the same circle, and then he threatens that Hashem will send them back in the same circle.In Shmuel’s eyes, his people came first. He always tried to warn them for their own good, and that is a true quality of individuality. Like many of the judges, he always cared for his people, but he always made the special effort to take care of them, even after he was gone (even though he had the extra ability to foresee the future).Even though he had that extra ability, something else set him apart for all the rest of the judges and that is perseverance. He always went the extra mile, and kept humble. In that way, I think he has an everlasting impression on the Jewish People, and will be remembered throughout history.

Plato - Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

One of the best known and most influential philosophers of all time, Plato has been admired for thousands of years as a teacher, writer, and student. His interests and knowledge were wide and varied, including science, mathematics, and poetry.
Plato was born in Athens around 428 B.C. His family, both on his father's and mother's sides, was aristocratic and politically influential. It's thought that, in addition to his parents, his immediate family included two older brothers and a younger sister. Plato's original name was Aristocles, but he became known during his school days as Platon, which means broad, because of his broad forehead (and, presumably, his broad range of knowledge).
It should be noted that nearly everything believed to be true about Plato's life is based on hypotheses by generations of scholars. These scholars have pieced together historical information to form what we accept as a reasonably accurate account of Plato's life. Some of the information comes from Plato's VIIth Letter, which contains some autobiographical information. Most of Plato's extensive writings, however, contained no, or very little, mention of himself.
It's clear that Plato--who as a young man studied and wrote poetry, participated in military service, and contemplated politics--was tremendously influenced by his relationship with Socrates, the Athenian philosopher and teacher. Plato became a disciple of Socrates when he was about 18 years old, turning his energies and attention philosophy and the question of virtue. Plato was profoundly affected by his teacher's trial and execution by political leaders about 10 years later, in 399 B.C.
After Socrates was killed, an embittered Plato left Athens, pronouncing that nothing would be right in the world until "kings were philosophers or philosophers were kings." He traveled to Greek cities in Africa and Italy, not returning to Athens until 387 B.C. It's thought that he was captured by pirates and held for ransom on his way back to Athens. While traveling, he met with priests and prophets from many places, studying not only philosophy, but astronomy, geometry, geology, and religion.
After returning to Athens, Plato devoted himself to studying and teaching philosophy. At the center of his philosophy is the concept of "forms." Plato believed that the changing world he experienced, and the things within that world, are merely reflections of a separate world that contains eternal, unchanging entities called forms. Forms, Plato said, are the true objects of knowledge and understanding, and only people who seek to understand them can have lives that are truly happy and healthy. These views are best expressed in the Republic, one of Plato's works from the middle part of his life.
In addition to philosophy, Plato had an abiding interest in mathematics, which he said idealized abstractions and was a pure form of thought. He considered mathematical thought to be lofty and separate from "common" thought, a category in which he included science. Plato believed that mathematics, in its purest form, could be applied to the heavens. In a dialogue called Timaeus, Plato asserted that heavenly bodies exhibit perfect geometric form, and that they move in exact circles. His thoughts concerning mathematics and its relation to astronomy were very influential on astronomers at the time.
Around 387 B.C. Plato founded a school outside of the walls of Athens that might be considered the first university. Located west of the city on land that once belonged to a Greek named Academus, the school was called the Academy. Plato's interest in mathematics was reflected in the Academy's curriculum, in which the study was emphasized; it is said that above the school's doorway was written, "Let no one ignorant of mathematics enter here." The Academy was a functioning school for nearly one thousand years; it was closed down by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in 529 A.D.
Plato left Athens twice more in his life. He went to Italy in 367 B.C. to try to tutor Dionysus II, who had recently been named supreme ruler after his father died. He agreed to tutor Dionysus II, perhaps recalling his philosopher-king statements following the death of Socrates. Plato tried, but he found the situation in Italy to be highly unsatisfactory; he returned to Athens two years later. In 361 B.C., he was persuaded to return to Italy to try tutoring the young king again; but he did so only briefly before returning to Athens for good. It was around the time that Plato was travelling to and from Italy that his most famous student, Aristotle, entered the Academy.
There is little known about the later years of Plato's life. It's thought that he continued on at the Academy, teaching, conversing, and writing. He died in 347 B.C. at the age of about 80, leaving the Academy to his sister's son.
Plato's extensive and influential writings are generally divided into three groups. The first group is called the "Socratic" dialogues and are thought to have been written during the 12 years or so after the death of Socrates. These works--including the Apology, the Crito, Charmides, Euthyphro, Georgias, Ion, Hippias Minor and Major, and Protagoras--adhere closely to the teachings of Socrates. It is not known whether Plato did any writing before Socrates' death, but it's clear that he began writing extensively after it.
The second group of writings come from what is known as the "middle" or "transitional" period of Plato's life. This was the time after he returned from his travels and founded the Academy. These works probably include the Meno, Cratylus, Euthydemus, Menexenus, Phaedo, Phaerus, Republic, and the Symposium. The works from Plato's middle period focus on the metaphysical speculation for which he is widely recognized.
The third group of writings, which are known as the "later" dialogues, were written after Plato returned to the Academy from his tutoring trips to Italy. These works--including the Critias, Parmenides, Philebus, Sophist, Statesman, Timaeus, Theatetus, and Laws--are reflective and examine the metaphysical speculation of the "middle" works.
The works, thoughts, and theories of Plato have remained influential for more than 2000 years. His life and writings still fascinate scholars and students around the world.

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Shavit Hakimi

2009-02-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

"No man is an island." This famous quotation explains the nature of man as a social being. It is truly a fact that human beings cannot exist in isolation. They need to be interdependent with each other in order to survive. This interdependence is needed because a human being alone will not be able to fill his own social needs, and his material necessities came from other people as well. All acts of society such as sex, love, and dependence are essential for the survival of any species. Interaction and socialization is the only way to prevent people from isolation, from solitude.
The last words in One Hundred Years of Solitude are: races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth. These words are so powerful and striking that one cannot doubt its truth. The book also wants to show that men need to interact and socialize with others in order for their race to survive.

Solitude is a major theme in the book, as is evident from the title. Here, solitude doesn't necessarily mean loneliness; it is a fated seclusion by space or some neurotic obsession. It is the sense of being apart from others. Examples of solitude can be found in the one-hundred-year life of Macondo and the Buendia family. It is both emotional and physical solitude that is shown geographically, romantically, and individually. Each character has his or her own particular solitude. It seems that it is always the intent of the characters to be alone, and there are even those who deliberately cut themselves off from the society. These are the characters that are contrasted to others who combat solitude by doing strenuous effort to reach out to others. This is not the case, though, for the solitary characters in One Hundred Years of Solitude. They don't wish to remain in solitude; they just don't have the control over it. To be alone, forgotten, and to remain in solitude is their fate and destiny.
Geographical Solitude. One form of solitude is shown geographically. Jose Arcadio Buendia shouts, "God damn it! Macondo is surrounded by water in all sides." This shows that the even the setting of the novel is in isolation. This detail may seem to be unimportant, but this reflects the situation that the characters in Macondo are in. Being geographically isolated, the people in Macondo will never learn anything more than what are in their reach. Because of this consequence, their society will never be able to progress beyond their resources. When Jose Arcadio Buendia and his men found out that Macondo is surrounded by water in all sides, Jose Arcadio Buendia laments to his wife, "We'll never get anywhere. We're going to rot our lives away here without receiving the benefit of science." Interaction with other societies would have let them advance beyond their present condition. The very reason why Jose Arcadio Buendia and his other friends take the expedition is to find a place where they will be able to know more about the great things and inventions, and to open a way that would put Macondo in contact with these great inventions. This idea is inspired by the new inventions that the gypsies display in Macondo. The effort to find other places where Macondo will be able to be in contact with other towns is also an effort by the people to release themselves from solitude, and to put an end to their isolation. This geographical solitude, however, doesn't only come from the fact that Macondo is isolated from other societies. The very reason why the town is founded is for Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula to find solitude. Jose Arcadio Buendia murdered Prudencia Aguilar, and he and his wife is forced to retreat when Prudencia Aguilar's ghost would not stop haunting them. For a long time, the people of Macondo thought that they are cut-off from the rest of the world.
Individual Solitude. Each Buendia has his individual characteristics and qualities that separate him from others. The incest of the Buendia family contributed largely to the theme of solitude in the novel. Because of this fact, the fate of the Buendia family to remain in solitude runs through all the generations. Every member of the Buendia family has in his destiny the marks of solitude until his death.
Jose Arcadio Buendia is the founder of Macondo and is the first great solitary. The first form of solitude that he exhibited is caused by his obsession over the inventions that the gypsies brought to Macondo. He secludes himself from the rest of the world, even to his family, to perform experiments: "Jose Arcadio Buendia spent long months of the rainy season shut up in a small room that he had built in the rear of the house so no one would disturb his experiments." When he told his children that "the earth is round, like an orange," Ursula shouts at him, "If you have to go crazy, please go crazy all by yourself." From once being a youthful patriarch and a clean and active man, Jose Arcadio Buendia changes into a man lazy in appearance and careless in his dress under the influence of Melquiades. He comes back to reality when Ursula tells him about the situation of their children without his supervision, but he doesn't stop in doing his experiments. Years later, still obsessed with his inventions, Jose Arcadio Buendia is visited by Prudencia Aguilar and a sense of nostalgia comes to him. It is that time that he realized that each passing day is the same day as the day before then, he becomes mad, and starts to act violently. Afterwards, he is tied to a tree and spends the rest of his life tied under that chestnut tree, speaking a foreign language, and not recognizing anyone. His madness caused him to remain in solitude for the rest of his life until his death where tiny little yellow flowers fall from the sky all over the town.
Colonel Aureliano Buendia shows the ultimate expression of solitude, his achievement of absolute power: "an inner coldness that shattered his bones." His solitary expression starts when Remedios dies: "But his sedentary life, which accentuated his cheekbones and concentrated the sparkle of his eyes, did not increase his weight or alter the parsimony of his character, but, on the contrary, it hardened on his lips the straight line of solitary meditation and implacable decision." When he decides to join the war as a Liberal, he does not expect to live the rest of his life in solitude. He has seventeen male children by seventeen different women, but he never knows the names of these women. His achievement of absolute power results in his orders such as the circling of chalk around him so no one will be near him. After the war between the Liberals and the Conservatives, Colonel Aureliano Buendia retires. He declines the lifetime pension offered him after the war and until old age, he makes his living from the little gold fishes that he manufactures in his workshop in Macondo. "Taciturn, silent, insensible to the new breath of vitality that was shaking the house, Colonel Aureliano Buendia could understand only that the secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude." When he made a bonfire in the courtyard of the dolls of Remedios which decorated their bedroom since their wedding, Ursula tells him, "You have a heart of stone." He keeps to himself and shows no emotion. He dies under the chestnut tree without showing any sign of nostalgia or any kind of emotion.
Amaranta's solitude is an extreme kind of solitude. Her coldness is the result of power achieved by denial--her virginity. When Rebeca and Pietro Crespi were arranged to be married, Amaranta swears that she will only let them be married over her dead body. But when Rebeca married Jose Arcadio and Pietro Crespi asks for his hand, she refuses even though she likes him so much. She says to Crespi, "Don't be simple, Crespi. I wouldn't marry you even if I were dead." Her refusal causes him his life; he commits suicide. Amaranta regrets this so much that she burns her hand, and covers it with a bandage of black gauze that she will wear until her death. This symbolizes her denial, and this denial is the source of her solitude: "Amaranta seemed to carry the cross of ashes of virginity on her forehead. In reality she carried it on her hand in the black bandage, which she did not take off even to sleep and which she washed and ironed herself. Her life was spent in weaving her shroud. It might have been said that she wove during the day and unwove during the night, and not with any hope of defeating solitude in that way, but, quite the contrary, in order to nurture it."
The last Aureliano is the one with the saddest expression of solitude. He is not only secluded from the rest of the world, but he is literally alone, because Fernanda kept him in the house so as not to start any rumors. In his childhood, he is only happy when he plays with Amaranta Ursula, doing a lot of things to Ursula. When Amaranta Ursula went away to study, Aureliano has nothing to do because Fernanda will not let him go out. Because of this idleness, he decides to study in Melquiades room and for a long time, he has been inside this room - reading, studying, and trying to decipher the parchments of Melquiades. He is even more alone when Santa Sofia dela Piedad went away and, soon after, Fernanda died. It is a period where he didn't really feel alone because he is used with it, but he is happy when Amaranta Ursula came back. This happiness, though, will not last. His solitude ends with his deciphering of the parchments of Melquiades, because at the same time, he too will end.
The other characters showed lesser forms of solitude, but there are characters that are antisolitary. One of the antisolitary figures is Ursula. She may be the greatest antisolitary figure because of her incomparable effort to keep the family bonded, and to hold the family and house together. Another is Pilar Ternera who slept with the two Buendias, to comfort them and bear them their children.
Romantic Solitude. Sexual relations are prevalent in the novel, and most of these celebrate the size and the potency of the Buendia men's phalluses or the lubricity of the women. In addition to this, these sexual relations are also made for the purpose of supporting the theme of solitude. This is because of the fact that sex can be used to combat solitude for it has the power to connect one person to another. This is evident in the sexual relations of Pilar Ternera and Jose Arcadio, Pilar Ternera and Colonel Aureliano Buendia, and Colonel Aureliano Buendia and the seventeen women. Even the rape cases that happened resulted to a close bonding. Jose Arcadio Buendia raped his wife, Ursula, and started the family line. Aureliano raped Amaranta Ursula and their son ended the family line. The Buendia's solitude, however, has not been remedied by any sexual relations, because of the fact that for sex to really work against solitude, it has to be a joyful and loving sex. This is evident in the case of Colonel Aureliano Buendia and his seventeen women. Even though he had a son by each woman, his solitude never disappeared, because he really never cares for those seventeen women and even to his children.
It is also remarkable to note that not only the Buendia family suffered from the marks of solitude. It is proven that their fate is contagious because every person who interacts with them shares with their unfortunate fate and some even suffers a tragic death. One is Pilar Ternera. After she bore the children of the two Buendias, she spends the rest of her life basically alone and in solitude. Another is Petra Cotes, who, even if she had an abundant period with Aureliano Segundo, suffers the same consequence that Pilar Ternera also acquired. The wife of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, Remedios Moscote, dies a few months after their wedding a tragic and violent death due to Amaranta's mistake of putting poison in her coffee instead in Rebeca's. Pietro Crespi commits suicide when Amaranta refused him. Mauricio Babilonia falls from the roof and becomes paralyzed when he was caught one night to see Meme in the bathroom. Fernanda is like a widow during her marriage with Aureliano Segundo because her husband loves his mistres over her. And maybe those who have the most tragic fate are those who are captivated by Remedios the Beauty's beauty and loving her so much after, and die surprising deaths.
Solitude, whether it be any kind of solitude, the book One Hundred Years of Solitude reminds us that people needs interaction to survive. Even though the characters are unaware of the unfortunate fate that has befallen upon them, they displayed their solitude realistically and not as if by mere cause of fate. Because of this, Marquez is able to impart to the readers the consequences of secluding or isolating oneself from others without the idea that it is not possible. Here, Marquez is able to display even the most simple acts of solitude, and the unfortunate consequences of it.

Parashat Beshalach - From my student

2009-02-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Parashat Beshalach

In this week's Parsha, three million Jews gather at the foot of Mount Sinai and personally witness God Almighty giving the Torah. It is surprising, therefore, that the name of this Parsha is "Yitro." Who was this man Yitro?The Parsha begins:"Yitro, the Priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God did for Moses and Israel..."(Exodus 18:1)Yitro heard about the amazing events of the Exodus and came to join the Jewish people. Rashi asks: "What was it specifically that Yitro heard that caused him to come? He heard about the splitting of the Red Sea and about the war with Amalek."But really the entire world heard about the splitting of the Red Sea and the war with Amalek! So why does the Torah single out Yitro?The answer is that Yitro was a truth seeker. He had traveled around, trying every type of spiritual path, ultimately rejecting one after another as false. He was honest with himself and committed to the truth. Did others hear about the Exodus? Of course! But only Yitro was open to its message. It was this act of greatness which brought Yitro to become part of the Jewish people - and for that the parsha of the Ten Commandments bears his name!When the Jewish people stood at Sinai, they unconditionally accepted to fulfill all 613 Mitzvot. For those just beginning, 613 sounds like an awful lot ... even overwhelming! Where does one begin to tackle such massive breadth and depth? If only there was one, powerful idea we could grasp. Something that summed up all the rest.Jewish tradition tells us that each and every Jewish soul - past, present and future - stood that day at Mount Sinai. When The Voice tore through all 7 Heavens, the Torah was engraved on the stone tablets ... but was first engraved on the heart of every Jew. The Voice spoke and we heard.In Shema Yisrael, we begin with the word Shema -"Listen." Carefully and calmly, we listen. Just like Yitro listened.

מכתב פתוח של עירית לינור למערכת "הארץ"

2009-02-03T10:03:00.001-08:00

מכתב פתוח של עירית לינור למערכת "הארץ" – ינואר 2009

לכבוד

עמוס שוקן

חנוך מרמרי

יואל אסתרון

היום ביטלתי את המנוי שלי ל"הארץ", לאחר שנים של התמכרות. קשר שנמשך זמן רב כל כך, ראוי שיסתיים באופן חגיגי יותר מאשר הודעה למחלקת המנויים, לכן נראה לי יאה לנמק את החלטתי.
אני מקבלת את העובדה שזכותו של אדם להיות שמאלני-רדיקלי, ולהוציא עיתון בהתאם להשקפת עולמו. אני לא חושבת שלקורא מסויים (כלומר, אני) ייגרם נזק מוחי אם מדי פעם יקרא מאמרים שאינם עולים בקנה אחד עם עמדותיו. אבל "הארץ" הגיע לשלב בו האנטי-ציונות שלו הופכת לעתים קרובות מדי לעיתונות מטופשת ומרושעת, וגם אם קשה לי להחליט מי משתיהן מפריעה לי יותר, נמאס לי לגמרי משתיהן.
עייפתי מלקרוא בכל ביקורת טלוויזיה, בין אם נכתבה על-ידי רוגל אלפר, שגיא גרין, בני ציפר או אביב לביא, שהבעייה המרכזית של כל מהדורת חדשות, כל משדר לפני ואחרי פיגוע, היא פטריוטיות יתר, ושהכתבים הצבאיים עובדים בשירות דובר צה"ל. אני חושבת שהם טועים, משעממים, ושהנחת העבודה שלהם שקרית, ומנוכרת למציאות ולמקום בו הם חיים.
כשבני ציפר יוצא להגנתה של ז'ולייט בינוש, לאחר שנחשפה בורותה בענייני הסכסוך הישראלי-פלשתיני בתוכנית טלוויזיה צרפתית, הוא מצטייר לא רק כשמאלן רדיקלי ואנטי-ציוני, אלא גם כשמאלן רדיקלי ואנטי ציוני מהזן האידיוטי, ויכול להיות שזה לא המקום לציין שמדור הספרות בעריכתו הוא מופת של טרחנות משמימה, אבל הנה ציינתי את זה.
כשגדעון לוי מאשים את ישראל בהפיכתו של מרואן ברגותי משוחר שלום לאמרגן פיגועי התאבדות, זו פרשנות הגיונית, ממש כמו הטענה שגל הפיגועים ב-11 בספטמבר הוא מזימה של המוסד.
בשיחה פרטית איתו, אמר לי פעם שהוא לא היה נוסע מאה מטר כדי להציל את חייו של מתנחל, ונראה לי שאהבותיו ושנאותיו מכתימות כבר מזמן את דיווחיו הנוגעים ללב מהשטחים הפלשתינים הכבושים.
כמו כן, ואולי גם את זה לא צריך לציין, כל הקריירה שלו נגועה בחלטוריזם, מכיוון שהוא אחד הכתבים היחידים בעולם לעניינים ערביים, שלא יודע ערבית, לא מבין ערבית ולא קורא ערבית. מתרגמים לו סימולטנית, וזה מספיק. לטעמי, זו עיתונות חובבנית.
גדעון לוי ועמירה הס הם מחזיקי התיק הפלשתיני ב"הארץ". בעוד שכמוכם, אני מכירה בחשיבות העיתונאית והאנושית של דיווחים כאלה, יש לי בעיה עם ההוצאה לפועל.
מבחינתם, ישראל לעולם תישא באחריות גם על הסבל הפלשתיני, וגם על הרצחנות הפלשתינית. זו פרשנות צרת מוחין ושטחית, פגומה מבחינה עיתונאית ומוסרית כאחד.
כמו כן, שניהם נמנעים מלדווח על מעשי זוועה שהפלשתינים מבצעים זה בזה, ויש פלשתינים שמשום מה לא יוצא להם לפגוש: האנטישמים, השוביניסטים, המושחתים, מוחאי-הכפיים לפיגועים. כשהנטיות הפרו-פלשתיניות של הרפורטרים הס ולוי הן הדבר הבולט והעקבי ביותר בדיווחיהם מהשטחים, אני מתקשה לייחס אמינות לכתבותיהם. ומכיוון שאני, תסלחו לי, ציונית, לא בא לי בזמן מלחמה לקבל כל בוקר הביתה את קול הרעם מקהיר.
ולא מדובר רק בהם. בגלריה הופיעה השבוע כתבה שכותרתה "מקרתיזם תוצרת ישראל", מאת מיכל פלטי. הכותרת עצמה מעידה על בורות, ועל שימוש בקלישאה הקיצונית והזמינה ביותר. אני לא חושבת שאתם זקוקים להרצאה על המקרתיזם, אבל פלטי ועורכי גלריה - כנראה שכן. אני רוצה להתייחס לכתבה הזאת בהרחבה, ברשותכם, כי אחרי קריאתה הרמתי טלפון למחלקת המנויים. הכתבה לוקחת כמובן מאליו את קיומו של מקרתיזם בישראל.
פלטי כותבת על מפעל הפיס, שהסיר את תמיכתו הכספית מפסטיבל דוקאביב, מכיוון שבמאי שוודי שסרטו משתתף בתחרות, דרש (?) וקיבל (?) הקראת הצהרת תמיכה בעם הפלשתיני לפני הקרנת סרטו. בעיני פלטי, זהו גילוי מקרתיזם. גואל פינטו מבשר על תוצאות התחרות בידיעה אחרת, מתוך אמונה שלמה שמובן מאליו שהיה צריך להקריא את הצהרת הבמאי לפני כל הקרנה, ואף מגנה את הנהלת הפסטיבל שהתכופפה בפני איומי מפעל הפיס.
ייתכן שאני משוגעת, ובגלל זה נדמה לי שההתכופפות המבישה היתה זו שהתבצעה בפני הבמאי, ואולי הפשיזם שלי גורם לי לחשוב שבזמן מלחמה המדינה ממש אינה חייבת לממן אירועים בהם מקריאים הצהרות תמיכה באויב. אבל אולי בעיתון שמוכן לקבל כל צורה של פטריוטיות בתנאי שהיא פלשתינית (?) אפשר לקרוא לזה מקרתיזם.
ועוד מהכתבה: חנות ספרים תלתה שלט על הדלת "לא מוכרים ספרים של סאראמאגו". מנחם פרי, עורך "הספריה החדשה" בה יוצאים לאור ספריו של סאראמאגו, משווה את זה לשריפת ספרים של יהודים, ומוכיח שהוא ליברל אמיתי, כי לא עלה על דעתו להפסיק את ההתקשרות עם הסופר. לא צריך להיות עיתונאי "הארץ" כדי להבין, שפרי הוא לא רק ליברל, אלא גם יהודי שמחפש פרנסה, וסאראמאגו, אחרי הכל, הוא אחד מרבי המכר של פרי. כך כשפרי מסביר למה צריך להפריד בין הספר לסופר, אפשר להציע תשובה: כדי לא לגרום למו"ל הפסדים.
ואילו אני, שאינני כתבת "הארץ", תוהה מדוע לא נמסרה תגובתם של בעלי חנות הספרים, ומציעה לענות במקומם: לא מתחשק לי לפרנס את מי שמשווה אותנו לנאצים. החנות שלי היא עסק פרטי, וזו זכותי. אגב, בעיני, החלטת בעל החנות להפסיד כסף ולא למכור את ספריו רבי המכר של האנטישמי הטיפש הזה, אצילית ומעוררת כבוד לא פחות מהחלטתו של עמוס שוקן להרוויח כסף מפרסום מודעות זנות ב"העיר".
הוכחה נוספת למקארתיזם תוצרת ישראל היא רדיפתו של המעצב דוד טרטקובר בידי הממסד. הוא מספר כיצד עמיתיו למקצוע שיכנעו אותו להסיר עבודה פוליטית מתערוכת "ירושלים 3000", מכיוון שהם פחדו מתגובתו של שרון, אז שר המסחר והתעשיה. ומה שיותר מקרתיסטי מזה, היא העובדה שטרטקובר נרדף עד כדי כך שקיבל את פרס ישראל ביום העצמאות, בעוד אותו שרון עצמו מכהן כראש ממשלה.
כמובן, יפה ירקוני. בעוד שהכותרת מתייחסת לביטול מופע ההוקרה לכבודה כאל מקרתיזם, מהכתבה עצמה עולה כי הסיבה האמיתית לביטול המופע היתה רכישת כרטיסים מועטה. העובדה שירקוני לא ממלאה אולמות כבר זמן רב אינה נזכרת כלל בכתבה, ואכן, יכול להיות שקהל רוכשי הכרטיסים, שרובו שירת או משרת בצה"ל או תומך במבצע "חומת מגן", לא רצה להוקיר מישהי שמעודדת סרבנות ומשווה את צה"ל לנאצים. זכותו של אדם פרטי להחליט למי הוא רוצה למחוא כפיים. זכותו של אמ"י להחליט שלא לגונן על ירקוני יותר מדי. אני יודעת היטב שתומכי הסרבנות הם בשר מבשרו של "הארץ" בפרט ורשת שוקן בכלל.
ב"העיר", עיתון שממנו אשמח להיפטר במיוחד, הפכו את הסרבנות לתפארת מוסרית, כמובן מאליו. מה פה מובן מאליו? מעניין שהשמאלנות שלכם מגוייסת אך ורק לפסים פוליטיים ואנטי-ציונים.
במישור החברתי "הארץ" הוא עיתון לאנשים עשירים. המאמרים הכלכליים שמרניים, מחיר המנוי יקר יותר משל עיתוני הצהריים (שמגיעים, אגב, לדירת השכן הרבה יותר מוקדם מש"הארץ" מגיע אלי). נכון, המובטלים קיבלו תמונה יומית במדור המכתבים, אבל נירה רוסו כותבת על כלי מטבח יקרים ואתרי נופש יקרים, ועל מאכלים שאפשר להכין מפרי הגינה הפרטית, ובמדור האופנה אפשר להתרשם משמלות מכיכר המדינה שעולות אלפי שקלים. ככה שפלנטת "הארץ" היא מקום נהדר, שמאלני למשעי וקוסמופוליטי, רק חבל שמסביב הכל כל כך מכוער.
אחרי עשרות שנים של קריאה יומית ב"הארץ" אני מגיעה למסקנה שאתם ואני לא גרים באותו מקום. חלק גדל והולך מהכתבות והמאמרים בעיתון שלכם מדיף ריח של עיתונות זרה, המתייחסת לישראל כאל טריטוריה אחרת, מרוחקת ודוחה.
אני מרגישה שמדינת ישראל, באופן בסיסי, מגעילה אתכם. אז זהו, שאותי דווקא לא.
אני לא רוצה להיות מנויה על עיתון שמנסה בכל דרך אפשרית לגרום לי להתבייש בציונות שלי, בפטריוטיות שלי ובאינטליגנציה שלי, שלוש תכונות אותן אני מוקירה ביותר. שיהיה לכם יום נעים, תשמרו על הילדים ואל תשבו במסעדה בלי מאבטח.
עירית לינור

