Am Echad

The Book is Online!

2011-07-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

We have finally found a new free server to host The Unified Body. You can now find the original booklet online at: http://unifiedbody.weebly.com!

Messianic Jewish Equality

2010-09-14T15:31:00.004-04:00

Via The Shmooze Blogger:

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin's recently published article ("Dialogue: The Messianic Movement," Jerusalem Post, 8-27-2010) describing his assessment of Messianic Judaism demands a thoughtful response by someone who is part of this community.

Rabbi Riskin is well-respected in both Christian and Jewish circles. He is dynamic, intelligent, spiritual, and has great leadership abilities. We respect him as well for those qualities.

Furthermore, there are many issues in which we are in total agreement.
- He promotes dialogue between Christians and Jews.
- We should emphasize common ground in interfaith dialogue.
- Cooperation between Israel and the Church is a national duty.
- Pioneers of reconciliation face a barrage of criticism.
- We are under attack from Islamic Jihad and secular materialism.
We Messianic Jews are not asking anyone in either Orthodox Judaism or Christian Zionism to agree with us. We believe our position is correct, just as they do. We ask others to examine our beliefs with the same respect that we give to theirs.

Having said that, there are certain points in which we would disagree with Rabbi Riskin's statements.
While he says that he does not believe our community has been persecuted, we know otherwise. Our community is not persecuted by the State of Israel. However, it cannot be ignored that a fringe minority of Ultra-Orthodox Jews do execute pre-meditated attacks against us.

Please consider:

1. The Ortiz family whose son Amiel miraculously survived an attempt of murder upon his life.
2. Mrs. Conforti, whose bakery business in which she has worked from pre-dawn to post-dusk for years was deliberately destroyed.
3. The Beer Sheva Messianic congregation was ransacked by a mob (an attack recorded on film).
4. The smaller Messianic congregation in Arad has been physically attacked repeatedly.
5. Dozens of new immigrants have been denied citizenship simply because of their faith (all of whom are Jewish enough to have been slaughtered in the Holocaust, and have relatives who were).
6. Numerous Messianic Jews have been beaten, attacked, kidnapped, spit upon, cut off from families, and so on.

The list could go on, but this should be enough to make the point that one should not be "astonished" (in Rabbi Riskin's words) when asked about persecution against Messianic Jews. These attacks were perpetrated by extremist elements of the Ultra-Orthodox (who do not represent mainstream Judaism in our eyes). The ONLY reason these attacks took place was because the victims were Messianic Jews.

Rabbi Riskin compared us with the Mormon Church in America, which is not received by most of the Evangelical Christian community. The example, however, is not relevant for two reasons: First, Judaism is not solely a religion; it is also a people group. Secondly, Orthodox Judaism has religious monopoly in Israel, which Evangelicals do not have in the United States.

While many Evangelical Christians would not agree with the tenets of the Mormon faith, they would not deny their right to be Americans, nor their right to be part of the religious spectrum that exists in the United States. Mormons have full legal rights to conduct all religious and social duties, from birth to burial. Riskin has denied our God-given right to be Jews. We are denied legal rights to perform religious duties necessary within our community. Therefore, the comparison to the Mormons is not at all parallel.

We are also accused of "proselytizing" (a claim we deny by our very insistence to remain Jewish and live a Jewish lifestyle). Disseminating our beliefs is a basic right of freedom of expression, thought, religion, and the press. In fact, we do not disseminate our faith as many Ultra-Orthodox missionaries do, who approach cars in the middle of traffic, ask people to lay tefillin in shopping centers, and drive mission-mobiles around the city with loudspeakers in their "proselytizing" efforts.

Rabbi Riskin accused us of being "deceptive." Yet our beliefs are openly stated to anyone who asks. There is no hiding or pretending. It is virtually impossible to join our gatherings for more than a few moments and not understand who we are. Expressions of Jewish practice, from circumcision to Shabbat to Feasts of the Torah to Bar Mizvah to Chuppa, are an essential part of our faith. There are differing levels of expression of those customs within our communities. However, each person's religious expression is inherent to his or her faith. We have stood with integrity for those values despite criticism from both Christian and Rabbinic circles.

Finally, if our view of the Messiah is said to put us out of the realm of Judaism, then what about the Chabad movement which has invested millions of dollars in advertising campaigns to proclaim that their Rebbe is the Messiah? (Their "Meshichist" stream even believes that he was raised from the dead and answers prayers of his followers from heaven.) Are Lubavitchers not Jews? What about the Tel Aviv "Messiah?" What about those who proclaim that reciting the name of Nachman brings world redemption? What about professors of Tanakh in Israeli universities who do not believe in God? What about Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, New Kabbalah and New Age? All of those above differ from Orthodox Judaism "mainstream." Are they also “out of the realm of Judaism?”

My point here is not to try to convince anyone to believe what we believe. We simply wish to stop the "de-legitimizing" of our community. We are Jewish by birth and Jewish by choice. We pay taxes, serve in the army, believe in the God of Israel, the Torah of Israel, and the Messiah of Israel.

Sincerely,
Asher Intrater Congregational Leader – Ahavat Yeshua, Jerusalem
Love of Yeshua Messianic Congregation

Identity & Faith

2010-04-05T17:33:00.001-04:00

From the JPost's most recent interview with Natan Sharansky:

I was speaking just a few days ago to a group of Americans, all religious, who made aliya in the last year. They asked me, how is it that you, who made such a difficult aliya and fought to come for so many years, are now shifting from a focus on aliya to Jewish identity.

I told them, “You know what, you know that the Kadosh baruch hu [God] gave the order – ‘lech lecha [Go].’” If there are Jews who don’t want to hear the voice of God, do you think that they will hear a shaliah [emissary] from the Jewish Agency telling them to make aliya?

It’s impossible to force our emissaries to compete with God and try to shout even louder than Him to make the message heard. You can’t be louder than God.

So what we have to do is help the Jews hear the voice of God. And how do we do that? By strengthening their feeling of Jewish connection, of Jewish pride and tradition, and their connection to Israel. That’s our function. Our function is not to impose on them what God doesn’t succeed in imposing, but to make them hear the voice.

Confluence of Cultures: Evangelicals Addressing Birthright on Zionism?

