No electorate is less concerned with it's own self preservation than the Jewish voter-Dick Morris, Jew, October 30, 2008.
And therein lies the rub.
I am not sure why we do what we do or what is it that drives us to work so hard against our own self interest, but we are the absolute best at ignoring what is best for us just to try and fit in. I have always wondered how the Jews throughout history allowed themselves to be subjected to the most ruthless and cruel governments of all time without so much as a whimper. I now know how that happened.
We are, for the most part, a loyal and committed group. We are by our very nature, ideologues. We are, as the Torah tells us, a stiff-necked people. So it should not have come as a surprise that we always do what is best for everyone but ourselves. I just didn't think when all the evidence was so blatant, we would sell our own people out for the empty promise of a thousand dollars.
When I think back to Germany and consider all that led up to the destruction of the Jewish presence there, I used to be amazed at how so many smart people allowed the nazi's rise to power. I am not amazed or even curious anymore. I am witnessing a moment in time that will not soon be forgotten.
We sit on the precipice of an upheaval we have never seen in the history of our country, and we not only sit by and cheer the movement, we embrace and work for it. We are being told to give to the greater good. Fairness for all. Everyone should be at the same spot at the same time. Except of course for the elites who dictate the mantra. Funny how two millionaires like Barak Obama and Joe Biden, give nary a penny to charitable causes, yet are asking us to give to the cause of the greater good. The Talmud in Taanis mentions an old Jewish motto which referred to those who preach about their own greatness. "Remove the beam from your eye, before you try and take out the spec from your neighbors eye." You ask me to give up for the common good when you have failed by example, to lead the vision of self sacrifice?
As a side note of curiosity, how is it that a community organizer, a law professor, a state senator and US senator, is a millionaire? Where is the revenue? What job did he have that enabled him to accumulate such wealth?
I am left with this one question that eats at me daily. Why is it that we can commit to a cause made of nothingness, false promises and empty slogans which quite possibly may be a detriment of our own freedom, but we ignore the calling of the Creator of the Universe and treat his cause as something we do by rote or barely a few times a year?
I am afraid that in twenty or so years-I should be lucky to live that long- I am sitting with my young grandchild and he/she asks me Grandpa, was there really a Jewish state called Israel in the beginning of the twenty first century? Yes dear there was. What did you do to stop it from being destroyed? she'll ask. Sadly, I may not be able to answer. Who was it that allowed this to happen? The entire world I'll say. What did the Jews do? I won't even know what to tell her. Didn't they care that Israel was going to be destroyed? I will say no they didn't. They wanted five hundred dollars in the mail instead. But hadn't they learned about what happened in Spain? France? Russia? Germany? I suppose they just didn't care.
Here is the scenario. April 2008. Iran attacks Israel with a dirty bomb or some form of transfered deadly chemical weapon as PROMISED by Ahmediajad over and over again. President Obama convenes his top foreign advisors to ask how should America react. In the room are Zbigniew Bzrezinski and his son Mark, Anthony Lake, Susan Rice and Robert O. Malley and Ivo Daalder. All of whom have a history of blaming Israel first.
(FYI_This is from today's issue of American thinker magazine."Then there is this disconcerting article in the Financial Times about Democratic Presidential candidates and Israel. One of the key advisers to one of the Presidential candidates admitted to some tactical moves to garner pro-Israel support in America:
"The plain fact is there is no upside for candidates to challenge the prevailing assumptions about Israel," said one of their advisers, who asked not to be named. "The best strategy is to win the White House and then change the debate."
One well-regarded blogger, Rutgers Professor Judith Apter Klinghoffer believes this adviser was Ivo Daalder, who was quoted throughout the article and who is one of the foreign policy advisers to Barack Obama.")
So this group of advisors needs to help Obama with his plan. I ask you as a Jew, do you think this will be good for our people or not so good? Personally, I have no doubt that by the end of an Obama presidency, AS A POLICY, Israel and America will no longer be staunch allies.
Can we trust him? I can't help but think about Obama's pledge to abide by the public financing laws and then when it was convenient, he broke that pledge. Or his pledge to not raise taxes on those making over 250,000 only to hear in last nights infomercial the number 200,000. Or his promise to keep Jerusalem unified only to have him disagree with himself the next day.
Would you buy a used car from this man?
One last thing. If there was nothing incriminating on the tape that the LA Times has, Obama should ask them to release the tape so everyone can see it. That would be a sign of character and someone I might be able to trust. He won't do that, however. Rumor has it, he was not very flattering to Israel. Hard to believe based on his past statements?