The Book of Shoftim

2009-02-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

My article – Mr. Shavit Hakimi

This year I teach three grades "The Book of Shoftim" – Judges.
We finished last week the stories of Gideon that was the 5th judge. The stories took place on 3 chapters and the students were so excited with the material. I especially enjoyed from one part when I taught them about "The licking test". Now little bit introduction: Gideon had 32,000 soldiers with him in the war against Midian. G-d wanted Gideon to send many of them home, because G-d wanted that people will understand that the victory was connected to G-d, and if there will be many soldiers, people could think that they won because of themselves. Gideon said that if you afraid you can leave, so 22,000 soldiers left. But G-d still didn’t want the quantity and told Gideon to do "The licking test". Gideon needed to take the 10,000 soldiers to a spring and let them drink. If they will knell and drink directly from the water – they are out. So 9700 did it and G-d told Gideon that with them he will win the war. I was surprised to see how fast they found the problem here – how this kind of test can tell me who is a good soldier and whose not? I told them that there are 5 answers for this question. It was really amazing to see how each one of the student try to find the reason for the test. The thing that surprised me the most was that they found the hardest and the difficult reason first and then the obvious. To emphasize the answers I made a circle in the class and told them that this is the spring. I chose this size because I asked them if they sow a real natural spring in their life, and those who said yes decided on this size. Now I asked them to divide into 2 groups: one who drinks directly from the spring and the other drinks with their hands. I made sure that they remember that there were 10,000 soldiers who wanted to drink. They realized that when you take a place next to spring and drink, you actually don’t think about your friend that is very thirsty and waiting for you to finish. Second, when you drink directly from the water you cant see your back or your friend's back. Third, if you pick up the water with your hands, you can actually see if there are germs and warms. It means that you are observing person, and this is a very good qualify for a soldier ext...
You can see in the picture how much fun they had from this experience, and I enjoyed also from the fact that they learned a lot from it.
These days we are working on a play "Gideon Adventures". The purpose is to take the most interesting scenes from the three chapters, and let others see the beauty.

Project- Grandparents Stories

2009-01-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

My students had a project to find out the stories of their grandparents. This is example for one of the responses:

There is lots to tell but first I'll share just how much different my home (as a child) was from yours. I was born in 1930 in a very rural home = the ninth child in the family. Of course, I do not remember much about that first house but I do remember moving day when I was perhaps three. I stayed with a neighbor and they had a news-paper with colored comic pages. I had never seen that before and I tried to find a way to separate the page to "let those cute little people out" That first home and most homes after that did not have electricity - we did not use candles but kerosene lamps. We had no running water in the house so, of course, no bathrooms. Toilet facilities were in a separate little house! Bathing was done in a tub placed by the kitchen stove and water was heated in an attached section of the stove called a resevoir. We had no radio, no TV, but we did have a phonograph player which had to be wound up with a crank at the side. Records were black flat discs and you had to manually lift the needle arm and place it on the record. We moved again before I started school (first grade- there was no kinder-garden). On that move, we could not find my cat named Boots. All of these homes were in the country. I did not live in a city or town until after I graduated from high school. I liked to go to school, and will always remember my first grade teacher - Mrs. Mamie Duncan. Learning to read was fun, chasing boys at recess was fun, playing marbles with the boys was productive - I was pretty good and won a few marbles. Because we lived in the country and rode a school bus, there really was not an opportunity to "hang out with friends". As I grew older, there were many times, we would "spend the night" with a girl friend. Especially if that friend lived in town so we could go to the basketball game. I loved to watch basketball. Our school was much too small to have a football team so all of the enthusiasm went to the basketball games. As we grew a bit older - teenagers, we would have "slumber parties" at someone's home. It was a time when home permanents were popular and we gave each other home permanents. After World War II, (1945) my oldest brother came home from the Army and he was able to help with the electrical wiring of our house and we were finally able to have electricity. The Rural Electrification Program had been put into effect (by the Federal Government) and electrical wires were available in many areas where they had not been previously. Now we could have electricity, AND A RADIO! We loved to listen to certain programs - like Jack Armstrong - The All American Boy - and others. My brother was two years older and he liked those programs. Of course, there were also The Lone Ranger - The Hit Parade Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly - really good things and we laughed a lot. A few years later a bathroom was added to the house, but we still did not have a furnace. All heat was done with a heating stove placed in the center room of the downstairs. The kitchen also had a cooking stove that produced heat (both summer and winter). Bedrooms were never heated (very cold in the winter and heavy comforters were needed). My chores growing up were to clean the chimneys on the kerosene lamps - they would always get Smokey when used. From about age 10 or so, it was my job to walk back to the pasture field and bring the cows down to the barn so my mother could milk them. During the summer we always worked in the garden, and helped with bringing the mown hay to the barn. It would be hard to describe, but it was my job to drive two work horses when the hay was taken into the hayloft of the barn by a special contraption that was set and released by my father and other brothers. I liked cleaning better than cooking so weekly I would do a super-clean job on our living room. Since there was no electricity, I would take the cushions from the couch and the rugs, into the yard, beat them with a "beater" to get the dust out and return them. Dishes were always done by hand so drying dishes was never-ending. The good part about chores and working was that we all worked together. Working was something everybody did! My parents had only eighth-grade educations. My mother worked some before she was married at age 19. She has talked about working in a "suspender" factory and an overcoat factory. Since I was the last of nine children, I do not recall that she ever worked outside the home. My father was a part-time farmer, a house painter (both inside and out). During WWII, we were a night watchman in a factory because jobs were plentiful with all of the able bodied men in the military service. Following the War, he was always self-employed. How did this affect my upbringing you have asked? My parents were firm believers in education and all nine children completed high school. This was not always common during the Depression. When I (the ninth child) graduated on a Tuesday, my father died the following Monday. Maybe his life work was completed. Since I was the youngest, I later was able to go to college by providing my own funds so I am the only one of my siblings with a college degree. This does not mean I was ever the smartest one. It just means I had opportunities the others did not have. Did we travel? Not at all. Cars were not dependable. I can recall a time on a visit to my grandparents house that our car could not make it up a hill until we got out (the driver stayed in) walked up the hill and again rode in the car. A BIG treat was for the family (a small part of it) to drive about seven miles into town and visit the root beer stand and get a cold root beer in a frosted mug. Yippee! We also had free movies in the summer time in the small town near my home. My father would drive us there. We would sit on blankets in the street and watch a movie on a large screen put up across the street. Sometimes for a special treat, we even got popcorn! I should talk more about my siblings. I do not recall a time when all nine of us lived in the same house. I had four brothers and four sisters. The older girls would often "live in" with another family and help with housework /cooking/ washing, etc. My brothers would be "hired" to help other farmers with chores, etc. However I do remember times when three of us girls were in one bed. I*m sure the boys had that same experience. We played a lot of card games as a family as well as outdoor games in the summer. My father was pretty good at croquet. Since I mentioned "bed" in the previous paragraph, I must tell you we did not know what a mattress was. We had a sort of canvas sack called a tick. Today you can still find material called ticking. In the summer when the wheat or oats was threshed, there was nice fresh clean straw. The "tick" was filled with straw and it was a real treat to climb up on that high spot for a nights sleep - even if there were three in the bed. The straw gradually settled and wore down until there was little "padding" left. I always lived in Ohio and in Richland County (near Mansfield) until I was 22. I then moved with a girlfriend to Toledo, Ohio, where I worked for an insurance company. It was there I started college - going to night school- while I worked days. That was the beginning of my seven-years needed to get a degree. The first two years, college was night school, and work was day time. After that, college was day and work was extra. I will be eternally grateful that I was able to finish college and am so proud of all of my children and grandchildren who value their education and are great students and great people. I hope I have helped you to get just a glimpse of my life. It was not a hard life - there was joy and fun and lots of room for creativity. Ask your mother about making a "playhouse" when we were on the ranch in Wyoming. I loved to play with paper dolls. Our comic page of the paper always had a girl with a couple dress to cut out. My friend and I would then make other clothes, color them and cut them out. We also cut out people (families) from magazines, cut out rooms and laid it all out so we had a "doll house". My mother had a large box with buttons in it. I liked to sort the buttons - putting same types and colors together. I think that is why I went into accounting which is how I earned a living after high school and college. Accounting is simply putting like things together. Good luck with your assignment - I'll bet your will get lots of great stories from all of the grandparents of your classmates. Grandpa wants this computer and I have to start cleaning our house. It is always wonderful to hear from you and anytime you want to tell us about "hanging out with friends" we would love to hear just what you do. Keep working hard in school and keep being just the wonderful, sweet, cutie pie that you are. We love you bunches! Grandma *****

Project - Grandparents Stories

2009-01-26T08:25:00.001-08:00

My students had a project to find out the stories of their grandparents. This is example for one of the responses:

Dear *****,

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest of four, born to *** and ******. My twin sisters,**** and ****, were about a year older than me and my brother, ***, was three years older. I lived my first year or two or three in Bay Village, just west of Cleveland until we moved to 365 Beach Street of Berea, Ohio. This is about 40 minutes southwest of downtown Cleveland driving or by bus. My Dad also did take a train into his office in Cleveland and I remember walking with him to the train station occasionally in the morning and meeting him when he returned at night. When we four kids went with Mom to downtown Cleveland and Dad's office we always dressed in our finest and rode a bus both ways. When I was 13 we moved to Hinckley, which is directly south of Cleveland and about an hour drive away. Pat did his last year of high school at Berea, my sisters and I went to Hinckley Middle School for two year, than transferred to Brecksville High School further east and where we graduated from. In Berea we walked five or six city blocks to Elementary School and then, I did my seven and eighth grade at Berea High which was a little closer but still a long walk. There was little busing in those days. School in those days was about the same as it is now. In Elementary we had one teacher for the full year and than started having different classes and teachers beginning with the seventh grade. Recess was a big thing and I was a favorite with the girls in the 5th and 6th grades. In Hinckley we usually rode a school bus to and from, but occasionally would ride my bike and later rode a small motor scooter Dad bought for me. In my tenth grade at Hinckley I was the only student who signed up for Geometry and so my class was held in the principles office where I read my book and worked out problems. Also, one day I was called to the principles office to meet with him and a Sheriff's deputy. It seems that one of my so-called friends, the night before, broke into every locker in the boys' gym except mine, which made me a prime suspect. I played on a six man football team at Hinckley. In my 11 and 12 grades I drove myself and others to Brecksville High School. I played on their basketball team, football and track. Also, I remember our History teacher assigning a writing of our family histories. My Latin and English teacher, Miss Fitting, was outstanding and she made schooling a top priority with me and my classmates. Because of her I was elected to the National Honor Society. I have always said since that it takes only one great teacher like her to make a school successful in educating its students. My earliest job, I believe was in Berea and I was a part-time clerk on a rolling grocery store. It was an old bus filled with fresh fruits and vegetables and the proprietor would drive around through the neighborhoods like an ice cream truck selling his wares. I got fired from that job for trying to drive the bus a short distance. i was only 10 at the time and did not have a driver's license. I also delivered an afternoon newspaper in Berea. My father was a patent attorney and, yes, he inspired me to become an attorney also. In fact, my first job after law school was in his office in Cleveland filing foreign patent applications for his clients. I worked there two years than found an opening for a general practice attorney in Newark, Ohio. My mother never worked other than as a volunteer and she died from a heart disease when I was 12. My father remarried a year later and my step mother never worked either other than taking care of us kids. Just a little bit more. Traveling? Prior to age 12, my Dad always seemed too busy to take a vacation and take us on trips like your Grandma and I use to do with your Mother. However, following the death of my mother, Dad and our Aunt Edna took us to the Black Hills of South Dakota where my Dad grew up. That was a great trip. As far as "hanging our with our friends", we would, in Berea, play games with them in the evenings, such as kick the can, and walk with them downtown to the movie or to buy a soda. But we had no malls to meet them at. In Hinckley there was a ice cream parlor across from our school we often went to meet them. Chores? In Berea I do not remember having any. But in Hinckley our home sat on 2 and half acres next to a lake and I got the job of mowing the grass every season. My brother was always gone, like at the Naval Academy, and my sisters strongly felt that mowing grass was a boy's job not a girl's job. I had a power mower I walked behind, but believe me after four or five seasons of that I had my fill with that chore. That is the reason I now own and live in a Condo with no yard work. Back to schools, I should also mention that I was elected to be president of my senior class of Brecksville High. If you need anything more, please let us know. Love Grandpa ****

Project -Grandparents Stories

2009-01-26T08:17:00.000-08:00

My students had a project to find out the stories of their grandparents. This is example for one of the responses:

Dear *** ,
I hope these answers help you with your project.
I was born in New York City, in the borough known as Staten Island, in the town of Richmond. Both of my parents were raised on Staten Island.I loved school. My Father was a teacher, so school, and my performance there, was very important. I was a good student and often made the Honor Roll, I was even treasurer one year.When I was young, we just went to somebody's house and played. Since I grew up in Florida, it was always warm out and we usually played in the yard. I remember that loved riding my bike and going places. When I was older, I went to the movies and the local mall a lot.
I baby-sat in junior high. My first real job was in my sophomore year of high school. I worked at a movie theater evenings and on weekends. I saw the James Bond movie Thunder ball over 50 times! My friends and I, many of whom also worked at the theater, would try to find errors in the movies, because we saw them so many times, we were bored. We were trying to earn money for a trip we were planning to take with the high school band. Almost all of my friends were in the band. The father of one of the band members worked for the theater company and got us all jobs at a brand new theater that opened in Sarasota. I think I made about $600.00 that year, which I used on my trip. After that I worked at Sears during summers and holidays.
Since both of my parents worked, I cleaned my room on the weekends. I couldn't go anywhere until my room was cleaned. I usually did the family laundry, which in those days included ironing. I remember ironing my Dad's shirts for the following week. I always had to be sure he had at least five shirts and five clean handkerchiefs ready for the week. I also hung laundry out to dry on the clothes line, took it in, folded it and put it away. We didn't have dryers in those days. The other major chore I had was to cook dinner. Since I was out of school at 3:30PM, I got home before my Mom. She would tell me what she had bought for dinner and I would get it started and set the table. Later, I did almost all of the cooking in the house until I left for college in my junior year.
I only had one sister and she is 4-1/2 years younger than me.
My Father was a teacher. He taught all kinds of classes over the years form 6th grade to the junior college. Most of the time he was a high school math teacher. My mother also worked for the school system as a secretary at one of the junior high schools (7-9 grades). Since both of my parents were in the school system, my teachers usually knew them. I had to be a model student, and for the most part, I was. I got good grades and was never a discipline problem. My sister says that made it hard on her because she had a lot of the same teachers and they expected her to be like me. She wasn't. She was usually in trouble and at the principles office, but she says she had more fun that I did!
The home I lived in was terrific. When I was very young we lived on the campus of the University of Florida. We moved to St. Petersburg, FL when I was in elementary school and later to Sarasota when I was in junior high. I always lived in a single family house. My Father was a very good carpenter and mechanic and he fixed everything in our homes. He even built entire rooms onto the houses we lived in. He was incredibly skilled and a wonderful person. He always had ten different projects going at one time. I remember when he designed and built his own solar water heating system on the roof. We never had a lot of money, but life in my house was, like yours, always fun. We played games and laughed a lot. I had a terrific childhood!We traveled often. Since both of my parents were employed by the school system, they were both off for the entire summer. Unfortunately, in those days, that meant they didn't receive a paycheck for about 2 months. My Mother usually stayed home, but my Father always found a summer job. But we usually had a few weeks when we could take off. Gas wasn't very expensive then and we usually camped where ever we went, and made our own meals. We went everywhere. My Mother would pick a theme and we would go someplace relevant to it. We went to New England one summer, did the mid-West, we went several times to the Rocky Mountains. One time we did a tour of the Civil War battlefields in the South. We went to New Orleans and Texas one year and another year to Mexico. One summer when Dad didn't work, we traveled 11,000 miles. We did the coast of the US. We went along the southern coast, up the coast of California to Canada and back through the center if the US. Another summer, when we didn't have as much time, we went on a cruise to the Bahamas for a week. By the time I was out of high school, I had been to every state on the mainland. I have a silver charm bracelet with a lot of the charms I collected from these travels. I will share it with you sometime. In high school I went on a band trip to Europe. I went to Scotland, England, France, West Germany and East Germany. That was quite an adventure. We stayed with high school band families in each country and played concerts in various towns for them. It was fabulous.We only moved a couple of times. I really only grew up in two homes. My parents were very stable.
I hope this helps you with your project. If you need any more information or clarification, just let me know.

Letters to the children in Sderot

2009-01-26T08:00:00.001-08:00

Hello
Last week i did a project with my students - to send a letter to the children in Sderot.
The students enjoyed so much and they wrote their letters in Hebrew and English. I made a big display window in the Front Office and put some of them there.
Now i am waiting for a reply from Israel. The students ask me every time if i got it already.
This is one example from them.

Shavit

Canada & America Need A Leader Like This!

2009-01-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

Canada & America Need A Leader Like This!

Prime Minister John Howard - Australia Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.

Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.''This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom ''We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!''Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.''We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.

''This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.

''If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American and Canadian citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

A war in Gaza

2009-01-22T16:53:00.001-08:00

A View from the Target Zone Prof. Haim Harari(Past President of The Weitzman Institute For Science – in Rechovot) January 2009 These words are written a short distance away from the most northern hit, so far, of the Hamas missiles, which are methodically aimed only at civilian population in Israel. You may refer to this message as "A View from the Target Zone". For eight years, approximately 5000 rockets have been sent deliberately into Israeli population centers, by the Hamas terrorists. The rockets are extremely inaccurate. The good news is that they often hit an empty field. The bad news is that, when they do hit buildings and people, they kill, maim and destroy. It is a very ugly game of Iranian Roulette. But the most significant fact is that the undisputed purpose of the rockets is to kill civilians in a random manner. Since they miss entire towns, they could not possibly be aimed at military or strategic targets. No claim is made by the Hamas of anything other than a deliberate attempt to kill civilians within Israel. The world knows about the rockets but rarely mentions that they are aimed only at the civilian population and at nothing else. The Hamas consistently refers to Israel itself as "the occupied territory". It refers to any town in Israel as an "illegal settlement". Its declared aim is to destroy Israel. It has proudly endorsed, initiated and sent numerous suicide murderers into Israeli buses, supermarkets, shopping malls, weddings and other crowded places. It explicitly states that it will continue to do so. Since Israel succeeded in preventing the suicide murders by a combination of the protective wall, other defensive measures and good intelligence penetration, the missiles became the preferred way of killing Israeli civilians. Hamas is declared to be a terrorist organization, not only by Israel, not only by the US, but also by the European Union, who is not suspected of being pro-Israeli. This is the same European Union that refuses to label the Hizbullah as a terror organization, but repeatedly and officially declares the Hamas as such. Hamas is fully funded and largely controlled by Iran, a country openly and totally committed to the destruction of Israel, while continuing to enjoy trade with much of the western world. The Hamas media, and especially its independent TV station, carry daily children programs (including programs for kindergarten age) depicting the Jews (and not only the Israelis) as pigs, dogs, scum of the earth and creatures that must be killed. One of these program features a rabbit which eats Jews.

There is plenty of documentation of these programs, including animations and programs with child presenters. Major western news media never report on this phenomenon, while some of them publish op-ed pieces by declared Hamas leaders. The favorite hour of launching the daily Hamas rockets during the last eight years was 7:45 in the morning, but only on weekdays. Why? Because this is the time in which the streets are full of Israeli children, on their way to school. No one wants to waste rockets when no children are in the streets, during the weekend. Eight year old children in the Israeli town of Sderot, a few miles from the Gaza border, live, since they were born, with these rockets. They know no other life. When the alarm sounds, they have exactly 15 seconds to reach an improvised cover.

Eighth grade children, age 13, have never gone to school, since kindergarten, without the real threat of having a rocket hit them on the way. Their parents have never felt safe about sending their child to school. It is very difficult for anyone living in a normal safe place, to imagine what it means to send your child to school, every single day, for eight years, with the fear that he or she may never reach school because of a missile attack, aimed at killing the children. The world seems to accept this. Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip in 2005. Not one Israeli soldier or civilian remained there. Everything was ready for the people of Gaza to start a new life and economic development. There was no blockade, border crossings were open. Instead came increased shooting of rockets into Israel, a Hamas coup, throwing Fatah Palestinians from roofs of buildings to their death and torturing their own people in their prisons.

It is regrettable that Israel did not react with full force to the very first rockets after its withdrawal from Gaza, but there was always the naïve illusion that perhaps talks, discussions, verbal threats and temporary closings of the border crossings, might do the job. What Israel did not take into account was that Iran, directly or through Hizbullah, was paying the Hamas operatives, per rocket launch. Through the elaborate system of tunnels dug by the Hamas under the Gaza-Egypt border, thousands of tons of explosives and larger and better Iranian missiles have been continuously smuggled into Gaza.

The Israeli Government stupidly agreed in mid 2008, to a six-month cease fire. During the "mock cease fire", many rockets were launched into Israel by a variety of real and fictitious Palestinian organizations, with a clear Hamas sub-license, pretending that the Hamas itself is observing the cease fire. In the meantime, the Hamas could successfully prepare for the next round. It acquired Iranian rockets that were equally inaccurate, but carried larger warheads, had a longer range and contained numerous tiny still balls, in order to increase the civilian casualties over a larger radius. Again, the inaccuracy of the rockets guaranteed that they could only be sent into random civilian targets. But now the rocket range covered a population of close to one million Israelis and the damage is much more significant. Larger and better rockets were now stored in mosques, schools, hospitals and normal apartment buildings. Mortars were added to the menu of shooting at Israeli civilians. Schools financed by the UN were used in order to launch mortar shells and missiles.