2009-11-06T16:53:00.003-05:00

Gordon Robertson to Speak at Birthright Alum Event

Last year, Birthright said it wouldn’t permit Messianic Jews to take advantage of its free trips. "There is unanimity in Jewish life that individuals who choose the Messianic path have chosen a path that separates them from the accepted parameters of Jewishness in contemporary Jewish society," Birthright's CEO, Gidi Mark, said at the time. The alumni network says it’s not troubled by that disconnect. "We're not asking him to come and talk about Christianity or Jews trying to get Jews to believe in Christianity. It's not the topic," a Birthright NEXT official told the Jewish Week.

I just want to make one thing perfectly clear: The day there is "unanimity in Jewish life" is the day the pigs stop flying and land on our Passover dinner plates.

Who Am I? What Am I Doin' Here?

2009-10-23T15:35:00.006-04:00

An interesting post on Messianic Jewish identity and blogger discussions thereof caught my eye. In it, the author writes:

Let me say it again: Messianic Judaism will never be a legitimate form of Judaism as long as Yeshua is Lord.

Which leads me to ask a series of questions:

What is Judaism?
Who defines Judaism?
What is the difference between Messianic Judaism and Judaism?
Does that difference depend on who is the one defining Judaism?

The author argues:

There's a great inferiority complex in Messianic Judaism. Some of its leaders are trying very hard to make it fit in with greater Judaism, even to the point of alienating its own gentile friends and abandoning the New Testament model of joint, equal fellowship of Jews and gentiles.

Which leads me to ask why a Messianic Jew is defining a desire to relate to other Jews as a method for destroying relationships with gentiles? In the context of his argument why are the Jewish people still the scapegoat to be blamed for the "problems" of Jewish-Goyim relations?

Even more importantly, in the context of this conversation, why are Messianic Jews pinning one group against the other? And why is a Messianic Jew using Judaism as the fall guy?

One of the bloggers cited by this author writes:

by our own fault, and the simple overwhelming number of non-Jewish followers of Yeshua, the result of Messianic Judaism has largely been reduced to being a Torah revival for Christians.

To which I ask, what kind of "Torah revival" encourages gentile believers to continue behaving like gentiles, when the true purpose of Torah is to create a viable, sustainable, holy (a.k.a. "set aside"/"different") culture known as Judaism? If these goyim are truly adhering to Torah, doesn't that render them goyim-no-more? Aren't they, according to Rav Shaul, Jews in the sight of G-d?

Then again, I suppose that argument depends on whose eyes are G-d's, and that itself is dependent upon...who? The masses? The leadership? The blogger publishing a post? This blogger cites that "Nearly 95% of all Messianic congregations' websites state the purpose of a Messianic congregation is 'to be a congregation of Jews and non-Jews worshiping together.'" So, I suppose then that the difference between Jew and goy reside in the methodology that brings the most people in seats and the most money in the collection plates. Nothing much has changed; just ask the Guy who knocked over the merchants' tables for turning His Father's house into a "den of theives."

This particular blogger goes on to say:

It is not faith in Yeshua that is largely the stumbling block keeping us from effectively being a home to Jewish believers and seekers – it is our own hang ups.

This is absolutely true. The psychoses of the Messianic world are unmeasureable, unfathomable, and oftentimes so ridiculous and absurd it is a wonder that there is any functioning Messianic world at all, but for the mercy of HaShem Himself. The Messianic world has become a group of glorified navel-gazers, obsessed with seeing demonic forces around every corner and behind every sling and arrow shot our way. In short, they are trying so hard to be holy that they've forgotten how to be human. Didn't our Messiah dwell on earth to do exactly that--to illustrate the marriage between human and divine, to emphasize our inability in order to strengthen our faith in His ability?

Yet another blogger cited in the original complaint argues:

God, as I see it, was moving the hearts of Jews not only to follow Jesus as the long-promised Messiah, but also to identify as Jews and eventually to return to Judaism.

Which again, leads me to ask:

What is Judaism?
Who defines Judaism?
What is the difference between Messianic Judaism and Judaism?
Does that difference depend on who is the one defining Judaism?

And, also:

When G-d speaks of teshuva, is He speaking of a return to "Judaism" or a return to Torah?
What is the difference between "Judaism" and "Torah"?

This blogger continues:

Increasingly, however, in the 1980’s and 1990’s, Messianic Judaism became a haven for non-Jews looking to find a restoration of a perceived early church or some alternative to a church that had grown soft on Biblical practice and strong on revivalist tradition.

In other words, something God had been doing amongst Jewish people became a predominantly Gentile movement.

We could stop here and ask a lot of questions:
–What are some good reasons for Gentiles to be involved in Messianic Judaism?
–What are some less than helpful reasons for Gentiles to be involved?
–How can Messianic Jewish synagogues encourage the right Gentiles to stay and the wrong ones to move on and form their own movements?

Whether or not that is the reason for increased gentile involvement, I cannot say. But the questions this blogger asks are cheeky, at best, and completely ignorant of prophecy, at worst. Since when did Messianic Judaism become the "He-Jews Goyim-Haters Club"? Perhaps since it has become populated largely by Americanized, gentilized, Christianized people with absolutely no connection, no history, and no truly expressed interest in anything perceptively culturally Jewish outside of tallitot and shofarim that can be sold off to investors who phone in their donations by credit card.

In other words, Messianic Judaism suffers from the same cultural influenza that has been plaguing Diaspora Judaism since its inception in 70 C.E.: It is battling for cultural freedom against an opposition that is larger, stronger, and more overwhelming in nature than any one person or group could ever seemingly consume.

The reason Messianic Judaism is suffering an identity crisis is not because it favors gentiles over Jews or vice-versa. Messianic Judaism is suffering an identity crisis because it is a Biblical faith displaced into a world gone mad. Messianic Judaism is "in the world, but not of the world".

As to Messianic Judaism's relationship to and with Judaism at large, I'll revisit the questions I've been asking since the beginning of this post:

What is Judaism?
Classically, Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. It is not to be confused with Jewishness, which is the cultural expression of the Jewish people, although the two are often easily intertwined.
Who defines Judaism?
Here is the short answer: The Word of G-d is the only true, unalterable authority on Judaism.

