Mercy for the Cruel

War is approaching. Israel is at a crucial stage. Iran's dictator, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, may his name be accursed, has promises a devastating 'final response' to Israel and the US on October 12th, 'al-Quds' Day.
From Arutz-7:

Supporters of the Zionist regime will receive their response during the world Quds Day's rallies,” Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said at a weekly press conference Wednesday.

According to the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Elham was describing Iran's planned response for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit “to the occupied Palestine [sic].”

"The US loses all opportunities to cooperate with regional and other world states by trying to support a regime (the Zionist regime) which is now at its weakest political and social position," Elham said. "Supporters of the Zionist regime will definitely receive the final response for their support on Quds day."

Quds Day is held each year on the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan. It was instituted in 1979, following the Islamic revolution by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

“I ask all the Muslims of the world and the Muslim governments to join together to sever the hand of this usurper and its supporters,” Khomeini said when proposing the day. “I call on all the Muslims of the world to select as Quds Day the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan - which is itself a determining period and can also be the determiner of the Palestinian people’s fate - and through a ceremony demonstrating the solidarity of Muslims world-wide, announce their support for the legitimate rights of the Muslim people. I ask G-d Almighty for the victory of the Muslims over the infidels.”

On Quds Day in 2000, Khomeini’s successor Khamenei called for Israel’s destruction, saying it is “the only way to solve the problems of the Middle East.”

Open Threats of War
One of Khamenei’s top advisers, Major General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, declared Tuesday that Iran would strike “in shortest possible time” in case of any strike on its nuclear facilities. He referred specifically to the army of suicide-bombers and child-soldiers active during the Iran-Iraq war. "The enemy will face strong armed forces especially the Basij [suicide-bombers and child soldiers] if it unleashed a military attack on Iran," he said. He claimed that the Basij army has 20 million members.

According to IRNA, “He said that the US has been entangled in a quagmire in Iraq and cannot easily survive.”

Khomeini proposed 'al-Quds' Day as a way of unifing the Muslims people and beseeching Allah for help. The only way for us to overcome Muslim unity is for us to join together as Jews, unify, and storm the gates of Heaven with our prayers. It is right before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and we have the power to change our destiny on that day. Whatever evil decrees the Hashem has written, chas ve'shalom for His people can be averted by simply returning to Him. Every harsh prophecy recorded in the books of the Prophets such as the War of Gog and Magog and the Chavlei HaMoshiach can be nullified with teshuvah and prayer. The Rabbis tell us that every Jew is responsible, areivim, for one another. The only way to defeat the aravim, Arabs, is for us to be areivim and to care and love one another. Reach out to your fellow Jew and bring him back to the Torah.
This war has already started. After all of the Qassams, attacks on Sderot, children hiding in bomb shelters and terrorist attacks, PM Olmert has finally declared Gaza to be 'an enemy entity'. Really! The Defense Minister presented information to his ministerial colleagues, showing that terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza have fired 700 Kassam rockets towards Sderot, the Negev and Ashkelon since the beginning of the year. He said that Arabs in Gaza have fired a total of some 4,000 since the year 2001, causing 14 deaths.

The Defense Minister feels there will ultimately be no choice other than to attack the terror infrastructures in Gaza, and "it appears that every passing day brings a broad military operation closer."

According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs, all of Gaza's fuel, diesel, gasoline and natural gas come from Israel, which powers Gaza's power plant which produces 28.6% of Gaza electricity. How blind are Israel's leaders? Cut off Gaza's electricity, water, TV, radio and all supply sources until they give in. Israel's former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu already ruled that the proper Halakhic response to the Qassams is to carpet bomb Gaza. Rabbi Eliyahu shli"ta cited the biblical story of the Shechem massacre (Genesis 34) and Maimonides' commentary (Laws of Kings 9, 14) on the story as proof texts for his legal decision. According to Jewish war ethics, wrote Eliyahu, an entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of its leaders. If the people of Gaza opposed the rockets, they would not have elected Hamas. In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets. The former chief rabbi also said it was forbidden to risk the lives of Jews in Sderot or the lives of IDF soldiers for fear of injuring or killing Palestinian noncombatants living in Gaza. He quoted Psalm 18:38"I will pursue my enemies and apprehend them and I will not desist until I have eradicated them."
If the IDF does go in to Gaza, it will probably stay there for a few months, disrupt the terrorist organizations and then leave. This is repeated every time Israel enters a hostile area. It happened during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, Gaza in 2007 and the 1982 Lebanon War. Ultimately, there is no solution besides the annexation of Gaza, Judea and Samaria, the expulsion of the Arabs and Jewish settlements there. No country can tolerate such a hostile enemy squatting on territories that legitimately belong to it.
Every military strategist in the world knows that the easiest way to win a war is to conquer territories. Israel's generals, despite being some of the brightest, most highly decorated and advanced in the world, were raised on the idea of victory while retreating. That is why Israel failed so miserably in Lebanon last summer- Ehud Barak retreated from Lebanon, Sharon retreated from Gaza, Olmert wants to retreat from Judea and Samaria. Israel must be prepared to annex any territories that it conquers, to expel its population and to settle Jews on that land.

"One who becomes compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate" (Tanhuma, Parashat Mezora,1; Yalkut Shimoni, I Samuel, Chapter 121)


Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

Enemies within and without

Shanah Tovah everyone! 5768 is here! Unfortunately, the New Year has already been ushered in with bloodshed, violence, jihad and anti-semitism.
New signs of a growing neo-Nazi threat in Israel, brought by gentile Russian immigrants, is really worrying. Last week, a neo-Nazi cell in Petach Tikvah was busted. Its members are responsible for attacks on religious Jews and the desecration of a large synagogue in Petach Tikvah. It seems that this more attacks and pogroms are yet to come.

From Arutz-7:

Neo-Nazis attacked a 70-year-old woman who was walking on the bridge connecting the Meridian Hotel and the Neveh David neighborhood in Haifa Monday morning.

The gang members beat her and shouted out "Heil Hitler," in the latest of a series of Nazi attacks that began with the arrest of a Nazi gang in Petach Tikva 10 days ago.

The victim said that two youths accosted her. One kicked her, causing her injuries, and the other gave a Nazi salute and shouted out "Heil Hitler." She was able to escape when a street sweeper stepped in to help her, but not before he, too, was beaten.

Haifa Radio also reported that a family from Neveh Yosef, not far away from the scene of the attack, was victimized by Nazi activity on Monday as well.

The family woke up to find their car's tires had been slit and that a huge swastika on top of a Star of David had been painted on the vehicle.

Reports of neo-Nazi organizations, swastikas scrawled on synagogue walls and other anti-Semitic crimes are increasingly being reported in the Jewish State.

Teen Arrested for Spraying Swastikas in Migdal Haemek

Neo-Nazism also found its way this week to the town of Migdal Haemek, southeast of Haifa. A 17-year-old anti-Semite was caught Sunday spraying a swastika on a neighbor’s car.