The greenhouses left intact by the withdrawing Israelis were destroyed, their metal parts were converted to primitive rockets and their locations became favorite launching areas. Launching rockets at the Israeli population brings a much better income than growing strawberries and flowers in greenhouses. Whenever Israel opened the border crossings to supply Gaza with basic food and fuel, the Hamas was attempting to blow up the crossing points. Providing too much food and fuel would disturb the flourishing black market totally controlled by the Hamas chiefs and their allies. It would also spoil their propaganda machine. Most supplies were transported through the tunnels from Egypt, under Hamas auspices, creating a lucrative business for the Hamas "families".

The absurd notion that Israel must supply fuel, electricity, food and medication to an outlaw region controlled by a terror organization, became a permanent mantra in the western media. Israel was supposed to provide the Hamas with raw materials for the rockets launched at its citizens, with electricity for the machinery used to produce these rockets, with food for its designers and manufacturers, and with building materials in order to construct safe bunkers for the Hamas leadership under schools and hospitals. On one hand the Hamas was claimed to have been the legitimate democratically elected government of the majority of the population and on the other hand the population, that allegedly elected these thugs, was declared innocent and suffering. The inconsistency was never pointed out. Once the border crossing was closed, as a result of the repeated Hamas attacks, the international game of a "humanitarian crisis" was successfully played, with full cooperation of the western media. Famous incidents included photographs of poor Gaza residents with candles and (allegedly) no electricity, staged behind black curtains in full outside daylight (visible through cracks between the curtains).

Most western media happily used these fake pictures and, when the lie was exposed, never mentioned it. Hamas leaders were never lacking food, fuel, electricity, luxurious private vehicles and all amenities of well to do black market profiteers. Very few western journalists remained in Gaza, after several were kidnapped by the Hamas. Almost all reports to western media come from Palestinians, who are either sympathetic to Hamas, or afraid of it, or openly active in its ranks, or all of the above. The reader of the New York Times, or the viewer of a European TV network, never notices who provides him or her with the news. All photographs, both stills and videos, are provided by Palestinian operatives, who would stop at nothing in order to support the propaganda machine. On western TV, Hamas rockets are launched only from empty fields, never from a school or a crowded neighborhood, as it is in real life.

United Nation sources in Gaza are often quoted, condemning Israel for the "Humanitarian Crisis". But these sources are normally employees of UNRWA, the UN agency that, since 1948, makes every effort to perpetuate the "refugee" status of the great-grandchildren of the 1948 refugees. The grandparents of these "refugees" were displaced 60 years ago by a distance of a 20 minute drive and were never resettled because they were receiving free food from the UN. The UN objected vehemently to any attempt at settling the refugees, their children and grandchildren. The few real refugees, who remain alive today, and are 80 year old, were 18 year old when they were displaced. All the terrorists are third or fourth generation "refugees" held as such, courtesy of UNRWA. These UN organizations employ, by their own admission, numerous active Hamas members. When the latter make statements on behalf of "UN sources in Gaza", the Palestinian journalists never mention to us who these "UN sources" are. The public gets the impression that these are truthful objective sources, while being fed with standard Hamas lies. Western media never disclose to us that the jobs of these people depend on perpetuating the misery of the so-called "refugees".

A Headmaster and science teacher of one of the UNRWA schools in Gaza was a leader in the rocket industry of the Islamic Jihad, a satellite terror organization in Gaza, collaborating with Hamas. The UN strongly denied the Israeli accusations that they are employing such a person, until the man was killed by Israel and was eulogized by his friends as a leader of the Islamic Jihad and a designer of rockets. When Israeli truck drivers were bringing the humanitarian supplies to Gaza, during the period of Hamas rocket fire, they were frequently attacked by Hamas. At least one Israeli truck driver, supplying the Palestinians, was deliberately murdered. No protest was launched by the UN. But, when during the current fighting, an Arab truck driver, employed by the UN, was accidentally killed, the UN became indignant and stopped all its "humanitarian" activity in protest, to the tune of loud denunciations from all "UN sources". The Israeli defense forces monitor every detail of this fantasyland by using airborne drones and by a very successful intelligence penetration of the Hamas ranks. They know which apartment building serves as a missile storage place, the addresses and phone numbers of Hamas leaders, which school serves as an ammunition depot, etc.

When the six-month "ceasefire" ended, in mid December, Hamas refused to continue it, launching 90 rockets into Israeli towns and villages in one day. In retrospect, this has prevented a much more dangerous future situation. Had there been an additional "ceasefire", Hamas would have acquired rockets covering all of Israel and possibly much more accurate Iranian missiles. The Iranian supply line of explosives and weapons, together with the flourishing business of smuggled goods, went through the tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border with efficiency and regularity. Had such efficiency been attempted in improving the lives of the Palestinians in Gaza, the entire Middle East would have been an entirely different place. But, coupled with the weapon smuggling, it was essential to create the charade of the "Humanitarian Crisis". During the current operation, when the Israeli Air Force wants to blow up a house which serves as a missile storage, Israel phones every family in the house and gives them 15 minutes to evacuate.

The Hamas is then sending the women and children to the roof of the building in order to prevent the Israeli aircraft from making the kill. Israel has now developed a tiny arrow-like missile which can be sent to the corner of the roof, making a loud noise and harming no one, in order to scare away the women and children on the roof, before the real bomb destroys the missile collection or the explosive storage place. Often, the women and children used by the Hamas as a human shield, escape and the house is then blown up, with a spectacular secondary explosion of the stored missiles or other war materials. On other occasions, a Hamas person gets to the roof and prevents the women and children from leaving. In those cases, the operation is not completed by the Israeli Air Force, in order to spare civilian lives, at the risk of having the rockets launched into Israel on the following day. Never in history, has any country made such an enormous effort to avoid civilian casualties, in fighting against murderers who target only civilians and never anything else. No one in Kosovo, Serbia, Georgia or Iraq, was offered such a courtesy by the bombing and attacking powers. This fact is never mentioned by the western media. Many of the heroic commanders of the Hamas are hiding in the central hospital of Gaza, in an elaborate network of bunkers, trusting that Israel will not attack the hospital. Hamas spokesmen issue proclamations from the maternity ward of the same hospital, knowing that Israel will not hit them there. Ironically, of all non-Israelis, the Hamas leaders are the only ones who know for sure that Israel never deliberately hurts civilians. They exploit this fact.

The rest of the world buys the Hamas lies and blames Israel for hurting civilians. Repeated claims of "humanitarian crisis" are made from the same hospital. The doctors in charge never tell us that the hiding leaders of the Hamas are using them and the patients as human shields. Whether the doctors are only scared or are deliberate accomplices, we do not know. Probably some are active Hamas members and others are justifiably scared to speak up. We never hear a word from the International Red Cross regarding the use of the hospitals as the headquarters of terror leaders. One of the most horrible "impartial" testimonies on the humanitarian situation, in the hospital, is delivered repeatedly to the western media by a "Norwegian Doctor" serving there. The man is well known from his 2001 interviews with Norwegian TV, in which he explicitly supported and justified the 9/11 attacks. Needless to say, none of the networks who bring us the righteous doctor, mention this. He is just "A Norwegian Doctor" attending to the wounded. Palestinian ambulances are routinely used to move terrorists around. This has also been the Palestinian practice in the West Bank during the terror wave in 2001-2002. An ambulance is an ideal method of transporting a suicide murderer across check points. In the unlucky case that the criminal is caught, there is at least a good press photograph of the ugly Israelis attacking or stopping an ambulance. It is a win-win situation. If an ambulance full of healthy Hamas terrorists and explosives is hit from the air, the pictures are even better for the western media and for Al Jazeera. Several Hamas leaders are moving around Gaza surrounded by children, and often holding a child on their arms.

There are well documented cases in which Hamas terrorists were pulling reluctant children by their ears to accompany them when they move from one building to another. None of this is mentioned by the western media. Several Mosques, which were used as ammunition dumps, were destroyed by Israel. In every one of these cases, the air photographs showed a primary explosion, from the air missile or bomb, and a much bigger secondary explosion, from the stored missiles or other explosives in the mosque. The secondary explosion is an absolute clear proof of what was hidden at the mosque. The normal beautiful carpets in a mosque would not create a secondary explosion. Western media have these videos, but rarely show them or mention their existence. But the same western media repeatedly show the pictures of injured or dead children, some of whom were indeed accidentally injured or killed by the Israeli attacks on military and terror targets, and some are obviously fake pictures with red paint smeared on children faces. At least in one case, the same child, obviously painted and not injured, has been paraded in front of various TV cameras by several different men, each declared to be his father by a different network.

Children and innocent civilians are, indeed, killed and injured, in spite of all the enormous precautions and efforts of the Israeli forces. This is truly tragic. But the only alternative for Israel is to sit still, absorb the thousands of missiles on its civilian population and wait for bigger, deadlier and longer range missiles to start destroying everything in Israel. Israel is offered a choice between a complete national suicide, on one hand, and an attack on the terrorists, with extraordinary measures to avoid civilian casualties, but with the knowledge that such casualties must occur when the other side is using children as human shields, storing explosives in mosques, shooting mortars from schools and hiding the perpetrators in hospitals. Most Hamas terrorists hide in safe bunkers, leaving their families in the war zone. They are happy to fight to the last Palestinian civilian, not to the last Hamas terrorist. Women and children are moving within the battlegrounds, with Hamas snipers shooting, using them as cover. The women and children are not allowed into the limited space of the Hamas bunkers. More than once, a woman is observed carrying a suicide belt. Israeli soldiers, who are trying to help these women to move safely away from the fighting area, are at a very serious risk of a suicide murder.

When the Hamas terrorists are killed, they are counted by the "UN Sources" as civilians. That is how the "UN sources" reach the huge numbers of dead civilians they are reporting. Interestingly, Al Jazeera almost never shows dead bodies of young males, and the western media, being fed by Palestinian stringers, follow suit. The Hamas TV ("Al Aksa TV") and Al Jazeera show, 24 hours a day, repeated video clips with loud music, showing injured bloody children, including some body parts. Some injuries are real, some are not, but the videos are shown nonstop between every two news items. The news items themselves are often lies, but that really does not matter. What do matter are the video clips, edited like commercials, brainwashing a worldwide audience and a new generation of future terror sympathizers. A video taken several years ago in Gaza, surfaced. The video documents an accidental explosion of a Hamas truck, carrying a large number of missiles, among celebrating Palestinians somewhere in Gaza. Many were killed and injured in this accident, and the pictures were devastating. There is no Israeli involvement whatsoever, and the event happened a few years ago. European networks, including France 2, are showing it now as evidence for the current "criminal" behavior of Israel. The French channel apologized later, but the number of people who heard the apology is significantly fewer than those who saw the horrible pictures and believed the lies. In this case, at least, the hoax was delivered by the Hamas and France 2 was apparently the victim, not the perpetrator, as it definitely was in well known previous cases. Israel opens the border crossings daily, during the fighting, in order to provide basic food ingredients and medication to the civilian population. No one can remember such a gesture in any other war in history, certainly not toward the side that attacks only civilians and repeatedly announces that its only aim is to totally annihilate its opponent. Most of the supplies are captured by the Hamas terrorists and used for their own troops and their flourishing black market, never providing them in an organized way to the population.

"UN sources" claim that not enough food is transmitted. That the Hamas murderers use these tactics, lies and methods, is not at all surprising. That the international community, with all its investigative reporters, swallows these lies so eagerly, without exposing them, is something which demands an explanation.

Bar Mitzva Speech Vayikra

2009-01-21T05:28:00.000-08:00

The book of Vayikra, Leviticus, in which my Parsha is contained, deals mostly with the various sacrifices that were brought in the Temple. Interestingly, the word sacrifice is one of the poorest translations in all of the Torah.
In English, the word sacrifice seems to be a form of the verb meaning, “to give up,” often associated with suffering or having to do without. In truth, the Hebrew word Korban means, “that which brings close.” It is a joyful term, because it signifies that we have catalysts available to help us attain our spiritual goals.
Much more than a primitive rite, the sacrifices represent the breaking down of animalistic desires into their most basic form, the component parts, and through reflection on that, being able to free ourselves from the base instincts that cause Man to sin. As the animals being offered have no say in their fate, walking without resistance in the direction they are led, so does one who approaches life without thinking, merely traveling the path of least resistance, succumb to a sorry end.
With this week's Torah reading, Vayikra, we begin the Book of Leviticus, which contains a detailed account of the various offerings brought to the Sanctuary and the Holy Temples.
Though the physical Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago, the Torah's teachings are eternal, and apply always.
Furthermore, as we stand now on the threshold of the Messianic Era, the laws of these offerings will be in effect very soon in the Third Holy Temple.
One of the offerings discussed in our Torah portion is the Mincha, or meal-offering, about which the Torah says: "When any soul will bring a meal-offering to the L-rd; his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense upon it."
What are we to learn from the Torah's use of the word "soul," something it does not do in connection with any other voluntary offering?
Our answer lies in an examination of the Mincha itself.
As Rashi, the great Torah commentator explains, a meal-offering is usually brought by a poor person, who cannot afford to sacrifice an ox or even a lamb.
G-d's choice of the word "soul," therefore, recognizes the great loss the relatively inexpensive meal-offering represents to the impoverished person: to G-d, it is as if he offered up his very soul.
When a wealthy man parts with one of his flock, it makes little difference to his overall financial situation. The poor man, however, needs to invest much labor to be able to purchase the flour and oil that make up the Mincha. His offering represents true personal sacrifice, and more of a willingness to draw closer to G-d -- the purpose of all the sacrifices that were brought on the altar.
The poor man has many needs; most certainly the money could have been used to ease his plight. Consequently, the meal-offering represents the poor man's triumph against his evil inclination (which no doubt encouraged him to use the money for selfish means), and is therefore especially beloved by G-d.
Even now, during the exile, we can perform this same mitzva, albeit in the spiritual sense.
We find an allusion to this in the verse, "If any one of you brings an offering": If a Jew truly wants to draw nearer to G-d, it must come "of you" -- from deep within. The Jew must sacrifice his "animal soul" -- his evil inclination -- for the sake of attaining this closeness to G-d.
The Mincha offering therefore provides us with a positive example of how we are to serve G-d during the exile, as the "sacrificing" of our evil inclination serves to negate the reason we were sent into exile in the first place -- namely, our sins. Furthermore, this will lead to the building of the Third Holy Temple in the literal sense, speedily in our days.

And the L-rd called ("Vayikra") to Moses (Leviticus 1:1)
The word "vayikra" is written in this verse with an alef much smaller than the other letters of that word.
This alludes to Moses' great humility, for "vayikra" with an alef indicates that G-d called Moses with an extra measure of love.
The Torah tells us that "the skin of Moses's face shone" with a special radiance. According to the Midrash, when Moses was writing the Torah, he took some extra ink and rubbed it on his forehead, causing his skin to glow.
This extra ink was left over from the alef of "Vayikra": G-d had wanted Moses to write it with a regular-sized alef, whereas Moses didn't want to write it at all. As a compromise, Moses made the alef tiny, and thus had a small amount of ink left over from the exact amount G-d gave him.
If his offering be a burnt-sacrifice ("olah")...of his own voluntary will, before G-d (Leviticus 1:3)
The root of the Hebrew word "olah" means "height" or "elevation," teaching us that if a person truly desires to lift himself up and draw near to G-d, he must sacrifice "his own voluntary will," as our Sages said, "Nullify your will before His ."
(The Magid of Mezeritch)
Every one of your meal-offerings shall you season with salt (Leviticus 2:13)
The world is divided into three parts: one-third desert, one- third inhabited land, and one-third sea.
According to the Midrash, the sea rose up in protest. "Master of the Universe!" it cried, "the Torah was given in the desert, and the Holy Temple was built on land. What are You going to give to me?"
"Do not worry," G-d replied. "All the sacrifices that will ever be brought by the Jewish people upon the altar will be 'seasoned with salt' [which comes from the sea]."
(Yalkut Reuveini)
If any person sin, because he hears the voice of adjuration (Leviticus 5:1)
If a Jew sees someone committing a certain transgression, it is a sure sign that the same sin exists within him. The reason G-d caused him to witness this is so that he will be able to correct his own flaw.
(The Baal Shem Tov)

The Book of Vayikra deals primarily with the korbanot (sacrifices) that were brought in the Sanctuary and the Holy Temple. These sacrifices were among the most important features of the Temple service.
The first sacrifice to be offered each morning was the korban tamid (perpetual offering). The daily service concluded with another one that was offered at dusk.
The korban tamid teaches us the proper order of service -- perpetual service -- that is required of every Jew. G-d does not demand that we sacrifice everything we possess, that we bring all our belongings to the Temple in Jerusalem. In fact, the perpetual offering consisted of one lamb, a small amount of oil and wine, and a little flour and salt. Thus, it was composed of all levels of creation: a lamb, representing the animal kingdom; wine, flour and oil from the vegetative kingdom; and salt, which is inanimate.
The korban tamid was brought on behalf of the entire Jewish people, but each Jew was not required to bring his own individual offering. Rather, the sacrifices were purchased with a special fund to which all Jews contributed. By donating a tiny sum of money, every Jew was able to participate in the twice-daily service.
G-d does not want us to give Him everything and leave nothing for ourselves; quality is much more important than quantity. The question is not how much we have given or invested of our efforts, but how we have done so. G-d requires that we give Him only a small amount, but He wants us to do so willingly, with joy and with enthusiasm. The actual contribution each individual Jew made to the perpetual offering was almost insignificant, but if it was given with a whole heart, it was sufficient to merit G-d's blessings.
Despite its name the perpetual offering was made only twice a day, at specific times. When a Jew begins the day with a "korban," from the Hebrew word meaning "to draw near," its effect carries over throughout the day. It becomes a "perpetual offering," and is not limited to a specific time.
When a Jew wakes up in the morning, the very first action is to say "Modeh Ani," the equivalent of the perpetual offering. The person addresses G-d as "the living and enduring King," declaring his/her subservience and willingness to serve Him. Beginning the day in this manner ensures that his conduct will have the same effect as the korban tamid, and the entire day will be infused with a longing to draw ever closer to G-d.

As we learn in the Torah portion of Vayikra, a korban chatat (sin offering) must be brought for a sin which is committed unintentionally. A korban asham taluy (trespass offering for doubtful guilt) is brought if the person is not sure that he has committed a sin.
For example: A person was presented with two portions of fat that look alike. After eating one of them he learns that only one portion was kosher; the other was treife, and he is not sure which one he ate. In this instance he is required to bring an asham taluy, for there is no way to determine if a sin was committed.
A korban asham taluy is a more expensive offering than a korban chatat. To explain why:
The purpose of an offering is to arouse a Jew to return to G-d in repentance. If a person is sure that he has sinned, he feels a genuine regret and repents completely. If, however, there is doubt in his mind (as the possibility exists that no sin was really committed), it is much more difficult for him to experience regret and return to G-d with a whole heart. Accordingly, the offering he must bring is more costly than the one he would be required to offer if his sin were a known fact.
These korbanot were brought for sins that were committed unintentionally. At first glance this does not make sense, as it would seem that a person should not be held accountable for an involuntary action. Nonetheless, we see that such a person is obligated to bring an offering, as his soul needs to undergo refinement.
The very fact that a person has come to sin - even unintentionally, without forethought - is proof that his spiritual standing is not what it should be. For if a Jew conducts himself properly he will never transgress, and not even accidentally, as it states, "No evil will happen to the just."
Those things a person does "accidentally," without plan and without intention, are indicative of his essential nature. The actions we perform automatically, without thinking, reflect our true leanings and tendencies. They indicate those areas toward which we are most inclined.
A tzadik (righteous person) naturally performs actions that are good and holy. If, G-d forbid, a person commits a sin, even by "chance," it shows that he derives at least an infinitesimal degree of pleasure from negative things. Thus a person is required to bring an offering for any sin he commits, even those that are committed without his volition.
(Likutei Sichot, Volume 3)

The Hebrew letters of the Torah are written in three sizes: the standard letters with which most of the Torah is written, a smaller size and a larger size. The first word of the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) is written with an alef that is of the smaller size, both in a Torah scroll and in a printed Chumash (Five Books of Moses).
When the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Chabad Rebbe) was a young boy his grandfather, Rabbi Shneur Zalman (founder of Chabad Chasidism), sent him to learn in cheder. Rabbi Shneur Zalman instructed the teacher to begin with the first chapter of the Book of Leviticus.
When the Tzemach Tzedek returned from school he asked his grandfather why the alef of Vayikra was so little. Rabbi Shneur Zalman pondered the question deeply for some time and then replied:
"In the beginning of Divrei HaYamim (the Book of Chronicles, one of the 24 books of the Bible), Adam's name is written with a large alef. The big letter alludes to the fact that Adam considered himself to be very important. After all, none other than G-d Himself had created him! Adam was aware of his own significance, which was a contributing factor in the sin of the Tree of Knowledge.
"By contrast, in the verse 'And [G-d] called to Moses' ['Vayikra'], the alef is small, which alludes to Moses' humility. Even though Moses was aware of his many extraordinary talents, he did not perceive himself as great, nor did he take pride in his abilities. It states in the Torah, 'And the man Moses was very humble.' Moses was modest and unassuming. He felt that if someone else had been blessed with the same abilities as he, the other person would have utilized them better.
"The Torah is written in intermediate-sized letters, for a Jew must always strive to be a beinoni [a Chasidic term meaning a person with complete mastery over his Evil Inclination]. By means of the Torah, every Jew can attain that level."
With this answer the Alter Rebbe taught his grandson, and by extension all of us, an important lesson in the service of G-d:
On the one hand, we must learn from Adam and correctly perceive our own qualities: We possess a G-dly soul, and have inherited many positive character traits from our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
On the other hand, we must emulate Moses and not be overly proud of ourselves. For if someone else were blessed with the very same qualities it is possible that he would make use of them to an even greater degree.
Thus we must always have a sense of our own significance, yet temper our pride with humility.
Adapted from Likutei Sichot, Volume 17

The specific korbanot, sacrifices, in the Parsha I read today have an extra significance for a Bat Mitzvah. In my Parsha, we read of the sacrifices offered upon the inauguration of Aaron and his sons into the Priesthood. Moshe placed the blood of the special inaugural sacrifice upon the ear, thumb, and toe of each of Aaron and his sons. What does this signify, and what does it have to do with my becoming
a Bar Mitzvah?

Just as Aaron and his sons were installed as the Priests in the Temple during this ceremony, I am installed as a member of the Jewish People at this one. I am now an adult member of Israel, and have obligations to fulfill. In trying to fulfill them, I must ask myself: what is the message of Aaron’s inauguration to my own?
In that ceremony, blood was placed on three body parts.
First, the ear. Aaron and his family were not expected to necessarily know everything about Jewish law. Rather, their ears were consecrated so they would understand that by listening, they could learn of the traditions and expectations of Judaism upon them.
Next comes the thumb. What sets Man apart from most of the animal kingdom is his opposable thumb. This feature allows us to perform many acts other creatures cannot. The message here is that we must utilize our gifts, talents, and skills in such a way that our actions are sanctified.
Finally, the big toe. Like the opposable thumb which makes grasping possible, the big toe gives us balance when we walk. King Solomon, in Proverbs (3:5), says: “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” When we walk in the street, G-d’s glory should be visible upon us, so that people who see us may say, “there goes a person who is holy and whose actions are sacred. That is someone who is a complete individual.”
The Hebrew word for the inauguration is “milu’im,” or installation, but the commentaries say that several times it is spelled, “mi’lay’im,” meaning “which make complete.” Though I am not a complete and perfected human being today, for I have my whole life ahead of me to strive for greater and loftier goals, my Parsha give me the tools I need to get there. By learning about my heritage, and acting in a manner consistent with a person of spirituality, I can become not only a successful Bar Mitzvah, but also a perfected human being.

שאלת רב

2009-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

נתקלתי בשאלת רב שהופנתה בצורה די פרובוקטיבית, אך תשובת הרב כל כך קולעת שלא
יכולתי שלא להתחלק בה איתכם.

שאלה: למה היהדות כל כך עסוקה בפרטים קטנים ובלתי רלוונטיים, כמו כמה מצה בדיוק
צריך לאכול בליל הסדר, איזה כלי חלבי ואיזה בשרי, איך לקשור את שרוכי הנעליים שלי.
לי זה נראה כאילו היהדות מזניחה את העיקר כשהיא נתפסת לקטנוניות.
לזה היהודים קוראים רוחניות?