That being said, Judaism's original definition began with Avraham in the desert, continued with Moshe at Sinai, and has been ruminated upon by thousands of prophets, judges, kings, scholars, and laymen since. What the world considers "mainstream" Judaism today is often called "Rabbinic" Judaism because it is a system born out of the musings of Torah scholars faced with the crisis of Diaspora, one created in response to the destruction of the Temple, the loss of control of Jerusalem and greater Israel, and the forced dispersion of the Jewish people into the gentile world. The Council at Yavneh, whose precepts governed the nascence of today's Rabbinic Judaism, crafted a religion that relied on the loss of sovereignty and the ensuing religious and cultural enslavement as a fact. This leads one to question the relevance of Rabbinic Judaism in a world where the State of Israel exists as a sovereign nation once again. It also leads one to question the relevance of such a religious system in light of the teachings and the salvation of Yeshua the Messiah.
What is the difference between Messianic Judaism and Judaism?
The short answer: Messianic Jews believe that Yeshua is the promised Messiah, as prophesied about in Isaiah 53, et.al.

The long answer has to do mainly with the Council at Yavneh; along with creating a religion in response to Diaspora, these Pharisees (antecedents of today's Rabbis) developed a liturgy that denied Yeshua and, at points, even the very need for a Messiah. It spiraled out from there.
Does that difference depend on who is the one defining Judaism?
No two Jews can agree on anything, so why should they agree on a definition for "Judaism"?

And, also:

When G-d speaks of teshuva, is He speaking of a return to "Judaism" or a return to Torah?

Since G-d wrote Torah, since "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d" I'm tending to believe that teshuva has less and less to do with religious practice and more and more to do with developing a relationship with G-d through the study and knowing of His Word, "the light which gives life."
What is the difference between "Judaism" and "Torah"?

See above.

The simple fact of the matter is that as long as Messianics continue to draw lines between Messianic Judaism, Rabbinic/Mainstream Judaism, and the gentile world, they will continue to "other" themselves into an ineffectual corner. It is also true that they cannot survive if they seek to imitate anyone else--Jewish or gentile alike. Messianic Jews must simply spend less time trying to be defined and more time defining themselves--not in light of the way everyone else thinks, but in light of the way G-d has always meant us to be.

I Missed Yom Haatzmaut...Blame my Israeli BF

2009-05-01T14:08:00.004-04:00

I've been run ragged with outside projects. Sorry for slagging off.

Fortunately, today I've been afforded an hour to catch up on Israeli bloggers--

Great Yom Haatzmaut post here:

61 more things I love about Israel

I'd list my favorites from his list, but I'd be copying and pasting for 20 minutes. It's great stuff.

YAY ISRAEL! Thank G-d for a place to call home. I will celebrate you to the hilt at the ISRAEL DAY PARADE in NYC on MAY 31!

Be there or be goy.

We Made it to the Front Page

2009-05-01T13:30:00.002-04:00

Religious Affairs: Jesus's Zionists in today's Jerusalem Post is a pretty even-handed article that portrays Messianic Jewish Israelis in a favorable light regarding their Zionism and military service.

It's interesting to note the confluence of culture evident in the paper's interpretation of Messianic Judaism, as well as in the Messianic Jewish Israeli expressions of faith. For instance:

"As believers, we are obligated to love and respect our enemies. But we are also citizens of Israel, which obligates us to serve in the IDF."

Why is there a but in that comment? Why is it automatically assumed that military service implies hatred and destruction of your enemies? Since when does the IDF fire on any of their opponents without first being provoked and then taking every precaution to avoid conflict and unnecessary casualties?

"Days are coming when the Jewish people will be forced to realize that Yeshua is the only solution to all our troubles," said Bar-David, using the Hebrew name for Jesus.

The sense of eminent apocalypse expressed by the Messianic believer here is interesting. I was recently at a dinner with an Israeli doctor who told me of his two jobs and his wife's three. When I commented on his insane workload, he said it is the same for all Israelis- they work all the time to keep their mind off the constant stresses of living in what is essentially a 24/7 war zone. Why would an Israeli believer in Yeshua, who lives in this war zone on a daily basis, focus his apocalyptic vision on days that are coming instead of the ones he is already living?

Moreover, why would you ever use the term "forced" when talking about coming to faith in Messiah? That is the antithesis of faith-- it cannot be forced. What? Trauma will worsen to such an extent that Israelis will be "forced" into believing in a Messiah in order to obtain salvation from the horror? That mindset assumes 1 of 2 things:

1. A forced belief in a false Messiah, since true faith cannot be forced, and if Messiah is Truth, then there can be nothing false about faith in Him, or;

2. Tying in the apocalyptic vision, this belief that Israelis will be "forced" into faith rings a note all to similar to the ones being sung by the Evangelical Christian Church in America, which--excuse the phrasing--is hellbent on being raptured so they can see the "Jews" duke it out in the tribulation until "Jesus" comes back to save His chosen.

Strange. Especially coming from an Israeli. Could it be that the translation from Hebrew to English wasn't that great, or does Christian eschatology have the same kind of influence on Israeli Messianic Judaism that it does on American Messianic Judaism?

Still, though, a fair report coming from the largest-read English daily in Israel on the eve before Shabbos. Should be interesting to see what the Messianic world thinks.

Jewish Mother Joke of the Day

2009-03-31T12:16:00.002-04:00

How to know your mother is anxious to impress your new Jewish boyfriend:

"We can have the roast beef for Passover dinner, but what kind of potato can I do?"

"Do a baked potato."

"But we can't have butter if we have beef!!!"

"Mom-- we've never done milk and meat. He knows we don't do milk and meat. He doesn't care."

"Are you sure?!"

This, after my 2 year old cousin decided to go "shopping" in the pantry and pull out dad's hidden bottle of Bacon Ranch dressing, which prompted me to say later, "I don't eat that! I don't even LIKE dressing!!"

It's a good thing he's a mensch.

Then & Now

2009-03-01T19:48:00.004-05:00

"People like Wilders are always controversial, and they are never perfect. Yet, imagine if such a person had come to this country from Germany in 1934, to warn us about an unimaginable horror being prepared for Europe’s Jews. How many people would have dismissed such warnings as alarmist propaganda?"
--Rabbi Jon Hausman 3/1/2009

"I can remember back in High School [Simon Gratz High School, Philadelphia, PA 1937-1938] a Jewish Rabbi that spoke--He escaped from Germany and Hitler and talked about it. At that time no one believed him or that something that terrible could take place--not even the Jews!"
--My grandfather's memoirs, entry dated "Armistice Day 1988"

Purim in the Air...It's all Good

2009-02-23T19:31:00.006-05:00

Thank you, Muqata, for reminding me that Rosh Chodesh Adar means that Purim is right around the corner.