I will let you be the judge.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
If We Can't Even Trust Ourselves...?
I, for one, am glad I don't actually sit and ponder what is happening in the world. Don't get me wrong, I watch my stocks plummet daily and listen to the news about how the worst is ahead....of course until November 5th when the world will be saved.
Forgive me if I don't buy into the hype.
I have lived a rather short time when compared to the worlds existence, but have been around long enough to know, if it sounds like a snake and looks like a snake, it's probably a snake.
Therefore, last week was the first day as a Jew in America, that I thought I might need easy access to my passport. I am by no means a fatalist, but under the walk like a duck theory, I can't get away from the harrowing thought that EVERY SINGLE advisor that Barak Obama has used and credited vis a vi foreign policy, is not only anti-Israel, but scarily so. Worse, if Dennis Ross-who ingeniously gave us intifada one and two, is the only friend of Israel in the "policy" hub that this massively inexperienced Obama has in his confidence, we as Jews need to really think about our people and where we go from here.
Alas, that is not the worst of it. Not to be outdone, the brilliant coat tailer Tzpi Livni announced yesterday that she cannot come to terms with the morally bankrupt Shas party in Israel because she refused to take negotiating away Jerusalem off the table.
Who does this? What other nation/people is so stupid?
Does anyone really think that the Saudis would split Mecca? Medina?
Would the Egyptians split Cairo?
The Americans split New York?
How is this even an issue?
Sadly the answer is that if you are of the ilk that believes Uganda is a good substitute for Israel, it's an easy jump to put no importance on Jerusalem.
And for all my fellow Jews who are confident that Jerusalem will not be split under an Obama administration, I refer you to his comment at the AIPAC conference this past summer to a crowd full of Jews-that Jerusalem MUST remain united, (which he prefaced with a "Let me make myself perfectly clear") only to turn around the next day and tell Charlie Gibson that he mis-spoke and said so after the speech...Of course he said that to ..umm...no one. Doesn't sound like change to me-sounds like a typical politician who in front of thousands promises them what they want to hear and then behind closed doors says oops without correcting it ON the record... at least until the arab countries cry foul and only then does he say I must have misspoke. When asked by Gibson if that was a rookie mistake he said it was just a mistake. Well now, as a Jew I feel much more comfortable with that answer.
I then thought maybe I could find solace in the self proclaimed Friend of Israel and, as we have been told for three months now, foreign policy expert, Joe Biden. Maybe his support of the Jewish state and his great command of foreign policy based on his expertise would lead me to back Obama. However as a long time observer of the plagiarist Biden, three things came to mind right away which actually had me question Obama's judgement more than anything else. One was Biden SUPPORTED the nuclear freeze agenda in the 80's-he was way WRONG on that as history has proven-he also voted against the first Iraq war which passed overwhelmingly in both houses-WRONG AGAIN. However as a Jew, the following story I recently read convinced me that within all his bluster is someone who just doesn't get it....
In a conversation with Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, after a sharp
confrontation in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the subject
of the settlements, Menachem Begin defined himself as “a proud Jew who does not
tremble with fear” when speaking with foreign statesmen.
During that committee hearing, at the height of the Lebanon War, Sen.
John Biden (Delaware) had attacked Israeli settlements in Judea and
Samaria and threatened that if Israel did not immediately cease this
activity, the US would have to cut economic aid to Israel.
When the senator raised his voice and banged twice on the table with
his fist, Begin commented to him: “This desk is designed for writing,
not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think
that because the US lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what
we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but
we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years
of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats.
Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.”
After the meeting, Sen. Moynihan approached Begin and praised him for
his cutting reply. To which Begin answered with thanks, defining his
stand against threats.
I guess Joe is not the answer for me as a Jew then.
I love my people. I love my people who will be forced to vote for the unreliable John McCain and I love my people who will incredulously vote for Barak Obama.
However, as a Jew who loves his people more than he loves politicians, I looked at David Duke's friends and knew that they were bad for me and my people, and I look at Barak Obama's friends and know that they are bad for me and my people-The Jewish People. As for those of you who say that Obama just knows them he's not friends with them....if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's a duck. At the very least, even they would then have to admit that if their argument is to be believed, Obama is not very loyal to the people who helped him get where he is (Khalidi, Monsoor, Wright) or he is being disingenuous, which then boils it down to a question of either character or expedience... either way you slice it, it is uncomfortable and slick at best.
Less then five minutes ago, while writing this post, a Jewish lady I know mentioned to me how despicable it was that Shas brought down the Israeli government because Livni would not agree on Jerusalem. How does this happen? How do Jews not care anymore about their people? How can Jews who actually understand the Balfour declaration or the UN partition plan, or the creation of other mideast countries, make such a statement? (For the record, I do not believe the lady I spoke to cares a lick to learn about any of that or even about the land of Israel except to take a possible tour with Hadassah)
When did the Jews stop caring about Jews?
I am brought back to the essence of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane's message when he said that westernized Jews have become too comfortable with America. For the record, I love this country and all the opportunity it has given myself, my family and my people, but I am not naive enough to believe that what has happened to us, as a people, everywhere else in the world where we have become staples of society, could not happen here. It might not happen all the same, but do not sleep on this, it can happen in the greatest country ever known to mankind.
I am not and never have been a fan of Mccain. Like his competition, he has always been an appeaser. However, he does have some things he believes in through his statements and through his record. When forced with two brutally unappealing candidates who will both spiral America into levels of desperation we have not seen in decades, I am forced to then think about what is best for my people. I am not totally comfortable with Mccain and Israel, but with Joe Leiberman having his ear I am a bit comforted. However, by knowing what is NOT best for the Jews, I recognize the lesser of two evils which is why I cannot cast a vote for Barak Obama.
I just hope soon, when the Israelis go to the ballot box, they end the cycle of madness and stupidity that has befallen their leadership, and choose a leader like Begin, who won't cow tow to big brother in the US and do what is best for the Jews.I hope that kind of leader still exists.
If we won't do what is best for us, why would we be foolish enough to think someone else will?
Forgive me if I don't buy into the hype.
I have lived a rather short time when compared to the worlds existence, but have been around long enough to know, if it sounds like a snake and looks like a snake, it's probably a snake.
Therefore, last week was the first day as a Jew in America, that I thought I might need easy access to my passport. I am by no means a fatalist, but under the walk like a duck theory, I can't get away from the harrowing thought that EVERY SINGLE advisor that Barak Obama has used and credited vis a vi foreign policy, is not only anti-Israel, but scarily so. Worse, if Dennis Ross-who ingeniously gave us intifada one and two, is the only friend of Israel in the "policy" hub that this massively inexperienced Obama has in his confidence, we as Jews need to really think about our people and where we go from here.
Alas, that is not the worst of it. Not to be outdone, the brilliant coat tailer Tzpi Livni announced yesterday that she cannot come to terms with the morally bankrupt Shas party in Israel because she refused to take negotiating away Jerusalem off the table.
Who does this? What other nation/people is so stupid?
Does anyone really think that the Saudis would split Mecca? Medina?
Would the Egyptians split Cairo?
The Americans split New York?
How is this even an issue?
Sadly the answer is that if you are of the ilk that believes Uganda is a good substitute for Israel, it's an easy jump to put no importance on Jerusalem.
And for all my fellow Jews who are confident that Jerusalem will not be split under an Obama administration, I refer you to his comment at the AIPAC conference this past summer to a crowd full of Jews-that Jerusalem MUST remain united, (which he prefaced with a "Let me make myself perfectly clear") only to turn around the next day and tell Charlie Gibson that he mis-spoke and said so after the speech...Of course he said that to ..umm...no one. Doesn't sound like change to me-sounds like a typical politician who in front of thousands promises them what they want to hear and then behind closed doors says oops without correcting it ON the record... at least until the arab countries cry foul and only then does he say I must have misspoke. When asked by Gibson if that was a rookie mistake he said it was just a mistake. Well now, as a Jew I feel much more comfortable with that answer.
I then thought maybe I could find solace in the self proclaimed Friend of Israel and, as we have been told for three months now, foreign policy expert, Joe Biden. Maybe his support of the Jewish state and his great command of foreign policy based on his expertise would lead me to back Obama. However as a long time observer of the plagiarist Biden, three things came to mind right away which actually had me question Obama's judgement more than anything else. One was Biden SUPPORTED the nuclear freeze agenda in the 80's-he was way WRONG on that as history has proven-he also voted against the first Iraq war which passed overwhelmingly in both houses-WRONG AGAIN. However as a Jew, the following story I recently read convinced me that within all his bluster is someone who just doesn't get it....
In a conversation with Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, after a sharp
confrontation in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the subject
of the settlements, Menachem Begin defined himself as “a proud Jew who does not
tremble with fear” when speaking with foreign statesmen.
During that committee hearing, at the height of the Lebanon War, Sen.
John Biden (Delaware) had attacked Israeli settlements in Judea and
Samaria and threatened that if Israel did not immediately cease this
activity, the US would have to cut economic aid to Israel.
When the senator raised his voice and banged twice on the table with
his fist, Begin commented to him: “This desk is designed for writing,
not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think
that because the US lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what
we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but
we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years
of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats.
Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.”
After the meeting, Sen. Moynihan approached Begin and praised him for
his cutting reply. To which Begin answered with thanks, defining his
stand against threats.
I guess Joe is not the answer for me as a Jew then.
I love my people. I love my people who will be forced to vote for the unreliable John McCain and I love my people who will incredulously vote for Barak Obama.
However, as a Jew who loves his people more than he loves politicians, I looked at David Duke's friends and knew that they were bad for me and my people, and I look at Barak Obama's friends and know that they are bad for me and my people-The Jewish People. As for those of you who say that Obama just knows them he's not friends with them....if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's a duck. At the very least, even they would then have to admit that if their argument is to be believed, Obama is not very loyal to the people who helped him get where he is (Khalidi, Monsoor, Wright) or he is being disingenuous, which then boils it down to a question of either character or expedience... either way you slice it, it is uncomfortable and slick at best.
Less then five minutes ago, while writing this post, a Jewish lady I know mentioned to me how despicable it was that Shas brought down the Israeli government because Livni would not agree on Jerusalem. How does this happen? How do Jews not care anymore about their people? How can Jews who actually understand the Balfour declaration or the UN partition plan, or the creation of other mideast countries, make such a statement? (For the record, I do not believe the lady I spoke to cares a lick to learn about any of that or even about the land of Israel except to take a possible tour with Hadassah)
When did the Jews stop caring about Jews?
I am brought back to the essence of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane's message when he said that westernized Jews have become too comfortable with America. For the record, I love this country and all the opportunity it has given myself, my family and my people, but I am not naive enough to believe that what has happened to us, as a people, everywhere else in the world where we have become staples of society, could not happen here. It might not happen all the same, but do not sleep on this, it can happen in the greatest country ever known to mankind.
I am not and never have been a fan of Mccain. Like his competition, he has always been an appeaser. However, he does have some things he believes in through his statements and through his record. When forced with two brutally unappealing candidates who will both spiral America into levels of desperation we have not seen in decades, I am forced to then think about what is best for my people. I am not totally comfortable with Mccain and Israel, but with Joe Leiberman having his ear I am a bit comforted. However, by knowing what is NOT best for the Jews, I recognize the lesser of two evils which is why I cannot cast a vote for Barak Obama.
I just hope soon, when the Israelis go to the ballot box, they end the cycle of madness and stupidity that has befallen their leadership, and choose a leader like Begin, who won't cow tow to big brother in the US and do what is best for the Jews.I hope that kind of leader still exists.
If we won't do what is best for us, why would we be foolish enough to think someone else will?
Friday, October 24, 2008
A Moment to Recognize His Awe
I am stepping off my soapbox just for today to get lost in the wonders of The Creator Of the Universe and all His Glory.
I am in awe of His mercy, His love, His patience, His judgment, His justice, His hand, His blessings, His promise, His might, His kindness, His power, His greatness....As I write, I realize that I must ask for His forgiveness for posting this, for I am so far from the one who should be doing so....yet I must give Him praise for allowing me to live the life he has granted me even though I have fallen so drastically short of his high hopes for me....I still bow to His Awesomeness and offer this short, inadequate but heartfelt testament to the greatness of His work.
The Reason?
Today, at this very moment, my son is preparing to spend Shabbat in Krakow, Poland.
He is a Jew.
He is in Poland.
In the year 2008.
Davening with a minyan and spending his time in solitude with his Creator. In Krakow.
How Awesome is the goodness of the Maker of All Things?
In the context of history, I am not sure who was worse to the Jews, the Poles or the Germans. If you don't have a great grasp of Europe, the question might seem ridiculous. But if you understand the wickedness of the Poles and their government, the question, while it might be a bit shocking, has some merit. While Germany was owning up to their evil following the war, the poles kept killing Jews and subjecting them to vermin status long after the war was over. There were and are still a large majority of anti-semites populating the land which to this day, remains a stain on mankind.
However, this Shabbat, young Jewish men return to send a message to this lowlife people from a lowlife country, that the Will and Might of Hashem is far too much for their wicked ways, yet in His mercy, he sends His people, the very people the poles wanted to eradicate, to sanctify this vile, disgusting, grotesque country with the beauty and holiness of Shabbat. Mi' Chamocha Ba-aylim Hashem?
Who can explain the impossible odds that the Jewish people have overcome?
How can it be that some sixty plus years later, the Jews have rebuilt themselves from the ashes and thrived, when in the lifetimes of our parents and grandparents, the question of Jewish survival or more to the point Jewish extinction was not just a Talmudic question, but a CBS news one?
It can be because the One Who Is, does not forget His promise or his people.
We have done everything we can to lose His faith in us. We have left His ways, have turned our backs on His Torah, have destroyed the very essence of His word from within and have allowed those who should be ashamed of themselves to dictate what is right and what is wrong.....AND STILL He allows us to continue and flourish.
It is with that as a backdrop that I offer my thanks to Hashem. He has given me far more than I will ever deserve and unfortunately I have only repaid him with inadequacy.
Ma' Ashiv La'Hashem-How can I repay You for all the blessings You have given me? I cannot even begin to describe the incredible blessings Hashem has granted me and to be able to witness my children grow up to become shining examples of what a Jew is supposed to be, I am so very humbled that He has granted me the time and opportunity to watch my children grow in Torah and Ma'asim Tovim and in service to Him.
I cannot wait to speak IYH with my son and hear about his trip back into Jewish history. As this new cycle of the Torah starts today, I hope everyone takes a few moments to give thanks to Hashem for all that he has done for you. Hold your child just a moment longer, tell your spouse you love them and live life with a smile. Ivdu Es Hashem B'simcha!
Most of all join, me in singing praises to The Creator of the Universe......Chasdai Hashem l'olam Ashirah!!
Shabbat Shalom.
I am in awe of His mercy, His love, His patience, His judgment, His justice, His hand, His blessings, His promise, His might, His kindness, His power, His greatness....As I write, I realize that I must ask for His forgiveness for posting this, for I am so far from the one who should be doing so....yet I must give Him praise for allowing me to live the life he has granted me even though I have fallen so drastically short of his high hopes for me....I still bow to His Awesomeness and offer this short, inadequate but heartfelt testament to the greatness of His work.
The Reason?
Today, at this very moment, my son is preparing to spend Shabbat in Krakow, Poland.
He is a Jew.
He is in Poland.
In the year 2008.
Davening with a minyan and spending his time in solitude with his Creator. In Krakow.
How Awesome is the goodness of the Maker of All Things?
In the context of history, I am not sure who was worse to the Jews, the Poles or the Germans. If you don't have a great grasp of Europe, the question might seem ridiculous. But if you understand the wickedness of the Poles and their government, the question, while it might be a bit shocking, has some merit. While Germany was owning up to their evil following the war, the poles kept killing Jews and subjecting them to vermin status long after the war was over. There were and are still a large majority of anti-semites populating the land which to this day, remains a stain on mankind.
However, this Shabbat, young Jewish men return to send a message to this lowlife people from a lowlife country, that the Will and Might of Hashem is far too much for their wicked ways, yet in His mercy, he sends His people, the very people the poles wanted to eradicate, to sanctify this vile, disgusting, grotesque country with the beauty and holiness of Shabbat. Mi' Chamocha Ba-aylim Hashem?
Who can explain the impossible odds that the Jewish people have overcome?
How can it be that some sixty plus years later, the Jews have rebuilt themselves from the ashes and thrived, when in the lifetimes of our parents and grandparents, the question of Jewish survival or more to the point Jewish extinction was not just a Talmudic question, but a CBS news one?
It can be because the One Who Is, does not forget His promise or his people.
We have done everything we can to lose His faith in us. We have left His ways, have turned our backs on His Torah, have destroyed the very essence of His word from within and have allowed those who should be ashamed of themselves to dictate what is right and what is wrong.....AND STILL He allows us to continue and flourish.
It is with that as a backdrop that I offer my thanks to Hashem. He has given me far more than I will ever deserve and unfortunately I have only repaid him with inadequacy.
Ma' Ashiv La'Hashem-How can I repay You for all the blessings You have given me? I cannot even begin to describe the incredible blessings Hashem has granted me and to be able to witness my children grow up to become shining examples of what a Jew is supposed to be, I am so very humbled that He has granted me the time and opportunity to watch my children grow in Torah and Ma'asim Tovim and in service to Him.
I cannot wait to speak IYH with my son and hear about his trip back into Jewish history. As this new cycle of the Torah starts today, I hope everyone takes a few moments to give thanks to Hashem for all that he has done for you. Hold your child just a moment longer, tell your spouse you love them and live life with a smile. Ivdu Es Hashem B'simcha!
Most of all join, me in singing praises to The Creator of the Universe......Chasdai Hashem l'olam Ashirah!!
Shabbat Shalom.
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