(כבר שלחתי לך שאלה זו לפני שבוע אך לא נעניתי. אולי סוף סוף קיבלת שאלה שאין עליה תשובה?!)

תשובה:

מעולם לא טענתי שיש לי את כל התשובות. הרבה שאלות הינם מעבר להשגתי. אך האמת היא שעניתי לך ואתה קבלת את תשובתך.

כשקיבלתי את שאלתך תכף עניתי לך, והעובדה שלא קיבלת את תשובתי היא היא התשובה לשאלתך.

ראה, השבתי לך, אך כשכתבתי את כתובת הדוא"ל שלך לא הוספתי נקודה לפני המילה

COM

סברתי שתקבל את הדוא"ל גם ככה, שהרי סך הכל חסרה רק נקודה אחת קטנה. זאת אומרת,
זה לא שכתבתי שמך לא נכון או מילה מוטעית, או משהו דרסטי אחר. צריך להיות מאוד
קטנוני כדי לא להבין ש Yahoocom ו yahoo.com זה אותו דבר.

זה לא מגוחך שלא קיבלת את תשובתי רק בשל העדר נקודה אחת קטנה ובלתי רלוונטית?

לא, זה לא מגוחך! כי הנקודה היא לא רק נקודה, היא מבטאת משהו. לאותה נקודה הרבה יותר משמעות מאשר כמה פיקסלים במסך.

לי היא נראית בלתי רלוונטית בעליל, אך זה נובע רק מחוסר הידע שלי בדרכי האינטרנט. כל מה שאני יודע הוא שבתוספת הנקודה הדוא"ל שלי מגיע ליעדו אך בלא הנקודה הוא הולך לאיבוד ומגיע לאן שהוא.
למצוות יש עומק עצום. כל פרט מכיל עולם של משמעויות, ומרכיב את התמונה השלמה.
כשמקיימים מצווה בשלמות ובדייקנות, גל רוחני נשלח מאיתנו אל היקום, עד ל"דואר הנכנס" של הקב"ה.

אם ברצונך להכיר את המשמעות של הנקודה באינטרנט, תלמד על תפעולה של הרשת.

אם ברצונך להבין את משמעות מצוות היהדות, תלמד תורה.

הרב אהרן מוס
חב"ד, אוסטרליה

A father of a soldier in Gaza

2009-01-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

As my son goes to war, I am fully Israeli at last.

A father of a soldier in Gaza

"I just heard on the news that Gavriel's base has been shelled," my wife, Sarah, said to me last Tuesday, referring to our 19-year-old son, a member of an Israeli army tank unit waiting on the Gaza border for the order to enter. And, she added in a deliberately calm tone, "A soldier was killed." We texted Gavriel, and within five minutes he called, safe. How, Sarah asked, did families survive war before cell phones?

For days we waited for a cabinet decision: Will there be a land invasion or a new cease-fire? The politicians began to bicker while our soldiers waited on the border, in the rain and the mud. Anything but this, I said to Sarah. Not another Lebanon War, which, like Gaza, began with an impressive show of Israeli air power but ended with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah predicting the imminent end of "the Zionist entity." If we don't win this time -- deliver an unambiguous blow if not topple Hamas entirely -- our deterrence will further erode, inviting more rocket attacks and encouraging the jihadist momentum throughout the Middle East.

This is my first experience as the father of a soldier. Now, I fully understand the terrible responsibility of being an IsraeliAnd then I caught myself: How can I be hoping for an outcome that will send my son into battle? This is my first experience as the father of a soldier, and now, after 26 years of living in Israel, I finally understand the terrible responsibility of being an Israeli. I had assumed that I'd become initiated into Israeliness when I myself was drafted into the army as a 34-year-old immigrant in 1989. But perhaps only now have I become fully Israeli. Zionism promised to empower the Jews by making them responsible for their fate; the price for that achievement is to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for one's commitments.

And now my son is fighting in Gaza. The conflict he and his friends confront is far worse than my generation's experience in Gaza. In our time, we were confronted with mere rocks and Molotov cocktails; my son faces Iranian-supplied anti-tank weapons -- one more price we will pay, along with the missile attacks on our towns, for the Gaza withdrawal, just as the Israeli right had warned.
Still, I don't regret that withdrawal. If Israelis are united today about our right to defend ourselves against Gaza's genocidally minded regime, it is at least partly because we are fighting from our international border.
My son and his friends have one crucial advantage over my generation's experience in Gaza: They know, as we did not, that Israel was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for peace, uprooting thousands of its citizens from their homes and endorsing a Palestinian state. My son confronts Gaza knowing that its misery is now imposed by its leaders. He knows that his country was even prepared to share its most cherished national asset, Jerusalem, with its worst enemy, Arafat, for the sake of preventing this war. That empowers him with the moral self-confidence he will need to get through the coming days.

The face of my Gaza enemy was a teenager throwing rocks; the face of Gavriel's Gaza enemy is a suicide bomber.

“This war has targeted civilians, turning the home front into the actual front”But we are hardly free of moral anxiety. Even as I pray for Gavriel's physical safety, I pray too for his spiritual well-being: that his tank doesn't accidentally shell civilians, that he isn't caught in some terrible mistake, which can so easily happen in a war zone where terrorists hide behind innocent people.

For the past eight years, Israel has fought a single war with shifting fronts, moving from suicide bombings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to Katyusha attacks on Israeli towns near the Lebanon border to Qassam missiles on Israeli towns near the Gaza border. That war has targeted civilians, turning the home front into the actual front. And it has transformed the nature of the conflict from a nationalist struggle over Palestinian statehood to a holy war against Jewish statehood. Except for a left-wing fringe, most Israelis recognize the conflict in Gaza as part of a larger war that has been declared against our being and that we must fight.

Meanwhile, I try to reassure myself about Gavriel's safety. Growing up in Jerusalem during the suicide bombings in the early 2000s, he has already known danger, intimacy with death. A 13-year-old acquaintance was stoned to death, and was so mutilated that he could be identified only by his DNA. A friend lost the use of an eye in a bus bombing on his way to school. At least now, Gavriel and his friends can defend themselves. Perhaps one reason most of them volunteered for combat units was because now the generation of the suicide bombings can finally fight back.

Just before the conflict in Gaza began, I happened to visit Gavriel at his base. His unit's barracks had been turned into what young Israelis call a "zula" -- a hangout. There were muddy couches, chairs without backs, a darbuka drum, a TV (Jay Leno was on). It could have been a teenage scene anywhere in the West, except that hanging on the walls were Hamas banners captured by the unit's veteran members in a previous round of fighting in Gaza. In a corner of the room hung a photograph of a fallen soldier. Across the bottom someone had written, "What was the rush, Shachar? Why did you have to leave us so soon?"

Even now, perhaps especially now, I feel that our family is privileged to belong to the Israeli story. Gavriel, grandson of a Holocaust survivor, is part of an army defending the Jewish people in its land. This is one of those moments when our old ideals are tested anew and found to be still vital. That provides some comfort as Sarah and I wait for the next text message…

“We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us” (Golda Meir)

Gilad Schalit 935 Days away from home

2009-01-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Gilad Schalit.
935 Days away from home

The speech that Aviva Schalit mother of Gilad, on his 3rd birthday in captivity

I ask only one thing: Giladi, be strong, as you know how to be, and do not break down.”Today is your 22nd birthday of Gilad my beloved and dear son, so long since we have been together.Gilad, 22 years old today you are spending your 3rd birthday in captivity in the hands of the Hamas, in darkness, in total isolation, surrounded by four dark walls without even one single window. A third year in the hands of these evil people who do not recognize the most basic concept of human rights, the right of the individual as a human being.Today I have not baked a cake for you neither did I blow balloons; I have not got flowers or bought a gift. I have not even pondered what he would wish to receive for his birthday and when and how could we surprise him with a gift and with our good wishes of Mazal Tov.But instead, I have written something which combines a blessing and a wish in which I have asked only one thing: Giladi, be strong, as you know how to be, and do not break down. Think all the time that we are with you and for you and we will get you out of there. We, Dad, Mum, the family and the many friends and many people from all over the country who join us in the efforts for you and feel that time has come to take action. After 800 days and 800 long nights in prison, in this nightmare which you do not deserve – it is time to act.You do not deserve a third year in this terrible captivity. We, the family and this wonderful nation which continues to support you and try to do things for your sake. We will act tirelessly for your release…I repeat and say here and now, in front of our home in Hillah in the Western Galilee, there is no price for a child, a child whom we raised and educated here in the land of Israel, to love the country and to serve it. We sent you to serve in the army following the same values on which you were always brought up.There is no price for a life of a soldier who is sent by the state to serve and protect it and is falling into captivity while doing so…This is not a property deal. Here the issue is a life of a son, a child of this homeland, a life of a soldier in the Israeli Defence Force.In this context I chose to quote the words of a previous Chief of Staff:“A State which forgets its soldiers will end up by its soldiers forgetting her.”

A Groom Must Participate

2009-01-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

A Groom Must Participate – Gaza War a ‘Milchemet Mitzvah’

In his publicized halachic opinion, the rabbi speaks from a place of understanding, first-hand knowledge of the serious consequences that may result in his ruling, that even a Groom, a bridegroom in his first year of marriage, must join the fighting forces in Gaza, for the Gaza War is a compulsory war, one which does not permit the luxury of sitting back on the sidelines, perhaps waiting for others to take the place of the bridegroom.
The painful yet exacting words were released by Rav Ze’ev Karov on Tuesday.
We merited bringing our son to the chupah last Thursday. The following morning, he was recalled to the army, to command his troops and lead them into Gaza. He responded with the determination, well-aware of his responsibility and the mission at hand.
I hear the criticism and even the anger, those who question the decision and ask can’t they manage without him? Aren’t there others? Mustn’t he remain home to be at his bride’s side?
In a ‘milchemes mitzvah’, everyone is compelled to take part, including a choson. The chachamim (sages) teach us a powerful yet potent lesson, one that places priorities in order. Even a bride and bridegroom do not take priority over a compulsory war, teaching us that the young couple draws its strength from the community, as is recited in the bracha under the chupah, “Mevorech Amo Yisrael al Yidei Chupah V’Kidushin. We do not say ‘Mevorech Choson V’chalah’. The couple’s new private union is only valid as part of the greater family, Am Yisrael, the tzibur.
We do not place the building of the new home ‘on hold’ but the choson emerges and joins the tzibur, working immediately on this lofty plain to begin building on a much higher level. There are those who would say the opposite is true and we do not compel the choson to join in, but we deter him from doing so, perhaps even pushing off the compulsory war based on our concerns to protect him. Baruch Hashem, this is not the case and we see the overwhelming numbers are behind the operation, the IDF, understanding that while painful and costly, the Gaza War is indeed necessary.
It is also a moral lesson, a lesson the torah teaches us, that our individual lives must contribute while drawing strength from the community, from the tzibur, the klal.
May it be Hashem’s will that he protects our soldiers wherever they may be and may we merit hearing good tidings.
These are the words of Rav Karov, who son, a 2nd-lt. in the paratroopers, was gravely injured by a Hamas bomb less than two weeks after his wedding. Aaron and Tzvia are still together, but Aaron is now in another battle, fighting for his life, to overcome his extensive injuries.
The public is urged to continue davening for Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana as well as all the wounded soldiers.

War in Gaza

2009-01-19T06:16:00.000-08:00

I the Israeli Shaliach felt that in order to feel more connected to Israel in times of war; one must create a personal connection. It’s not enough to know what’s going on, I want you to feel it. So, in this news letter there are no numbers, no up-dates or facts. I open a small window for you to hear the people behind the headlines. I bring you their stories, thoughts, and feelings in the hope that they will touch our hearts and bring us closer to theirs.

HHAI prays for the safety of our brothers and soldiers in Israel and hope to see them all return home safely.

This 22-year-old soldier had died so we can live in the Jewish homeland safe from the terror attacks of our enemies.
At last night's funeral of Staff Sergeant Dvir Emmanueloff, the first Israeli soldier to fall in the Gaza War, I got to meet the face behind the name. Dvir did not love fighting; he loved people. And he loved the Jews of southern Israel. He had attended yeshiva high school in the southern town of Netivot, now under attack by long-range missiles from Gaza. Dvir wanted to protect those people.
Through the eulogies at his funeral, I was introduced to Dvir. A rabbi who had been his high school teacher spoke. He told how this past summer on Tisha B'Av Dvir's unit was scheduled for arduous training exercises. Dvir could not reach his rabbi to ask if he was exempt from fasting, so he fasted. Running with heavy equipment on his back throughout the hot summer day, his friends implored him to drink, but Dvir persisted in his fast until a military rabbi ordered him to drink.
Dvir's older sister Hadas tried to speak through her tears. She described her brother, who was helpful, fun, encouraging, and loving. Dvir had been a counselor of a religious youth group. Even after he entered the army, Dvir would call every one of his former charges on their birthdays to wish them well. He also sent each of them New Year's cards before Rosh Hashana.
Every single person who spoke mentioned Dvir's ever-present smile.
As the eulogies continued, the tragedy of Dvir's death deepened. The family's rabbi recounted how exactly two years and ten months ago, he sat by the hospital bed of Dvir's father and watched the machines monitoring his vital signs until they went silent. What? I thought. His mother buried her husband less than three years ago, and now she's burying her son?
Another speaker extended condolences to Dvir's mother and three sisters. What? I thought. He's an only son? His widowed mother is burying her only son? What was this boy doing risking his life in the terror-nest of Gaza?
Dvir's lifelong friend answered my anguished question. He told how both he and Dvir had lost their fathers shortly before entering the army. Dvir, now the man of the house, wrestled with the question of whether he should continue to pursue his dream to join a combat unit. Amichai had lost not only his father, but also his older brother, who was killed in action in Lebanon. Dvir went and spoke to Amichai's mother, keenly aware that serving in a combat unit could turn his own mother into a similar victim of double tragedy. In the end, as Amichai explained, "Dvir thought it was important to defend the country and the people in it."
“His mother buried her husband less than three years ago, and now she is burying her son” Dvir was not fighting with his infantry unit in Gaza because he was heedless of the danger. He was fighting in spite of the danger. He was risking his life because he believed in something more valuable than his life: defending the lives of other Jews.
Two of the eulogies mentioned that Saturday night, hours before he died, Dvir recited the blessing on the moon. This monthly blessing is recited on the Saturday night after the moon, having disappeared into the darkness, again waxes into a clearly visible crescent of light. Our tradition compares the Jewish People to the moon; our fortunes wax and wane throughout history.
But all it takes for a Jew to make a blessing is seeing a sliver of light. The life of Dvir Emmanueloff and the thousands like him who are today risking their lives in Gaza for the sake of the Jewish nation are that sliver of light.

May they be blessed.

As Israel persists in its military efforts

2009-01-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

As Israel persists in its military efforts -- by ground, air and sea-- to protect its citizens from deadly Hamas rockets, and as protestsagainst Israel increase around the world, the success of theabominable Hamas double war crime strategy becomes evident. Thestrategy is as simple as it is cynical: Provoke Israel by playingRussian roulette with its children, firing rockets at kindergartens,playgrounds and hospitals; hide behind its own civilians when firingat Israeli civilians; refuse to build bunkers for its own civilians;have TV cameras ready to transmit every image of dead Palestinians,especially children; exaggerate the number of civilians killed byincluding as "children" Hamas fighters who are 16 or 17 years old andas "women," female terrorists.
Hamas itself has a name for this. They call it "the CNN strategy" (this is not to criticize CNN or any other objective news source for doing its job; it is to criticize Hamas for exploiting the freedom of press which it forbids in Gaza). The CNN strategy is working because decent people all over the world are naturally sickened by images of dead and injured children. When they see such images repeatedly flashed across TV screens, they tend to react emotionally. Rather than asking why these children are dying and who is to blame for putting them in harm's way, average viewers,regardless of their political or ideological perspective, want to see the killing stopped. They blame those whose weapons directly caused the deaths, rather than those who provoked the violence by deliberately targeting civilians.
They forget the usual rules of morality and law. For example, when a murderer takes a hostage and fires from behind his human shield, and a police man, in an effort to stop the shooting accidentally kills the hostage, the law of every country holds the hostage taker guilty of murder even though the policeman fired the fatal shot.
The same is true of the law of war. The use of human shields, in the way Hamas uses the civilian population of Gaza, is a war crime -- asis its firing of rockets at Israeli civilians. Every human shield that is killed by Israeli self-defence measures is the responsibility of Hamas, but you wouldn't know that from watching the media coverage.
The CNN strategy seems to work better, at least in some parts of the world, against Israel that it would against other nations. There is much more protest -- and fury -- directed against Israel when it in advertently kills approximately 100 civilians in a just war of self-defence, than against Arab and Muslim nations and groups that deliberately kill far more civilians for no legitimate reason.
It isn't the nature of the victims, since more Arabs and Muslim civilians are killed every day in Africa and the Middle East by Araband Muslim governments and groups with little or no protests. (For example, on the first day of Israel's ground attack, approximately 30 Palestinians, almost all Hamas combatants, were killed. On the sameday an Islamic suicide bomber blew herself up in a mosque in Iraq,killing 40 innocent Muslims. No protests. Little media coverage.) Itisn't the nature of the killings, since Israel goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid killing civilians -- if for no other reason than thatit hurts its cause -- while Hamas does everything in its power toforce Israel to kill Palestinian civilians by firing its missiles from densely populated civilian areas and refusing to build shelters forits civilians. It isn't the nature of the conflict, either, because Israel is fighting a limited war of self-defence designed to protectits own civilians from rocket attacks, while most of those killed by Arabs and Muslims are killed in genocidal and tribal warfare with no legitimate aim.
The world simply doesn't seem to care when Arabs and Muslims killlarge numbers of other Arabs and Muslims, but a qualitatively different standard applies when the Jewish state kills even arelatively small number of Muslims and Arabs in a war of self-defence.
The international community doesn't even seem to care when Palestinian children are killed by rocket fire -- unless it is from Israeli rockets. The day before the recent outbreak, Hamas fired an anti-personnel rocket at Israeli civilians, but the rocket fell short ofits target and killed two Palestinian girls. Yet there was virtuallyno coverage and absolutely no protests against these "collateral"civilian deaths. Hamas refused to allow TV cameras to show these dead Palestinian children.
Nor have there been protests against the cold-blooded murders by Hamasand its supporters of dozens of Palestinian civilians who allegedly"collaborated" with Israel. Indeed, Hamas and Fatah have killed farmore Palestinian civilians over the past several years than have theIsraelis, but you wouldn't know that from the media, the United Nations or protesters who focus selectively on only those deaths caused by Israeli military actions.
The protesters who filled the streets of London, Paris and San Francisco were nowhere to be seen when hundreds of Jewish children were murdered by Palestinian terrorists over the years.
Moreover, the number of civilians killed by Israel is almost alway sexaggerated. First, it is widely assumed that if a victim is a "child"or a "woman," he or she is necessarily a civilian. Consider the following report in Thursday's New York Times: "Hospital officials in Gaza said that of the more than 390 people killed by Israeli fighterplanes since Saturday, 38 were children and 25 women." Some of these children and women were certainly civilians, but others were equally certainly combatants.
Hamas often uses 14-, 15-, 16-and 17-year-olds, as well as women, as terrorists. Israel is entitled under international law to treat these children and women as the combatants they have become. Hamas cannot,out of one side of its mouth, boast that it recruits children and women to become terrorists, and then, out of the other side of its mouth, complain when Israel takes it at its word. The media should look closely and critically at the number of claimed civilian victimsbefore accepting self-serving and self-contradictory exaggerations.Byany objective count, the number of genuinely innocent civilians killedby the Israeli Air Force in Gaza is lower than the collateral deaths caused by any nation in a comparable situation. Hamas does everything in its power to provoke Israel into killing as many Palestinian civilians as possible, in order to generate condemnation against the Jewish state. It has gone so far as firing rockets from Palestinian schoolyards and hiding its terrorists in Palestinian maternity wards.
Lest there be any doubt about the willingness of Hamas officials toexpose their families to martyrdom, remember that the Hamas terrorist leader recently killed in an Israeli air attack sent his own son to bea suicide bomber. He also refused to allow his family to leave thehouse, even after learning that he and his house has been placed onthe a of Israeli military targets.
The reality is that the elected and de facto government of Gaza has declared war against Israel. Under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, it has committed an "armed attack" against the Jewish state.The Hamas charter calls for Israel's total destruction. Under international law, Israel is entitled to take whatever military actionis necessary to repel that attack and stop the rockets.
It must seek to minimize civilian deaths consistent with the legitimate military goal, and it is doing precisely that, despite Hamas's efforts to maximize civilian deaths on both sides.

Joshua Bell

2009-01-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

אדם נעמד בתחנת הרכבת בוושינגטון הבירה, והחל לנגן בכינור; היה זה בוקר קר בינואר.
הוא ניגן שש יצירות של באך במשך 45 דקות. במשך הזמן הזה, כיוון שהייתה זו שעת השיא,
נאמד שאלפי אנשים חלפו בתחנה, רובם בדרכם לעבודה.
שלוש דקות חלפו ואדם בגיל העמידה הבחין במוזיקאי המנגן. הוא האט את הילוכו ונעצר לכמה שניות ואז מיהר לדרכו.
כמה דקות אחר-כך, הכנר קיבל את הדולר הראשון שלו: אישה השליכה את הכסף לקופה מבלי לעצור, והמשיכה ללכת.
כמה דקות אחר-כך, מישהו נשען כנגד הקיר והאזין, אבל האיש הציץ בשעונו והחל לצעוד. ברור היה שהוא מאחר לעבודה.
מי שהעניק את תשומת הלב הרבה ביותר היה ילד בן שלוש. אימא משכה אותו משם,ממהרת, אבל הילד נעצר להביט בכנר.
לבסוף האם דחפה את הילד שהמשיך לצעוד כשראשו פונה אל הכנר. כך קרה עם עוד כמהילדים.
כל ההורים ללא יוצא מן הכלל, אילצו אותם להמשיך לנוע.
במשך 45 הדקות בהן ניגן המוזיקאי, רק שישה אנשים עצרו לזמן מה. כעשרים אנשים נתנו לו כסף, אבל המשיכו לצעוד
בקצב הרגיל. הוא צבר 32 דולרים. כאשר סיים לנגן והשתררה דממה, אף אחד לא שם לב.אף אחד לא מחא כפיים, לא ניתנה שום הכרה.
אף אחד לא ידע, אבל הכנר היה ג´ושוע בל, אחד מגדולי המוזיקאים בעולם. הוא ניגן כמה מהיצירות המסובכות ביותר
שנכתבו אי פעם, בכינור ששוויו 3.5 מיליון דולרים.
יומיים קודם שניגן בתחנת הרכבת, ג´ושוע בל ניגן בפני אולם מלא עד אפס מקום בבוסטון. כרטיס עלה כמאה דולרים בממוצע.
זה סיפור אמיתי. ג´ושוע בל ניגן כאלמוני בתחנת הרכבת והדבר אורגן על-ידיעיתון הוושינגטון פוסט כחלק
מניסוי חברתי בתפיסה, טעם ועדיפויות של בני האדם.
הניסוי היה: בסביבה רגילה בשעה לא הולמת. האם אנו שמים לב ליופי ? האם אנחנו עוצרים להעריך אותו ?
האם אנו מכירים בכישרון בהקשר לא-צפוי ?
אחת המסקנות האפשריות מהניסוי הזה יכולה להיות: אם אין לנו זמן לעצור ולהאזין לאחד המוזיקאים הטובים ביותר בעולם,
המנגן את המוזיקה הטובה ביותר שנכתבה אי פעם, כמה דברים אחרים אנחנו מפספסים ?
למטה קישור לסרטון בתחנת הרכבת
http://vodpod.com/watch/61439-joshua-bell-no-metro

http://vodpod.com/watch/61439-joshua-bell-no-metro>

CYNICISM COMPOUNDED

2009-01-11T16:24:00.001-08:00

The German government justified Kristallnacht on the basis of the shooting of a German consular official in Paris. Germany justified the murder of six million Jews on the basis that the “misfortune” of Germany was the existence of world Jewry. The world then was a little less evenhanded then than it is now. Hitler was able to broadcast on the airwaves of American radio but when he declared war against America he and the other pro-German spokesmen were silenced. No one in America spoke about the suffering of the German civilian population as all of the major cities of Germany were reduced to rubble by Allied bombers. For eight years Israeli citizens living in the south of Israel suffered daily bombardment from the Palestinian terror organizations in the Gaza area. When Israel left the Gaza Strip two years ago, Hamas violently rose to power and armed by Iran and Syria turned the cities of the Israeli south into a war zone. There were no statements about war crimes, disproportionate force, suffering civilians emanating from the peace lovers around the world because after all the victims were Jews. There were no reporters writing heartrending reports about families that lost blood and property from these bombardments. In general, the world, as it is its wont for many centuries, was quite indifferent to Jewish suffering. But when Israel responded over the last two weeks to attempt to prevent the continuing bombardment then the world woke up.