In honor of Purim, this month's posts will be nothing but fun and positive.

Quit your laughing. It's a goal, okay? Contrary to popular belief, goals are good.

And speaking of good, we'll kick off our Purim Positivity by exploring the meaning of "Tov" the Hebrew word for "good":

What does "good" mean? The first use of this word is in Genesis chapter one where calls his handiwork "good". It should always be remembered that the Hebrews often relate descriptions to functionality. The word tov would best be translated with the word "functional". When looked at his handiwork he did not see that it was "good", he saw that it was functional, kind of like a well oiled and tuned machine.

via The Ancient Hebrew Research Center

For something to be good, it must have a purpose. Makes sense.

The tet is the initial letter of the word tov, "good." The form of the tet is "inverted," thus symbolizing hidden, inverted good--as expressed in the Zohar: "its good is hidden within it."

...Of the eight synonyms for "beauty" in Hebrew, tov--"good"--refers to the most inner, inverted, and "modest" state of beauty. This level of beauty is that personified in Torah by Rebecca and Bat Sheva, who are described as "very beautiful [goodly] in appearance."

via Inner.org

"Good" is beautiful, and much like true beauty, it often exudes from beneath the surface. Again, makes sense.

So, first good topic of the month: Hiking in Israel.

I'm a big fan of taking a walk. The longer the walk, the better. Needless to say, when I came across this article in the JPost, I was nothing short of motivated to take a hike (yes, every single pun intended):

What's Not to Hike?

No one knows that better than Israel's foremost father-and-son hiking duo, David and Eran Gal-Or. For the Gal-Ors, co-authors of a series of hiking guidebooks, Maslulim, subtitled "Falling in Love with Israel Again," an eight-month hike the pair took brought about unexpected benefits. What started out as a way to celebrate Eran's completion of his IDF service morphed into a complete career change for David, and for Eran, a chance to earn a living while pursuing his passion.

I wonder if they publish Maslulim in English...

Reading the JPost article made mewant to do this only I'd do it to raise money for textbooks in Israeli public schools. The classrooms in Israel (unlike those in UN-guarded, US/European-funded palestinian schools, aka Terrorist Training Camps) do not come stocked with textbooks, let alone a lot of other supplies and accoutrements Americans take for granted. Students in Israel are dependent upon their parents to purchase their textbooks each academic year, leaving many students carrying many different editions of the same book, or even no books at all. These kids deserve textbooks and all the structure unified resources provide.

Sadly enough, if you Google "Israeli school textbooks" you'll get headlines like "Israeli Textbooks and Children’s Literature Promote Racism", "Othering and Identity: Exclusion Practices in Israeli", and "Report says Palestinian school textbooks portray Jews badly", but you see nothing about the lack of funding for and organization behind the stock of textbooks for the Israeli public school system.

I want to hike Israel. I want Israeli kids to be provided with good textbooks at no cost. So, in the spirit of staying positive, I'm going to believe both things will happen "for such a time as this".

Chag Purim Sameach!

Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue

2009-02-22T11:00:00.005-05:00

This post at the Muqata is the most succinct way of explaining the faults of the Israeli political system as well as the general corruption of its politicians. Needless to say, there is a reason the American government was set up with a series of checks and balances meant to keep politicians in their place.

However, when the majority of the politicians in each branch of government subscribe to the same groupthink, the theory of checks and balances goes out the window. Which is why our founding fathers stressed over and over again the necessity of moral integrity, because without it, a government that grants such an incredible amount of freedom as does ours, will surely fail.

One of the things that struck me in yesterday's parashah (Mishpatim: Exodus 21:1-24:18) was Exodus 23:2:

Do not follow the crowd when it does what is wrong; and don't allow the popular view to sway you into offering testimony for any cause if the effect will be to pervert justice.

The more you interact with the world at large, the more you see the world divide itself into little cliques of humanity based on their own world views. They all interact with each other on a daily basis, but they each see the world so differently that, at times, communication can be like culture shock. But, it seems that every group is so ingrained in their own worldview that they can't imagine that the other groups don't see the world the same way they do.

For example: American-Muslim relations. Many Americans still can't seem to understand the idea that there are muslim governments out there that really do want us dead. These are the people who danced in the streets when their fellow men flew themselves into the Twin Towers, and there are still a large number of Americans who feel we ought to have open and direct talks with them. Their leaders refer to us as the "Great Satan" and certain Americans are ready to invite them to tea. And these certain Americans wind up being given the voter mandate to go ahead and do it!

Now, that's a very basic, very illustrative example of what I'm talking about. But, the problem goes deeper than that, and the Jewish and Christian communities are far from immune. In fact, the clique mentality present within the believing community (be it Christian or Messianic Jewish) can, at times, be downright overwhelming. I've heard accounts ranging from simple gossip to selective "invite only" events that have happened in churches and shuls, and it never ceases to blow my mind. And the worst part about it is that the clique mentality is so apparent...and 99% of the time NOBODY does anything about it!

Whatever happened to calling people on the carpet and telling it like it is? Then again, if HaShem had to make going against the flow a commandment, truth and honesty must be fairly foreign to human nature. But, when we know G-d aren't we supposed to be better than that? Whatever happened to the "old nature passing away"? Or, "this word is in your mouth, even in your heart, therefore you can do it"?

I know I complain a lot on this blog. I tend to point out the failures of humanity more than the successes. And I'm a scathing critic. But I do it from the perspective that it can be better--human behavior can be better, because human beings can choose to be better people. We can all make a conscious choice to acknowledge that justice is being perverted and to do something about it. The Torah admonishes "Justice, justice shall you pursue." In other words: Do it right, and call someone out when they're doing it wrong. After all, isn't that what faith in G-d is all about: Speaking the truth?

Ah, but "What is truth?" One of my brother's college professors once told him, "There's your truth, there's my truth, and then there's the truth." So much for college. Nothing beats producing confident go-getting professionals by telling them they're essentially always going to be wrong. Faith is an amazing thing; it is also an essential component when it comes to speaking the truth. The parashah ends with G-d calling Moshe and the leaders of Israel to approach Him. The account in chapter 24, verses 9-11 reads:

Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up; and they saw the G-d of Israel. Under His feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself. He did not reach out His hand against these notables of Israel; on the contrary, they saw G-d, even as they were eating and drinking.

Truth is so foreign to the human psyche that we need faith in order to believe that what we know, what we speak, and what we believe is really the truth. Truth and faith are intertwined. You cannot have one without the other. If you try, you may impress yourself with your eloquence, but you will never be able to believe that G-d has manifest Himself in your midst. So, you will be standing on the strength of your own opinion, and human strength is only as powerful as the wind that comes blowing against it from the opposite direction.

The greatest heroes of Israel were the men and women who went against the crowd. Five thousand years later, human beings haven't changed much. They're still cliquing away into destruction. Heaven and earth may pass away, "but My Word will never pass away." The ones who go against the grain have to cling to the truth with sheer faith for such a time as this. That is the key to the future and the hope manifest in the banquet of eternity that was once laid out on the mountains of this earth.

And the Chaos Continues

2009-02-17T21:22:00.003-05:00

Israel can't decide who is boss. In the meantime, Obama has decided he's boss and he's ready to make everyone pay for it... to the thousandth generation.

Thanks to the Libs, the muslims think they're boss: The soon-to-be-announced release of the bombers of the U.S.S. Cole is the warning sign that America is about to enter the same socio-political place as Israel did after Oslo.

I wonder, when will Americans realize this? After the first bus bombing? After the first nightclub gets blown up? Or after Rahm Emanuel's "You Can't Beat 'Em, So Just Play Along" Civilian Defense Force gets up and running with your hard-earned Porkulus-spent dollars?

Some people choose to live in the moment and some people choose to look ahead.

Some people choose to live in cliques and some people choose to step back and see the big picture.

I look at the big picture, and I look ahead, and I think to myself: I can't be the only one who sees this.

At least Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity are willing to talk about the evils of socialism on TV. Until the Fair-less Doctrine comes into effect. Oh, but as Steve Doocy pointed out on Fox News "That only effects broadcast, and we're cable." May I remind Steve and the rest of the world, to paraphrase a great quote, "They came for the Conservatives, and I was fair and balanced, so I stayed silent. Then they came for the fair and balanced, and there was no one left to speak."

"Two legs good, four legs better." You keep going with that, world. Keep on marching. You'll need all four legs to get where you're going, because you're being herded there fast.

Common Ground: Good and Bad

2009-02-09T20:54:00.003-05:00

Watching The Best of 2007 DVD...They've got a sketch making fun of teenage internet culture. A group of popular girls speak to each other in American online euphemisms like "OMG: Oh My God!" and "TMI!" while two geeky guys with headgear who stand in front of a Superman poster talk about...videogames, I guess. (Anyway, they look like they play too many video games.) Then, they taunt each other online through their podcasts/blogs. It's really hilarious. Gwen Stefani's "No Holla Back" plays behind the clip show. This is the humorous side of the culture that Israelis and Americans share.

The non-humorous side is showing itself in Obama's willingness to manipulate legal channels in order to release known terrorists back to their home countries. If Obama's government winds up releasing the perpetrators of the U.S.S. Cole bombing in which 17 American soldiers were killed, America will be sliding down the slippery slope to Intifada faster than they could ever imagine. So far, angry protestors have argued the legality and the morality of the situtation, but I have yet to hear one commentator remark on the similitude between Obama's forthcoming "gesture" to his "Muslim Peeps" and Israel's own releasing of thousands of muslim terrorists in exchange for empty promises of peace and the return of the desecrated bodies of murdered IDF soldiers. The actions of Obama and Olmert are one in the same. Anyone who confuses Obama's gesture for anything less really has downed their share of the Kool Aid.

The scariest thing is that, as White House Cheif of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel is in the exact right place to take the heat for a lot of Obama's decisions. He's already being dubbed as being "in charge" of the transfer of census control into the White House. Who knows? As a person, he may be nothing more than a power hungry mamzer. I have no doubt of that. The problem is that when one Jew goes out on the limb of self-interest, the entire tree of Jewish people pays the price. [/Tu B'Shevat metaphor] Now, we not only have to worry about beating down the age-old "Jews control the money" stereotype thanks to Madoff, we really are going to have to give some serious though to combatting the whole "Protocols" myth of world domination-- at least if the Obama White House gets as much power as they wish to claim. Why not blame the Jew (the Israeli Jew to boot) for all your failed policies and disasters? How convenient. It'll help shift public opinion pretty quickly when it comes to those sticky issues like Israeli sovereignty and the Jewish right to exist.

Should I put it past a man so ready and willing to proclaim his muslim roots to do such a thing? For the sake of my people, I wouldn't dare.

Israeli Elections

2009-02-09T19:31:00.003-05:00

"With the polls as close as they are today, I cannot honestly risk being the one to make Livni the Prime Minister.

And that's why I'm voting for the Likud."

--An excellent analysis of the upcoming election by Jameel @ the Muqata.

In thye meantime, look who's burping in Livni's general direction. [Hat Tip: IsraellyCool]

Caroline Glick stands behind Netanyahu. I stand behind Caroline Glick and I know that Israel needs a strong, politically right-wing government. I just hope Netanyahu doesn't wind up caving to international pressure, as did George W. Bush. Already, Obama's ratings are falling fast-- less than a month in office and already he's back out on the campaign trail. Iran is shooting satellites into space, paving the way to shoot missles--nuclear ones, at that--in Israel's general direction. Israel's government-no matter who gets elected-has absolutely NO reason to capitulate to America or any foreign nation at this stage of the game. Logic says that the least amount of capitulation will come from Netanyahu.

May HaShem elect the leaders of Israel at this critical hour. May HaShem elect leaders through whom He will save us all.

Hatikvah b'Yisrael

2009-02-04T19:06:00.003-05:00

I can't read American news anymore. It's too depressing. As much as I appreciate Glenn Beck's well-deserved tirades against the idiocy in this country, I can't stomach much more of the Obamanation this country has become.

Why? Because I know where it's leading. I don't need Dick Cheney to tell me that Obama's pro-Muslim tuchus-kissing is paving the way for terror attacks in the United States and the slow Muslim takeover of the nation. Why? I lived through the 90s, people! I remember Oslo! How long did it take you to forget the bus bombings, suicide bombers, and endless promises of more Israeli land, more Israeli homes, more Israeli soldiers, and more Israeli lives for hudnas and intifadas? Wait, let me guess-- it took you as long to forget that as it did for you to decide "Gee, that Obama, he's a pretty cool dude." Please--bevakasha--spare me.

