Our Only Claim

A recent poll by Keevoon Research Institute in Israel found that 76% of Jewish Israelis choose Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum over Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery, where the nation's founders are buried, for visiting VIPs. Every visiting foreign dignitary is given a tour of the Holocaust museum.
The reason behind this is that Israel is trying to project to the world the fact that the Holocaust was made possible since the Jews during WWII had no state to take them in and without a Jewish country, we have no protection. It is to show the fact that since the Jews have suffered so much and for so long, they deserve a land of their.
There are a few signifigant flaws with this idea. Support for Israel over guilt for the Holocaust will only last so long before people become apathetic. People will continue to support Israel only while it is portrayed as the victim, the eternally weak defenseless Jew. Any display on strength on the part of the Jewish People is condemned. That explains the fact that the Left's favourite Jew is Anne Frank and their second favourite is non-existent. For Israel to exist, it must continue to be the long-suffering ghetto Jew who seeks to appease his gentile masters to avoid a pogrom, rather than a strong, fighting free Jew. It is evident from the condemnations that were thrown against Israel last summer for being 'disproportionate' in defending itself from an enemy that the world resents Jews that stand up for themselves. The only good Jew is not necessarily a dead one, just a weak one.
Another flaw in this thinking is that if Germany committed genocide against the Jews, why should the 'innocent' people of 'Palestine' be made to pay for their crimes? (The Arabs are hardly innocence. Google Haj Amin-al-Husseini) According to that logic, Germany should give up some land for a Jewish homeland in Europe. Our enemies recognize the fallacy of basing Israel's right to exist on the Holocaust. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, may he be accursed, said in his 2005 conference, The World Without Zionism, :
They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets. The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets, (it) deals very severely with those who deny this myth but does not do anything to those who deny God, religion, and the prophet. If you have burned the Jews, why don't you give a piece of Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to Israel? Our question is, if you have committed this huge crime, why should the innocent nation of Palestine pay for this crime?
I actually do agree with him. If Israel's only right to exist comes from the Holocaust, then why shouldn't Israel be in Europe? That view is exactly what Israel reinforces every time that it brings foreign dignitaries to Yad Vashem. I don't mean to G-d forbid minimize the Holocaust or its role in the creation of the State. What I mean to say is that while the Holocaust is more proof as to the need of the Jewish State, it is not what gives us our right to exist. Ahamdinejad's Holocaust Denial Conference is the gives us the best explanation as to why anti-Zionists also tend to deny or minimize the Holocaust. It really helps us understand as to why the Islamic world, which is rooting for the next Holocaust is denying the last one. Another excerpt from Ahmadinejad's, may he be accursed, speech:
If the Europeans are telling the truth in their claim that they have killed six million Jews in the Holocaust during the World War II - which seems they are right in their claim because they insist on it and arrest and imprison those who oppose it, why should the Palestinian nation pay for the crime. Why have they come to the very heart of the Islamic world and are committing crimes against the dear Palestine using their bombs, rockets, missiles and sanctions. [...] The same European countries have imposed the illegally-established Zionist regime on the oppressed nation of Palestine. If you have committed the crimes so give a piece of your land somewhere in Europe or America and Canada or Alaska to them to set up their own state there. Then the Iranian nation will have no objections, will stage no rallies on the Qods Day and will support your decision.
He is absolutely correct when he says that if Israel is simply European atonement, then it is illegal and criminal- and Israel reinforces his mad rantings by showing all foreign ambassadors Yad Vashem. Israel is the only country that is constantly saying 'we have no choice but to exist. Look at what would happen otherwise'.
Instead of being shown Yad Vashem, foreign dignitaries should be shown the Kotel, the yeshivot, all of the Jewish sites. Drive home to them the fact that the Jewish People has finally come home to the only land where it belongs, Holocaust or no Holocaust. There is only one reason why Israel exists- because G-d promised the Land to our Forefather Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. This is our most important claim, one that not even Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah or Haniyeh can argue with.

'In that day HaShem made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.'(Bereshit 15: 19)

Home Sweet Home- For 3 days

I'm back from Cape Cod- it was a very relaxing vacation. Vacation's not over though. On Thursday I'm heading to Italy for 2 weeks. I'm pretty sure that I will have Internet but I will be blogging less. Don't forget about me!

Condie should follow her own advice

Condie had some wonderful things to say about Israel in an interview with al-Hurrah TV, a Middle-Eastern station.
"I believe that Israel understands...that it has obligations that need to be met and need to be met now, because the future of Israel is not in the continued occupation of the West Bank. The future of Israel is in building a strong Israeli state in places like the Negev and Galilee." Hmmm... Why is that, it might ask? Is it because Arabs outnumber Jews in Judea and Samaria and as such it is not right for Israel to rule against their will? Fine, let them leave! Condie should know that the Galilee is majority Arab and the Negev, with the huge Bedouin birthrate, could be going that way soon. How about we leave those places too? And Jerusalem, there Arabs are busy building illegal houses in an attempt to beat the Jews demographically. Maybe we should give that away too? By that same logic, we should end the whole Zionist enterprise as there are 6 million Jews in a sea of over a 100 million Arabs.
Condie, look to the US. The Southwest is beginning to resemble Mexico. The US should give that back and stop its continued occupation of New Mexico, California... Oh no, I forgot, standards only apply to Israel.
I also do seem to recall President Bush saying that he would not retreat from Iraq because that would only serve to encourage the terrorists. Here are his words from a 2005 speech:
"The terrorists concluded we lacked the courage and character to defend ourselves. The only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our nerve and abandon the mission... For the safety and security of the American people, that's not going to happen on my watch."