The New York Times in its usual “evenhanded” manner headlines Israel’s refusal to accept the truly non-existent cease fire proposal but does not headline Hamas’ continuing shooting of rockets at Israeli civilian populations. The Human Rights Commissioner (a misnomer if there ever was one) for the United Nations speaks of international law and war crimes. But she speaks only of war crimes as regarding the Israeli military. Hamas and the Palestinians are never mentioned in this type of context. They can do no wrong but the Jews can never do any right. A rocket on Sderot is understandable and somehow justified. A tank shell against a house that houses Hamas terrorists is never justified. Hamas cynically exploits civilian populations, its own as much as ours. Ambulances end up as means of smuggling weapons. Hospitals are command centers for firing rockets. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the civilians of Gaza are fired upon by Hamas mortars and then the Red Cross – also notoriously anti-Israel and anti-Jewish in its World War II history and even till now – blames Israel for the “humanitarian crisis.” None of this is emphasized in the news reports of the world media if it is reported at all. Hearing lectures on morality from a world that tolerates piracy in Somalia, mass murder in Congo and Darfur, dictatorships from Libya to Venezuela, understandably make little impression on us. Cynicism when practiced for far too long a time reaches its own limits. It is unlikely that Israel will place great trust in the United Nations or in any of the other current mediators and peace lovers who are narrowly focused only on our struggles as though all of the world’s problems and misfortunes stem from our small country. We have already been in that scenario before with very disastrous results for us and the whole world.

I was once flying on a plane in the United States after the Yom Kippur War. The Arab oil boycott was then still in full force and Jews felt more than a tinge of discomfort in the United States then. Sitting with my kippah in the back of the plane I was next to a woman who was obviously a business professional who was working furiously on her papers. Suddenly she looked up, stared at me and said in a loud whisper: “You realize that all of this trouble is your fault.” Even though I was taken somewhat aback by her statement, I gathered whatever wits I had and answered softly: “Madam, you are wrong. All of this may be because of me because we are a special people. We are the canary in the mine. But it is not my fault.” Israel is fighting the world’s battle in Gaza and not only our battle. Terrorism left unanswered only strengthens itself and spreads. The world knows this to be true but its ingrained cynicism and its historic anti-Jewish attitude blinds itself not to follow its head and instead follow its cynical heart. Perhaps eventually the cynicism will exhaust itself. We should not be impressed or surprised by its existence. But better days will certainly arrive.

cast iron

2009-01-10T19:00:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,

In response to the hundreds of rockets and mortars that have been fired into Israeli civilian populations over the past several weeks, early this morning Israel launched as a self defense measure a series of Airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, made a statement this morning:
Israeli citizens have been under the threat of daily attack from Gaza for years.
Only this week - hundreds of missiles and mortars shells were fired at Israeli civilian communities including the firing of 80 missiles on a single day.
Until now we have shown restraint. But today there is no other option than a military operation.
We need to protect our citizens from attack through a military response against the terror infrastructure in Gaza.
This is the translation of our basic right to self sefense.
Israel left Gaza in order to create an opportunity for peace.
In return, the Hamas terror organization took control of Gaza and is using its citizens as cover while it deliberately targets Israeli communities and denies any chance for peace.
We have tried everything to reach calm without using force. We agreed to a truce through Egypt that was violated by Hamas, which continued to target Israel, hold Gilad Shalit and build up its arms.
Israel continues to act to prevent humanitarian crisis and to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians.
Unfortunately, Hamas cynically abuses its own civilian population and their suffering for propaganda purposes. The responsibility for harm to civilians lies with Hamas.
Hamas is a terrorist organization, supported by Iran, that does not represent the legitimate national interests of the Palestinian people but a radical Islamist agenda that seeks to deny peace for the peoples of this region.
While confronting Hamas, Israel continues to believe in the two State solution and remains committed to negotiations with the legitimate Palestinian Authority in the context of the peace process, launched at Annapolis.
Israel expects the support and understanding of the international community, as it confronts terror, and advances the interest of all those who wish the forces of peace and co existence to determine the agenda of this region.

cast iron

2009-01-10T18:59:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,
Just before noon yesterday, the IDF launched an aerial operation against Hamas in Gaza. The decision for this operation was taken following the recent escalation in rockets and mortars launched against Southern settlements and the widening of the fire to Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netivot and Kiryat-Gat. The IDF is primarily attacking Hamas military targets, especially scores of launching sites used to fire hundreds of Kassam and Grad rockets against the communities in Southern Israel. In the aftermath, 80 rockets were fired at Israel one of them killing Beber Vaknin, a 58 year old, Israeli citizen of Netivot living in one of our Amigour public apartments, and wounding many others. Tens of thousands of residents of these communities are now living in shelters and in protected rooms. Once the IDF operation became known, the Jewish Agency immediately mobilized in order to assist our six absorption centers in the south, which house some 1500 immigrant families and young people currently participating in Jewish Agency programs in Israel. I spoke personally with absorption center directors, all present at the centers despite Shabbat. I learnt about the immediate deployment in the field and reinforced staffing in order to provide all needed assistance to the Olim and young people. Representatives from the Aliyah & Integration Department headquarters were in the south working with the center directors to solve problems as they arose. Emergency lines to allow immigrants and youngsters to call their families abroad and update them on their situation; personnel, who provide emotional and psychological assistance during these difficult hours, were also made available for them. I would like to strengthen the spirit of our staff on the front lines: Soni Zinger, Director of the Ibim Youth Village, Aliza Yarden, Director of Kalanit Absorption Center in Ashkelon, Eli Goldshmidt, Director of Barnea Absorption Center in Ashkelon, Adena Tadela, Director of Shoshana Absorption Center in Ashdod, and Asher Seyum, Director of Beit Canada Absorption Center in Ashdod, and all their staff for their devotion and dedication to the Olim in general and at this time particularly. We are privileged to have them as employees of the Jewish Agency. Amigour has also immediately deployed to deal with the emergency. Branches in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Sderot, Netivot and Ofakim were opened and staffed with employees who were ready to provide any assistance to the residents of some 9500 apartments and sheltered housing units in the area. All bomb shelters and protected spaces were opened and readied for the use of the residents. I wish to thank all Amigour employees for their devoted activity on behalf of residents in the south. Friends, this is not an easy hour for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. For eight years, the civil population in the Western Negev, Sderot and the area surrounding Gaza has lived a terrible routine of daily rockets and mortars, a routine that has caused the loss of many lives, hundreds of wounded, and countless cases of trauma. This is aside from physical damage and destruction to hundreds of homes, businesses and public property such as schools and day care centers. This situation has been very detrimental to all economic life in the area causing the closing of hundreds of small businesses, resulting in unemployment and the disruption of social and cultural life. Many area residents have evacuated their homes, some in order to recover, others permanently. Life became unbearable for them and for the children who have grown up with sirens and "red color" alerts. Thanks to our overseas partners the Jewish Agency has for many years stood at the side of these brave citizens providing a wide variety of assistance including providing respite activities for children and adults in the center of Israel, scholarships for the students "Sapir" College, aid to small businesses, training of first aid teams and first aid equipment, therapeutic activities for residents, empowerment of youth, and musical and cultural events in the area. I would especially like to emphasize the important role played by our Fund for Victims of Terror, by granting immediate emergency assistance to families whose homes were damaged, allowing them to quickly regroup following an attack. The Fund was established by the Israel Emergency Fund of the United Jewish Communities and has been supported by Jewish federations, Keren Hayesod communities, foundations and individuals as well as providing support for all the activities described above. I wish to express my appreciation for all those who stand with us, in this important task of easing the distress of the residents of Southern Israel The State of Israel is never happy to go to battle. In our effort to maintain quiet in the south, we have tried everything, including the evacuation of the settlements in Gush Katif, to no avail. Neither were we able to bring home Gilad Shalit held by Hamas for more than 30 months. Israel had no choice other than to launch a military operation and to severely wound Hamas, one of the cruelest terrorist organizations, supported by Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the coming days we expect extremist elements to launch a worldwide propaganda campaign against Israel, propagating lies and misrepresentations. This is a time for every one of you, our friends in the Jewish communities and non-Jewish friends of Israel to act as ambassadors on behalf of the residents of Southern Israel. We need you to make sure that their voices are heard, and the world knows about their distress. Many of you visited these communities and personally experienced the impossible living conditions of the residents, the children and the elderly in the area. Help us in the Jewish Agency continue to assist the residents in the south, to embrace them by conveying the commitment of the Jewish world to ease their plight. As this may be a difficult and lengthy period for the State of Israel, your assistance and the fact that you stand with us is a source of strength. Together we pray for the peace and safety of the State of Israel, its citizen and its soldiers.
Yours in Friendship, Zeev Bielski

Operation Cast Iron – Talking points

2009-01-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

Operation Cast Iron – Talking points
December 30, 2008
Communicated by the National Information Directorate

1. The IDF will continue to strike at Hamas.
· The Israeli army and the Israeli government are resolved to continue to strike at the Hamas terror infrastructure, which, although damaged, still has the ability to launch rockets and harm Israeli citizens. We are determined to create a better, more secure reality that will ensure the safety of the Israeli population in southern Israel over the long term.
Our fight is against Hamas, not against the population in the Gaza Strip.
Israel is allowing the transfer of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip, including aid from various countries (Egypt, Turkey, Jordan) and international organizations (UNRWA, the World Food Programme, Red Cross, etc.). The deliveries are coordinated with Israel. In the last few days, more than 200 trucks carrying food, medicines and medical supplies, including units of blood, have been delivered.
Israel intends to maintain its humanitarian policy even as the fighting continues.
The IDF conducts precision operations against the Hamas terror infrastructure and avoids harming the innocent. Hamas, however, uses their civilian population as human shields, cynically placing its military headquarters and terrorist facilities in civilian structures such as private homes, basements of houses inhabited by families with children, schools and other public buildings.
The Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip has been abandoned by the Hamas leadership
The Hamas leaders have gone underground, looking out for themselves and abandoning the population to its fate. The government is not functioning, but Hamas operatives are still able to conduct terrorist attacks. As long as Hamas continues the terrorism, the population in the Gaza Strip will suffer.
The gap between Hamas and the Gazan people has grown. Many of the people no longer support Hamas. After years of suffering under the terrorist regime, they are interested in an end to the terrorism emanating from their midst and holding them hostage.
Questions and Answers
Q: Will the operation be expanded to a ground offensive?
A: The IDF uses its strength and resources after careful assessment of the situation, taking into account operational needs. The objective is to create a more secure reality over the long term, and Israel will take the necessary and relevant steps to achieve it.
Q: Is it time to go over to diplomacy? Should Israel stop now and allow international diplomacy to come into play? Should we voluntarily cease firing for a limited period of time in order to provide an opportunity for diplomatic contacts?
A: Israel initiated a military operation after eight years of restraint, eight years in which Israelis living in the southern part of the country suffered terrorist attacks, rockets and mortar bombs, on an almost daily basis. The military operation's objective is to create a different security policy, one that will be better for the southern Israel. At the moment, Israel is not planning its "exit strategy" but rather concentrating on achieving its goals.
Q: Does the military operation endanger Gilad Shalit? What are the chances of obtaining his release? Did Israel take this into account?
A: Israel continues to hold Hamas, and Hamas alone, responsible for the safety of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Even before the military operation began, we knew that Hamas would try to use this sensitive and painful subject to threaten us. We will not be influenced by rumors and manipulations.
Q: Has Israel succeeded in striking a significant blow to the terror infrastructures? And, if so, how can they continue to fire so many missiles and to hit such extensive territory in the Negev?
A: Hamas used the six months of calm to build up its strength, develop and produce weapons, and train terrorist operatives, preparing for the period after the calm. The targets struck by the IAF show just how prepared the Hamas terror apparatus was and how deeply entrenched, while using the civilian population as human shields. We have struck a serious blow at the terrorists and their infrastructures, but they still have the capability to harm Israeli citizens and to increase the amount and range of their strikes. We expected this to happen and instructed the population concerning shelter and the appropriate procedures to follow. We are prepared and will continue to prepare.
Q: Israel's air strikes seem to cause a great deal of destruction to the other side and the number of uninvolved casualties is rising. Yesterday, pictures were broadcast around the world showing a Palestinian mother whose five daughters were buried under the rubble of a bombed building.
A: The Israel Air Force uses its operational power in a carefully considered way against its targets – Hamas terrorists, arms stores, weapons factories, terrorist headquarters, etc. Hamas, which uses the civilian population as human shields, cynically places its military facilities in civilian structures such as private homes, basements of houses inhabited by families with children, schools, colleges and universities, mosques and other public buildings. The location of arms and materiel in the midst of the civilian population results in serious and extensive harm to the uninvolved population. We warned the Gaza residents that every site of terrorist activity is a target. The sole responsibility for the ongoing harm done to the Palestinian population lies with Hamas.

The Baltimore Zionist District

2009-01-10T18:56:00.002-08:00

The Baltimore Zionist District

The Baltimore Zionist District supports Israel's counterterrorism strike against the terrorist organization Hamas, which has been bombarding Israel with a barrage of rockets and missiles almost daily for the last several years. BZD believes Israel's actions are justifiable, given that only last week hundreds of missiles and mortar shells were fired at Israeli civilian communities, including the firing of 80 missiles on a single day. Since December 19, Hamas has fired more than 250 rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians. "Israel has the right to protect its citizens. BZD stands behind the Israeli government and our hearts go out to the IDF soldiers who are defending the Jewish State," said Fran Sonnenschein, BZD executive director. Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005 in an effort to create an opportunity for peace. In return, the Hamas terror organization took control of Gaza and has been using its citizens as cover while it deliberately targets Israeli communities and denies any chance for peace. Israel is acting out of its basic right for self-defense. "Israel has tried to use restraint and to avoid this sort of escalation, but was left with no other way to protect its citizens from rockets," said Jim Schiller, BZD chairman of the board. We encourage everybody to issues their own letters of support for the Jewish state of Israel, which can be sent to our government officials and the media (see addresses below). Your letters will help Israel obtain the support and understanding of the international community as it confronts terror and advances the interest of all those who wish the forces of peace and co-existence to determine the agenda of the region. "As you light your last Chanukah candle tonight, please bear in mind our brave soldiers and the citizens of Israel," said BZD President Loryn Lesser. "Your positive actions can make a difference."

The Jerusalem Connection – Christian Zionists for Israel

2009-01-10T18:56:00.001-08:00

The Jerusalem Connection – Christian Zionists for Israel

The Christian Zionist community stands with Israel in its response to the continous rocket/missile attacks of Hamas Jihadists. For any semblance of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Hamas must be defeated, disarmed and its infrastructure dismantled. Any thing less, Hamas will consider a psychological victory. We must remember, Hamas is solely responible for the action that Israel has been compelled to take. Israel has the justifiable right and responsibility to ensure the safety and security of its people. It must settle for nothing less from any peace partner than the ceasation of all terrortist activities, the acknowledgment of Israel’s right to exist and compliance with all previous agreements. The words of Vegitius, the Roman military historian are relevant today, “He who desires peace must prepare for war.”

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC): Israel Has a Right to Exist and Defend Itself

2009-01-10T18:55:00.004-08:00

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC): Israel Has a Right to Exist and Defend Itself

December 28, 2008
Washington, DC – Today, the President of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC) voiced strong support for Israel as it fights for its right to exist and defends itself from heightened rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza into Israel by the terrorist group, Hamas, as Iran’s political and religious leaders appeal once again, to the Muslim world to condemn Israel’s actions. Influential Latino Evangelical Leaders join together in support of the United States and most of Europe’s position to support Israel.“We oppose any religion, faith, group or government that does not recognize Israel’s right as a nation to exist,” said Rev. Rivera, President of CONLAMIC.Israel’s military action is likely to deepen the divide in the Middle East, as its neighbors react to Israel's retaliation in Gaza, but not to the attacks on Israel. It is clear that some of its neighboring countries want Israel to disappear.“This goes all the way back to the biblical times of Abraham; God said there would be a constant conflict between the Arab world and Israel; God gave them that country; what God chooses, that is what will happen,” said Rev. Miguel Rivera.CONLAMIC and other Christian faith leaders in the United States will support Israel’s leadership in steps taken to protect the nation and its people as it will American and European efforts to broker peace talks.
CONLAMIC is the largest Latino Christian advocacy organization in the nation, representing 16,000 churches in 34 states

Union Of Orthodox Jewish Congregations Supports Israel’s Self-Defense Actions In Gaza; Commends Bush Administration For Its Support

2009-01-10T18:55:00.003-08:00

Union Of Orthodox Jewish Congregations Supports Israel’s Self-Defense Actions In Gaza; Commends Bush Administration For Its Support

Today, the leadership of the Orthodox Union, America’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization expressed its support for Israel’s efforts to extinguish years of sustained rocket fire and mortar shell attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The statement, issued by OU president Steve Savitsky, executive vice president Rabbi T.H. Weinreb, public policy chair Moshe Bane, and public policy director Nathan Diament, is as follows:

Despite having painfully and controversially removed all Israeli troops and residents of Gaza several years ago, Gaza has been nothing but a source of violence and animosity for the people of Israel. Under the rule of Hamas, rockets have rained down on innocent Israelis and anti-Israel incitement has only escalated.

Despite years of provocation, Israel has taken great lengths to avoid this sort of escalation, but was left with no other way to ensure that its civilians would not have to live in fear of rocket fire. Even while rockets rained down on the frequently targeted town of Sderot and in the town of Kiryat Gat (for the first time), Israel continued to transfer food and medicine into Gaza despite no apparent end to the attacks.
We know that no civilized nation would tolerate the type of terrorist onslaught Israel has endured until now and the Orthodox Union stands firmly in support of Israel’s actions in self-defense.

We also commend President Bush and Secretary of State Rice for their support for Israel’s defensive actions and their recognition that the onus for the situation lies squarely with the Hamas terrorists.

We pray for the safety of Israel’s soldiers as they conduct these operations, and we also pray for the wellbeing of innocent Palestinians.

The Greater Baltimore Jewish Community Expresses Continued Support for the People of Israel as the Nation Defends Itself Against Sustained Terrorist A

2009-01-10T18:55:00.001-08:00

The Greater Baltimore Jewish Community Expresses Continued Support for the People of Israel as the Nation Defends Itself Against Sustained Terrorist Attacks

(Monday, December 29, 2008) The Baltimore Jewish Council (BJC) stands firmly with Israel as it exercises its right to defend itself and ensure the safety of its citizens, by seeking to end Hamas’ daily bombings of Southern Israel.

BJC President, Jon Laria, observed, “There can be no comparison between an organization that targets civilians, through mortars, rocket-fire and suicide bombers, and a government that defends its civilians from continued terrorist attacks. Hamas needs to end the rocket fire now so Israel is not forced to defend itself. If Hamas ceases, the bloodshed ends and all civilians in Israel and Gaza can be safe and stop living in fear.”
Since December 19th, Hamas has fired more than 250 rockets and mortars deeper into Southern Israel than ever before. These continued Hamas attacks targeting civilians must end.

The Greater Baltimore Jewish community, as always, stands in solidarity with the people of Israel. Jimmy Berg, Chair of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore reaffirmed this commitment saying, “Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Israel, many of whom have been forced, yet again, to live their lives in fear, never straying far from a bomb shelter. In the coming days, we will continue to find ways to express our support as we stand with Israel through this crisis.”

StandWithUs Statement of Support for Israel

2009-01-10T18:54:00.003-08:00

StandWithUs Statement of Support for Israel -- December 28, 2008

We call on international leaders and all people of good conscience to support Israel as it acts to protect its citizens from systematic and wanton attacks from Gaza.

Hamas and its supporters bear sole responsibility for any harm to Gaza's civilians. The U.S., France, Russia, Mahmoud Abbas, (president of the Palestinian Authority), and other international leaders have blamed Hamas’ escalating rocket attacks for Israel’s current military action.

Hamas and other Iranian-supported extremists chose to renew their war against Israel instead of renewing the six-month "calm" that ended on Dec 19th. In the week after Dec. 19th, Gaza's terrorists committed war crimes and collective punishment by launching over 280 rockets and mortars that targeted civilian men, women, and children in southern Israel.

Israel seeks peace. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but instead of nation-building, Hamas seized control and has abused Gaza to build its terrorist capabilities and incite hatred and violence.

Israel respected the June 19th agreement for six months of "calm,” even as Hamas strengthened its terrorist infrastructure and launched over 377 attacks during the agreement. Israel exhausted all diplomatic channels to renew the "calm," but Hamas responded only with escalating terrorism.

Israel has exercised extraordinary restraint even as Hamas has systematically targeted Israeli civilians, and Hamas has left Israel no choice but the military option it began on Dec. 27th. Israel's stated goal is to destroy the terrorist infrastructure while avoiding harm to Palestinian civilians.

Hamas' fanatical commitment to its founding document's mission of "obliterating" Israel and murdering Jews is once again causing suffering for Palestinians living in Gaza. When Israel employed non-violent strategies to pressure Hamas to moderate, the terrorist organization cynically exploited them to accuse Israel of human rights’ abuses. Hamas attacks on Israel-Gaza crossings have impeded humanitarian aid deliveries. Hamas rocket misfires and "work accidents" have killed Palestinian children. Hamas’ ruthless use of human shields and densely populated neighborhoods has endangered Palestinian non-combatants. Hamas’ refusal to let wounded Gazans cross into Egypt for medical care is compounding casualties.

We join other international leaders in unequivocally condemning Hamas and its crimes against Palestinians and Israelis.

We call on the civilized world to support the right and above all, the duty, of every sovereign nation—including Israel—to defend its citizens from armed aggression. No nation can or should allow daily, incessant attacks against its people. There is no justification their terrorizing and intentionally murdering innocent men, women, and children.
Hamas could have easily changed Israeli policies merely by renouncing extremism and terrorism. It chose war instead. We hope the day will soon come when Hamas' self destructive battle against Israel ends, and Israelis can live with their neighbors in prosperity and peace.

AJC Strongly Supports Israeli Strikes on Hamas Military Targets

2009-01-10T18:54:00.001-08:00

AJC Strongly Supports Israeli Strikes on Hamas Military Targets

December 27, 2008 – New York – AJC expressed strong support for Israel today in its military operation aimed at terrorist targets in Gaza.

“The handwriting was on the wall for some time,” said David A. Harris, AJC’s Executive Director. “Israel had repeatedly warned the Hamas-led regime in Gaza to end the launching of rocket and mortar attacks against Israel or face consequences. Rather than heed the warnings, however, Hamas leaders continued the attacks and taunted Israel to retaliate: Now Israel has – by targeting military and security bases in Gaza.”

Harris added: “Hamas has only itself to blame for the current events. Its leaders, choosing to pursue terror against Israel rather than the welfare of the Palestinian people, have brought it on. They believed they could repeatedly attack Israeli towns and villages with impunity, while counting on Israeli restraint.

“No nation, neither Israel nor any other sovereign state, could withhold a response indefinitely to an unrelenting siege of its civilian population. What would other countries do if faced with Israel’s circumstance? Without doubt, respond with military force if all other available avenues to restrain the aggressors proved to no avail.”

Harris noted that Israel has always gone to great lengths in an attempt to avoid civilian casualties, but that, tragically, Hamas uses civilians “as human shields,” making Israel’s efforts still more challenging.

“It’s important to put today’s events in context,” said Harris.

“Israel left Gaza in 2005. It withdrew to an international border. It gave the residents of Gaza the first chance in their history to determine their own destiny. But rather than focus on construction of a new society, they chose to elect Hamas leaders dedicated to destruction of Israel. Hamas rule was consolidated in 2007 when the group violently ousted the Palestinian Authority from Gaza. We can only hope that one day soon Gazans will wake up and realize that, as long as a terrorist group remains in power, they have chosen a dead-end strategy.”

Scholars For Peace in The Middle East Statement On Israel's Right To Self Defense Against Hamas

2009-01-10T18:53:00.002-08:00

Scholars For Peace in The Middle East Statement On Israel's Right To Self Defense Against Hamas

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East supports Israel's right to live within safe and secure borders at peace with her neighbors and able to recognize their peaceful aspirations.

Since returning Gaza over to the Palestinian rule two years ago, Israel has suffered nearly 6000 rocket attacks into its internationally-recognized sovereign borders, even during the six-month Hamas initiated-cease fire .Israel has been remarkably patient and restrained, with the understanding of trying to avoid civilian casualties. Israel has even, until now been willing to open checkpoints to allow material goods into Gaza.