My hope is in Israel. My hope is in the covenant G-d has with Israel and in the sheer fact that if we do it right, if we ask for mercy and at least try to make the right decisions, G-d will have mercy on us and act on our behalf. Right now, that entails getting the right leaders into the Knesset. So far, the polls are in Israel's favor-- maybe, just maybe after years of leftist, terrorist-tuchus-kissing "leadership" we'll have someone who is willing to actually fight terrorism to win not just "severely disable infrastructure" in order to perpetuate another "hudna" before the rockets resume.

A few days ago I got my first copy of Eretz Nehederet in the mail. Since reading about the show and seeing clips on YouTube a few years ago, I've wanted to check out Israel's version of SNL-- call it "Erev Shabbat Live". I've hesitated to do so before now because I don't know Hebrew and the DVDs aren't subtitled. But now, listening to straight Hebrew is a relief. It's a reminder that we aren't in the ghettos and we never have to be again--we aren't just "Joos" anymore; we are, and we all can be Israel.

All we have to do is realize that we're each others best and only allies and stop treating each other with this insane diaspora-fed ideology of fear and suspicion that serves only to divide, not unify us. Whether it is the "Too Jewish", "Not Jewish Enough", or "No Aliyah for Me" argument, it is all divisive. Diaspora Jews need to get over it and look at Israel-- look at what we can become if we look past our disagreements (which will always exist-- why do you think G-d created the minyan?) and acknowledge that we aren't just a cultural group-- we are a nation, and we're all in this together.

More on Eretz Nehederet later... right now, it's time for my Hebrew lesson.

Hey Dickow- Scarf This!

2009-02-01T17:58:00.004-05:00

TBN- Gregory Dickow, Sunday Feb 1st @ 5:30 pm EST

For a gift of $38 or more, you get an "authentic reproduction" of the "prayer shawl Jesus wore". According to Mr. Dickow, you can "wear it as a scarf" because there is "no power in it" and it "doesn't mean anything" but it will "remind you" of His healing power.

Wear it... as a... scarf???????

It..doesn't...mean...anything?

(Farecht goyim.)

This is not the first time the tallit has been used as a fundraising gimmick by Christian tele-preachers. Yet, I'm not seeing any great outcry of "FOUL" from the Jewish community, so I feel the need to get up on my soapbox and state a few facts.

Misnomer #1: The Style of the Tallit The history of the Talit, from MyTalit.com

In early Judaism, Tzitzit were used for the corners of ordinary everyday clothing; most Jewish people at the time wore clothing which consisted of a sheet-like item wrapped around the body, comparable to the abayah (blanket) worn by the Bedouins for protection from sun and rain, and to the stola/toga of ancient Greece and Rome. As recorded in the Talmud, these were sometimes worn partly doubled, and sometimes with the ends thrown over the shoulders.

After the 13th century CE, Tzitzit began to be worn on new inner garments, known as Arba Kanfos, rather than the outer garments. This inner garment was a 3ft by 1ft rectangle, with a hole in the center for the head to pass through; the modern Tallit evolved from this medieval item.

So, Yeshua didn't wear the tallit that we are familiar with today. Therefore, it is completely incorrect for any Christian tele-preacher to hold up a contemporary tallit and say, "This is what Jesus wore." It is a stylistic fallacy. This could possibly be considered a minor point, I know, but it leads into...

Misnomer #2: The Purpose of the Tallit The tallit is not a "scarf" that has "no real meaning". The tallit is a mode of expressing Israeli identity. Biblically speaking, the tallit was not the required garb. The tzitzit, or fringes, are the required fashion statement (Numbers 15:37-41) which had a very real purpose. At the time white fringes with a blue thread were required by G-d to be placed on the four corners of Israelite garments, ALL tribes in the region were using dyed fringes to identify themselves on the battlefield. Israel needed to identify herself, therefore, she needed her own set of fringes. If we are to translate Biblical wardrobe into contemporary prayer shawl, we must understand that the change in fashion did not change the command; on the contrary, by retaining a mode of wardrobe that allowed for the wearing of tzitzit, the Jewish people acknowledged the timelessness of the command to wear tzitzit. The wearing of the tallit is the literal, physical acknowledgment of Jewish identity for the whole world to see. Hence the meaning of the prophecy in Zechariah 8:23.

My challenge to the tallit-selling tele-preachers is this: If you want to sell it, why don't you start wearing it? And if you want to wear it, why don't you start living it, and fighting for it, and dying for it like the rest of us instead of just making money off of it like the same thieves in the Temple whom your Messiah lashed out against in fury?

The truth is, if even one of those Christian pastors had to be embroiled in the constant battle surrounding Jewish existence, they'd pull those Communion Cups out of storage and start selling them in an instant. The same Torah that holds the mitzvot of tzitzit says something about that as well: "Is there a man here who is afraid and fainthearted? He should go back home; otherwise his fear may demoralize his comrades as well." (Deut. 20:8)

These tele-preachers have no clue how offensive they are, let alone what a stumbling block they're being to the very people who gave them the Word of G-d. Do you notice how they spend so much time talking about the talit, but never the tzitzit? They want what the Jews have, but they don't want to have to be... Jewish. They want the G-d, the Messiah, the promises in the Book as their Pastors read it to them, but they don't want to be hated, mocked, reviled by the nations. They don't want to have to give up pork or Christmas. They don't want to stop being the kings of the hill.

Just like the Bible, they take this great Jewish gift, strip it down and re-fashion it to their own liking, then sell it at an overinflated price to desperate people searching for answers to real, devastating problems.

And we're supposed to be the shysters.

Stop re-appropriating my Torah for your pleasure. It's MY book, MY commands, MY covenant-- NOT yours. Sure, you can get in on it, but here's the deal: You have to play by the rules, just like the rest of us. If you can't handle that... GO HOME.

News Roundup

2009-01-22T19:02:00.003-05:00

Support Geert Wilders

He dared to shine a light on the truth of the Koran. Now he's paying the price. And if he gets convicted, it will be the end of free speech in Europe.

"A three-judge appeals panel on Wednesday ruled that Wilders' insults to Islam were so egregious that the principle of free speech was not sufficient defense."

Learn more and lend a hand.

And steal the button in the sidebar, just like I stole it from Atlas who is doing an amazing job of covering the story. (She told me to.)

E.J. Dionne @ RealClearPolitics observes Obama Aims to Overturn the Reagan Revolution, Quietly, noting:

President Barack Obama intends to use conservative values for progressive ends.