"If we fail that test, the consequences for the safety and security of the American people would be enormous," the president said. "Our withdrawal from Iraq would allow the terrorists to claim an historic victory over the United States."

So if the US retreats from Iraq, it will be a defeat but if Israel gives the Arabs control of its biblical homeland, Judea and Samaria, that would be a victory? That didn't seem to go so well when Israel gave up Gaza- just ask the people of Sderot.
Condie is mistaken when she assumes that a strong Israel is possible without Judea and Samaria. Abba Eban referred to the indefensible pre-'67 borders as the Auschwitz lines. For its own security, Israel cannot give up Judea and Samaria.
What makes Condie think that the new Palestinian state will be pro-US and won't end up like every other repressive totalitarian backwards Muslim country. Tigers don't change their stripes; Palestine, Hashem have mercy, will be a terrorist state, financing and supporting Jihad attacks on Israel, the US and the West. Rememeber how the Palestinians danced at 9/11?
Condie, don't apply a double-standard to Israel. Follow your own advice.

Jews for Judaism!

Here's some interesting Jewish news from Arutz-7:

In Kiryat Yam, the Yad L'Achim anti-missionary organization has succeeded, after a long struggle, in closing down a Jehova's Witnesses missionary center. Yad L'Achim had marked the Kiryat Yam office building as one of four main Jehova's Witnesses centers in the country, learning that the cult held twice-weekly lectures there for dozens of people. Pressure by Yad L'Achim and other tenants in the building finally became unbearable, and the missionary center closed down.
Yad L'Achim is an anti-missionary group that seeks to protect and save vulnerable Jews from those who want to 'save' them. There are over 100 missionary groups operating in Israel, all trying to deceive young Jews, mostly new immigrants, the poor and the elderly, into accepting foreign religions. They often try to disguise their Christianity in Jewish terms to confuse Jews who know little about their own faith. 'Jews for J' missionaries often try to avoid terms like 'Christ' and 'saved', wear 'stars of David' and 'chai' necklaces, drop Yiddish phrases, refer to their god by his Hebrew name and call the 'cross' a 'tree'.
My objection is not necessarily with Christian evangelism. If you have a strong Christian faith then by all means share it. Don't pretend however, that you can be both Jewish and Christians at the same time. That's as contradictory as Kosher pork. Missionaries always prey on weak and unafilliated Jews, the elderly, new immigrants, the poor... They know that they will never be able to convert a Jew who has any idea about Judaism and often resort to lies and bribery. They often promise new immigrants, many of whom are disenfranchised, a feeling of community and finanical support. This is how low missionaries will stoop to ensnare Jewish souls! 'Hebrew Christian' missionaries wear talleisim, go to 'synagogue' and hide their Christian faith in Jewish symbols.
"Whether it's Christians coming from abroad or Jewish converts working in Israel, they all have the same agenda – to destroy every trace and memory of the people of Israel, and they plan to do this by converting Jews. These bodies are operating mainly among the Jewish population which is in physical, social and spiritual distress", reads a proposal for a Knesset bill with intended to impose a 1-year imprisonement sentence for missionizing.
This problem is not restricted to Israel. This week, a conference on converting Jews, will take place in Virginia, "Bringing Peace & Reconciliation to Jews and Gentiles in Messiah", featuring Christian 'Rabbis' and other treif. The name of the conference sounds rather benign until we realize that 'messiah' refers to the Christian concept- Jewish Jews stay away! Remember, a Christians claim to love the Jewish People is incomplete unless it is followed by a declaration of respect for our Jewish faith.
And now some good news from Arutz-7:
Earlier this month, in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of N'vei Yaakov, the capitals' first Ethiopian synagogue was dedicated, in the presence of Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky. The New Jerusalem Foundation and members of the Ohel Nechama synagogue helped pay for the synagogue.

The synagogue, which will serve more than 170 families of Ethiopian extraction in N'vei Yaakov, is located in a previously unused section of the Bernadette public-religious school. The dedication ceremony included an emotional afternoon prayer service, replete with the customs of the Ethiopian liturgy.

The new synagogue will "improve the image of the Ethiopian immigrants," it was said at the ceremony, "and will alleviate the sense of frustration, neglect and estrangement, replacing it with feelings of pride and unity of a vital community integrating with the city and its many groups."

Ethiopian Jews are an extremely ancient Jewish community, either descendants of the lost tribe of Dan or descendants of the coupling of King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and the Jewish soldiers that accompanied her back to Ethiopia. The majority of their community has been returned to Israel and are slowly integrating into Israeli society.

"The Lord will bring back a remnant of his people...returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands" (Isaiah 11:11)

If your dispersed will be at the ends of the heavens, from there, Hashem, your G-d, Will Gather you in and from there He Will Take you. Hashem, your G-d, Will Bring you to the Land that your forefathers possessed and you shall possess. it (Deut. 30:4)