With Hamas' decision to end the cease fire, accompanied with a sharp increase in the number of rocket attacks launched against her, Israel has been left with no choice but to stop the military aggression initiated by Hamas aimed at southern Israeli cities such as Sderot, Askelon and Beersheeva.

The intent of the Hamas rocket attacks is to drive Israelis out of Israel.

The intent of the Israeli preventative strikes this weekend against military targets in Gaza is to put an end to Hamas' unacceptable deadly ongoing relentless violence against Israeli citizens.

Contrary to Geneva rules of engagement, Hamas insists on using human shields by hiding their deadly military centers in civilian populated areas making civilian casualties unavoidable.

Israel has made it absolutely clear that when the rockets from Gaza and other deadly incitements against Israel cease, there will be no need for these necessary acts of self protection.

JCPA Supports Israel's Efforts to Stop Gaza Rocket Attacks

2009-01-10T18:53:00.001-08:00

JCPA Supports Israel's Efforts to Stop Gaza Rocket Attacks

NEW YORK-The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is standing behind Israel's efforts to extinguish weeks of sustained, daily rocket fire and mortar shell attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel. While JCPA has a strong record of supporting Israel in its quest to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, no country can be expected to absorb continuous and unrelenting violence.

JCPA Executive Director Rabbi Steve Gutow issued the following statement about the unfolding operations in Gaza:

"It is unfortunate that Israel has had to resort to air strikes and is now grappling with a possible ground operation in the very area that it has tried hard to disengage from since 2005.

Israel has taken great lengths to avoid this sort of escalation, but was left with no other way to ensure that its civilians would not have to live in fear of rocket fire. Just a few days ago, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made an appeal on the Arab television station Al-Arabiya asking Gaza residents to stop the firing of rockets and mortar shells so that a military response could be avoided.

Even while rockets rained down on the frequently targeted town of Sderot and in the town of Kiryat Gat-a first-time target-Israel continued to transfer food and medicine into Gaza despite no apparent end to the attacks.

As Israel moves towards elections and the possibility of turning a new page, it is our hope that the Palestinian people will take the opportunity that this transition presents to turn their own page on Hamas' failed leadership."

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the community relations arm of the organized Jewish community.

B’nai B’rith International Supports Israel’s Defensive Move

2009-01-10T18:52:00.002-08:00

B’nai B’rith International Supports Israel’s Defensive Move

(Washington, D.C., December 28, 2008)—Israel’s counterterrorism strike against the ruthless terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on December 27 was a just response to an untenable situation. The counterterrorism strikes against Hamas headquarters in the Gaza Strip began even as the terrorist group continued to launch rockets into Israel – since December 19, Hamas has fired more than 250 rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians.

“It is the right of every nation to defend its citizens,” said B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin. “For years, Israelis have been subjected to Hamas’ wanton disregard for human lives.”

Hamas has continuously chosen violence instead of peace for the Palestinian people. Hamas terrorists have long used the region as a staging ground for attacks against Israel – using civilians as human shields for terrorists to hide behind. In fact, Hamas stepped up its attacks against Israel after Israel’s voluntary withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 – squandering an opportunity for the region to govern itself as a civil society.

“Israel has shown tremendous forbearance. It is now time for Israel to defend herself from terrorism,” B’nai B’rith International President Moishe Smith said. “No other nation on earth would be expected to endure attack after attack against its citizens. The escalating violence in the region is cause for great concern. And we hope the international community will stand with Israel as she defends her people.”

Celebrating B’nai B’rith International’s 165 years and Israel’s 60 years in 2008.

B’nai B’rith International, the Global Voice of the Jewish Community, is the oldest and most widely known Jewish humanitarian, human rights, and advocacy organization. Since 1843, BBI has worked for Jewish unity, security, continuity, and tolerance. Visit www.bnaibrith.org

Reform Jewish Movement Responds to Gaza Violence

2009-01-10T18:52:00.001-08:00

Reform Jewish Movement Responds to Gaza Violence

Yoffie: “We believe that military action must always be the last resort. But more and more Israeli cities are now in range of Hamas’ rocket-firing army of terror, and we know that the traumatized children of Sderot and neighboring towns can no longer be expected to live in constant fear .”

Washington, D.C. March 25, 2008- In response to recent military and terrorist activity in Gaza and Israel, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

For the past three weeks, Israel has lived under an increasing barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. More than 80 missiles landed on a single day. Israel’s first responsibility, like that of any nation, is to protect her citizens. The military action, which Israeli launched this morning, was clearly intended to do just that.

Today’s action is as tragic as it is necessary and predictable. While we mourn the loss of life, we know that no democratic nation in the world would permit a hostile force on its border to target its civilian centers with constant missile attacks. Israel has demonstrated extraordinary restraint as nearly 8000 rockets have been launched at Israel’s cities in the last 8 years. When Israel withdrew every civilian and soldier from Gaza in 2005, the attacks did not stop for a single day.

We believe that military action must always be the last resort. But more and more Israeli cities are now in range of Hamas’ rocket-firing army of terror, and we know that the traumatized children of Sderot and neighboring towns can no longer be expected to live in constant fear.

Hamas chose to end the existing cease-fire. Hamas has cynically chosen to use Palestinian civilians as cover for its military operations. Hamas openly declares its commitment to destroy Israel. Hamas, therefore, bears responsibility for today’s bloodshed. Hamas, and only Hamas, can make the decision to move beyond this bloody conflict by stopping, once and for all, all attacks on Israel from the territory it controls.

We welcome the words of Israel’s Defense Minister that every effort will be made to limit casualties among the civilian population of Gaza. We welcome as well the words of the Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who emphasized in her statement this morning that “while confronting Hamas, Israel continues to believe in the two-state solution and remains committed to negotiations with the legitimate Palestinian Authority in the context of the peace process, launched at Annapolis.”

We note, with sadness, the predictable chorus of those in the international community who call for Israeli “restraint.” Yet these critics offer no solution to the suffering of Israel’s citizens, and in the face of rockets terrorizing their own children, would not be talking of restraint and proportionality. They would be demanding that their governments put an end to the attacks.

We thank the Government of the United States, which has been a voice of reason. We hope that the Palestinian leadership will demand an end to missile fire and a return to the path of peace and the negotiations begun in Annapolis. And we pray that the Palestinian people will strengthen the hand of all who are prepared to make peace a reality.

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose more than 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, whose membership includes more than 1800 Reform rabbis.

Israel's Retaliation on Hamas

2009-01-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

ADL:Israel's Retaliation on Hamas "A Fundamental Right"

New York, NY, December 28, 2008…In response to Israel's retaliatory attack on Hamas in Gaza, Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), issued the following statement:

“Israel's attack on Hamas represents the most fundamental right and responsibility of any government to protect its people. The circumstances behind Israel's military action are stark, including continuous Hamas rocket and artillery fire on Israeli civilians; the open commitment of Hamas to Israel's destruction; the huge Hamas buildup of more sophisticated weapons ultimately also targeted at Israeli civilians; and the holding of Israel soldier Gilad Shalit incommunicado for three years, against all rules of international behavior. No government could act differently in the face of such challenges.

“At the same time, despite the placement by Hamas of its terrorist infrastructure in the heart of its own civilian population, another violation of international law, Israel took great care to avoid civilian casualties. Undoubtedly, it will continue to do so.

“This is an important moment in the struggle against Islamic extremism. The international community and all those who seek the rule of law, moderation and democracy should now stand with Israel, as the United States has done, in this effort to turn the tide against the extremists who not only threaten Israel, but the whole Middle East and the entire civilized world.”

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

sources for the situation in Gaza

2009-01-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Videos:
Prime Minster Ehud Olmert's press conference (Saturday night, 27 December 2008) on the situation in Gaza, please click here:
http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=Olmert-27-12-2008-View&ak=null

Barack Obama comments on life in Sderot, Israel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFoj-PKJhck

Barack Obama expresses solidarity with Sderot, Israel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLLCdb9kwI0&feature=channel

Qassam launching - humanitarian aid:
http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=qassam-humanitarian-V&ak=null

Humanitarian aid footage:
http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=humanitarian28-12-2008-V&ak=null

At a press conference in Cairo today (28-12-2008) President Abbas was asked why there were no wounded Palestinians being evacuated to Egypt:
http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=egypt-minister-2-view&ak=null

Underground Launching Pad:http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=UndergroundLaunchingPad-View&ak=null

Hamas: a short film showing the true nature of the Hamas. The clip shows also sound bites made after the elections at the PA stating the movement’s ultimate goal of destroying the State of Israel:http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=114670&ak=null

Sderot: This short film shows the difficult times in Sderot, where Iranian backed Hamas spreads terror and fear among Israeli civilians.http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=867436&ak=null

Articles:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Articles on Humanitarian Aid to Gaza:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Israel_strikes_back_against_Hamas_terror_infrastructure_Gaza_27-Dec-2008.htm#aid

Washington Post Article on Israeli Counterterrorism Efforts in Gaza as it relates to President Elect Obama’s Peace Plan:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/27/AR2008122700962.html

- Quote: “President-elect Barack Obama has voiced sympathy for Israel's predicament. During his visit to Israel last summer, he held a news conference in Sderot, the southern town that has borne the brunt of the Gaza rocket attacks, saying he does not "think any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining down on the heads of their citizens."
"If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that," Obama said at the time. "And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC):
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e019.htm

Websites:
Sderot Media:
http://www.sderotmedia.com/

General MFA Information on Current Situation:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA

Photos:
Hamas Targets in Gaza:
http://www.israelemb.org/education/events/Dover%20tzal.htm

General Photos of Life in the South of Israel:
http://www.israelnewsphotos.com/

Statement by President Shimon Peres on IDF operation in Gaza

2009-01-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Statement by President Shimon Peres on IDF operation in Gaza
(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

This morning, President Shimon Peres made a special statement to the media regarding Operation Cast Lead (Israel's attack on the Hamas terror infrastructure in Gaza) and the ongoing Palestinian rocket fire on civilian areas in southern Israel:

It is the first time in the history of Israel that we, the Israelis, cannot understand the motives or the purposes of the ones who are shooting at us. It is the most unreasonable war, done by the most unreasonable warriors.

The story is simple. Israel has left Gaza completely, out of our own free will, at a high cost. In Gaza there is no single Israeli civilian or soldier. They were evacuated from Gaza, our settlements, which called for a very expensive cost. We had to mobilize 45,000 policemen to take out our settlers from there. We spent $2.5 billion. The passages were open. Money was sent to Gaza. We suggested aid in many ways – economically, medically, and otherwise. We were very careful not to make the lives of the civilian people in Gaza difficult. Still I have not heard until now a single person who could explain to us reasonably: why are they firing rockets against Israel? What are the reasons? What is the purpose?

And I must say also that the phenomenon about Israel is the restraint of the army and the unity of the people. The army waited and waited; the Palestinians asked for a ceasefire, and we agreed. They themselves have violated the ceasefire. Again, we didn't know why, until it came to a point where we were left without a choice but to bring an end to it. The operation was planned carefully and the army was true to its principles: namely, to be precise in its targets and careful not to hit civilian life. There is a problem because many of the bombs were stored in private houses. We have contacted the owners of the houses, the people that dwell there, and told them leave it. You can't live with bombs. We have to bring an end to the source of the bombs.

Israel doesn't have any ambition in Gaza. We left out of our free choice. We have never gone back to the idea of returning to Gaza. It's over. But we cannot permit that Gaza will become a permanent base of threatening and even killing children and innocent people in Israel for God knows why. I feel that in our hearts, we don't have any hatred for the Gazan people. Their suffering doesn’t carry any joy in our hearts. On the contrary, we feel that the better they will have it, better neighbors we shall have. Now that Hamas is turning to the Arab world for help, the truth is that the Arab world has to turn to Hamas for the help of Hamas. If Hamas will stop it, there is no need for any help. Everything can come again to normalcy. Passages: open; economic life: free; no Israeli intervention; no Israeli participation in any of the turnarounds in Gaza.

As a nation, we feel united. As a nation, there is wholehearted support for the army, the way they handled it, their restraint, their discrimination, and their responsibility. The great winner can be reason, and reason will lead to peace. We are very serious, in a serious mood. Many of our children are still in the shelters, and we would like them, like the children of Gaza, to breathe fresh air again. This is the story, and whoever asks us to stop shooting - they have to change the address. Let them turn to Hamas and ask them to stop shooting, and there won't be shooting. Thank you very much.

PM Olmert press briefing on IDF operation in the Gaza Strip

2009-01-10T18:43:00.001-08:00

PM Olmert press briefing on IDF operation in the Gaza Strip

(Translated from Hebrew)

Citizens of Israel, For approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been suffering from missiles being fired at them. Life in the south under missile barrages had become unbearable. Israel did everything in its power to fulfill the conditions of the calm in the south and enable normal life for its citizens in the communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip. The quiet that we offered was met with shelling. No country can countenance such a reality, The lives of our citizens are not forfeit. In recent days, it became clear that Hamas is bent on conflict. Whoever heard Hamas's statements understood that they decided to increase attacks on the residents of Israel by firing rockets and mortars indiscriminately. In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred from it. Preparations for the operation were extensive and thorough. The Security Cabinet unanimously approved it on Wednesday, 26 December 2008, and when conditions were ripe, we decided to set the action in motion. Yesterday (Friday), 26 December 2008, I held a series of discussions with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi, ISA Director Yuval Diskin and other security establishment personnel, and it was decided that the operation would begin. The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country. This is liable to take time and each one of us must be patient so that we can complete the mission. We want to restore the quiet and the tranquility and give the residents of the south the ability to live the normal lives that every country provides its citizens. Citizens of Israel, As I made clear to my fellow ministers, it may be that the number of missiles will increase in the near future and that they will reach more distant places than we have been used to. To my regret, an Israeli civilian from Netivot, Beber Vaknin, was killed today, and several people were wounded. I share in the families' sorrow and wish the wounded a quick recovery, both on my behalf and that of the Government. We have invested greatly in preparing for a conflict of this kind: Structural reinforcement, warning systems and other home front preparations. I call on the residents of the south to fully comply with IDF Home Front Command instructions. These will save lives and must be treated accordingly. On Thursday, 25.12.08, I made it clear to the residents of Gaza that we are not acting against them and that we have no intention of punishing them for the actions of Hamas. We will see to the needs of the population in Gaza and will do our utmost to prevent a humanitarian crisis that will impinge upon residents' lives. Residents of Gaza, we are not your enemies and we are not fighting against you. This terrorist organization has brought disaster to two peoples. Israel is not fighting the Palestinian people but the Hamas terrorist organization that has taken it upon itself to act against the residents of Israel. Therefore, the targets that were attacked today were selected accordingly, with stress being placed on avoiding harm to innocents. Our precise intelligence, from the IDF Intelligence Branch and the Israel Security Agency, enabled maximum strikes at those involved in terrorism and minimized harm to innocents. This is how we will act in the future, as may be necessary. Israel is currently focusing on striking at the terrorist organizations that are operating to undermine stability in the entire region. I hope that no other element in the region will think that while Israel is fighting in the south, that it will it is inattentive to what is happening in other areas. We will not hesitate to respond to any aggression against us. During the day, we spoke with the leaders of the main countries of the world and made it very clear that the situation cannot continue and that we were compelled to take action in order to halt the aggression against our citizens. We also made it clear that Israel will, at the same time, make every effort to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Today, my heart is also with the Shalit family - Aviva, Noam, the children and grandfather Tzvi - who are certainly anxious this evening, along with very many others, over the fate of Gilad. I call on the entire Israeli public to unite around the IDF operation and certainly appreciate the statements that have been issued this evening by opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed support for Israel's initiative, and by Israel Beteynu Party Chairman Avigdor Lieberman and the head of Meretz, Haim Oron. This is the time for all of us to unite in order to defend the residents of the south and the Government seeks to continue working on the basis of a broad national consensus in order to change the situation in the south of the country. All ministers and parties in the Government will give the defense establishment all the time that is necessary to carry out the mission with which it has been charged. I would like to thank IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi and all IDF soldiers, and ISA Director Diskin and all of his fighters, for their courage, determination and daring.

Statement to the United Nations Security Council by Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, Permanent Representative of Israel

2009-01-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

Statement to the United Nations Security Council by Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, Permanent Representative of Israel

Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Distinguished Ministers,

Eight years. For eight years the citizens of southern Israel have suffered the trauma of almost daily missile attacks from Gaza. For eight years more than 8,000 rockets and mortar shells have targeted Israeli towns and villages. For eight years the residents of these towns have had a bare 15 seconds to hurry, with their children and their elderly, to find cover before rockets and missiles land on their houses and schools.

15 seconds, Mr. President, would not give the members of this Council time to leave this room. No State would permit such attacks on its citizens. Nor should it.

But Israel sought every way to avoid the current conflict. In 2005 Israel removed from Gaza every one of its soldiers, and every one of its eight thousand civilians, along with their homes and schools, their synagogues and cemeteries. We did this to try to create an opening for peace and for Palestinians to build a prosperous society.

But the Hamas regime that brutally seized control of Gaza, murdering scores of fellow Palestinians, has no interest in peace and prosperity. It is vehemently opposed to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It rejects the Annapolis process which was commended by this Council last month in Resolution 1850.

Hamas has no interest in making peace with the enemy; for Hamas peace is the enemy. Its only interest is in establishing a regime of tyranny for Gazans and of terror for Israelis.

Hamas likes to tell the Palestinians that it was terrorism that brought Israel to withdraw from Gaza in 2005. But the truth is plain to see: It was the hope for peace that led us to withdraw from Gaza and the terrorism of Hamas that compelled us to re-enter.

In our efforts to avoid confrontation, we also agreed six months ago to an Egyptian-brokered tahadia – a situation of calm. Hamas violated this arrangement on a daily basis. Over 365 rockets and mortar shells were fired during this period. And all the while it used the so-called ‘calm’ to build up its supplies of weapons and rockets, smuggled through tunnels into the Gaza Strip. Yet still we restrained ourselves.

But when Hamas unilaterally announced the end of the tahadia and began to wage a new campaign of rocket attacks against Israel's citizens with the weapons it had smuggled in to Gaza during the ‘calm’, we could restrain ourselves no longer.

With its new Iranian-made missiles, Hamas is now able to reach as far as the cities of Ashdod and Beer Sheva, placing over one million Israelis in the shadow of its terror.

Many in this hall have condemned Hamas' terrorist attacks, and we welcome this statement of basic principle. But the families at home in the city of Sderot, and children at school in Kibbutz Netiv Ha'asara will not be protected by these condemnations. In the face of such terrorism we have no choice. We have to defend ourselves – not from the Palestinian people, but from the terrorists who have taken them hostage. Not to gain territory or power, but to demonstrate that our restraint was not weakness and to give our citizens the basic right of a normal life.

In this campaign Israel has dealt the Hamas infrastructure a major blow. Dozens of its terrorist factories and training bases have been destroyed, its stockpiles of rockets have been significantly depleted, and many of the tunnels used to smuggle weapons have been put out of action.

But we have not only sought to change the reality for our citizens, we have also sought to uphold the values that set us apart from the terrorists.

Hamas rejects every core humanitarian principle. Instead of waging its battle openly between combatants, it directs its attacks against civilians. Some have called these attacks “indiscriminate” but this is not the case; Hamas’ attacks are very discriminate – directed deliberately at innocent men, women and children. In the past week alone, Hamas rockets have landed on a school and on a kindergarten.

Hamas shows a similar disdain for the lives of Palestinians. It has adopted the terrorists' tactic – the coward's tactic – of using civilians as shields while its leaders themselves flee from combat with Israel's soldiers and make pathetic demonstrations of bravado from their bunkers. It hides its missiles and terrorist bases in homes and hospitals and mosques, and, as we saw earlier today, deliberately launches attacks from in and around schools and United Nations’ facilities – with tragic results.

For Israel, every civilian death – Israeli or Palestinian – is a tragedy. In responding to terrorist attacks that show no respect for human life – either Israeli or Palestinian – Israel takes steps to protect both. It takes every possible measure to limit civilian casualties – even where these measures endanger the lives of our soldiers or the effectiveness of their operations.

The IDF has dropped tens of thousands of leaflets and made thousands of phone calls to Palestinian civilians, beseeching them to leave the areas of terrorist operation to avoid harm.

But let it be clear. Failing to respond to terrorists simply because they are using civilians as cover is not and cannot be an option. To do so would simply broadcast an invitation to every terrorist group in the world to set up shop inside a hospital or a kindergarten.

Unlike the Hamas regime, which has targeted crossing points to prevent the entry of aid and has prevented Palestinians from boarding ambulances, Israel respects its humanitarian responsibilities. It has permitted Palestinians in need of medical care to enter Israel for treatment and has set up a special humanitarian situation room to coordinate with the aid organizations working in Gaza.

Since the start of the fighting, Israel facilitated the entry into Gaza of over 540 trucks, delivering over 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance. In fact, just a few days ago Israel was asked by the World Food Program to halt supplies of food shipments since their warehouses were full.

It is time, Mr. President, for the international community to place responsibility for the humanitarian situation in Gaza where it lies – on the shoulders of the terrorists that have chosen violence over peace. It lies on the shoulders of those Hamas leaders who, from their bunkers and luxury hotels in Damascus, have abandoned the people of Gaza, and have chosen to endanger and exploit them rather than protect them.

This conflict, Mr. President, is a fundamental clash between two world views. Between moderates and extremists. Between those who seek to preserve life and humanity and those who glorify death and destruction.

As Hamas spokesman Fathi Hamad was proud to announce on Al Aqsa TV:

Palestinians have created a human shield of women, children the elderly and the jihad fighters as if to say to the Zionist enemy: “We desire death as you desire life.”

For this reason, there is no – and can be no – equivalence between Israel and the Hamas terrorists we are confronting.

There is no equivalence between a State which equips civilian homes with bomb shelters and a terrorist regime that fills them with missiles.
There is no equivalence between military commanders who struggle daily to ensure that their operations are conducted in accordance with the requirements of international humanitarian law, and the terrorists who flout this law by keeping Corporal Gilad Shalit captive, without even allowing the International Red Cross access to see him for 930 days.
There is no equivalence between a State using force in exercise of its right of self-defense and a terrorist organization for which the very resort to violence is unlawful.

Mr. President,

No doubt there will be much discussion today about the credibility of the Council and the need for a resolution. But the credibility of this Council is measured not by the pieces of paper it issues but by the values it upholds. Is the Council's credibility strengthened when it calls for a cease-fire that effectively equates a terrorist group with a State defending itself against it? Does anyone here truly believe that Hamas will heed the words of this Council?

This is not about a “cease-fire” with terrorism or a mutual cessation of hostilities. It is about ensuring the end of terrorism from Gaza, and the end of smuggling weapons into Gaza; so that there is no longer a need for Israeli defensive operations.

This conflict will end not when terrorism is appeased or accommodated but when the international community stands determined and united against it. Anything less than this will only embolden Hamas, lengthening this round of the conflict, and accelerating the next. Anything less will reward Iran – the coward’s coward – which hides behind terrorists as they hide behind civilians, and encourage its world-wide efforts to use Hamas and other terrorist groups to fight its wars on the cheap. And anything less will be a major setback for hopes for peace and prosperity for the Palestinians.

As long as Hamas rules Gaza, rejecting the Quartet Principles and seeking Israel’s destruction, Gaza can never be part of a Palestinian state.

There are many in this Council who speak in favor of peace. But it is not enough to support peace; we have to confront those who work to destroy it. For this reason, the current military operation is not an obstacle to peace; it is a prerequisite for peace.

Mr. President,

We, the people of Israel, listened to the international community when you told us to withdraw from Gaza and promised that this would give us the credibility to respond forcefully should Gaza turn into a launching pad for terrorism. We listened when you promised us that acting with restraint during the period of calm would give us the credibility to fight back should the rocket attacks resume. Now is your time to make good on those promises.