...And in trying to do all these things, he will confuse a lot of people.

Confusion: #1 tactic of the Communist. Go figure.

Watch Glenn Beck on FoxNews @ 5 pm EST, Monday-Friday.

Why?

He's not afraid to use the "S"-word: SOCIALISM.

This is the best Israeli analysis of the Obama Inauguration I've read.

Who Would You Vote for in the Upcoming Israeli Elections? Find out. I’m apparently siding with Haichud Haleumi, The National Unity Party.

Again, via Atlas: Heir Hussein is already targeting Rush Limbaugh (Go Figure). Here are the quotes from Obama and his cronies:

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." --Heir Hussein to the Republicans in Congress

"There are big things that unify Republicans and Democrats," the official said. "We shouldn't let partisan politics derail what are very important things that need to get done." --Heir Hussein Henchman

"I won," he said, according to aides who were briefed on the meeting. "I will trump you on that." –Heir Hussein

Rush states unequivocally that Obama is using a play from his mentor Alinsky’s playbook: personalize the conflict and eliminate the enemy, so to speak. Communist. Socialist. Call it whatever you want—they’re pushing for the death of Democracy, so what does it matter?

Not My President

2009-01-20T21:06:00.006-05:00

Caroline Glick presents another excellent analysis, this time of Operation Cast Lead. She concludes by saying that Israel faces two immediate challenges in the 3-6 month interim before Hamas re-arms:

1. "...preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,"

2. "and preventing the new Obama administration from undermining Israel's strategic position by selling out Israel's security to buy "pictures of victory" of its own with Iran and Syria."

Now, review Obama's words today:

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. ...we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Speaking of clenching moments, try Rick Warren's Inaugural Prayer (soon to be titled "The Purpose Driven Pratfall") or, rather, the analysis thereof thanks to JihadWatch:

Rick Warren in Inauguration prayer: "You are the compassionate, the merciful one..."

Following right after "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one."

"The compassionate, the merciful" is, of course, a reference to the invocation at the beginning of every chapter of the Qur'an except one: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, "In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful."

I knew the Sh'ma quote was too awkward, too weird, and too out of place to be genuine.

Obama also remarked, "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus--and non-believers." Lovely; let's equate the Dhimmi police with the Dhimmis-- I bet someone's burning an Obama effigee in a ~~mosque~~ worshipful weapons cache as Hussein and Michelle take their evening tour around town. (What no one knows is where that ~~mosque~~ is located-- downtown Iran, the rubble of Gaza, or Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A....)

It's nice that all these conservatives are coming out saying that Barack Hussein Obama is their President because they don't want to imitate the gross liberal Bush-bashing of the past eight years, nor do they want to look like "racists" (even though our society is color blind now) or "the party of 'no'". It's charming and it's an understandable sentiment coming from people like Hannity, Beck, and Palin. They're public figures; they have to maintain team spirit to some degree.

However, speaking as a Joo (which is the only thing I can do, because I sure as heck ain't a "non-believer") I'll believe in the power of Americanism--real, solid Americanism that was created by Hollywood ~~Joos~~ Jews, portrayed by Ronald Reagan, and thus espoused by the contemporary Conservative movement--to overcome this liberal, fascist socialism put forth by the Obamaniacs when I see it. I want to see Conservatives-- not just the faces or the names, mind you, but down to earth everyday Conservatives-- march on Washington, demand results from their representatives, and do everything within their power as citizens of the United States to ensure that their vision of America--the capitalist, limited government, Bill of Rights freedom-loving America--sticks around for a good long time to come, despite the wishes of Heir Hussein and his cronies in D.C., the U.N., and around the world. When I see that, I will be convinced that America stands a chance.

Until then, I am a Joo. I am a Joo who looks forward to seeing all of the America I haven't yet had a chance to see-- when I can travel on an Israeli passport and return to a home where I truly feel safe and free.

War Crimes

2009-01-19T07:15:00.005-05:00

"Government wants IDF withdrawn ahead of Obama's inauguration as a "gesture"."

I want to vomit.

This is 1933 all over again, with a little bit of 1938 thrown in for good measure, only this time the Olmert-Livni-Barak triad is doing the Neville Chamberlain imitation. F.D.R. contributed to the death of 6 million Jews in Europe; there are just as many in Israel now. And what of the Jews that are still in Europe, or America for that matter? I suppose they'll just have to get used to their synagogues being burned and chants of "Hitler didn't finish the job."

What a nightmare. To think that our grandparents sacrificed so much for us to just throw it all away. We owe them an apology. We owe our God an apology for being such faithless fools as a nation--or, at least, for electing a government of suicidal/homicidal idiots (on both sides of the ocean).

I'd hang my head in shame but I won't for two reasons: One, I want to keep my eyes wide open. Two, I wouldn't dare give the enemy that kind of satisfaction.

Modern Day Bielskis vs. Shandas 'Round the World

2009-01-18T19:37:00.007-05:00

Why is an impeached Prime Minister allowed to give orders to the IDF to pull out of Gaza? Shanda. SHANDA! Olmert is a SHANDA FUR DE GOYIM!

Infantrymen leaving Gaza pursuant to Saturday's cabinet decision think cessation of operation too hasty, say IDF could have and should have crushed Hamas will to shoot rockets at Israel

HaShem not only gives us military leverage, He has now given us economic and energy independence from Egypt and we still are stuck with a government of idiots.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the majority of American Jews are busy soaking up the glory of their newfound messiah, B. Hussein. (Who is not African-American, he is Kenyan-Muslim-American. Just ask Ingrin Mattson or her HAMAS cohorts.) SHANDAS! Will they say 'Amen' to the prayer of a woman who wants us all dead? SHANDA FUR DE MUSLIMS!

Shandas are in France, as well: Sarkozy being #1:

The French government is strongly advocating the teaching of Arabic language and civilization in French schools. Not surprising, considering the number of Arabs and Muslims in France, and the unctuous deference with which they are treated by officials, beginning notably with Nicolas Sarkozy, who cannot praise enough the splendor of Arabic contributions to the world.

SHANDA! Make that DHIMMI SHANDA!