Tisha BeAv

Tisha BeAv, the 9th of Av, the most tragic day on the Jewish calendar falls this year on Tuesday, July 24th. This horrible day is the day on which the First and Second Holy Temples were destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Romans in 70 CE respectively. Our Sages designated this day as to commemorate all of the tragedies that befell the Jewish People throughout histroy. Indeed, Tisha BeAv has proven to be the date of many other tragedies during the ages. Tisha BeAv was the day when the Jewish People, in the desert, accepted the slanderous report of the spies and refused to go up and conquer the Land of Israel despite G-d's assurance that they would be victorious against the Land's inhabitants. When the people heard the frightening tales of the spies, they sat down and wept. G-d decried that since the people cried for no purpose on that night, G-d would establish that night as a night on which there will be reason to cry, for all ages. The Temples were destroyed on that day, the Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by the Romans with the fall of the fortress of Beitar with 100 000 Jews killed, Jerusalem was rebuilt by the Roman general Tornus Rofus as a pagan city in which Jews were forbidden access, the Expulsion from England occured, the Spanish Inquisition which culminated in the choice of the Jews accepting baptism, death or exile was culminated on Tisha Beav... Among other things that happened were many bloody pogroms during the Middle-Ages, the beginning of WWI which led to the Holocaust, the Nazi conference that decided on the Final Solution and Treblinka opening its accursed doors of death. 2 years ago, 7000 Jews were expelled from Gush Katif on Tisha BeAv and last summer, Tisha BeAv was one of the most bloody days in during the Second Lebanon War. An excellent anthology of Tisha BeAv related essays and divrei Torah can be found here.
So what is Tisha BeAv? Tisha BeAv is the day when G-d's presence left the world, when He withdrew himself. The Holy Temple was the focus of all of the holiness in the universe and the channel through which G-d expressed himself on Earth. The Talmud describes the Temple:
The world is like a human eyeball
The white of the eye is the ocean surrounding the world
The iris is this continent
The pupil is Jerusalem
And the image in the pupil is the Holy Temple.
(Talmud - Derech Eretz Zuta 9)
According to Jewish tradition, the Temple is the 'foundation stone' of the world, where Kain and Abel built an altar to G-d and Abraham bound his son Isaac. The Temple was a place where G-d was tangible, where His very presence could be clearly seen and known. People in the Temple were constantly surrounded with miracles. The Talmud (Avot 5:8) tells that 10 miracles were present in the Temple every day:
1. No woman ever miscarried from the aroma of the animal offerings.
2. The animal offerings never spoiled.
3. A fly was never seen in the slaughterhouse of the Temple.
4. No unclean accident ever happened to the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur.
5. Rain did not extinguish the fire on the altar's wood-pile.
6. Despite the wind, the column of smoke from the altar always rose straight up.
7. No defect was ever found in the Omer or the Showbreads.
8. Though worshippers at the Temple stood closely pressed together, each one still had enough room to bow down.
9. No serpent or scorpion ever harmed anyone in Jerusalem.
10. Nobody ever said to his friend: 'There is no room for me to lodge overnight in Jerusalem.'
The Temple was not just for Jews but for non-Jews as well. King Solomon specifically asked G-d to heed the prayer of the non-Jew who came to pray in the Temple and the Prophet Isaiah refers to the Beit Hamikdash as a 'house of prayer for all nations'. The Talmud actually says that had the nations of the world known how beneficial the Temple was to them, they would have built 70 fortresses around it to protect it!
When G-d destroyed His Temple, the shechinah, G-d's presence, was 'like a bird wandering from roof to roof'. G-d's presence is no longer manifest physcially in the world. That is what we mourn, our Exile from the One who created the Universe. The Churban, destruction of the Temple, is our alienation from our Heavenly Father. We yearn for the return of His presence to Earth.
The First Temple was destroyed because of the Jewish People's sins of bloodshed, idol worship and sexual immorality. The Second Temple was destroyed because of sinat chinam, causeless hate between the Jews. The only way that the Third Temple will be rebuilt is through Ahavat Yisrael, Jewish love and unity. Whevener we, Jews and non-Jews, do a good deed or fulfill a commandment, we make the world a more godly place and bring His presence back to Earth.
I invite everyone, Jews and non-Jews, to fast and mourn with me and the entire Jewish People on Tisha BeAv. Our yearning for the Temple will hasten the rebuilding of the Third Temple, may it be built speedily in our days. The Talmud promises that all of those who mourn the Temple will merit to see it rebuilt.
From the day that Jerusalem and the Holy Temple were destroyed, there is no joy before G-d... until Jerusalem will be rebuilt and the Jewish People will return to it.
- Midrash, Yalkut Shimoni, Eychah 7009

Pedophile 'Prophet'

From CNN:
(CNN) -- Polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs, who is awaiting trial in southern Utah, was charged with eight additional felony counts from Arizona in two separate cases, authorities said Thursday.

Polygamist Warren Jeffs is facing eight additional counts related to alleged incest and sexual contact with a minor.

A grand jury indicted Jeffs May 10 on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of incest for alleged incidents that occurred in 2002, according to a statement issued by Mohave County Attorney Matthew J. Smith.

On Thursday, another grand jury indicted him on two additional counts of sexual conduct with a minor and two additional counts of incest. Those offenses took place in Colorado City, Arizona, in 2003, according to the indictment.

Both indictments state that Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), committed the offenses "as an accomplice."

According to Arizona law, sexual conduct with a minor is a Class 6 felony punishable upon conviction by up to a year in prison. Incest is a class 4 felony punishable upon conviction by up to 2½ years in prison.

Doesn't this sound somewhat familiar- a leader of a radical sect, sexual offense with a minor, polygamy, rape? Why, isn't that the Prophet Muhammad? The Prophet loved children, especially 6-year olds. Actually, not much has changed in terms of Islamic love.
From Jihad Watch:

WITH their teacher absent, 10 students were allowed to leave school early. These were the girls the gunmen saw first, 10 easy targets walking hand-in-hand through the blue metal gate and on to the winding dirt road.

A 13-year-old named Shukria was shot in the arm and the back, and teetered into an adjacent wheat field. Zarmina, her 12-year-old sister, ran to her side, listening to the wounded girl's precious breath and trying to help her stand. But Shukria was too heavy to lift and the two gunmen, sitting astride a single motorbike, sped closer.

As Zarmina scurried away, the men took a more studied aim at those they had already shot, finishing off Shukria with bullets to her stomach and heart. Then the attackers seemed to succumb to the frenzy they had begun, forsaking the motorbike and fleeing on foot in a panic, two bobbing heads - one tucked into a helmet, the other swaddled by a handkerchief - vanishing amid the earthen colour of the concealing wheat.

Six girls were shot here on the sunny afternoon last month; two of them died.
***
And we're supposed to negotiate with these people?
More from CNN:
KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) -- A 14-year-old would-be suicide bomber from Pakistan, caught while on a mission to blow up an Afghan provincial governor, was pardoned on Sunday by President Hamid Karzai.
I guess we can't really blame him- his 'loving' parents probably sent him off smiling with promises of his 72 virgins. He can't help his adolescent hormones. Just goes to show how Muslims just love their children- especially dead infidel ones!

No 'Juden', 'Zhidim' or 'Kikes'

Last time I checked, Israel was meant to be a Jewish State. Unfortunately, somehow, its current leadership has translated that to mean no Jewish prayer allowed on the Temple Mount, entire parts of the Land being judenrein, people being expelled form their homes because they are Jewish and 'Pride' Parades down Jerusalem streets.
From Arutz-7:

Arabs living in Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood will only sell their homes to other Arabs, going so far as placing signs in the post-'67 Jewish neighborhood - named after Ze'ev Jabotinsky.

One sign, on a building at 15 Shlomo Street, reads: "For Sale/Rent to Arabs Only." Next door, at 17 Shlomo Street, lives the family of Sasson Nuriel, who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists in September, 2005.

Contacted by Arutz-7, the home's owner at first denied speaking or understanding Hebrew or English, though eventually admitted, in fluent Hebrew, that he had placed the sign. "In the State of Israel, Arabs and Jews live equally. We want to be equals and we can therefore sell the house to whoever we want," he said. He declined to give his name, but insisted that his right to sell to "Arabs only" would even stand up in court.

Aryeh King, who conducted a survey of Arabs moving into Jerusalem's Jewish neighborhoods due to the construction of the Partition Wall says at least 120 Arab families had moved into Pisgat Ze'ev as of December, 2006.

French Hill as well has become the new home of hundreds of Arabs from Ramallah-area villages such as A-Ram and Hizme. "They lived there because it was cheaper and they could travel freely through checkpoints with Israeli ID cards," King says. "Now they are concerned that the wall will keep them from entering Jerusalem, so there is a migration."

Families from Abu Dis and the Bethlehem area have been settling in the Armon HaNetziv neighborhood as well, King says.

In 2000, Israel's Supreme Court required the Jewish town of Katzir, in the Galilee, to allow Muslim Arabs to move in and build their homes there, ruling that limiting who can purchase land there would constitute discrimination.
***
Also, the Islamic Wakf is conducting unsupervised excavations on the Temple Mount. The last time that the Wakf excavated the Temple Mount, this resulted in tons of ancient artifacts from the First and Second Temple Period being dumped in the Kidron Valley, thereby strengthening the Arab attempt to dejudaize Judaism's most holy site and claim that the Temple never existed. Jewish prayer is forbidden on the site and police escort any Jew who suspiciously moves their lips or sways, G-d forbid, praying.
We are in the Three Week period where we mourn the loss of the Holy Temple and it is so sad that we hold in contempt what our ancestors died for. Our Forefathers fought like lions to protect the Land of Israel from our enemies and yet we allow our enemies to 'democratically' and 'peacefully' steal it from us, let alone defend what they take by force. The Temple Mount is being desecrated by the Muslims and Jews have no right to their holy site.
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! (Lamentations 1:1)

Likud Primaries

On Tuesday, the Likud Central Committee will meet to determine party primaries for party leader and Prime Ministerial candidate. The lone challenger to current Likud Leader Binyamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu is Moshe Feiglin of the Manhigut Yehudit. MK Silvan Shalom withdrew supposedly to prevent an electoral confrontation with Netanyahu. The polls currently show 78% of Likud voters in favour of Netanyahu and 14% for Feiglin.
Its time for the Right to learn that Bibi is not the answer. Bibi gave more weapons to the Palestinians that Rabin, handed over Hebron which led to the sniper death of 3-month old Shalhevet Pas, shook Arafat's, may his memory be accursed, hand and voted for the Disengagement. He talks tough now but it is only a matter of time 'til he will play the Left's game and hand over more land. The truth is that Israel needs a leader who is beyong the Right-Left continuum; Israel needs belief-based leadership. The answer is Moshe Feiglin.
From his website, here are his goals:
The time has come to make Israel the authentic Jewish homeland we've dreamed of for millennia -- an Israel motivated and governed by Jewish values and love for every Jew.

Our country must focus on our shared Jewish identity. All of its systems must reflect our Jewish values:

Firm faith that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People reflected in both internal policy and foreign affairs

Authentic Jewish education for every child in the country

A judicial system based on Jewish values

Jewish labor for an effective, creative and moral economy

Restoration of moral strength and deterrent power to Israel's army

Media that reflect Jewish values and morals

A massive Aliyah program designed so that every Jew in the world can come home and feel at home!

In last primaries, Feiglin won a respectable 12.5% of the Likud vote. Hopefully, with G-d's help, he will be the Likud leader. It's time for a change. Vote for a Jewish Israel. Check out his site and tell me what you think.

Updates from Cape Cod and a step in the right direction

Hello everyone! Shavua Tov! We arrived in Cape Cod on Thursday afternoon. We are staying at a nice little motel by the beach- very cute. Near us are quaint little towns with little shops and restaurants- again, very cute. I spent the whole day today at the beach in the sun. I made sure to put on sunscreen except I put on the spray-on kind. The problem with the spray-on is that it only goes on certain spots while you think its everywhere. The result is a red burn all over my arms and chest, with the exception of a few lines where the spray went. Anyways, all's good.
On to the world!
Thank G-d that Israel has amazing and committed citizens who are dedicated to their land. Five new Jewish settlements are being prepared to be built in Judea and Samaria. The first settlement will be in Givat HaEitam, in the northern end of Gush Etzion's Efrat, to the south of Bethlehem. A settlement there is needed urgently because Israel's Security Fence, which is yet to be built in that area, will, when completed, cut off the area from Efrat and give it to the Palestinians.

From Arutz-7:
Four other locations are being planned as well. Two of them, Elon Moreh and Kedumim, are in the Shomron, while another one is south of Gush Etzion along the road to Kiryat Arba, and a fourth is in Hashmonaim near Modiin. The organizers have experience in grassroots settlement campaigns; they organized the construction of 21 outposts a year and a half ago in various locations throughout Judea and Samaria.

Land of Israel Faithful spokesperson Datia Yitzchaki, formerly of Kfar Yam in Gush Katif and now living in Efrat, told Arutz-7, "We've had enough hiding behind protective walls and defensiveness and withdrawals. It's time to reclaim the pioneering spirit we once had, and start populating the Land again."

In addition, another group - former residents of Disengagement-destroyed Homesh in northwestern-Shomron - is planning to begin rebuilding the town on Tuesday, July 17. Two organizers, Akiva Smutritch and Yossi Dagan, write in this week's B'Sheva,

"It is practically two years since the expulsion... The time for action has come. We have the opportunity to repair. As we face the swamp of despair, corruption, decay and loss of path in which the country has been sinking in recent years, a new breeze is beginning to blow - one of values, Judaism and Zionism declaring out loud: The Nation of Israel Lives! ... We can now enter the driver's seat and turn the wheel in a different direction. There is no better place to start the change than from the northern Shomron - and Homesh first! The area [unlike Gush Katif] is still under IDF control, the roads and sidewalks are still there, the IDF continues to patrol, and the trees and flowers continue to bloom, waiting for the Jews to return and water them... Our leaders' pride and shame at admitting their mistake is the only thing holding us up. But ever since we began our campaign to return to Homesh, a new spirit has begun to take hold in the public, one that says that the terrible fiasco of two years ago can and must be fixed. It's just a matter of time; it is up to us."
***
This is the only way to win the struggle for the Land. When the Arabs will realize that the Jews will never leave Israel and that there will be severe retaliations for attempting to undermine the Jewish connection to the Land, all resistance will end. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a journey that will end in the rebuilding of Gush Katif and Neve Dekalim- hopefully.

How did they get so confused?

To all readers: Tomorrow, I'm travelling to Cape Cod with my family on vacation. I'll be there for 3 weeks. Have no fear- I'll have internet access. I promise to post but blogging may be a little light. Don't forget about me!
*****

How did they get so confused? Why weren't Muhammad Haneef, Mohammed Jamil Asha and the other British terrorist suspects told that Islam is a religion of peace? Who taught them this perversion of Islam? Which mosque did they frequent in which a "hijacked" version of Islam was preached?
I'm outraged that this peaceful, pacifistic religion is used so often to justify violence. What is it about Islam that is so prone to misunderstanding? How did Osama bin Laden, Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad get to be such big Misunderstanders of Islam? Didn't anybody tell them that "Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy and forgiveness that should not be associated with acts of violence against the innocent." (in CAIR's words) How dare Islamophobes like the Ayatollah Khomeini teach “Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those who say this are witless. Islam says: 'Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! Kill them, put them to the sword and scatter their armies.'”! Is he suggesting that Islam is somehow connected to violence? How hateful and bigoted! What about the Muslim Brotherhood whose credo is "Allah is our objective, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, Jihad is our way, and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations."? Don't they know that Islam teaches love and tolerance? How was it that they got so confused about the true meaning of Islam?
Islam is peaceful! Muhammad taught love of all peoples and to respect other religions and beliefs. Anyone who believes that Islam is aggressive is a hateful Islamophobe. It sickens me to think of all of the horrible Islamophobic books that push the idea that Islam mandates warfare. The worst of all is the Qur'an: "Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal harshly with them. Know that Allah is with the righteous" (Q:123) How hateful! What about sura 8:12- "I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers!" It's absolutely repulsive the lies told about Islam. How did such a great world religion get perverted so much? How is it possible that a wonderful faith like Islam gets such abuse? Why did Muhammad state in his farewell address "'to fight until all men proclaim 'there is no god but Allah!'? Didn't anybody tell him that Islam forbids warfare? He should have known that when he slaughtered the Jewish tribes of Khaybar. How could he have dared to teach that "The Hour {of the Last Judgment} will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him." (Sira p.550 Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177)? Why didn't he listen to CAIR?
The falsehoods that are told about this great religion! Every religion has been used to promote violence and Islam is no exception. Disregard the fact that the fatwas issued by Pat Robertson for the deaths of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are nowhere to be found. Forget that there have been no mobs of Jews marching in New York and Monsey claiming that Judaism will take over the world. Ignore the nonexistent holy war that Buddhists have been waging against the infidels. There is absolutely nothing violent or intolerant about Islam! Racist hillbilly slackjawed neocons are the only ones who would suggest warfare being a part of Islam.
I call upon all real Muslims to evict the hateful Islamophobes like Bin Laden, Ayatollah Khomeini and Muhammad from your midsts and to tear up the hateful Qur'an which makes it seem like Islam teaches beligerence and expansionism. It just reall makes me wonder how so many people could "hijack" such a tolerant religion...

Hating Jews may be hazardous to your health

Watch this video:
Boycotting Israel may be bad for your health

17 of Tammuz and 'Between the Straights'

Tomorrow is the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, the date when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army breached the walls of Jerusalem in the time of the First Temple and when Titus and the Romans breached the walls in the time of the Second Temple. The 17th of Tammuz marks the beginning of the Three Weeks of mourning for our lost Temples, the time 'Between the Straights' and culminates in the fast of the 9th of Av, the date of the destruction of both Temples and the razing of Jerusalem.
On the 17th of Tammuz:
- Moses smashed the first Tablets
- The daily offerings in the Temple ceased during the time of the First Temple
- The Babylonians and the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem in the time of the First and Second Temple, respectively
- The Roman governor of Judea publicly set a Torah scroll on fire
- An idol was erected in the Temple
(Many other horrible things have happened since then, most recently being that last summer's Katyusha bombardments began of the 17th of Tammuz)

Here is a brief explanation of the day from Arutz-7:
The Three Weeks of gradually-increasing mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temples and Israel's exile begin Tuesday. It begins with the fast day of the 17th day of Tammuz, the day on which Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces breached the walls of Jerusalem after many months of siege on their way to destroying the holy site. It ends on the 9th of Av - Tisha B'Av - the date on which both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, roughly 2,500 and 2,000 years ago, respectively.

The 17th of Tammuz is also the date on which Moses, having descended Mount Sinai and seeing the people sinning with the Golden Calf, broke the first set of Ten Commandments. During the First Temple Era, the priests were forced on this day - a year before the Temple's destruction - to stop offering the daily sacrifice due to the shortage of sheep.

In addition, the Talmud tells us, on this date some decades earlier, the evil King Menasheh had an idol placed in the Temple's Holy Sanctuary. Later, during Second Temple times, a Roman general placed an idol in the same place and publicly burned the Torah.

In honor of the day, and in view of the difficult situation Israel faces, the Chief Rabbinate issued the following call:
It is a time of trouble for Israel: Israel's enemies sound off and lift their heads in arrogance and conceit, opening their mouths wide with threats and terrorization. They boast of their desire to destroy the Jews; "they have consulted together with one another and made a pact against G-d... saying, Let us cut off Israel" (Psalms 83), and wish to war with us even as we are geared for peace.

We are in dire need of G-d's mercy and salvation; we have none on whom to lean except for our Father in Heaven. We must redouble our Torah study and observance of the Torah's commandments, with even greater strength and greater devotion - for "they come with chariots and horses, but we come calling in the Name of G-d" (Psalms 20).

We therefore hereby call upon the Nation of G-d to gather in synagogues on Tuesday, the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz, an hour and a half before the afternoon Mincha prayer, for the recitation of selichot [penitential prayers] and Psalms. Let us cry out with all our strength, and call to our G-d and the G-d of our fathers from the depths of our heart - for "G-d is close to all who call upon Him in truth" (Psalms 145).

May our cries arise before Him, and may G-d arise from His chair of strict justice and sit upon the chair of mercy. May He guide and lead us with compassion and kindness, for G-d's salvation can come in the blink of an eye. And may we see the fulfillment of this verse: "I will give peace in the Land, and you will lie down to sleep without fear... and no sword will pass through your Land." May this occur speedily in our days, Amen.

Signed and sealed:
Shlomo Moshe Amar, the Rishon LeTzion, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel
Yona Metzger, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel

Tagged

I've been tagged by Bald-Headed Geek so I've promised to post 8 facts about myself. Here we go:
1) Next year will be my last year of highschool (Grade 11 in Quebec). Don't let my age fool you- I can run mental circles around many adults that I know (I'm also super humble).
2) I was always one of the tallest in my class, but now I'm just average on the side of tall. When my doctor told me that I am average percentile in hight, I got so angry and thought to myself "you're average! You're an average doctor!".
3) I kickbox 2-3 times a week. I've lost so much weight and gained so much muscle in my few months of kickboxing- every go out and join a dojo!
4) I am an avid reader and especially devour anything written by a crazy conservative. Love her or hate her, Ann Coulter's books are on my bookshelf, along with Mark Steyn and Robert Spencer. For some balance, I watch CNN or read the newspaper.
5) I have absolutely no idea what I want to study. I always thought that I would go into medicine but I see myself as more of a lawyer since I love to argue, talk and hear my own voice.
6) I am so disorganized that I freqently lose school assignements in my locker.
7) I blog so that I don't have to mumble to myself whenever I hear the news.
8) I get a better workout when I argue politics that when I play sports (not that I'm bad or anything; I just love the shocked looks on people's faces when I say politically incorrect things.)

Now I tag:
- Nanc
- Brooke
- Angel (Woman Honour Thyself)
- Jungle Mom
- Joe Gringo
- Emet MitSiyon

Happy Canada Day!

Chag Sameach 140 years ago, on July 1, 1867, Confederation occured. The four British colonies of Upper Canada (Ontario), Lower Canada (Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick united to form the Dominion of Canada. I love my country, despite the liberals here, because it is a free, democratic country and we are the largest producers of maple syrop in the world. Here's some Canada Day fun:

We invented ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis, the telephone, short-wave radios, and Superman.

The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the world's oldest company.

We have the largest English-speaking population that never, ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere.

You know you're Canadian when:
You bring a portable TV on a camping trip so that you don't miss Hockey Night.
You can repeat the entire Molson's Canadian 'The Rant'.
You know all the words to "If I had a million dollars" by The Barenaked Ladies, including the inter-stanza banter between Steven and Ed.
You dismiss all beers under 6% as "for children and the elderly."
You hum David Foster's '88 Calgary Olympics theme in the shower.
You know that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) don't always look like that.
You make up patriotic lyrics to go along with David Foster's '88 Calgary Olympics theme.
You cried when Gus "drowned" on Road To Avonlea.
You remember when Alanis Morrissette was "Too Hot To Hold".
You think there isn't enough of Peter Gzowski to go around.
You think it's normal to have a grain elevator in your backyard.
You watch MuchMusic constantly, in the hopes of occasional fleeting glimpses of The Tragically Hip.
You have an Inuit carving by your bedside with the rationale, "what's good enough protection for the Prime Minister, is good enough for me!"
You can sing "O' Canada" in French and actually know what the words mean.
You send angry letters to the CBC demanding the return of the Hinterland Who's Who spots so you can finally find out what happens to the arctic ptarmigan in winter.
You participate in Participaction!
You think Peter Mansbridge is sexy.
You think Lloyd Robertson is sexy.
You think Peter Kent is sexy.
You think Matt Damon is so-so.
You stood in line for hours for Another Roadside Attraction tickets.
You killed your best friend for Another Roadside Attraction tickets.
You think Great Big Sea isn't Atlantic-centric enough.
Your backpack has more than one Canadian flag iron-on (and you always have room for more).
You know the names of all the guys in Sloan.
You have been on Speaker's Corner. Bonus points if they edited out your carefully prepared rant against the Harris government.
You know the French equivalents of "free", "prize" and "no sugar added", thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
You still haven't taken down your "NON" posters from the 95 Referendum.
You know more than 3 guys named Gordon.
You think Ashley MacIssac isn't Celtic enough.
You remember "Jodie" from Today's Special and wonder why you keep seeing her reading news on the CBC.
You can do the hand actions to Sharon, Lois and Bram's "Skin-a-marinki-dinki-do".
You know why "killerwhaletank" is funny.
You can eat more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauseous.
You had a crush on Joey Jeremiah from Degrassi Junior High.
You know that a "Premier" isn't a baby born a few months early.
You actually watch The Gemini Awards, The Genie Awards, and The Juno Awards. You wonder why Stompin' Tom doesn't get his own category in all three. You scream passionately at the television when your favourite Canadian performers are overlooked by their respective academies.
You think -10 C is mild weather.
You have twins named Donovan and Bailey.
You have twins named Wayne and Gretzky (alternately Gordie and Howe).
You know the ingredients for poutine.
You know what happens in the Evergreen Forest when Bert Raccoon wakes up.
You dressed as Bruno Gerussi for Halloween. You spent hours sifting through garbage on the beach to prepare for the role.
You substitute beer for water when cooking.
You carry empty beer cans from your camping trips home with you in your backpack so you can recycle them when you reach civilization.
You know that the 'Extra Creamy' in Kraft Extra Creamy Dinner is 'add more milk.'
You prefer Elvis Stojko when he has 'hockey hair' - a.k.a. 'the mullet' or 'the shorty-longback'.
You brag about the sweet herb in BC.
You know the chorus of "The Log Driver's Waltz" and are particularly fond of the 'burling down and down' bit.
You steal stationery from your Government of Canada co-operative education placement because you figure you can find lots of uses for paper with 'Human Resources Development Canada/Développement des Ressources Humaines Canada' written at the top.
You have daydreams that film-maker Don McKellar, and Hugh Dillon from The Headstones, skinned and ate Regis Philbin.
You recognize: CPP, RSP, and CCM.
You know what "Canuba" is. You think it's pretty damn funny.
Your gravy boat is shaped like the Bluenose.
You refuse to consume chocolate that doesn't come in either Smarties, Coffee Crisp, or Laura Secord format.
You die a little inside if you can't get your Tim's double-double every morning.
You know the difference between real snow and "television" snow -- the white stuff that passes for snow on tv and in films. You scream, "For Christsake! That should be sticking to their pants!" and "Lookit, it's not melting! That's *so* not snow!" when watching 'Winter' scenes.
Someone accidently stepped on your foot. You apologize.
You stepped on someone's foot. You apologize, then apologize for making them apologize.
You know Casey and Finnegan are NOT a Celtic rock band or imported beer.
You know who Foster Hewitt is.
You can spot MEC from a kilometre away, even if the little white tag is hidden.
You're either out to bingo or getting stinko (and you think no more of Inco) on a Sudbury Saturday night.
You've actually said, "Stay where yer at, 'till I gets where yer to."
You pity people who haven't tasted a "beavertail".
Complete the phrase: "The good old ____ game is the best ____ you can ____."
You've got some rocks and you've got to leave an important message -- Lucky you know how to build an innukshuk!
You have at least one ROOTS sweatshirt that always smells like cigarettes and beer.
You find it difficult to explain "milk in a bag" to non-Canadians, and even more difficult to describe the "snippy-thing" used on bag corners. (Bonus points if your collected snippy-things are stuck to your fridge.)
You're pretty sure you can see Alex Trebek smirking when Jeopardy contestants get the "Canada questions" wrong. Even if you weren't sure of the answer yourself, you consider yourself a hundred times smarter than the idiots who always guess, "What is .. uh, Toronto?"
Your Saturday nights in the Atlantic provinces include eating beans and brown bread as you watch Hockey Night in Canada.
You know that the Canadian Alliance is just the Reform Party with better hair.
You know that, contrary to general belief, the Inuit have about the same amount of words for snow as do English speakers. Your favourite Inuit word for 'snow' is "navcaq" (snow formation about to collapse).
Your local zoo is mainly flamingoes, giraffes and sad elephants freezing their asses off against a backdrop of pine trees, grey skies, and precambrian shield formations.