In the clash between life and death, between building societies and destroying them, Hamas has taken its side. Now there is no choice but for the international community to take a side itself.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Letter from a graduate

2009-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

Dear #### Middle School Students,
My name is #### and I am a graduate of the ### (class of
1990). My family and I made Aliyah to Israel in 2002 and currently
live in Jerusalem. While the past six years have been difficult
here in Israel with terrorism and war, not a day goes by that
we aren’t thankful to Hashem for allowing us to come home the
Jewish State, and the land of our forefathers.
They say that “seeing is believing” but that is not always the case
when it comes to the situation between Israel and her neighbors.
In other words, don’t always believe what you see on television or
for that matter what you hear on the radio or read in the newspaper
or the internet.
By now you might have heard of the concept of “media bias”.
Media bias occurs when journalists let their feelings, emotions,
and beliefs for one reason or another have an influence on how
they report. As an example, if I am a journalist who happens to be
a big Colts fan, when I write about the Colts I might say that the
Chargers stink. I might blame the Cots loss to the Chargers on the
referees, the rowdy Charger fans, etc. instead of admitting that the
Colts just didn’t play to their potential.
There are other factors that might make it seem that a journalist is
taking sides in a conflict. Journalists are always under pressure for
time. With deadlines to meet a journalist might report on a story
without always making sure the facts are accurate. Ever pay attention
to a section in your daily newspaper reserved for
“corrections?” Newspapers print corrections when a journalist
covering a story makes a mistake. This happens all the time. In
our case, a journalist might not have anything against Israel or be
biased, but because of pressure, he or she might quote an unreliable
source, or print something based on rumors and not on facts.
Going back to bias, here are examples of two ways that a journalist
might report on something that happened:

I am reporting live from Gaza, where an Israeli tank just shot at an
Arab school. There was a huge explosion followed by another explosion
and 30 people were killed, mostly women and children.”
That all might be true, but how might you see things differently if the
reporter said the following:
“I am reporting live from Gaza, where Hamas gunmen have just fired
at Israeli soldiers from a school. In the school the gunmen are hiding
behind a group of women and children. An Israeli tank just shot at
the source of the fire. There was a huge explosion and then another
explosion since the school was used to store gunpowder and weapons.
30 people were killed, mostly women and children.”
See the difference? Of course it is unfortunate when innocent people
are killed in war. But it is also important to understand who is truly
responsible for their death
I just want to conclude by touching on the current situation in Israel.
Over the past eight years, the Hamas terror organization in Gaza has
fired over 8,000 rockets at the people of Israel. After exploring
many ways to try and solve the problem without using force, Israel
decided that it must protect its citizens and send the army into Gaza.
That is why the soldiers are in Gaza, to protect the citizens of the
State of Israel. This is not a war we wanted, but one forced upon us.
I hope that this was helpful in understanding a little bit about the
situation . I look forward to sharing more with you in the days to
come.
Let me conclude by asking Hashem to protect the people of the State
of Israel, and the brave soldiers who are risking their lives for our
safety.

Cell Phones and Governmental/Political Freedom

2009-01-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

Cell Phones and Governmental/Political Freedom
While comparing governmental/ political freedom, out of 10, and the average amount of cell phones per one thousand people in Jordan, Israel, Iran, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, I expect to find that the more freedom and the more the citizens run the government there is, the cell phones there will have a greater number.
One of my maps is the average amount of cell phones per one thousand people, while the other is the percent out of 10 of governmental/political freedom. My hypothesis is generally correct. Israel, a democracy which is the freest government, 8.20 percent, on my list, has an average of 1,385.163 cell phones per 1,000 people. My hypothesis was wrong about Syria and Yemen, though. Yemen has the least amount of cell phones, 137.653 per 1,000 people, but not the least amount of freedom, 4.30 percent. Syria’s citizens have the least amount of freedom on my entire list, 2.80 out of ten percent, but it is only second to last with cell phones, 346.885 cell phones. After Israel the monarchies, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Jordan, have the highest average of cell phones. Saudi Arabia comes in second with a 1,028.258 average. After that, Jordan with 788.179 cell phones and Oman with a close fourth, an average of 780.056 cell phones. Then Iraq, which now has more freedom -5.05 percent- then it has ever had because of the American army getting rid the Iraqi dictator, is fifth with 509.861 cell phones per 1,000 people. In sixth place is Iran with a 455.261 average of cell phones. This was surprising to me, because Iran, currently, has an awful dictator and only 3.85 percent of political freedom.
Just from looking at my maps, a person could learn something extremely important about these countries. A person living in Israel, the United States, or any other country with free choice for the citizens could discover just how truly lucky they are to be living there. Also, the rest of the world is able to discover the problems and suffering that dictators or a single powerful ruler can cause on that countries citizens and the rest of the world. The last discovery to make on the maps is that cell phones are able to represent freedom. The freer a person is the easier it is for them to have a cell phone and do whatever they want with it.
A possible reason for the economic success or failure for these countries is the governments. If the government takes everything that the citizens have and everything that other countries send them then that country is not going to do extremely well. Those countries are crying, while the free countries are blooming. And the free countries are selling more cell phones.
If I had to live in one of the countries which I have chosen, I would pick Israel. In Israel I would be the most free, and not only that but I would be able to buy a cell phone, call whoever I want, and write whatever I want on my text messages. The maps make me want to pick Israel even more, because according to the maps, Israel has the highest percent of freedom.

Another Set of Shoes

2009-01-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

Another Set of Shoes
“You don’t really know a person until you walk a mile in his shoes”. This common expression means that it is hard to get to know a person unless you put yourself into his position. A person could be acting wrongly, but he might not see that if that is the only way he was taught. You might think of that person as a terrible person, but you will never really know why he is doing this wrong act unless you “become” that person. Some people in this world really are bad people, who need to be punished, but other people are simply people who have been misjudged because they are too afraid to speak out, or something prevents them from speaking out, which causes other people to believe that they are trying to hide something.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the people of the town of Maycomb think of Arthur, nicknamed Boo, Radley as a terrible person because of the legends that circle around that town. But nobody really knows if Boo is a bad person or not, because they have never tried to see the world from Boo’s point of view. Only Boo’s parents, who live with Boo, know the true story of Boo’s life. When Jem, Scout, and Dill act out the different mean legends about Boo’s life, and Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, catches them, Atticus says “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…” (39). Atticus clearly does not believe that all of the legends that the people say are true, and he is trying to get that message across to his children. It is hard for Jem, Scout, and Dill to understand the lesson their father is trying to teach them, because the only thing they see is that Boo Radley must be a terrible person.
One day, when Jem and Scout went to put a letter into a knot-hole, where someone had put different treasures for them, in a tree by the Radleys’ house, they discovered that somebody had filled the knot-hole with cement. The next day, Jem asked Mr. Radley, Boo’s father, if he had filled up the knot-hole. Mr. Radley said that the “tree’s dying. You plug ‘em with cement when they’re sick” (83). Jem and Scout discovered that Mr. Radley had lied after they asked Atticus if the tree was dying and Atticus said “why no, son, I don’t think so” (84). Jem and Scout will never know why Mr. Radley really did fill the knot-hole with cement unless they fit their feet into Mr. Radley’s shoes and learn the entire story. This will be a difficult task especially for Jem and Scout because they think of the Radleys as strange people who are not to be messed with.
A person misjudging other people because they cannot step into those peoples’ shoes is a repeating occurrence that not only happens in books or movies, but also in real life. This sort of history could happen between friends, family, strangers, or any type of relationship between two or more people. A common example that happens to everybody is that a person gets a terrible headache and speaks out in pain or irritation. This person’s friend does not feel the pain at the same moment and therefore may be offended by the person’s tone. If the friend steps into the person’s shoes and actually understands the pain that the person is feeling, then it is much easier for this friend to take pity and understand why this person spoke out in that way.
It can be hard at times to put your feet into another person’s shoes, especially if they wear a size too small, but it is easier to connect, or let people confide in you, when you know why they are feeling this way. Sometimes people are different from us, or do strange acts that we do not understand, and sometimes we still cannot understand the entire picture even after we position ourselves into their shoes, but we must trust our fellow people and believe that, most of the time, they know what they our doing, and we just need to see the whole world with their eyes, thoughts, and shoes.

The Hamas Covenant-Selected Excerpts

2009-01-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Hamas Covenant-
Selected Excerpts

1. Calls for the Destruction of Israel
Introduction: "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory)." [Page 1]
Article 6: "The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine…" [Page 3]

2. Calls for Jihad
Article 13: " There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad." [Page 7]
"Article Eight: The Slogan of the Islamic Resistance Movement: Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes." [Page 5]
Article 15: " In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised." [Page 8]
Article 15: "The Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine is an Individual Duty: " "The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised." [Page 8]
Article 3: "The basic structure of the Islamic Resistance Movement consists of Moslems who have given their allegiance to Allah whom they truly worship, - "I have created the jinn and humans only for the purpose of worshipping" - who know their duty towards themselves, their families and country. In all that, they fear Allah and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors, so that they would rid the land and the people of their uncleanliness, vileness and evils. " [Page 3]

3. Rejection of Peace Negotiations
Article 32: "Leaving the circle of struggle with Zionism is high treason" [Page 18]
Article 11: "The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. [Page 5]
Article 13: " Now and then the call goes out for the convening of an international conference to look for ways of solving the (Palestinian) question…. These conferences are only ways of setting the infidels in the land of the Moslems as arbitraters." [Page 7]

4. Antisemitism and Conspiracy Theories
Article 7: "The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."" [Page 4]
Article 32: " The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying." [Page 17]
Article 20: " In their Nazi treatment, the Jews made no exception for women or children. Their policy of striking fear in the heart is meant for all. They attack people where their breadwinning is concerned, extorting their money and threatening their honour." [Page 11]
Article 32: " Peoples should augment by further steps on their part; Islamic groupings all over the Arab world should also do the same, since all of these are the best-equipped for the future role in the fight with the warmongering Jews." [Page 18]
Article 22: " For a long time, the enemies have been planning, skillfully and with precision, for the achievement of what they have attained. They took into consideration the causes affecting the current of events. They strived to amass great and substantive material wealth which they devoted to the realisation of their dream. With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests. With their money they were able to control imperialistic countries and instigate them to colonize many countries in order to enable them to exploit their resources and spread corruption there. You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources." [Page 12]
Article 28: " The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion. It does not refrain from resorting to all methods, using all evil and contemptible ways to achieve its end. It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions. They aim at undermining societies, destroying values, corrupting consciences, deteriorating character and annihilating Islam. It is behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds so as to facilitate its control and expansion. " [Page 15]
Introduction: "Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious." [Page 2]

5. The Conflict with Israel as a Religious Struggle
Article 1: "The Movement's programme is Islam" [Page 2]

Article 15: "It is necessary to instill in the minds of the Moslem generations that the Palestinian problem is a religious problem, and should be dealt with on this basis." [Page 8]
"The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of Moslem Brotherhood in Palestine. Moslem Brotherhood Movement is a universal organization which constitutes the largest Islamic movement in modern times." [[Page 2]

Article 11: Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day. This being so, who could claim to have the right to represent Moslem generations till Judgement Day? " [Page 5]

THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

2009-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

111TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. ll

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
llllllllll

Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. MCCONNELL) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on llllllllll

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks
from Gaza and reaffirming the United States’
strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas, and
supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying
the State of Israel;
Whereas Hamas has been designated by the Secretary of
State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the requirements
of the Quartet (the United States, the European Union,
Russia, and the United Nations) that Hamas recognize
Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept
previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
2
Whereas, in June 2006, Hamas crossed into Israel, attacked
Israeli forces and kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whom
they continue to hold today;
Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars
since Israel dismantled settlements and withdrew
from Gaza in 2005;
Whereas Hamas has increased the range of its rockets, reportedly
with support from Iran and others, putting additional
large numbers of Israelis in danger of rocket attacks
from Gaza;
Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure
in civilian population centers, thus using innocent civilians
as human shields;
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement
on December 27, 2008, that ‘‘[w]e strongly condemn
the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against
Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the
ceasefire and for the renewal of violence there’’;
Whereas, on December 27, 2008, Prime Minister of Israel
Ehud Olmert said, ‘‘For approximately seven years, hundreds
of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have
been suffering from missiles being fired at them.. . . In
such a situation we had no alternative but to respond.
We do not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred
from it.. . .The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed,
first and foremost, to bring about an improvement
in the security reality for the residents of the south
of the country.’’;
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated
that ‘‘Hamas has held the people of Gaza hostage ever
since their illegal coup against the forces of President
3
Mahmoud Abbas, the legitimate President of the Palestinian
people. Hamas has used Gaza as a launching pad
for rockets against Israeli cities and has contributed
deeply to a very bad daily life for the Palestinian people
in Gaza, and to a humanitarian situation that we have
all been trying to address’’;
Whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including shortages
of food, water, electricity, and adequate medical
care, is becoming more acute;
Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with
over 500 trucks and numerous ambulances entering the
Gaza Strip since December 26, 2008;
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated
that it was ‘‘Hamas that rejected the Egyptian and Arab
calls for an extension of the tahadiya that Egypt had negotiated’’
and that the United States was ‘‘working toward
a cease-fire that would not allow a reestablishment
of the status quo ante where Hamas can continue to
launch rockets out of Gaza. It is obvious that that ceasefire
should take place as soon as possible, but we need
a cease-fire that is durable and sustainable’’; and
Whereas the ultimate goal of the United States is a sustainable
resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will
allow for a viable and independent Palestinian state living
side by side in peace and security with the State of
Israel, which will not be possible as long as Israeli civilians
are under threat from within Gaza: Now, therefore,
be it
1 Resolved, That the Senate—
2 (1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering
3 commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of
4
O:\DAV\DAV09017.xml S.L.C.
1 the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state
2 with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act
3 in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of
4 terrorism;
5 (2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket
6 and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel’s
7 right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept
8 previous agreements between Israel and the Pal9
estinians;
10 (3) encourages the President to work actively to
11 support a durable, enforceable, and sustainable
12 cease-fire in Gaza, as soon as possible, that prevents
13 Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to
14 launch rockets and mortars against Israel and allows
15 for the long term improvement of daily living condi16
tions for the ordinary people of Gaza;
17 (4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent
18 civilians must be protected and all appropriate meas19
ures should be taken to diminish civilian casualties
20 and that all involved should continue to work to ad21
dress humanitarian needs in Gaza;
22 (5) supports and encourages efforts to diminish
23 the appeal and influence of extremists in the Pales24
tinian territories and to strengthen moderate Pal5

1 estinians who are committed to a secure and lasting
2 peace with Israel; and
3 (6) reiterates its strong support for United
4 States Government efforts to promote a just resolu5
tion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a seri6
ous and sustained peace process that leads to the
7 creation of a viable and independent Palestinian
8 state living in peace alongside a secure State of
9 Israel.

Ministry of Defense

2009-01-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

Cessation of IDF offensive activities in Gaza to take place for the second consecutive day
(Communicated by COGAT – Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, Ministry of Defense)

Today between 13:00 and 16:00, the IDF will implement for the second successive day a humanitarian recess in offensive activities. This step is in order to enable the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip to replenish stocks and to enable the international organizations to carry out their humanitarian missions.

Also this morning, approximately 300 dual nationals are expected to be evacuated via the Erez terminal at the request of the various embassies. The dual nationals will be shuttled to Allenby Bridge and make their way to Jordan accompanied by embassy staff.

Approximately 100 trucks to be transferred to Gaza via Kerem Shalom, and for the first time as a pilot via Erez. Finally, some 500,000 liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station are scheduled to be conveyed to Gaza via the Nahal Oz fuel depot.

The Situation In Israel - From My Heart

2009-01-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

To Our Beloved Akron Community . . .
The Situation In Israel - From My Heart
by Lihi Zigler Schwartz
I think that writing this to you is the hardest thing I've done in our shlichut. We are here in Akron, but Aharon and I can't stop thinking and worrying about what is happening in Israel - our home. As you know, the government of Israel ordered the Israeli Air Force to attack Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza strip. The operation was kept a secret so that the IDF would have the advantage of surprise. The name of the operation, "Cast Lead," was intentional. Saturday, December 27 was the seventh candle of Chanukah, and there is a popular children's song about a dreidl made of cast lead. Apparently some military official saw the irony. Every time we talk to others about the mazav (situation) in Israel, people want to know about our families. Our relatives live in Kfar-Saba, a beautiful city 20 miles north east of Tel-Aviv. Fortunately, they are doing fine. They go to work; go to school; visit friends; have birthday parties and even get to sleep a whole night in their bed.Our families are fortunate. But more than 700,000 Israelis live under the constant threat of missiles and rockets for almost eight years. These are Israeli citizens living in Israel - a sovereign nation - not on contested land. There is no dispute: The land is Israel. Every military confrontation delivers casualties and loss for both sides, and everyone wants to avoid more sorrow and mourning. We believe that is why Israel has demonstrated incredible restraint. Since Israel's disengagement from Gaza in August 2005, the Hamas terrorist organization has fired more than 3,000 rockets toward Israel. The Book of Ecclesiastes says there is "a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;" (Ecclesiastes 3, 8). If there is such a thing as a "just" military operation, then "Cast Lead" is definitely one. Operation Cast Lead has a successful leadership team made of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; Minister of Defense Ehud Barak; Minister for Foreign Affairs Zipi Livni; and Commander in Chief of the Israel Defense Forces, Gabi Ashkenazi. We trust them. We want to believe that this current conflict will end with a possibility to make a change. We mustn't delude ourselves, however. The Hamas terrorist organization will still be there, supported by Iran, and the Palestinian people will still be portrayed internationally as the victims of Israel. This is despite the fact that the Palestinian leaders themselves have created the very poverty that the average Palestinian blames on Israel. All that Israelis want is a peaceful, quiet border. It is unfortunate that the only way this will happen is by greatly weakening the terrorist organizations that wish Israel harm. Unfortunately, this will not change. Israel went to war understanding this fact, and the world should know. It is never comfortable to watch news from Gaza - ruined neighborhoods and injured women and children. Since we are soldiers, we know that the Israeli army is doing its best not to hurt innocent civilians. They invest much time, effort and money to use the most accurate military equipment. Often the IDF will even chose not to hit a target, just to make sure they did everything possible not to harm innocent life. So what is the truth? Truth #1 - Hamas terrorist organization is using innocent Palestinians as human shields. This is a tragic and unfortunate fact that Israel must cope with Truth #2 - Hamas terrorist organization celebrates every Israeli casualty. Israel is a democratic country with a humanitarian army. Israeli soldiers are educated not to hate, and they are trained to use military power with great caution and restraint. Before bombing an area, the Israeli Air Force actually spreads announcements asking people to leave their homes and seek shelter. During the past week, hundreds of phone calls were made to warn Gaza residents about the coming attacks. In addition, more then 600 truckloads of food and medical supplies were transferred to Gaza during the last nine days. This is our obligation - both as Jewish people that have been oppressed many times in history, and as a free, democratic country. Now Israel has sent Israeli ground troops inside Gaza. All military efforts have been for one single goal: to bring peace for more than 700,000 Israeli citizens. Israel also hopes to free the Palestinian people from the militant wing of the Hamas terrorist organization. But no one pretends that this operation will diminish the civic influence that Hamas has on daily life in Gaza. I admit - I am ambivalent. I completely understand the necessity of this military action. But at the same time, I don't want to send Aharon or my brother Alon, or the rest of our friends into battle. Personally, I sat for eight hours on a single day in front of the TV watching the Israeli channel. I grabbed onto every piece of information from every correspondent I saw, praying that we won't have to bury any more soldiers. Our soldiers - these kids, really - are the salt of the earth. They are Israel's future. They must be here to lead Israel someday. And we are looking to that future generation to continue leading Israel forward in fresh, new directions. That is why we Israelis invest so much time, emphasis and money into education. Each individual has a special and unique gift. Who can ever know what valuable contribution one lost soldier would have given to Israel? No one can ever realize what we've lost whenever one soldier is killed. So I don't want to lose another single Israeli soldier. I also don't want to harm innocent Palestinians. I don't want to see yet another generation of Palestinians that hate Israelis and are drawn to extremist terrorist organizations like Hamas for solutions - even when Israel acted justly. But I do understand that we have a small piece of land that was given to us by the western world after realizing that the Jewish people should have a place of their own. We have no where else to go. Israel is our homeland - the only place in the world where you can buy Crocs in Hebrew; a special place where you can go down the street you feel safest (a paradox, I know); and a special place where all people are united in times like this. Israel is where you can feel such a strong feeling of unity, where all its citizens are waiting for just one soldier - Gilad Shalit - to return home to us, healthy and safe. We won't give up. Some day we will have our long-awaited peace. That will be the day that we won't have to fight for our right to exist. Lihi & Aharon will be at the Community Shabbat Dinner this Friday, January 9, giving a brief presentation on the current situation in Israel and answering questions regarding Operation Cast Lead.

THE JEWISH AGENCY RESPONSE

2009-01-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

THE JEWISH AGENCY RESPONSE
In the past, during times of war and strife, the Jewish Agency has mobilized quickly to operate a range of specialized responses that meet the unique needs of the populations and community directly impacted. Our efforts in the field generate both short-term and long-term impacts that continue to influence individuals across Israel through today:

Prior Emergency Reponses with Proven Success
1. Our Fund for Victims of Terror and its Emergency SOS our Fund for Victims of Terror and its SOS Emergency Fund, created by United Jewish Communities' Israel Emergency Campaign (IEC) and Keren Hayesod, provides up to immediate financial assistance to victims of terror attacks and their families. Stepping in to respond where government subsidies fail – both in terms of response time and allocations – the Fund helps victims rebuild their lives quickly and effectively. On a secondary level, our financial assistance demonstrates our solidarity with terror victims and our support for their struggle – a gesture that strengthens their resolve to persevere and succeed.
2. During the Second Lebanon War, the Jewish Agency hosted over 40,000 children and youth at getaway activities elsewhere in Israel. We are also actively operating cultural and recreational activities in Sderot – through the local community center – to keep children safely indoors and entertained. Our efforts continue to be multifaceted: we offer educational, recreational and cultural excursions that removed children and youth from danger; gave parents a safe and fun alternative for their children outside the bomb shelter; and helped these children and youth experience the joy and carefree fun of their childhood, far away from the threats of war.
3. Student scholarships for students studying in Israel's northern region helped encourage young adults to stay and invest in their futures. Moreover, it offered a financial incentive for thousands to begin their academic pursuits in the many colleges and institutions of higher learning across Israel's northern region. After the Second Lebanon War, these scholarships proved invaluable toward preventing a 'brain drain' of Israel's promising minds from the north.

Prior Emergency Reponses with Residual Impact
1. Trauma and emergency response training enabled Jewish Agency Absorption Center staff to properly respond to the crisis at-hand for the hundreds of new immigrant residents looking to them for help. By mobilizing our resources for increased and more effective activities, the Jewish Agency created a sustainable framework for treating psychological needs among new immigrants at absorption centers in northern Israel. Their assistance has been critical to meeting the range of unique needs among the new immigrant residents as the situation began to escalate and erupt in full-blown war.
2. Renovating and equipping bomb shelters across Israel was carried out by the Jewish Agency on several levels: first, the Jewish Agency fortified public structures and equipped bomb shelters to suit the needs of the population (including installing air conditioners, upgraded plumbing systems and more); second, our capital campaign also helped raise awareness to maintain and upgrade the bomb shelters. Then as now, our efforts continue to mobilize individuals in Israel's southern communities to upgrade and add to their bomb shelters in light of the impending escalation of violence.

Invisible Braces Bring Visible Results

2009-01-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

Invisalign® utilizes 3-D computer technology with clear, plastic removable "aligners" to move teeth at a rate similar to traditional braces, but without any metal or wires. The "aligners" can be removed to eat and clean your teeth and are generally undetectable when worn. The computer imaging technology can predetermine and develop a treatment plan from the initial position of the patient's teeth to their final desired position. From this a series of custom-made "aligners" are fabricated. Each "aligner" moves teeth incrementally and is worn for about two weeks, then replaced by the next in the series until the final position is achieved.
For years, orthodontists and dentists have used removable appliances for limited treatment. Now Invisalign treats a broader range of cases with greater precision. The principal difference is that Invisalign not only controls forces, but also controls the timing of the force application. At each stage, only certain teeth are allowed to move, and these movements are determined by the orthodontic treatment plan for that particular stage. This results in an efficient force delivery system.
Most people experience temporary, minor discomfort for a few days at the beginning of each new stage of treatment. This is normal and is typically described as a feeling of pressure. It is a sign that Invisalign is working - sequentially moving your teeth to their final destination. This discomfort typically goes away a couple of days after you insert the new "aligner" in the series.
This procedure is especially popular for adults who previously had orthodontic treatment when they were younger and have experienced regression as they've aged. Rather than repeat the inconveniences and discomfort of braces all over again, Invisalign provides an appealing alternative.
A common concern is whether or not this treatment is covered by dental insurance. Because dental benefits differ significantly from policy to policy, each patient should review their coverage. However, if a patient has orthodontic coverage, Invisalign should be covered to the same extent as conventional braces. When treatment is complete, some patients might need a positioner, or conventional retainer. Other patients might need a clear plastic retainer similar to the ones Invisalign makes. Please discuss these possibilities with our office. Every patient is different and outcomes vary.