Police requested permission from the court to extend custody of the teenage attacker, who they said had admitted to spraying Nazi symbols on cars and public shelters, according to a report by Ynet.

Further questioning was necessary, said detectives, in order to determine whether the young Ukrainian immigrant is a member of a neo-Nazi gang. “We are checking to see whether there are other teenagers involved,” said a police spokesperson.

Swastikas Scrawled on Buildings in Holon

Nazi grafitti was found Sunday on walls in the town of Holon, near Tel Aviv. Residents there discovered several buildings spray-painted with swastikas and the word "Hitler."

The perpetrators have not yet been identified.

Swastikas Scrawled on Dimona Synagogue, Perpetrator Still at Large

Jews arriving for services at the Beit Ephraim synagogue in the northern Negev city of Dimona last Friday discovered their house of worship painted with Nazi symbols.

Two swastikas were found on the second day of Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, sprayed on the synagogue wall and the fence surrounding the building.

Mayor Meir Cohen, who was among those who first spotted the Nazi graffiti, vowed to “do nothing else but deal with this issue.”

The mayor said he personally would offer a monetary reward of NIS 2,000 (approximately $480) to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the vandals.

Nazi Vandalism in Eilat Synagogue on Rosh HaShana Eve

Nazi and Christian slogans were scrawled on the walls of a Sephardic synagogue in the resort city of Eilat on the eve of the Rosh HaShana holiday last week. The graffiti was discovered Monday evening by congregants who arrived to attend a class and to pray the evening service. The synagogue is located in a heavily religious neighborhood.

"Hitler is the Messiah," proclaimed one of the statements. "Long live Hitler and Jesus Christ" declared another. Crosses and swastikas were also scrawled on the building, which is located in a heavily religious neighborhood.

"We were all shocked and stunned," said Rabbi Yair Hadaya, son of the city's Chief Rabbi, Moshe Hadaya. "I do not view it as an affront to the rabbi, but rather as an affront to the country and the Jewish people," he added.

Police initially said it appeared to be an isolated incident, but Eilat deputy police commander Eitan Gadasi later said it was too early to tell whether the attack had been carried out by neo-Nazis. "Such incidents happened in the distant past in Eilat," he said, "but at this point it is too early to say whether there is a neo-Nazi cell in [this city]."

Approximately a year ago several teenagers were arrested after being caught spray-painting swastikas on tombstones in the Eilat cemetery.

Israel was founded as a refuge for Jews who had survived the horrors of Nazi Germany. In a country that was meant to be a safe haven from anti-semitism, why is Israel importing neo-Nazi anti-semites? Clearly, there is something wrong with Israeli immigration laws when individuals who have no connection to the Jewish People and are dedicated to their destruction, come to live in the Jewish State. Unfortunately, under Israeli law, anyone who has 1 Jewish grandparent is entitled to make aliyah, even though they may not be halakhically Jewish. Only Jewish law determines who is Jewish and Israel must adopt it as a basis for aliyah.
Its not like Israel needs to import any more anti-semites. Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, Israel's top intelligence chief, told the Knesset, Sunday, that Hamas is preparing a major attack against Israel before the November conference in Washington. Hamas even invited reporters to see the intense training that they had done over Rosh Hashana! So let's see- Israel's population is 10% Arab fith-columnists, in some cases, 40% of Russian immigrants are goyyim and among them neo-Nazis (!!!!), Hamas is planning a major attack against Israel and of course, our fearless leader Olie is planning peace (of the grave) talks with Syria. 5768 is looking bright.
On the Jewish calendar, it is now the Aseret Yemai Teshuva, Ten Days of Repentance. It is a time for spiritual reflection, growth and a return to the source, Hashem. Unfortunately, the Jewish soul is being threatened. Our heart, which we have faced in prayer for 2 000 years is being desecrated by the Islamic wakf. In addition to this parade of Jew-hatred and spiritual filth, a parade of thousands of missionaries is set to descend on Jerusalem for the annual Sukkot march through Jerusalem.

Arutz-7 explains:

The line-up of speakers at this year's event, which will be held at Jerusalem's Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center, includes David Pawson. In a speech entitled "God's Eternal Covenant with Israel" (reprinted in Family Restoration Magazine), Pawson stated,

"One day the people of Israel as a whole will become Messianic Jews [believing in Jesus - ed.]... Prayer for Israel is not enough; preaching is also necessary. The church's silence over the holocaust was bad enough; her silence about hell would be a worse betrayal... True lovers of Israel will speak on behalf of Jews to Christians and on behalf of Christ to Jews. To pray for the peace of Jerusalem must include that peace with God which only Jesus can bring."

"'Zionism' is only 'Christian'," Pawson stated, "when He [Jesus] has the pre-eminence."


In case it may be objected that it is offensive to the Jews to speak of such things, and that Christians must "comfort" Israel, Pawson explained: "There is no final comfort in a lie... We cannot help but be missionaries, and I have discovered that some Jews despise us if we pretend not to be..."

...

Another featured Feast of Tabernacles speaker, Jack Hayford, was one of 1,100 Christian Zionists and Messianic Jews who took part in the Road to Jerusalem conference in California last year. He spoke there of “helping the church understand what God’s doing among Jews today and how to relate to it.” Co-speakers at that Road to Jerusalem event were co-founder Rev. Raleigh Washington -- who said, "when a Jewish person recognizes that Jesus is his messiah, he becomes a Jew who has now found his messiah” -- and Rev. Mike Bickle of Kansas City, Mo., who used the phrase “unsaved Jews” and said a Satan-like leader “will be required to exterminate the Jewish race.”

These Christian Zionists are not true friends of Israel but are wolves in sheeps clothing. Many of my readers are Christian Zionists and I truely appreciate their support for Israel. What I don't appreciate though, is thousands of missionaries coming to my Holy Land in an attempt to 'save' me. I don't need your 'salvation'- I have a faith called Judaism and I get what I need from the Torah. Anyone who attempts to missionize us, to deceive us into abandoning the religion of our forefathers or to tell us that you can be a 'Jewish Christian' (just like a 'kosher pork') is not an ally and had no place in Israel. Israel was meant as a place where we can be 'unsaved', safe from anti-semitism, free from the hatred and oppression of the rest the world. Unfortunately, the corrupt anti-Torah government of Israel continues to import Russia goyyim (who one former member of the Israeli government said would hopefully 'secularize' Israel), neo-Nazis, bring in Christian missionaries to teach Jews about JC, allow the Temple Mount to be plundered and desecrated and continue to offer more concessions to our enemies.

Enough is enough! We can't keep on sitting around asking Hashem to send us Moshiach unless we are prepared to stand up for ourselves and for what is ours. Where are the protests? Last week's Haftorah portion read "Return O Israel unto Hashem, Your G-d, because you have stumbled in your sins" (Hosea 14:2). We truely have stumbled in our sins. It's right before Yom Kippur- don't miss the boat.

Teshuva- Just do it

Shanah Tovah

Shanah Tovah! May we all be inscribed in the book of life, blessing, goodness and mercy and may this year, 5768, be a year of peace, prosperity and the Complete and Final Redemption.

6 years ago: Reflections on 9/11

It has been 6 years since the US was attacked on September 11th and yet manny Americans (and Canadians and Europeans) continue to be ignorant about our attackers, about their motives and about the proper course of action. Are we at war with 'terrorism'? Were the 9/11 hijackers upset about social injustices or were they part of a fringe minority of religious extremists? 6 years after the attack, our leadership is still painfully lacking a plan to combat our enemy, whoever they may be. After 6 years, WWII was won, Nazism defeated, the German and Japanese war machines crushed and totalitarianism beaten. However, in the same amount of time after 9/11, the West is only beginning to wake up and fight back. In order to defend ourselves, we must know our enemies, why they fight, concoct a defense plan and muster the courage to carry it out.

President George W. Bush declared an international 'War on Terror' after the atrocities of the 11th of September. Does the term 'War on Terror' really encapsulate the current conflict? Is the US at war with violent Quebecois separatists or militant environmental activists? Is 'Terror' even an enemy? No, friends, terror is a tactic wielded in by our enemies Islamic jihadists. Whether Islamic jihadists wage war by unconventional terrorist means or conventional fighting with the armies of Islamic countries, they are our enemies nonetheless. What drives these people is not concern over poverty, al-Qaeda's founder being a Saudi millionaire and many terrorists coming from wealthy middle-class backgrounds, nor are they upset over US foreign policy. Israel's 'occupation' of 'Palestine' is not why they fight us. These Islamofascists wage jihad because their faith, Islam, commands them to. They have not hijacked any holy texts and their actions are in perfect correspondence with the traditional Islamic interpretations of the Qur'an by prominent Muslim jurists. The Islamic manifesto, the Qur'an, commands that believers 'fight against them (Infidels) until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme' (Q 2:193). That is their goal, to make 'Allah's religion supreme'; not to liberate 'Palestine', not to help the poor, not to protest against the immoralities of Western culture but to rule, subdue and subjugate us Infidels. Islam means 'submission' and non-Muslims must either convert or be humiliated and debased before Muslims. The world is divided under traditional Muslim jurists into Dar al-Harb (the Hose of War) and the Dar al-Islam (House of Islam). In their view, there are no good Infidels or bad Infidels, only Infidels to be crushed for Allah. No amount of concessions or compromises will appease them, nothing short of the complete establishment of a worldwide Islamic caliphate ruled by sharia law will please them. Whenever we Infidels concede to them, whether by allowing Muslim women to vote veiled as Canada has or allowing them to call for the heads, literally, of those who draw cartoons of their prophet, we willingly submit to dhimmitude, second-class status under the Religion of Peace. By allowing them to flount our laws, mock our culture, criticize our values and form parallel societies under Islamic sovereignty in our own countries, we further promote the notion that our culture is not worth respect and aid our enemies in establishing their Islamic 1000-year Reich.

Clearly, the Islamic world must be confronted and defeated. However, the current ideas of our leaders are worthless. Bush's Wilsonian quest to spread freedom and democracy across the Dar al-Islam are doomed. Our freedoms and human rights stem from our Judeo-Christian values, the belief that all humans have inherent value in being creatures of a loving and merciful G-d. These concepts have no place in Islam, where people are merely slaves to the will of Allah. We believe that G-d gave us free choice and commands us to grow, improve and develop His world; they believe that innovation is a sin and that 7th century Arabia was the ideal society. No, no Jefersonian democracy will take rout there; the Iraqi and Afghan constitutions enshrine sharia! Victory in the war against Islamofascism should be considered anything that weakens the Abode of Islam rather than the growth of democracy. Democracy will develop once Islam is gone. Now, however, we must work on getting rid of it, or at least Islam in its current political form. In that vein, the US has no obligations in Iraq now and since the Iraqis have clearly shown that they are not ready to build a free society or even show that the disaparate religious and ethnic gorups that live there even want to be a country, the US has no more reason to be there. Staying in Iraq drains American resources and moral and does nothing to stop the demographic and religious spread of Islam in Europe. Fighting in Iraq will not prevent the almost inevitable Eurabian civil war. There are parallel Islamic societies on European soil, being almost majorities in Malmo, Rotenburg, Marseilles or Paris and that is what the US should be focusing on, not whether or not Muslims in Iraq want democracy, which they most certainly do not understand or want. 'But there will be a Sunni-Shiah civil war!', you may protest. But what is wrong with that? Once the Kurds have been given a state, a symbol that shows the casting off of Arab imperialism and one that oculd ignite further nationalist aspirations throughout the Islamic world, why would a Sunni-Shia war be bad? Let every Islamic nation be torn apart by this violence! Let the Saudis and the rest of the Sunnis back the Sunnis of Iraq and let Iran support the Shias. Imagine each Islamic country pumping tons of money and resources into their side in Iraq, as the violence grows and destroys them as well.

The best course of action to take against the House of Islam would be to isolate and strangle it. Islamic history has shown that whenever Islamic societies have taxed and opressed non-Islamic communities out of existence (what happened to the Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians of the Middle-East?) or have no more Infidel societies to steal ideas from, Islamic societies become economically, scientifically and politically moribund. Islam is like a cancer that makes society stagnate and die. In the decades that the Arab world has lived off of oil, they have never invested in building self-supporting economies or helping their own citizens. Therefore, it is necessary for Western governements to sponsor a full-scale Manhattan project to find an alternative energy source and to watch the Islamic countries slowly die of suffocation. Let Europe stop taking in the Islamic overpopulation and let their countries become crowded and resource scarce. Muslims need to resolve their own problems instead of shirking off their responsibilites and blaming the 'other', whether it is the 'Zionists', 'Crusaders' or 'Western imperialism'. Let Muslims sleep in their own beds and exist in their Islamic dystopia of illiteracy, porverty, overpopulation, madness and tyranny. By then, Muslims will either realize that Islam is the problem and reject or reform it or they will destroy themselves. Either way, it is none of the West's concern.

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

Mi Hu Yehudi- Who is a Jew

This story is so ridiculous that I don't even know what to make of it. A neo-Nazi cell which attacks religious Jews, gays and foreign workers has been exposed is... TEL AVIV! Did anybody catch that? A neo-Nazi cell living in the JEWISH State, all its members being Israeli citizens! These Nazis are Russian immigrant, with one Jewish grandparent (ironically, they'd be sent to the gas chambersa are well).
Last year, the Great Synagogue of Petach Tikvah was vandalized and defaced with swastikas. Two years ago, an IDF soldier, a gentile Russian immigrant, was found with a swastika tatoo on his arm. And all of this is happening in ISRAEL!!!!!!!

From Arutz-7:

Israeli Police have busted a group of Israeli neo-Nazis in the Tel Aviv region and found a gun and explosives. The youths are non-Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union.

Although the nine arrests were made a month ago, a gag order on the case was in place until Saturday night. Police had been investigating over 20 people involved with the group ever since the vandalizing of a large synagogue in Petach Tikvah over a year ago. The neo-Nazis had painted the walls, as well as the insides of prayer books, with Nazi graffiti.

The teenagers are from Holon, Petach Tikvah and even the Samaria town of Karnei Shomron. They reportedly have ties with neo-Nazi groups overseas via the Internet and some boast Nazi tattoos.

When police raided the homes of the neo-Nazis, they found video documentation of dozens of other crimes. The group’s members had been found to regularly beat religious Jews and foreign workers in Tel Aviv. One video shows members of the group surrounding a Russian heroin addict and, after the man admits he is Jewish, beating him mercilessly, along with another man who tries to assist him.

The group was also found to have in its possession explosives and an M-16 assault rifle.

The members remain in police custody and an indictment in the case is expected Tuesday.

Police say all the members of the neo-Nazi cell received Israeli citizenship, which grants citizenship to anybody with a third-degree Jewish relative – even by marriage. The policy has come under criticism in the past, with the Jewish Agency coming under attack for continuing to allot resources to recruiting descendents of Russian Jewry to immigrate even after nearly all Russian Jews who wished to leave had done so. In recent years, as high as 40 percent of those immigrating from Russia are non-Jews according to Jewish law.

Under the current Israeli Law of Return, anybody who would have been qualified for the Final Solution under the Nuremburg Laws qualifies for Israeli citizenship. While thats a nice little idea, since when does Hitler decide halakha? A Jew is the offspring of a Jewish mother and who has not left their faith for another (a secular Jew is different from an apostate Jew). Just because somebody has one Jewish grandparent, that does not make them Jewish. Israel needs to change its laws to prevent non-Jews, sometimes Neo-Nazis or missionaries, from abusing them and leeching off of the country. Arafat, may his name be accursed, once asked 'if Israel can let in one million gentiles, why can't they let in one million Arabs?' In this case, I agree with the gay murderer. Israel was created for Jews and exists only for Jews. If these Russians want citizenship, let them convert halakhically.
Despite the seriousness of this problem, why should we be up in arms about the discovery of a dozen Neo-Nazis when there are thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of 'Israeli' Arabs who hate the state, are actively disloyal and who support its enemies?
I'm going to end this post on a postive note, about the right type of olim that Israel wants. A recent group of Bnei Menashe, Indian Jews, who made aliyah last week, paid an emotional first visit to the Kotel.
From Arutz-7:

The group was brought to Israel last week by the Jerusalem-based Shavei Israel organization, which assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. Once the immigrants had a chance to settle in, Shavei Israel organized buses to bring them to Jerusalem for a day of touring and sightseeing in the nation's capital.

"It was an extremely moving scene," said Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund. "As the Bnei Menashe began the prayer service, they were joined by various other Jews from around the world – American immigrants, Chasidic Jews, Sephardim and IDF soldiers in uniform. There, in a nutshell, was the embodiment of the 'ingathering of the exiles'."

The Bnei Menashe claim descent from the tribe of Menashe, one of the ten tribes exiled from the Land of Israel by the Assyrian empire over 2,700 years ago. They reside primarily in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. In recent years alone, over 1,400 members of the community have made aliyah, thanks largely to the efforts of Shavei Israel,

Another 7,000 Bnei Menashe are still in India, waiting to come.

***
Update: It seems that the group had in their possession explosives and a machine gun and that they were planning something violent. Behold the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!

Torah Spark

Deuteronomy Chapter 30:

1. And it will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you that you will consider in your heart, among all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you, 2. and you will return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day you and your children,
3. then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the Lord, your God, had dispersed you. 4. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there. 5. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you [too] will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers. 6. And the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, [so that you may] love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life.

Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzahk, comments on the 3rd verse: The day on which Israel’s exiles will be gathered is so monumental and [this ingathering] will be such a difficult [procedure, as it were], that it is as though God Himself must literally take each individual Jew with His very hands, [taking him] out of his place [in exile].

Is that what you are waiting for?

Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech

This week, we have two portions since there are more portions than weeks in a year. The portions go from Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30.
The first portion is called Nitzavim, meaning 'Standing Erect' in Hebrew. In the portion, Moses comforts the Children of Israel who, upon hearing the curses contained in last week's portion, began to tremble. He comforts them that G-d has chosen them eternally to be His special people.

I call this day upon heaven and earth as witnesses. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. And you shall choose life, so that you and your children may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

G-d commands the Children of Israel (G-d's Torah is eternal and applies today, in every single situation) to live a life of goodness and holiness. The Torah is implying that a life devoide of blessing or goodness is not really life at all. It is not good enough to simply be alive, you must utilize your time on this earth to do carrying out G-d's will. This commandment to choose life does simply forbid suicide or euthanasia but tells us to choose life at every single moment of every single day. When you wake up in the morning, instead of hitting the snooze button, get up and praise G-d. Instead of fighting with your family or being angry and upset, be kind and forgiving. At every moment, choose life and goodness rather than sin, which is death. Only a life that is imbued with the G-dly values of the Torah is a life that has value- otherwise it is simply emptiness.
There's a story in the Talmud that states that before G-d put you on this Earth, you asked your soul whether it would like to be given a body or not. The fact that you are here means that your soul was given the choice to go down to Earth, to be subjected to the physical world in all its difficulties. You chose to be here! You are here for a purpose.

Chapter 30
11. For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.
12. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?" 13. Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"
14. Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.

G-d put you here to live. That means that keeping the Torah doesn't mean giving things up, restricting yourself. Living the Torah is living on a higher dimension, G-d's dimension. To serve G-d, you don't need to be a hermit in a cave, sell all of your belongings and move to an ashram or to become celibate and renounce all pleasures. The Torah is not in the heavens! The Torah is not over the sea! The Torah is not across the sea! It is in our heart, close to us. G-d doesn't give us any task that is too difficult for us. He is not asking us to cross the sea to do his will. That is the difference between the Torah and other belief-systems. Holiness isn't on a lonely mountain top or in a desert. Holiness is, as the Torah states, near to our hearts. It is in an act of kindness, a Jewish woman lighting candles on Friday night or (for non-Jews) observing the 7 laws of Noah. This is where true holiness can be found. The second Torah portion is called VaYelech which comes from the Hebrew verb 'to walk'. That is what G-d truly wants from us, that we should walk peacefully along with Him and live a life of goodness, kindness and blessing.
"Its ways are pleasantness and all its paths are peace. It is a tree of life for those who grasp it, and its supporters are praiseworthy." (Psalms 3:17-18)

Cross-posted to the Barnyard

Ahavat Yisrael

In some more extreme quarters of the Zionist blogosphere, there are increasing calls for violent uprisings against our Arab enemies, the secular Jews and against the current governement of Israel. While I have absolutely no reservations against repaying our Arab 'friends' for their 'kindnesses' against the House of Israel, I am completely opposed to sort of hatred, civil war and fighting in between Jews.
Call me naive or an idealist but my Torah does not permit the murder of Jews or fratricidal hatred. The Rav Kook, the first chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, taught that "the truly righteous do not rail against evil, but rather increase goodness." Yes we are upset that the governement of Israel is not behaving Jewishly! Yes we are angry that many Israelis have abandoned the Torah! The solution, however, is not to hate them, not to curse them, not to fight them. If we want to get out brothers to keep shabbat, is throwing stones at passing cars the way to do it? Of couse not! Only by teaching secular Jews about the beauty of shabbat and Torah will they start to observe them- not by stone throwing or name calling. "Better by far to err by the love that cannot see, than the hatred that is blind", said the Rav Kook.

Why was the First Temple destroyed? Because that generation transgressed the three cardinal sins: idol worship, sexual immorality, and murder.

Why was the Second Temple destroyed? Because of unwarranted hatred.

This shows how great is the punishment for unwarranted hatred. Because the generation of the three cardinal sins was redeemed after 70 years, yet for the generation of unwarranted hatred, its redemption has yet to come.

Talmud, Yoma 9

See how evil hatred between Jews is in G-d's eyes! Unwarranted hatred is worse than idol worship (!), sexual immorality (!) and murder (!) combined. Nobody is blameless in this kulturkampf and neither the secular Jews or the religious have the moral high ground. In G-d's eyes, there are no secular or religious, Left or Right, only Jews, Jews who keep some mitzvot, commandments, and some who keep more. Every single Jews is an integral part of klal Yisrael, even those who are less than perfect in their observance of the Torah. In fact, one of the spices used in the incense at the Holy Temple was "galbanum," which has a foul aroma. From this, the Talmud (Kritot 6b) explains that even the worst sinners are a part of the People of Israel.
Before Tisha Be'Av, when the Romans besieged Jerusalem, instead of uniting against the common enemy, the Jews began to fight amongst themselves. They were squabbling as Jerusalem was being destroyed. Today, we continue to squabble as Jerusalem is burning. The barbarians are at the gates and are ready to massacre, G-d forbid, us all, observant and non-observant. On Palestinian TV, a Hamas imam proclaimed that Jews must be massacred for Allah and that 'Likud or Labour, Left or Right, Jews are Jews'. Our foes understand this; why can't we?
According to a survey from the prestigious Guttman Institute of Applied Social Research, published in 1993, more than half the Jews in Israel light Shabbat candles. Approximately 70% keep a kosher home. Almost 80% celebrate the Passover Seder. Over 80% of Jewish males have a Bar Mitzvah, 92% have a brit milah (circumcision) and 98% go to the trouble of putting up a mezuzah on their front doors. While only 20-30% of the population of Israel is religious (40% indentify themselves as 'traditional'), over half of the officers of the IDF are religious. The Hesder program, which combines army service and yeshiva study, is growing rapidly. Haredi women are having 3 children for every 1 that a secular Israeli has. At this rate, Israel's future will surely be a Jewish one. With the growth of the Torah-observant public, more and more secular Jews will be exposed to Torah. This is how we will reach them- with love and not hatred!
Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz, one of the great rabbis of pre-war Europe, was quoted as saying: "When I will stand before the heavenly court, and they will ask me, 'What merit have you brought with you?' What shall I answer? Torah? Is my Torah knowledge worth enough to be mentioned? Fear of Heaven? Are my deeds worthy of that description? There is only one thing I could possibly claim -- that I loved every Jew with all my heart. Whenever I walk in the street and I see a Jew, one thought comes to me: A blessing on his head!'" (from Aish HaTorah)
Next time you curse the secular Jews, remember that you personally are holding up the Redemption. Because you are caught up in sectarian squabbling instead of seeing your fellow Jew as a bother son of Avraham Avinu, the Moshiach has not yet come. Unless we put aside our pointless fighting, we will not be able to face the problems confronting our survival- namely the high intermarriage rate, assimilation (the 'Silent Holocaust') and the murderous sonei Yisrael who are waiting for a breach in the dam to, G-d forbid, apply the 'Final solution' to the 'Jewish question'. The Moshiach is coming, just remember to keep the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael, love of Israel.

"And you shall love your fellow Jew like yourself"
Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18

The Churban continues

The Jewish connection to Israel is under attack!
From Arutz-7:

A large trench being dug on the Temple Mount is destroying a never before uncovered section of the outer wall of the Second Temple. The construction is being supervised by the Wakf—the Muslim Authority acting as custodians to the Temple Mount.

Archeologists have been calling for construction to halt on the trench, which is approximately 1,300 feet long and five feet deep. The Wakf claims the trench is being dug to replace 40-year-old electrical cables for nearby mosques.

New photos of construction debris from the Temple Mount show carved stones casually dumped in a pile that appear to be a section of the outer wall of the Second Temple, according to archaeologist Eilat Mazar.

According to Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, the Wakf is intentionally digging in areas where "undoubtedly the Temple once stood." "For the first time since the Temple's destruction, a section of the Temple Wall itself has been exposed," Richman said. "And the Wakf under the guise of laying down electrical pipes has dug a trench, destroying the most important holy artifact ever found to date."

When Israel tried to repair the ramp leading up to the Temple Mount, there were riots all over the Islamic world about how the evil Zionists were trying to endanger the Al-Aksa Mosque. Now that the Arabs are intentionally destroying Jewish artifacts from the time of the Second Temple, where is the outcry? Israeli archaeologists have found that the Islamic wakf has dumped tons of dirt containing priceless artifacts in the Kidron valley. (To learn more about the destruction, go here. Please sign the petition over there)
The wakf is destroying artifacts in order to undermine the Jewish claim to the Temple Mount. Just a few quotes from important Arab figures reveals this.

For 34 years [the Israelis] have dug tunnels [around the Temple Mount]…they found not a single stone proving that the Temple of Solomon was there, because historically the Temple was not in Palestine [at all]. They found only remnants of a shrine of the Roman Herod… They are now trying to put in place a number of
stones so that they can say `We were here.' This isnonsense. Ichallenge them to bring a single stone from the Temple of Solomon."-
Yasser Arafat
Al-Hayat (London), October 5, 2002

As is known, the Jews have no religious shrines in the Palestinian territories, especially in Jerusalem, except this claim for which there is no religious or historical proof - the claim that the Temple of Solomon or its ruins are buried under the foundations of the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque!"
-Al-Jazirah (Saudi Arabia) editorial
December 29, 2000

This fits into the Islamic concept of jahiliya, that pre-Islamic times were ignorant and evil times. That's why Muslims have a pretty bad track record when it comes to protecting non-Islamic holy sites or archaeological ruins. Remember the Bamiyan Buddhas?
This evil attempt by the wakf to rewrite Jewish history comes as Ehud Olmert and his corrupt, self-loathing cronies plan to destroy over 100 Jewish satelite communities in Judea and Samaria.
From Arutz-7:
Over 100 satellite communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) - slated to be tomorrow's new Jewish towns - are on a ministerial committee's agenda Sunday. The committee's chairman, Minister Chaim Ramon (Kadima), says that at least 26 such neighborhoods should be destroyed immediately.

Almost every satellite community is built on Jewish-owned land and is near the final stage of receiving authorizations from the relevant government offices. Many have already qualified for and received government funding.

Pinchas Wallerstein, a Yesha Council leader and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, explains the problem of the satellite towns: "No community or outlying neighborhood in Yesha is considered completely authorized until it has the final signature of the Defense Minister," Wallerstein said. "Therefore, these 100-plus outlying neighborhoods are technically and formally not yet 100% legal. But in fact, in 98% of the cases, all they need is that signature. If it turns out that in some of the locations, we were tricked and the sale was fictitious, or incomplete, or whatever, we are willing to talk about moving them a few hundred meters - but only after we discuss it with the Yesha leaders, and only in the framework of a comprehensive solution."

The timing of the Ramon's committee session is acute, in that the State is due to give a response this week to the Supreme Court on a suit brought by Peace Now and a group of Arabs against the Jewish community of Migron.

Peace Now, which has been working since 1978 to uproot all Jewish presence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza and make room for a Palestinian state, claims that Migron is largely built on Arab-owned land. Migron residents, however, say Peace Now worked hard to find the Arabs in question and convinced them to file the suit against the Jewish town.

Just so all of you leftists out there can answer: Why can Arabs continue to live as citizens of the State of Israel while Judea, Samaria and Gaza must be judenrein? How can the Arabs be trusted with their own state when they have shown that they have no respect for the holy places of other religions, whether it is the Temple Mount, Josef's Tomb, the Bamiyan Buddhas or the hundreds of destroyed churches across the Dar al-Islam?

For Zion's sake I will not remain silent. For Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness shines like the dawn and its salvation burns brightly like a torch.
(Isaiah 62:1)

And then what?

All discussion of politics in Israel centers around the Arab problem and one can never seem to get beyond that. Even here, most posts are about the Israel-Arab conflict or reports on the latest Arab attack. However, when we, the Jewish People, will apply the Jewish solution to this problem (expulsion and no concessions), Israel will still be around and will still have a destiny to meet. The Arab crisis will disappear when true Torah leaders appear. The Jewish Israel will still have to decide how it will interact with the rest of the world.
A Jewish Israel, free from its own constraints imposed on it by being surrounded by a sea of hostile Arabs and 20% of its populations being traitors, will be a force of good in this world. The Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, wrote: "A normal country is like a large insurance company. It is not the source of its citizen’s supreme joy. Ideals, which are the crowning glory of mankind, hover above a country and do not touch it.
“Not so a country founded on ideals and inherently based on the most lofty message. Such countries truly constitute their citizen’s greatest joy. Therefore, the State of Israel is truly the most supreme on the scale of joy, and it constitutes the foundation of G-d’s throne on earth. Its entire purpose is that G-d should be one and His name one, truly the greatest source of joy.” (see Orot 160). This will be the sort of state that will not participate in the upsming Olympics in Beijing as long as China continues to repress its people or while it tramples on human rights. Once Israel no longer has to use its army to keep Judea and Samaria peaceful and safe, it could rain rockets down on a terrorist enclave in Sudan that is used for a base for genocide of Darfuris. This will be a state that does not tolerate evil, cruelty, tyranny or oppression.
The Jewish Israel will fulfill the verse 'For out of Zion will go forth Torah and the word of G-d form Jerusalem'. The Temple Mount will have a synagogue and a beit midrash at the top where Jews and non-Jews alike can come and learn the word of Hashem. The Prophet Isaiah said that the Holy Temple should be a 'house of prayer for all nations'- that means that all peoples have a share in G-d's Torah. From its spiritual center of Jerusalem, the 7 Noahide laws that the Torah mandates for non-Jews will radiate around the globe. Jewish values of kindness, mercy, godliness and holiness will be promoted vigorously by this state that was meant to be 'the resting place of G-d's throne on Earth'.
Hopefully, the Moshiach will come tomorrow (or even today!) and we will merit the world that the Rambam (Mainmonides) describes in his Mishne Torah:
In that Era there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor competition, for good things will flow in abundance and all the delicacies will be as freely available as dust. The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G‑d. The Jews will therefore be great sages and know the hidden mat­ters, and will attain an understanding of their Creator to the [full] extent of mortal potential; as it is written (Isaiah 11:9), "For the world will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the ocean bed."
Amen, Selah!

Parshat Ki Tavo

This post is dedicated in loving memory of my grandfather who passed away yesterday. May the Torah learnt from this post be a source of merit for the soul of Avraham ben Levana and may G-d shelter his soul under the wings of the Shechina.
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This week's Torah portion contains the commandment of the bikurim, the first fruit offerings. The Torah commands each farmer to a portion of his first fruit harvest to the Temple as an offering to G-d. The Talmud explains that this obligation only takes effect once all of the Jewish People are settled in the Land of Israel (which took 14 years from the time the Israelites entered the Land of Israel under Joshua). The reason for this is that, since the first fruit offering is to be made in happiness and joy, this joy can only be felt once the entire nation is firmly entrenched and living on their own soil.
This concept means that we cannot be truly happy while others are still suffering or unsettled. The Jewish People are one complete entity and real happiness only comes once everybody is fulfilled. We cannot be selfish and only look out for ourselves- we can never rest as long as our brothers are in difficulty.
Today, most of the former inhabitants of Gush Katif are still living in tent cities arter being expelled over 2 years ago. We, the Jewish Nation, cannot keep silent as they are in distress- our collective happiness depends on it.

The 'Israeli' Arab Fifth Column

Israeli-Arab ex-MK Azmi Bishara is now hiding in Lebanon, on the run from Israel after spying on behalf of Hizbullah, protected by terrorists. The whole story can be found here. Bishara, a member of the Israeli Knesset , has repeatedly praised Hizbullah, a terrorist group whose leader advocates the genocide of the Jewish People. Hizbullah is funded by Iran ('Israel is the flag-bearer of Satan') and is led by Hassan Nasrallah, may his name be accursed, who has said that all of the Jews should gather in Israel so to save Hizbullah the trouble of going after them individually- and Bishara has thrown his lot in with him. The most telling thing is that Bishara's comments were not denounced by any 'Israeli' Arab MK. The noose awaits for Bishara and his traitorous ilk.

From the same article:

Israeli Arab involvement in terrorism more than tripled in the first three years following the 2000 Oslo War. There were eight incidents in 2000, 25 in 2001 and 19 in the first five months of 2002 - when the Shabak last published statistics on the phenomenon. Hundreds of Israel's Arab citizens have since been nabbed for involvement in anti-Jewish terrorist activity, but the Shabak has refrained from publishing additional statistics on the phenomenon.

Just this week, the head of the “Bnei Hakfar” Israeli-Arab movement, Rajed Iabirah of Um El-Fahm, on Friday threatened to carry out terror attacks against Israeli Jews. Iabireh is an Israeli citizen, and Um El-Fahm is within the pre-1967 borders of the country

The IDF Senior Command is reportedly preparing for the possibility of a full-on rebellion by Israel's Arabs against the state's Jewish citizens as part of a future war scenario.

This is more proof in favour of expelling the Arabs of Israel who are, clear for most rational people to see, a treasonous fifth column in Israeli society. An amazing case for expulsion can be found here at Zionist Youngster's blog.
We shouldn't find it surprising that the Arabs of Israeli are less than patriotic. The State speaks a different language, practices a different religion, has a different culture than the Arabs. Its independence day celebrates his defeat. Its enemies are his brothers. According to the Arab's history book, the Land was once his until the Jews stole it so it is wrong to expect him to be loyal to what he perceives as a colonialist state that has stolen his land. In this respect, I completely agree that it is simply moronic to demand that an Arab be proud of Israel. However, as a Jew and a Zionist, I know that this land is mine. I, however, repect the Arab enough to know that he will never leave what he perceives as his land. With that being said, the Arabs of Israel can never be loyal to what is to them an Infidel state and therefore must leave. This is neither wrong nor unprecedented. What is wrong would be to allow Jews and Arabs to continue to die because of the murderous Islamic terrorist attacks. By expelling them, there will be no more bloodshed and both sides will be able to carry on their lives unencumbered by each other. Expulsion of fifth columns is nothing new. The Germans of Poland and Czechoslovakia were expelled after WWII. Hundreds of thousands of Turks and Greeks took part in compulsory population transfers in 1923, thus ending decades of useless wars. The list goes on and on. Also, 9 000 Jews were expelled from their homes in Gaza over 2 years ago, at the behest of the world. Olmert and his self-loathing cohorts are planning (G-d forbid) to expel 100 000 Jews from Judea and Samaria. Those who can cheer for the expulsion of Jews from their homelands must answer as to why the expulsion of Arab traitors from Israel is wrong.
Until the governement of Israel finally decides to give these rebellious traitors the boot, Jewish and Arab blood will keep on flowing. As for Bishara and the rest of the Arab Israeli fifth columnists, the gallow is ready.

And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.
(Megillat Esther 7: 9-10)

****
(Update) More proof of the Arab treason from Arutz-7:

The terrorist who was killed while carrying out an attack in Jerusalem’s Old City carried out a murder last month of a Jewish man, a new Israeli-Arab terror group says.

The Galilee-based Israeli-Arab terror group, which calls itself the Arab-Israeli Galilee Liberation Organization (GLO), told the PA-based Maan News Agency that Ahmad Khatib, who was shot to death after stealing an Israeli security guards gun and shooting wildly in the Old City’s Christian Quarter two weeks ago, had already carried out another attack.

The group said that Khatib murdered 68-year-old Upper Nazaretz resident Michael Ronkin outside his home just over two weeks ago. Ronkin was found covered with stab wounds by medics, but the investigation and circumstances of his death were the subject of a gag-order prohibiting publication until now.

Do not be silent!

I just finished watching the first episode of CNN's G-d's Warriors, dealing with Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria. The facts are presented in such a way that you would think that the Jews are just as responsible for the conflict as the Muslims. The few Jewish terror attacks, which are disgraces on the Torah and a chilul Hashem, are made to seem just as frequent as the Arab jihadist attacks. The entire premise of the series is the moral equivalency between extreme Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Robert Spencer's new book blows this myth of moral equivalency apart)
Anyways, its late at night and I don't feel like going over why this idea is naive and misguided. The show got me so worked up so I just feel like I need to post something. I think I will just trust G-d - He has a plan and will not abandon Israel.

A psalm, a song of Asaph. O God, have no silence, do not be silent and do not be still, O God. For behold, Your enemies stir, and those who hate You raise their heads. Against Your people they plot cunningly, and they take counsel against Your protected ones. They said, "Come, let us destroy them from [being] a nation, and the name of Israel will no longer be remembered." For they have taken counsel with one accord; against You they form a pact. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites. Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. Also Assyria joined them; they were the arm of the children of Lot forever. Do to them as [to] Midian; as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin in the brook Kishon. They were destroyed in En-Dor; they were [as] dung on the ground. Make them, their nobles, as Oreb and as Zeeb, and as Zebah and as Zalmuna all their princes, Who said, "Let us inherit for ourselves the dwellings of God." My God, make them like thistles, like stubble before the wind. As a fire that burns in a forest and as a flame that burns mountains. So will You pursue them with Your tempest, and with Your whirlwind You will terrify them. Fill their faces with shame, and they will seek Your countenance, O Lord. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever; let them be disgraced and perish. Let them know that You-Your name alone is the Lord, Most High over all the earth.
Hashem, destroy Your enemies and have mercy on Your Firstborn son, Israel. We have waited 2000 years of exile, Inquisition, pogroms, oppression, Holocaust and jihad. We are very, very tired. Bring us home. Send us the Moshiach now- 2000 years is a very long time.

Peace with the Religion of Peace?

Here's a nice story that I read on Arutz-7. A delegation of Indian Muslim leaders is on a historical visit to Israel and they have even thrown in a few words of praise for the Jewish State. Will this be the start of a new relationship between Jews and Muslims? Doubt it, but it still is nice. Here goes:

In a first-of-its-kind visit, a delegation of Indian Muslim leaders is currently on an extensive tour of Israel. The group's leader repeatedly expressed his pleasure at having his preconceptions about Israel overturned. The Muslim leaders' visit to Sderot on
A delegation of rabbis, including Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger, made a similar trip to India.
Monday included a first-hand lesson on Palestinian Authority rocket attacks.

The Indian Muslim visit to Israel was arranged at the invitation of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Australian Israel Jewish Affairs Council. Earlier this year, a delegation of rabbis, including Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger, made a similar trip to India.

Maulana Jamil Ilyasi, president of the All India Organisation of Imams and Mosques, is heading the Indian delegation. His group represents about 500,000 imams and 200 million Indian Muslims, 40% of the global Muslim population. Among the other members of the delegation are Akhtarul Wasey, the head of the department of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, Mahmoodur Rahman, former vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), and Sahara Samay editor Aziz Burney.

According to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), when the Hindustan Express carried a front-page story about the visit of prominent Muslims to Israel, at least one member of the group, Sirajuddin Qureshi, dropped out. As a major meat exporter, Qureshi " feared the news of his journey to Israel could adversely affect his business prospects," according to IANS. The news agency noted that the visit has caused controversy among Indian Muslims.
If Imams wouldn't teach hatred of Israel in the first place, there would be no fear or losing business. Shame that business comes before peace.

'Muslims in India Should Come See for Themselves'
"The Jews I have met here say that we are all children of Abraham, part of the same family," Imam Ilyasi said with a measure of surprise. "This is something I didn't hear in India. The Muslims in India should come and see things for themselves."

Ilyasi said his visit had reversed many of his own prejudices: "My initial impression was that the Israelis are certainly dominating Muslims out here. Once I came here, that impression completely changed. I saw the reality on the ground, the mutual respect Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews have for each other. Constant conflict is not the reality here." In Jerusalem, he said, "I saw that Muslims, Christians and Jews lived side by side happily, not at each other's throats." Maybe we should pay for liberal to go for a trip to Israel? How about CAIR?

In fact, Ilyasi claimed, in some ways, Israel treats Muslims better than India does: "I was pleasantly surprised to know that the Sharia (Islamic law) is being supported by the Israeli government; whereas, in India, only local Muslims implement it. That is unique." Ilyasi was apparently referring to the existence of government-sanctioned Islamic courts in the Israeli justice system, which handle marriage, divorce and conversion issues for Muslim Israelis. Similar religious courts exist for Jews and Christians.

Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's international director of inter-religious affairs in New York, said, "This visit is of great strategic importance and hopefully will impact on the wider Muslim world as well."
Unfortunately, the Muslim delegation also learned a different lesson on Monday, while visiting the Negev city of Sderot, a frequent target of Palestinian Authority rocket attacks. Where did the Palestinian Muslims get this idea of fighting against Israel? Could it have been froom Qur'an? Why didn't the Imams bring verses and Qur'anic support to disprove the jihadist interpretation of Islam.

"We heard a warning shot which was followed by a siren. We were immediately rushed to a shelter house where we heard the sound of a rocket attack," a member of the delegation told the Times of India.
The delegation of Muslim Indian leaders took part in an inter-religious dialogue on Sunday with representatives of the Chief Rabbinate, which concluded with the signing of a joint declaration with the two Chief Rabbis, Rabbi Yonah Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar.

It is high time for the religious leaders of both sides to engage in dialogue and use their collective influence to stop the bloodshed of innocent civilians," the declaration said. "Rather, we need to condemn killings, reject extremism, and the misuse of religion for acts of violence. Suicide is a forbidden act in Islam and therefore suicidal attacks can not find sanction."

Religious leaders on both sides? Which rabbi was it that commanded Jews to blow themselves up in Gaza cafes? Its hardly a matter of 'violence on both sides'. Also, is the only reason why suicide bombings are wrong because suicide is forbidden in Islam? I would have thought that it was because innocent men, women and children are murdered. Suicide is against Islam- martyrdom is not. Sura (4:74) - "Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward."
Muslim (20:4678) - During the battle of Badr, Muhammad was in desperate need for men to push into battle. He promised paradise for those who would martyr themselves, prompting a young man who was eating dates to throw them away and rush to his death.
Until imams clearly state why suicide attacks and other attrocities are forbidden under Islamic law and according to which surahs and ahadith instead of stating vaguely that Islam forbids killing civilians (the question is who is a civilian. According to many Islamic scholar, non-Muslims have rejected Allah and therefore cannot be innocent), jihadists will have the upper hand in their interpretation of Islam.
Muslim Indian leaders took part in an inter-religious dialogue on Sunday
Even before his visit to Israel, Ilyasi said that Indian Muslims "believe in the Indian tradition of resolving issues through dialogue and peaceful means."
"The time for violence has come to an end, and the era of peace and dialogue between Muslims and Jews has begun," said Ilyasi. He also called on Pakistan to establish official relations with the Jewish State.

The Indian delegation was also received by President Shimon Peres, who said that whereas past international efforts focused on separating religion from the state, the current struggle is to separate all religions from all types of terrorism. Peres went on to say that the One God respects human life without distinction and hate. "We are all children of Abraham," the President said, adding, "Jerusalem is a living example of co-existence among all the religions. The voice of the Muslim muezzin, the bells of the Christian church and the song of the Jewish cantor - all rise together to Heaven, unhindered, without borders, and with no need for visas."

President Peres also noted the Indian struggle against terrorism and factionalism, praising the country for maintaining its democratic character throughout.

This story is nice and makes us feel good. Its a very good gesture that Muslims leaders are recognizing Israel but its still not enough. Its time for Muslims around the world to protest the supposed hijacking of Islam with as much zeal as they did the publication of Muhammad cartoons.

Later Day Saints Ackbar?

I'm in my hotel in Florence now, relaxing. I'm still here for a few more days. I wasn't planning on blogging but when I started to mutter to myself after reading the newspaper, I decided that instead of the other tourists thinking that I'm insane, I should commit my thoughts down to paper, or at least HTML. So here goes:

On September 11th, a group of religion fundamentalists committed a horrendous attack on non-belivers in the name of G-d. These extremists are the subject of a new film, September Dawn, by Christopher Cain, starring John Voight. Who could these lunatics who kill for their faith be? The Mormons, of course!
From Wikipedia:
September Dawn is an upcoming 2007 film by Christopher Cain, scheduled for wide release on August 24, 2007. It sets a fictional love story against the historical tragedy of the Mountain Meadows massacre of September 11, 1857, when a wagon train of emigrants of more than 120 men, women and children was attacked and murdered by a group of Mormon militiamen and Paiute Indians.
The director of the film intended to explore the dangers of religious fundamentalism, as it is so prevalent in our world today and what more logical targets than those evil, bloddthirsty Mormons! It's not like any other religious group ever massacred civilians on September 11th!
But seriously, why did Christopher Cain, who had a much more obvious group who commit evils in the name of G-d, choose to make a movie about Mormons? Muslims, whose September 11th massacre is far more relevant, seem to have somehow slipped his mind. The violence done in the name of Mormonism pales in comparison to that perpetrated by the followers of the 'Religion of Peace'. Which of the two religions was founded by a pedophile bandit? Which Prophet ordered his faithful to spread their new religion by the sword? It definitely is not Mormonism.
Christopher Cain is hardly the only director to go to lengths to avoid any Hollywood discussion or representation of Islamic terror and violence. The Sum of All Fears and Red Eye, along with many other movies with terrorists, always involves terrorists who are either American or European. How is it that the group that has committed 95% of the airline hijackings in history has been ignored? When 24 logically decided to have a season involving Islamic terrorists (far-fetched, I know), FOX was attacked by CAIR as being Islamophobic. Right, and portraying the Nazis during WWII as Germans is Allemanophobic... Kingdom of Heaven, a superbly crappy and historically inacurate movie about the Crusades with Orlando Bloom, goes to unecessary lengths to show the Christians as ruthless brutes who disturb the multicultural, tolerant Muslims who at that time were harrasing Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. Why let fact get in the way of political correctness and dhimmitude?
CAIR and the rest of their jihad-sympathizing leftist cohorts make an honest discussion of Islam and parts of that faith that give rise to atrocities impossible. Whether we like it or not, the US currently has soldiers deployed in at 2 Islamic countries, Iraq and Afghanistan. To deny that there is a war going on between Muslims and the West is ridiculous, especially since the Iraq war is a big issue for the Left. Terrorist groups with names like Islamic Jihad must be freedom fighters who are simply angry at Western imperialism, nothing to do with Islam at all. Just close your eyes and keep walking- nothing to see here!
Christopher Cain is a coward for choosing Mormons as his target in his new movie. He knows that Mormons will not march through the streets demanding his head and nor will they strap bombs onto themselves to protect their beliefs from defamation. However, he misses a golden opportunity to warn the West about the Islamic danger. At least we'll all be prepared for the coming Mormon intifada!

Jesus and Later Day Saints Ackbar!!