You wonder why squirrels and seagulls somehow manage to get in every zoo exhibit (including the parking lot and squirrel and seagull exhibits).
You live in a "beach town" and have to eat your brothers and sisters to stay alive during the winter months.
You wonder why Esther Canadas has been blessed with both beauty and the coolest name on the planet -- although Canuck cutie Shalom Harlow could wipe the floor with her.
You're such a hardcore Canadian punk you used ketchup-flavoured potato chip 'residue' to dye your hair. You know it's kind of gross, but at least you smell good.
You don't consider a date truly romantic until you've slow danced to Blue Rodeo's "Five Days in May". You accept "Lost Together" as a second option.
You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK"
You understand the phrase "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."
You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
You drink Pop, not Soda.
You only know three spices: Salt, pepper and ketchup
You know that a Mickey and 24's mean, "party at the camp, eh!!!"
You don't care about the fuss with Cuba. It's a cheap place to go for your holidays (not vacation), with good cigars and no Americans.
You know that a pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway
You drive on a highway, not a freeway
You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
You know that Casey and Finnegan were not part of a Celtic musical group.
You cried when you heard that "Mr Dress Up" died recently.
You brag to Americans: Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion & more, are Canadians.
You know that the C.E.O. of American Airlines is a Canadian!
You know what a toque is.
You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed"
You live in a house with no front step, but the door is one meter up from the ground.
Your local newspaper covers the national news on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
You know that the four seasons means: winter, still winter, almost winter, and road work/construction.
You know that when it's 25 degrees outside, it's a warm day.
You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You know how to pronounce and spell "Saskatchewan"
You perk up when you hear the theme song from "Hockey Night in Canada."
You are in grade 12, not the 12th grade.
"Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary, and is more polite than, "Huh?"
You call it a BUN not a "Roll"
Its called a WASHROOM not a lavatory or powder room or rest room.
You've ever had your tongue frozen to something.
You know that in Canada the mosquitoes have landing lights
You have more kilometers on your snow blower than your car.
You have 10 favourite recipes for moose meat.
You know that Canadian Tire on any Saturday is busier than the toy stores before Christmas.
You've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with snow.
You owe more money on your snowmobile than on your car.
At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles a meat processing plant.
The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.
Your snow blower gets stuck on the roof.
You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
You head south to go to your cottage.
You frequently clean grease off your barbeque so the bears won't prowl on your deck.
You know which leaves make for good toilet paper.
The major parish fund-raiser isn't bingo, it's sausage making.
You find -40C a little chilly.
The trunk of your car doubles as a freezer.
You attend a formal in your best clothes, your finest jeweler and your Sorrels.
You can play road hockey on skates.
The municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.
You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You may be a little too Canadian if...
You wonder why there isn't a 5 dollar coin, as you can only use more change.
You spend hours in the dark making scale models of the Avro Arrow and cursing the Diefenbaker government.
You have memorized the Heritage Foundation's Heritage Moments, including your favourites, "Burnt Toast!", "You know I canna read a word...",
"One day we have tar paper roof!" and "Kanata".
You advocate the abolition of responsible government in favour of monarchist rule.
You think there isn't enough Queen on our currency.
Your graduation formal dress was made of flannel.
You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the missing 'u's from labor, honor, and color.
You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada. You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day.
You automatically read 'Z' as 'Zed' and don't give a damn that it doesn't rhyme with "now I know my abcs".
You are moved to tears by those Bell Canada phone commercials they show around Remembrance Day, where the grandson calls his granddad from Dieppe. You understand the manipulative nature of the advertisement, but continue to be moved, nonetheless.
You stay up until midnight (the end of some television station broadcasting hours) to hear the Canadian national anthem.
You get up at 5:00 am (the beginning of broadcasting hours) to hear the Canadian national anthem.
You spit angrily when Americans say "ruff" instead of the correct "roof".
When abroad, you have a cold fear that somebody might mistake you for an American. You make a point of deliberately being kind to locals just to make it clear you are a Canadian.
You are too Canadian if...
You've ever said, 'I need more flannel clothing.'
You understand everything in this list, and email it to all your friends.
You read rather than scanned this list.



Jokes:

A French guest who was staying in a hotel in Edmonton phoned room service for some pepper. "Black pepper, or white pepper?" asked the concierge.
"Toilette pepper!"


An American, a Scot and a Canuk were in a terrible car accident. They were all brought to the same emergency room, but all three of them died before they arrived. Just as they were about to put the toe tag on the American, he stirred and opened his eyes. Astonished, the doctors and nurses present asked him what happened.

"Well," said the American, "I remember the crash, and then there was a beautiful light, and then the Canadian and the Scot and I were standing at the gates of heaven. St. Peter approached us and said that we were all too young to die, and that for a donation of $100, we could return to the earth."

He continued, " So of course, I pulled out my wallet and gave him the $100, and the next thing I knew I was back here."

"That's amazing!" said one of the doctors, "But what happened to the other two?"

"Last I saw them," replied the American, "the Scot was haggling over the price and the Canadian was waiting for the government to pay for his."
******
Canada is great from eh to zed!!!