Israel seeks peace with right to self-defense

2009-01-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

As we follow the current situation in the Middle East, it is important to remember that
Israel is acting in defense, reacting to a situation forced upon her. Since the Israeli
government completed the withdrawal of its troops and citizens from the Gaza strip
in August 2005, more than 6,300 rockets have been fired from Gaza at the homes,
schools and synagogues of Israel's southern communities. These rockets were not
fired at army bases or airstrips or industrial targets. They were indiscriminately
launched at population centers with the sole goal of killing as many innocent Israeli
civilians as possible. Israel has a moral right and responsibility to defend its citizens.
Israel is reacting just like any other nation under constant attack. If Detroit were hit
by Canada or San Antonio were hit by Mexico with 50 rockets in 50 hours, it would
act decisively to end the threat. We should not apply a double standard to Israel.
The reality of the conflict is that Israel takes every possible measure to protect
innocent lives, often putting its soldiers at additional risk. Hamas attacks
indiscriminately, seeking to maximize civilian casualties on the Israeli side and
intentionally operates in Palestinian population centers, using non-combatant men,
women and children as human shields in clear violation of legal and moral norms.
Israel continues to work diligently with members of the international community to
alleviate the human suffering in Gaza. To urgently address these humanitarian
considerations, Israel has continued to supply fuel, food, medical supplies and other
humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, despite Hamas attacks on Israeli
civilians. During the past six months, Israel has supplied more than 14,624
truckloads of humanitarian assistance. There have been more than 4,130 medical
evacuations.
While Israel makes every effort to avert a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the world
must not lose sight of the horrific conditions in southern Israel. This region has
experienced non-stop terrorism since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The towns
of Sderot and Ashkelon in particular have been pounded by a barrage of Qassam
rockets aimed at civilians. Preschools, homes and bus stops have been consistently
targeted. When the alarm goes off, civilians have no more than 15 seconds to reach
shelter. Imagine being in the shower when the alarm sounds? Or what do you do if
your children are on the bus heading for school when it happens? This is not a rare
occurrence. It has taken place almost daily in the areas near Gaza for the last three
years, which explains why Israel has been compelled to act.
Since Israel declared independence in 1948, it has never known a day of peace.
Israel longs for normal relations with its neighbors and has proven it is willing to
make painful sacrifices to achieve peace. Meanwhile, Israel has the right, indeed the
obligation, to defend itself and its citizens. In fact, defeat of Hamas in Gaza could
reinforce the leadership of Palestinian officials in control of the West Bank who reject
terrorism. The situation in Gaza contrasts sharply with that in the West Bank where
real progress is being made both in terms of security and economic development for
the Palestinians because of this bold leadership, the kind that might be capable of
engaging in credible negotiations toward peace.
We are dedicated to the goal of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians,
based on two states living side-by-side in peace and security. We pray and tirelessly
strive for a day when suffering will be known no more by the peoples of this troubled
region. This is an extraordinarily painful period to be sure, but if Israel's Operation
Cast Lead succeeds and Hamas is neutralized, the current crisis may create the
conditions in which peace might finally prevail.

Gaza situation

2009-01-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

Talking Points on the Current Situation in the Gaza Strip January 3, 2009Ø For years Israel has sought reconciliation with the Palestinian people on the basis of two states living side by side in peace and security. It has been negotiating to achieve that goal with the Palestinian Authority (PA) under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayad, and, in recent months, significant strides have been made to enhance the security and economic situation for Palestinians living in the West Bank. Ø On the other hand, Hamas, which is unabashedly dedicated to Israel's destruction -- and recognized widely by the international community as a terrorist organization -- ousted the PA from Gaza in a violent 2006 coup. Ø It also should be remembered that Israel unilaterally dismantled settlements and withdrew its troops from Gaza in 2005. Thus, it cannot be argued that there is Israeli "occupation" in Gaza. Instead of using Israel's withdrawal to create better living conditions for the population there, Hamas has used the last two years to turn Gaza into a terrorist base. It has created a series of tunnels from the Sinai, which are used to bring sophisticated weapons into Gaza, including from Iran.Ø The goal of the current Israeli military operation in Gaza, which should be the goal of diplomacy at the UN and in world capitals as well, is to create conditions that will prevent Hamas from continuing to rain rockets down on cities in southern Israel. Over 10,000 rockets have been launched against Israeli civilian population centers during the last eight years. Israel now is engaged in stopping the rockets and destroying the tunnels.Ø When a rocket is fired indiscriminately into Israeli population centers, as has happened hundreds of times in the past two weeks, Israelis literally have 15 seconds to run for cover. Imagine what daily life is under such conditions, from simply taking a shower to putting a child on a bus to go to school. Ø The fundamental responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens from external attacks and threats. If rockets were being fired at American cities, we would expect the U.S. government to take the necessary action to protect our people. Ø A couple of weeks ago, Hamas declared an end to the six-month "lull" that had been brokered by Egypt and intensified the attacks against Israel. Indeed, almost one hundred rockets were fired on December 25, Christmas day. Ø Israel, as always, is doing everything within its power to limit non-combatant casualties in Gaza, an enormous challenge since Hamas intentionally operates within heavily populated neighborhoods, as well as in schools and mosques. Israel often puts its soldiers at greater risk in order to minimize non-combatant casualties. Even Palestinian statistics show that the vast majority of fatalities are combatants, not civilians. Nevertheless, we know that innocents inevitably will lose their lives on both sides, and we deeply mourn these losses. Ø Some express anger over the disparity in casualty figures. This is explained, in part, by the fact that Israel does all it can to protect its citizens, while Hamas uses non-combatants in Gaza as human shields in contravention of basic international norms.Ø While carrying out military actions against the Hamas terrorist infrastructure, Israel continues to facilitate caravans of trucks transferring humanitarian relief supplies to the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza. Ø There will be enormous pain and suffering in the short term, but the weakening of Hamas in Gaza could lead to an opening to expand Israeli-Palestinian cooperation toward a durable and sustainable peace. IN ADDITION…As much as possible, it is important to personalize the situation. If you have family or friends living in the affected cities and can share some of their stories, that would be useful.

chocolate rain

2009-01-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

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CAST LEAD

2009-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

OPERATION "CAST LEAD" GETS UNDERWAY – 27 DECEMBER 08

Hamas unilaterally suspended the Egyptian-brokered truce with Israel, launching hundreds of rockets at civilian targets in southern Israel over the past week. Israel has exercised maximum restraint, but – after eight years of missile barrages from Gaza – must come to the defense of the 250,000 Israelis living within range of Hamas attack. Any other sovereign nation would do the same.

Under cover of the truce, Hamas engaged in a major campaign to upgrade its terrorist capabilities, manufacturing and smuggling massive quantities of weapons into Gaza – including rockets, explosive charges and machine guns – and constructing a network of underground tunnels for combat purposes. Israel cannot acquiesce to the presence of a Hizballah-like organization on its southern border.

The objective of the IDF operation is to cripple the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, impairing the ability of Hamas and its allies to launch attacks on the citizens of Israel; IDF action would have been unnecessary had Hamas abandoned the path of terror. Israel is engaged in self-defense, and will respond assertively to any provocation by other parties in the region.

Hamas belongs to the "A" League of extremism, alongside Iran, Syria, Al Qaida and Hizballah. The United Nations and a majority of its member states have designated Hamas a terrorist organization and will not engage in any contact with its representatives. Israel expects the international community to lend its support to the war on Hamas terror.

Israel has done everything possible to avert any humanitarian crisis in Gaza, allowing for the regular entry of supplies and international aid. In fact, just last week, it was Hamas that acted to prevent the delivery of humanitarian assistance from Egypt.

While the IDF takes pains to direct its activities exclusively against terrorists, Hamas callously places Palestinian civilians in harm's way – positioning its forces inside schools and houses of worship, and launching attacks from crowded areas. The unintentional injury of any civilians in Gaza is the sole responsibility of Hamas.

Hamas objections notwithstanding, the Government of Israel will continue its pursuit of peace with the Palestinian people, led by President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 precisely to further this goal, but Hamas seized control of Gaza, turning the area into a launch pad for terrorism against Israel.

QUICK FACTS ON GAZA

2009-01-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

QUICK FACTS ON GAZA

half a million Israelis are in the line of fire (of rockets from Gaza)
2 people killed today (Monday): a driving in Ashdod got out of car when she heard the early warning siren and tried to seek shelter in a bus stop but was killed. Ashdod is 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Gaza, and the farthest city to be hit; Hamas is using Iranian-made Katyusha rockets to hit the city. Another person was killed and seven hurt in a rocket strike in the western Negev.
3,000 rockets fired in 2008; 200 since the truce expired 10 days ago and another 150 since the operation Saturday.
Over 100 Hamas military and weapons sites targeted
40 weapons smuggling tunnels targeted (Sun.)
Most of the Palestinians killed are members of Hamas, NOT CIVILIANS. (Of the reported 320 Palestinian dead, only 15% are civilian.)
Indeed 2 mosques were attacked but these served as weapons and ammunitions depots. After the air attack, there were secondary explosions (indicating that large quantities of ammunition/ explosives). A chemical lab used for making bombs and rockets was destroyed inside the Islamic University in Gaza.
Sunday, humanitarian assistance: 160 tons (!!) of food and medicine in 23 trucks entered Gaza.
Today (Monday): triple that amount – 60 trucks (!) of medicine and food AND 10 AMBULANCES
During the 6 month truce, Israel let in 17,000(!!) truckloads of goods into Gaza

תפילה לחולה

2009-01-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

תפילה לחולה

א. יאמרו ל"ז מזמורים אלו )שהם כמנין מילוי שם הוי"ה של ס"ג שמשם הרפואה והחיים והחסד(: כ, ו, ט, יג, טז, יח', כב', כג', כה' ל, לא, לב, לג, לו, לז, לח, לט, מא, מט, נה, נו, סט, פו, פח, פט, צ, צא, קב, קג, קד, קז, קטז, קיח, קמב, קמג, קכח.

ב. אח"כ יאמרו בפרק קי"ט שהוא לפי אלף בית את כל הפסוקים משמו של החולה. כגון אם שמו יעקב יאמר: את שמונת הפסוקים של אות י', את שמונת הפסוקים של אות ע'. את שמונת הפסוקים של אות ק', ואת שמונת הפסוקים של אות ב'.

ג. אח"כ יאמר: כל פסוקי האותיות מהשם קרע שטן בפרק קי"ט כנ"ל מכל אות שמונה פסוקים. אח"כ יאמרו תפילה זו בכונה: ה' ה' אל רחום וחנון ארץ אפיים ורב חסד ואמת נוצר חסד לאלפים נושא עוון פשע וחטאה ונקה לךָ ה' הַגּדֻלָּה והַגּבוּרָה והַתִּפְאֶרֶת והַנֵּצַח והַהוֹד כִּי־כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ. לךָ ה' הַמַּמְלָכָה והַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לכל לרֹאשׁ: ואתה בידך נפש כל חי ורוח כל בשר איש. ובידך כח וגבורה לגדל ולחזק ולרפאות אנוש עד דכא, עד דכדוכה של נפש ולא יפלא ממך כל דבר, ובידך נפש כל חי. לכן יהי רצון מלפניך האל הנאמן אב הרחמים הרופא לכל תחלואי עמך ישראל הקרובים עד שערי מות, והמחבש מזור ותעלה לידידיו, והגואל משחת חסידיו, והמציל ממות נפש מרודיו, אתה רופא נאמן. שלח מרפא וארוכה ותעלה ברוב חסד וחנינה וחמלה לזכר: לנפש פלוני בן פלונית, לרוחו ונפשו האומללה, ולא תרד נפשו לשאול, ותתמלא רחמים עליו להחלימו ולרפאותו ולהחזיקו ולהחיותו כרצון כל קרוביו ואוהביו, ויראו לפניך זכיותיו וצדקותיו, ותשליך במצלות ים כל חטאתיו, ויכבשו רחמיך את כעסך מעליו, ותשלח לו רפואה שלימה רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף, ותחדש כנשר נעוריו, ותשלח לו לנקבה: לנפש פלונית בת פלונית, לרוחה ונפשה האומללה, ולא תרד נפשה לשאול, ותתמלא רחמים עליה להחלימה ולרפאותה ולהחזיקה ולהחיותה כרצון כל קרוביה ואוהביה, ויראו לפניך זכיותיה וצדקותיה, ותשליך במצלות ים כל חטאתיה, ויכבשו רחמיך את כעסך מעליה, ותשלח לה רפואה שלימה רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף, ותחדש כנשר נעוריה, ותשלח לה ולכל חולי ישראל מרפא ארוכה, מרפא ברכה, מרפא תרופה ותעלה, מרפא חנינה וחמלה, מרפא ידועים וגלוים, מרפא רחמים ושלום וחיים, מרפא אורך ימים ושנים טובים, ויקוים בו )בה( ובכל חולי עמך ישראל מקרא שכתוב על ידי משה עבדך נאמן ביתך, ויאמר: אם שמוע תשמע לקול יהוה אלהיך והישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו ושמרת כל חקיו כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני יהוה רופאך: ועבדתם את אלהיכם וברך את לחמך ואת מימיך והסירותי מחלה מקרבך: לא תהיה משכלה ועקרה בארצך את מספר ימיך אמלא: והסיר יהוה ממך כל חולי וכל מדוי מצרים הרעים אשר ידעת לא ישימם בך ונתנם בכל שונאיך: ועל ידי עבדיך הנביאים כתוב לאמר ואכלתם אכול ושבוע והללתם את שם יהוה אלהיכם אשר עשה עמכם להפליא ולא יבושו עמי לעולם: דרכיו ראיתי וארפאהו ואנחהו ואשלם ניחומים לו ולאבליו: בורא ניב שפתיים שלום שלום לרחוק ולקרוב אמר יהוה ורפאתיו: וזרחה לכם יראי שמי שמש צדקה ומרפא בכנפיה: אז יבקע כשחר אורך וארוכתך מהרה תצמח: רפאינו יהוה ונרפא הושיענו ונושעה כי תהילתנו אתה: לזכר: והעלה רפואה שלימה לכל מכות עמך ישראל ובפרט לפלוני בן פלונית רפואה שלימה לרמ"ח איבריו ושס"ה גידיו, לרפאות אותו כחזקיהו מלך יהודה מחליו, וכמרים הנביאה מצרעתה, בשם השמות הקדושים של שלש עשרה מדותיך, אל נא רפא נא לפלוני בן פלוני להקים אותו מחליו זה, ולהאריך עוד ימי חייו

לנקבה: והעלה רפואה שלימה לכל מכות עמך ישראל ובפרט לפלונית בת פלונית רפואה שלימה לרמ"ח איבריה ושס"ה גידיה, לרפאות אותה כחזקיהו מלך יהודה מחליו, וכמרים הנביאה מצרעתה, בשם השמות הקדושים של שלש עשרה מדותיך, אל נא רפא נא לפלוני בן פלוני להקים אותה מחליה זה, ולהאריך עוד ימי חייה חיים של רחמים, חיים של בריאות, חיים של שלום, חיים של ברכה, כדכתיב כי אורך ימים ושנות חיים ושלום יוספו לך, אמן סלה.

שנוי השם מתפללים התפילה דלעיל לרפואת החולה, ואחר כך מוסיפים: ואף אם נגזר עליו )עליה( בבית דינך הצדק מיתה שימות )שתמות( מחלי זה, הנה רבותינו הקדושים אמרו שלשה דברים קורעים גזר דינו של אדם, ואחד מהם הוא שינוי השם שישנו השם של החולה. וקיימנו דבריהם ונשתנה שמו, כי אחר הוא, ואם על )פלוני - השם הישן( נגזר הדין, על )פלוני - השם החדש( לא נגזר, לכן אחר הוא ואינו הוא הנקרא בשם הראשון. וכשם שנשתנה שמו, כן ישתנה הגזר מעליו מדין לרחמים, וממיתה לחיים, וממחלה לרפואה שלימה )לפלוני בן פלוני - השם החדש(, בשם כל השמות הכתובים בספר תורה זאת, ובשם כל השמות, ובשם כל המלאכים הממונים על כל הרפואות וההצלות, תשלח מהרה רפואה שלימה )לפלוני בן פלוני - השם החדש(, ותאריך ימיו )ימיה( ושנתיו )ושנותיה( בנעימים, ויבלה )ותבלה( בטוב ימיו )ימיה( ברוב עוז ושלום מעתה ועד עולם אמן סלה: מי שברך לחולה טוב לומר הפרקים ט יח מט ואחר כך: מי שברך לאיש מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ הַקּדוֹשִׁים והַטּהוֹרִים, אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק ויַעֲקֹב, מֹשֶה ואַהֲרֹן, דָּוִד וּשְׁלֹמֹה, אֵלִיָּהוּ וֶאֱלִישָׁע, הוּא יבָרֵךְ ויִשְׁמוֹר ויִנְצוֹר ויַעֲזוֹר וִירוֹמֵם וִינָשֶׂא ויַעֲלֶה למַעְלָה הַשֵּׁם הַטּוֹב )פלוני בן פלונית(, הוּא וכל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ. מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמּלָכִים בּרַחֲמָיו יִשְׁמרֵהוּ וִיחַיֵּהוּ, מִכּל צַעַר וַנֶּזֶק יָצִילֵהוּ, ויַאֲרִיךְ יָמָיו בּטוֹב וּשְׁנוֹתָיו בַּנְעִימִים. לבחור: וִיזַכֵּהוּ הָאֵל לחוּפָּתוֹ בּחַיֵּי אָבִיו וּבְחַיֵּי אִמּוֹ. לנשוי: ויִפְקדֵהוּ הָאֵל בּבָנִים שֶׁל קַיָּמָא. לאבא: ויִשְׁמוֹר לוֹ הָאֵל בָּנָיו הַנּעִימִים ויִתֵּן לוֹ עוֹד אֲחֵרִים בּחַיָּיו. לחולה: ויִשְׁלַח לוֹ הָאֵל רפוּאָה שׁלֵמָה בְּתוֹךְ כּל שְׁאַר חוֹלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרְמַ"ח אֵבָרָיו וּבִשְׁסָ"ה גִידָיו. אֵל נָא רפָא נָא לוֹ, אֵל נָא רפָא נָא לוֹ, והַחֲלִימֵהוּ והַחֲזִיקֵהוּ והַבְרִיאֵהוּ והַחֲזִירֵהוּ לאֵיתָנוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן, וכֵן יהִי רָצוֹן, ונֹאמַר אָמֵן.

מי שברך לאשה מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אִמּוֹתֵינוּ הַקּדוֹשׁוֹת והַטּהוֹרוֹת, שָׂרָה ורִבְקָה, רָחֵל ולֵאָה, מִרְיָם הַנּבִיאָה וַאֲבִיגַיִל ואֶסְתֵּר הַמַלְכָּה בַּת אֲבִיחַיִל, הוּא יבָרֵךְ ויִשְׁמוֹר ויִנְצוֹר אֶת הָאִשָׁה הַכּבוּדָה )פלונית בת פלונית( הִיא וכֹל אֲשֶׁר לָהּ. מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמּלָכִים בּרָחֲמָיו יִשְׁמרָהּ וִיחַיֶּיהָ וּמִכּל צַעַר וַנֶּזֶק יָצִילָהּ ויַאֲרִיךְ יָמֶיהָ בּטוֹב וּשְׁנוֹתֶיהָ בַּנְעִימִים. לבחורה: וִיזַכֶּהָ הָאֵל לחוּפָּתָהּ בּחַיֵּי אָבִיהָּ ואִמָּהּ. לנשואה: ויִפְקדָהּ הָאֵל בּבָנִים זכָרִים שֶׁל קַיָּמָא. לאם: ויִשְׁמוֹר לָהּ הָאֵל בָּנֶיהָ הַנּעִימִים ויִתֵּן לָהּ עוֹד אֲחֵרִים בּחַיֶּיהָ. לחולה: ויִשְׁלַח לָהּ הָאֵל רפוּאָה שׁלֵמָה בְּתוֹךְ כּל שְׁאַר חוֹלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְנָ"ב אֵבָרֶיהָ וּבִשְׁסָ"ה גִּידֶיהָ. אֵל נָא רפָא נָא לָהּ, אֵל נָא רפָא נָא לָהּ, והַחֲלִימָהּ והַחֲזִיקַהּ והַבְרִיאָהּ והַחֲזִירָהּ לאֵיתָנָהּ הָרִאשׁוֹן, וכֵן יהִי רָצוֹן, ונֹאמַר אָמֵן.

פדיון הנפש לחולה נוסח תפלה מספר "יוסף תהלות" להחיד"א זצוק"ל: א. יזהרו לעשות הפדיון טרם שיכביד חוליו ח"ו: ב. טוב לעשות הפדיון באשמורת סמוך לע"ה או בבקר אחר תפלה: ג. ויתרחק לעשות הפדיון בתחילת הלילה: ד. יקח מאה ושישים מטבעות כסף הגם שיהיה שוויים קל )קטן(, די שיהיו מספר מאה שישים. ותיבת "כסף" גימטריה מאה ושישים. גם "כסף" הוא רומז ל"חסד", ולכן טוב שיהיו מאה שישים מטבעות כסף ואם מטה ידו יכול לעשות ממאה שישים פרוטות נחשת: ה. מהמאה ושישים פרוטות ימנה במחשבה י"ז ויכוין לשם "אהוה" שהוא בדעת, ואח"כ ימנה במחשבה כ"א ויכוין לשם "אהיה" שהוא בבינה, ואח"כ ימנה במחשבה כ"ו ויכוין לשם "יהוה", וג' מספרים הנזכרים גימטריה "דין", ויכוין למתק הדינים, אבל המיתוק בכח ולא בפועל, ועל כן המנין במחשבה' מן השפה ולפנים במשוש היד לבד. ומטעם זה לא יערבם יחד רק כל מספר לעצמו כדי שלא יחבר מספר דין שהמיתוק עדיין בכח. ואח"כ ימנה' מן השפה ולחוץ סך הכל כמנין שם "אדני". וכשיגיע למנין ס"ד ימנה עוד אחד ויכוין "א" דין שבאות א' שהוא רחמים ממתיק הדין, ויערב הכל יחד כל המספרים הקודמים, והסך הכל, ועתה הוא המיתוק בפועל, ויוצא המיתוק' מן הכח אל הפועל ברחמים גמורים. ועוד. ימנה א"ל )שלושים ואחד מטבעות( הנשארים' מן המאה ושישים בסוד "חסד אל כל היום", ויערב הכל ביחד.

אח"כ יתפלל תפלה זו בכוונה: יהי רצון מלפניך יהוה אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו שתעשה למען קדושת שמותיך הקדושים והטהורים הנזכרים ונעשים פה ע"י פדיון זה, ותצרף מחשבה טובה למעשה, כי לך ה' החסד ותגביר חסדיך על דינך, ויומתקו הגבורות הקשות על ידי פלא העליון אשר הוא חסדים גדולים ורחמים פשוטים שאין בהם תערובת דין כלל, ויכבשו רחמיך את כעסך מעל פלוני בן פלוני שעשה פדיון נפשו והפריש ממונו לצדקה, ובכן יהי רצון מלפניך יהוה אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו שיעלה לרצון לפניך ולפני כסא כבודך פדיון נפש אדם זה ,וילך לפניו צדקו למליץ טוב ויושר להמליץ טוב בעדו וללמד סניגוריא עליו, ויסתמו פי המקטרגים עליו ולא תעשינה ידיהם תושיה, ותחתור חתירה מתחת כסא כבודך לקבל עתירתינו ועתירת פלוני בן פלוני ויקויים בו מקרא שכתוב וצדקה תציל ממות. ובכן תציל נפשו ממות ולחיותו ברעב, ותצילהו מכל חולי, ומכל כאב, ומכל מיחוש, "ואל תתנהו בנפש אויביו" אויב פנימי ואויב חיצון, ומכל נגע ומחלה תפלטהו, ותבריאהו ותחלימהו ותרפאהו רפואה שלימה רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף ותחוננהו ותפדעהו מרדת שחת ותאמר: מצאתי כופר, ותבטל מעליו כל גזירות קשות ורעות )יכיון בשם קרע שטן(, ותגזור עליו גזירות טובות, ותקיים בו מקרא שכתוב יהוה יסעדנו על ער"ש דו"י )יכוין שיהיה עשר יו"ד בסוד והחכמה תחיה(: אנא עשה למען רחמיך, ולמען אברהם אבינו ע"ה איש החסד ולמען יצחק אבינו ע"ה נאזר בגבורה, ולמען יעקב אבינו ע"ה כליל תפארת, ולמען משה רעיא מהימנא אחוז בנצח, ולמען אהרון כהנא רבא אחוז בהוד, ולמען יוסף הצדיק אחוז ביסוד, ולמען דוד המלך ע"ה אחוז במלכות, ותרחם על פלוני בן פלוני ותרפאהו רפואה שלימה לאורך ימים, ושנות חיים ושלום לעבודתך וליראתך, אמן כן יהי רצון: