As Tisha B'av draws near, maybe Mark Twain, in this essay from 1898, can remind us what we, as Jews, tend to forget as the world spins around us. We mourn for not only the loss of the Temple, but for the loss of all it should have stood for-community, togetherness, a place where being a Jew is to be dedicated to ones people and their Creator, a place of love and understanding, of higher learning and rampant spirituality....a place that Hashem can call home.
But we forgot what we were supposed to stand for, the promise we were to bring humanity and the light we should have been. Now, we suffer in embarrassment for the ethos we have turned on its head and called it righteousness. We paint our own disinterest in our uniqueness with the broad brush of man made morality and cling to a phony promise of joining the masses for they will soon take us in and treat us like their own and all will be forgotten. History has taught us that no matter how bright the star, how golden the land and how engrossing the potential, it is the Jew who has never been let into the club. Twain reminds us of all of that.
We have been viceroys, advisors, generals, chiefs of staffs, doctors of Kings, the wealthiest and most influential at each and every stop-every single place we have ever been-yet the world never fails to let us know that we are still not theirs. Do not be fooled that this time is different. At this moment in history, the world is screaming the message that no matter the song, the tune remains the same--the Jews are still Jews-whether they call us settlers, Zionists, right wing fanatics, neo cons, Pro Israel, liberals, progressives or even just Jews, they are reminding us that the doors while ajar, will never be fully open no matter how hard we try to kick them in. They remind us of all we have lost as a people, who, even as we see history repeating itself time and again, trust the loving and forgiving nature that our hearts posses, instead of the mass of evidence we see before our eyes. The world is once again reminding us what we have lost and seemingly what we have forgotten.
So I will rely on Mark Twain to remind us of what we have always been and let each one of us answer the question he poses at the end.... I can only come up with one answer...what is yours?
CONCERNING THE JEWS ...by Mark Twain Harpers Magazine 1898
"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Day After
I, like everyone else, have no idea what G-d's master plan is for this world or this country. What I do know is he is the Creator of all things. He is the supreme judge and jury. I believe he has a sense of justice that man cannot comprehend nor see even if they think they can.
I heard a great thought from a Rabbi years ago when he was discussing the verse in the Torah "To the righteous you shall do bad and the wicked one you shall do good." He asked what kind of logic is this? How are we supposed to understand what this verse means. It defies our common sense and makes everything else the Torah has said before it, seem contradictory. Can this really be what the Torah means?
The rabbi responded with a simple, but very deep answer. He said we cannot know what Our Maker has in store for us, but know that there is most definitely a master plan which in time everyone will know all about . However, to gain insight into a particular event we must understand this verse as follows. Take a look at a crochet picture from behind. It is a sorry mess of random strings wandering aimlessly with no particular rhyme or order. Then turn it over and look at the beautiful picture it makes when it's all put together. A mess of incredible strings with seemingly no purpose, turned over onto it's front and now it all makes sense.
Events happen in this world that seem to be random instances of day to day events. Understand and know that NOTHING is just random. Each event leads to the next one which leads to another some forty years later, to another some sixty years later, to another some two hundred years later and so on. My personal opinion, and I may be way off here, is that the first slave to land foot on American soil, was done so that all those who have descended from slaves, can know that G-d above heard their cries and now has answered their prayers. Unlike others, I do not believe he doles out justice only to his people although I do believe it all comes back to his people BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE HAS SAID and things happen only for that reason. I believe that the first slave trader was put here BECAUSE Barak Obama was supposed to be exalted at this moment in this place. While I am worried for my people in the worst way, I am uplifted by the events of last night because it assures me that while I may not understand His plan, I am comforted by this perceived if not actual Justice for an oppressed and maligned people, that the promises he made to my forefathers are alive, burning and await their fulfillment.
That being said, I am reminded of the movie The Ten Commandments when Nefratiri comes to Moses' house to save him because Pharaoh has ordered the first born of all Jews to be killed which meant that the tenth plague would be the killing of the first born from the mouth of Pharaoh himself. She begs Moses to come with her so she can save him and Moses looks at her and says something to the extent of "You are the vehicle that G-d is working through." My own belief is like everything else, there is a reason a man who is surrounded by haters of the Jews and Israel won the Presidency of the United States last night. It was a grand moment for him, those who cried in pain and anguish for hundreds of years and all others who support him. And rightfully so. But it is very possible that through the execution of his Judgment and Justice he has uplifted an entire race of people, while at the same time passing heavenly judgement on His chosen people, His nation, to be carried out through the exalted Barak Obama.
Today is a day for celebration for any believer of G-d.
Today he has uplifted an oppressed people.
Today he has made the embarrassed, proud, the humiliated, honored.
What it means for the Jews in the short run is much more anguish and pain. More murder and moral equivocation. More appeasement of evil. More cowering in fear by Europe, the UN and now America in order to fulfill the verse "To the wicked you shall do good." More Jewish parents burying their young sons and daughters. More cries to the heavens for the Redeemer seemingly falling on deaf ears. It will be hard to live with. It will lead to many days of sorrow and fear, depression and pain. But do not let that discourage you. For just as He has exalted those that want to do us harm, He is making sure that no stone is left unturned. That when the day the Messiah finally comes to deliver His people to lead the world in Servitude to Him, no one race of people on the entire planet can come to Him with a claim that they did not oppress the Jewish People or cause them to be harmed. The prophet Isaiah in Chapter 53 makes sure that the world knows that their claims of innocence will go unheard. There will be no mercy for those that chose to do harm to the Jewish people and no time left for their repentance.
Therefore, I am celebrating today. I am happy for my African American friends who have long awaited this day and glad to see their happiness and joy. I am also glad for the believers of Hashem. For just as he has fulfilled the words of Isaiah and Deuteronomy, so too will he fulfill the words of the prophets who have told us of our ultimate redemption. The Torah is alive and it is Life for all those who embrace it.
Last night, Hashem showed once again, that there is a time for everything. I am rejoicing today because I know His words are true and His promises are real.
May it be His will that I am alive to witness the redeeming of His people so that they can serve Him with joy and happiness and let ALL the world know that He is One and His Name is One.
May it come speedily in our days. Amen.
I heard a great thought from a Rabbi years ago when he was discussing the verse in the Torah "To the righteous you shall do bad and the wicked one you shall do good." He asked what kind of logic is this? How are we supposed to understand what this verse means. It defies our common sense and makes everything else the Torah has said before it, seem contradictory. Can this really be what the Torah means?
The rabbi responded with a simple, but very deep answer. He said we cannot know what Our Maker has in store for us, but know that there is most definitely a master plan which in time everyone will know all about . However, to gain insight into a particular event we must understand this verse as follows. Take a look at a crochet picture from behind. It is a sorry mess of random strings wandering aimlessly with no particular rhyme or order. Then turn it over and look at the beautiful picture it makes when it's all put together. A mess of incredible strings with seemingly no purpose, turned over onto it's front and now it all makes sense.
Events happen in this world that seem to be random instances of day to day events. Understand and know that NOTHING is just random. Each event leads to the next one which leads to another some forty years later, to another some sixty years later, to another some two hundred years later and so on. My personal opinion, and I may be way off here, is that the first slave to land foot on American soil, was done so that all those who have descended from slaves, can know that G-d above heard their cries and now has answered their prayers. Unlike others, I do not believe he doles out justice only to his people although I do believe it all comes back to his people BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE HAS SAID and things happen only for that reason. I believe that the first slave trader was put here BECAUSE Barak Obama was supposed to be exalted at this moment in this place. While I am worried for my people in the worst way, I am uplifted by the events of last night because it assures me that while I may not understand His plan, I am comforted by this perceived if not actual Justice for an oppressed and maligned people, that the promises he made to my forefathers are alive, burning and await their fulfillment.
That being said, I am reminded of the movie The Ten Commandments when Nefratiri comes to Moses' house to save him because Pharaoh has ordered the first born of all Jews to be killed which meant that the tenth plague would be the killing of the first born from the mouth of Pharaoh himself. She begs Moses to come with her so she can save him and Moses looks at her and says something to the extent of "You are the vehicle that G-d is working through." My own belief is like everything else, there is a reason a man who is surrounded by haters of the Jews and Israel won the Presidency of the United States last night. It was a grand moment for him, those who cried in pain and anguish for hundreds of years and all others who support him. And rightfully so. But it is very possible that through the execution of his Judgment and Justice he has uplifted an entire race of people, while at the same time passing heavenly judgement on His chosen people, His nation, to be carried out through the exalted Barak Obama.
Today is a day for celebration for any believer of G-d.
Today he has uplifted an oppressed people.
Today he has made the embarrassed, proud, the humiliated, honored.
What it means for the Jews in the short run is much more anguish and pain. More murder and moral equivocation. More appeasement of evil. More cowering in fear by Europe, the UN and now America in order to fulfill the verse "To the wicked you shall do good." More Jewish parents burying their young sons and daughters. More cries to the heavens for the Redeemer seemingly falling on deaf ears. It will be hard to live with. It will lead to many days of sorrow and fear, depression and pain. But do not let that discourage you. For just as He has exalted those that want to do us harm, He is making sure that no stone is left unturned. That when the day the Messiah finally comes to deliver His people to lead the world in Servitude to Him, no one race of people on the entire planet can come to Him with a claim that they did not oppress the Jewish People or cause them to be harmed. The prophet Isaiah in Chapter 53 makes sure that the world knows that their claims of innocence will go unheard. There will be no mercy for those that chose to do harm to the Jewish people and no time left for their repentance.
Therefore, I am celebrating today. I am happy for my African American friends who have long awaited this day and glad to see their happiness and joy. I am also glad for the believers of Hashem. For just as he has fulfilled the words of Isaiah and Deuteronomy, so too will he fulfill the words of the prophets who have told us of our ultimate redemption. The Torah is alive and it is Life for all those who embrace it.
Last night, Hashem showed once again, that there is a time for everything. I am rejoicing today because I know His words are true and His promises are real.
May it be His will that I am alive to witness the redeeming of His people so that they can serve Him with joy and happiness and let ALL the world know that He is One and His Name is One.
May it come speedily in our days. Amen.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
I could not have said it better myself
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.
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.
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?
Monday, May 14, 2007
He got it right....
Thank you to http://jewess.canonist.com/?p=370 and failedmessiah.com for mentioning this blog on their website.
I will never forget it. Growing up in a small town, there were not a lot of religious people around and/or coming through there on a regular basis, so when my father's chavrusa from the Mirrer Yeshiva came to visit for a few days, I was pretty interested to what and who he was and what he was saying even though I was all of about 8 years old. I remember it, however, like it was yesterday.
He spoke about the Jewish people and what they had to do to move forward. He spoke about the Jewish people no longer sitting still and taking all the crap that the world was heaping on us for centuries and he spoke about Israel. He was passionate and very well spoken, but he waved off weakness with a Jewish wave of the hand while he squinted his eyes and made that "zteh" noise that Israleis make when they are short on patience. My father is basically a pacifist, but he could not help getting taken in by his Chavrusa's words and then let me know that he had heard it all before during their yearlong study of Kiddushin and their travels together to Columbia University. Only now it was louder and clearer and more people were hearing his message and seeing his defiance.
My father's Chavrusa was Rabbi Meir Kahane-ZTL.
Now before anyone get's all beat up about the ZTL after his name, let me just explain why it's there. I believe the ultimate witness to the truth, is the passage of time. I think it's all well and good for Al Gore to suggest that we are melting away, but like the early seventies when the Ice Age was going to freeze the earth because of xy and z, ultimately, time will be the loudest witness to the alarmist claims of the group think scientists that believe we are destroying the earth and scortching it into oblivion.
Time made a hero out of Menachem Begin when he made the sole decision against world opinion to destroy Iraq's Nuclear reactor. He was scorned and lambasted like a criminal and yet some ten years later during Gulf War 1, it was easy to see just how many lives he saved, but acting alone and in the best interests of the Jewish People. Time has proven that the left in America was wrong about Russia and Reagan was right and now time has proven that Rabbi Kahane was right on point, but the cowardly, arrogant and pompous Israeli government was wrong.
Let's review just a bit for those who are lost in the propaganda of the Israeli and American press. Kahane did not say he wanted to kill every arab. He did say that if an arab wanted to live inside Israel, he would have to pledge allegiance to the state and forsake any ideas of trying to destroy from within. Kahane did say that if you did not want to live there as an arab, you should be deported much in the same way that the arab countries of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan etc. sent all it's Jewish citizens on their way after the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948-a population exchange is how Kahane put it. Kahane wanted theaters closed on Shabbat-I can live with that-I can go to the theatre the other six days of the week-and Jewish law to be the predominant law of the land-WHENEVER POSSIBLE. He also said that the Jews wanting to be a Jewish state and a democracy at the same time, could not sustain itself because at some point the Jews will be out numbered democratically and the country will have to choose between a democracy or a Jewish state. It seems like that time is near.
Reports out of Jerusalem indicate that the mayor is worried about a non Jewish majority in the very near future and is calling for drastic steps to ensure the tragedy does not, in fact, happen. Seems like Kahane had it right...all of it. He predicted that the Hellenists would be lost for an answer and thousands of Jews would die because of their confusion. He was amazed by the ignorance on the left and the silence by the Charedi on the right. He felt the religious sold him out-and he was right-all in the name of power. It was more important for the Chardei to have power in a government coalition, than to agree with him and back him in public, even though they agreed with him in private. It was a shame how the religious treated him and almost criminal how the government-in a democracy no less-outlawed him and now that same government is looking for answers to the hard questions he proposed to them some 20+ years ago. His international public spanking of Ahud Olmert on Nightline is a classic and can be found here http://youtube.com/watch?v=G0v1To8B4_A (I would provide the video myself if I knew what I was doing)
Do I agree with everything Rabbi Kahane said? I am sure not.
Do I appreciate his honesty and candor? Absolutely.
Do I think he had all the answers? No, but at least he was willing to offer solutions-albeit unpopular in the political and media arena-while most others would not...they elected to kick the can down the road...and now you see where it has led us....
Kahane may not have been popular in his life, but he has been proven correct in his death.
I will never forget it. Growing up in a small town, there were not a lot of religious people around and/or coming through there on a regular basis, so when my father's chavrusa from the Mirrer Yeshiva came to visit for a few days, I was pretty interested to what and who he was and what he was saying even though I was all of about 8 years old. I remember it, however, like it was yesterday.
He spoke about the Jewish people and what they had to do to move forward. He spoke about the Jewish people no longer sitting still and taking all the crap that the world was heaping on us for centuries and he spoke about Israel. He was passionate and very well spoken, but he waved off weakness with a Jewish wave of the hand while he squinted his eyes and made that "zteh" noise that Israleis make when they are short on patience. My father is basically a pacifist, but he could not help getting taken in by his Chavrusa's words and then let me know that he had heard it all before during their yearlong study of Kiddushin and their travels together to Columbia University. Only now it was louder and clearer and more people were hearing his message and seeing his defiance.
My father's Chavrusa was Rabbi Meir Kahane-ZTL.
Now before anyone get's all beat up about the ZTL after his name, let me just explain why it's there. I believe the ultimate witness to the truth, is the passage of time. I think it's all well and good for Al Gore to suggest that we are melting away, but like the early seventies when the Ice Age was going to freeze the earth because of xy and z, ultimately, time will be the loudest witness to the alarmist claims of the group think scientists that believe we are destroying the earth and scortching it into oblivion.
Time made a hero out of Menachem Begin when he made the sole decision against world opinion to destroy Iraq's Nuclear reactor. He was scorned and lambasted like a criminal and yet some ten years later during Gulf War 1, it was easy to see just how many lives he saved, but acting alone and in the best interests of the Jewish People. Time has proven that the left in America was wrong about Russia and Reagan was right and now time has proven that Rabbi Kahane was right on point, but the cowardly, arrogant and pompous Israeli government was wrong.
Let's review just a bit for those who are lost in the propaganda of the Israeli and American press. Kahane did not say he wanted to kill every arab. He did say that if an arab wanted to live inside Israel, he would have to pledge allegiance to the state and forsake any ideas of trying to destroy from within. Kahane did say that if you did not want to live there as an arab, you should be deported much in the same way that the arab countries of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan etc. sent all it's Jewish citizens on their way after the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948-a population exchange is how Kahane put it. Kahane wanted theaters closed on Shabbat-I can live with that-I can go to the theatre the other six days of the week-and Jewish law to be the predominant law of the land-WHENEVER POSSIBLE. He also said that the Jews wanting to be a Jewish state and a democracy at the same time, could not sustain itself because at some point the Jews will be out numbered democratically and the country will have to choose between a democracy or a Jewish state. It seems like that time is near.
Reports out of Jerusalem indicate that the mayor is worried about a non Jewish majority in the very near future and is calling for drastic steps to ensure the tragedy does not, in fact, happen. Seems like Kahane had it right...all of it. He predicted that the Hellenists would be lost for an answer and thousands of Jews would die because of their confusion. He was amazed by the ignorance on the left and the silence by the Charedi on the right. He felt the religious sold him out-and he was right-all in the name of power. It was more important for the Chardei to have power in a government coalition, than to agree with him and back him in public, even though they agreed with him in private. It was a shame how the religious treated him and almost criminal how the government-in a democracy no less-outlawed him and now that same government is looking for answers to the hard questions he proposed to them some 20+ years ago. His international public spanking of Ahud Olmert on Nightline is a classic and can be found here http://youtube.com/watch?v=G0v1To8B4_A (I would provide the video myself if I knew what I was doing)
Do I agree with everything Rabbi Kahane said? I am sure not.
Do I appreciate his honesty and candor? Absolutely.
Do I think he had all the answers? No, but at least he was willing to offer solutions-albeit unpopular in the political and media arena-while most others would not...they elected to kick the can down the road...and now you see where it has led us....
Kahane may not have been popular in his life, but he has been proven correct in his death.
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