What does the IDF think? According to one soldier [via Israel National News--hat tip, Atlas]:

We Want to Finish the Job
The soldiers’ morale is very high, and all of them definitely believe that the war is just and important. No one likes fighting; people want to be with their families. I’ve seen some 35-year-old guys almost crying about how much they miss their families – but at the same time, no one wants to leave now. Of all sectors, it’s the soldiers who do not want a ceasefire, not because we want to fight but because we know the job is not finished yet. We don’t want to have to go back again in a year or two or three. The soldiers want to stay and finish the job, they really do… I think there has to be a hard push against Hamas, even harder than we have done until now; this will take a real sacrifice, we know - but to think that we might leave and the rockets will still fall, what did we do??! Killing 900 terrorists out of 20,000 is just not enough, we have to really decimate their ranks in order that they should know that they should leave us alone…

True, Gaza is now largely in ruins, but they’ll get lots of money to rebuild, and they’ll use a lot of the money to get more weapons as well. [Ed. Note: Yeah, from Obama and his Eurotrash pals, not to mention Banky Moon @ the UN.] We have to go in deeper and stronger, and make them understand that it’s just not worth it. In addition, I think we can’t leave without Gilad Shalit; it would be terrible if not. [Emphasis Mine]

The IDF: Composed of the modern-day Bielskis.

(The Real Tuvia Bielski & Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski)

Ruach haBielski Lives On...
[hat tip: The Muqata]

Baruch haShem: The level-headed realism and bold, gutsy patriotism of these soldiers is a sign that Adonai still loves us and is watching out for us after all.

Israeli elections can't come soon enough.

WWTBD?

2009-01-17T18:41:00.004-05:00

After seeing The Pianist, I refused to watch another Holocaust movie that portrayed Jews as helpless victims. If one guy could do what Szpilman did and survive, we had absolutely no right being portrayed as sheep led to the slaughter by the jokers in Hollywood. No more would I contribute to a culture of victimization. Yes, the Holocaust happened. Yes, there are many lessons to be learned from it. The number one lesson that victimization films don't teach: Jewish people can fight and win and survive.

I know that scares a lot of people (including self-hating Jews who fill the halls of Hollywood and the MSM). Need proof? Check out CNN's review of this Friday's release Defiance [hat tip: Atlas]:

The timing is unfortunate. For a story that has gone neglected for the best part of 60 years, this is hardly the ideal week to be extolling heroic Jewish resistance fighters.

Bite my kosher tuchus.

In the film, Tuvia Bielski, played by Daniel Craig (not a Jew, to my knowledge, but an excellent actor, so we will be nonetheless glad to adopt him as one of our own), declares to a group of escaped Jews who fled into the forest to escape death at the hands of the Nazis that they would fight by staying alive. And that is what they did.

Man, does that piss people off. We survive, we dare to breathe and they hate us for it. What did Tuvia Bielski do? He told the Nazis and the rest of the world to deal with it. 1,200 people and their descendants later, we're still winning.

Despite the outbreak of world-wide jihad.

Despite the 300 British academics who demand Israel lose this war.

Despite Olmert, Livni, Barak, and their pansy "10-day unilateral cease-fire":

12:24 AM According to this evening's cabinet decision, the IDF will remain in Gaza till the rocket attacks on Israel cease. According to Hamas, as long as the IDF is in Gaza, they will continue their rocket attacks against Israel (and they have been continuing their attacks all night)

No commentary needed.

We have the right to live. We have the right to survive. We have the right to defy world expectations and demands.

Do we need to wait for our neighborhoods to be terrorized, our homes to be looted, our children to be dragged into the streets and shot in order to remember that we have rights?

We have a nation and an army and we're still caving into world pressure! WHAT'S THE DEAL?!

All I can ask of my people at this hour is, What Would Tuvia Bielski Do?

Wouldn't you do it, too?

Wake up and Fight Back!

2009-01-16T07:32:00.004-05:00

At the Muqata:

"11:18 AM NRG interviewed 2 of the 250 captured Hamas terrorists. They expressed total shock at Israel's reaction to Hamas' breaking the "ceasefire" over 7 weeks ago. "We never imagined Israel would react like this...we thought at worse a few bombs from the air, a small incursion, and that's it....what's gotten into Israel?"

They think its totally normal behavior to shoot rockets at civilians and for us not to react. Hopefully, they've learned a serious lesson."

But, they won't if any cease-fire takes place. These people don't care about dying. They wouldn't care if Israel fought them down to the last human shield. Israel, however, still refuses to understand that Hamas and its supporters are nothing but radical jihadists bent on the destruction of Israel and themselves. These aren't human beings who want to sit in a circle and sing "Give Peace a Chance". You're not warring against Woodstock, here.

Seriously: Kill them, and you'll be fulfilling their greatest dream. Therefore, if the world wants you to make Hamas happy, you should keep bombing the crap out of them until there are none left. (How do you say 'duh' in Hebrew?)

According to Israellycool:

"12:43PM: The al-Sharq al-Awset daily has reported that Hamas is prepared to accept a conditional cease-fire with Israel starting tomorrow. Well d-uh. They’re getting their behinds whipped so of course they want it.

The question is, are we going to agree to it or try and delay things so we can land some more blows against them?"

While the JPost reports:

Gilad in Egypt for Gaza truce talks

"Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, arrived in Cairo on Friday morning along with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's diplomatic adviser Shalom Turgeman for further talks on Israeli requirements for a Gaza truce. Once they return to Israel, a decision will be made by Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on whether to bring the Egyptian cease-fire proposal to a Security Cabinet vote."

NO! No way! These people want us dead! There is no such thing as "negotiation" when their idea of a cease-fire is "Yeah, we'll stop shooting. It'll give us a chance to re-arm and start up again whenever we feel like it, you Jew pigs."

Come on! How many more wars are we going to fight? How many more people are going to have their lives torn to pieces by PTSD? At this rate, you're going to have an entire generation of Israel children unable to fight in the army, much less maintain a job, or establish a career, or build a family. They'll be on meds and in therapy for the rest of their lives! WAKE UP! Truce is NOT an option until HAMAS is DEAD!

I still don't get why we can't muster the urge to wipe our enemies off the face of this earth the way they so openly declare the same desire to do it to us. You know, we are allowed to live in peace, guilt free, and the right to defend ourselves goes along with it. For all of the victories Israel has had in her 60 years of modern history, her people are still stuck in that lame Diaspora mindset that continues to lead Jews into the closet and (G-d forbid, never again) the gas chambers.

WAKE UP! Quit bowing down! You have one of the greatest military forces in the world-- your grandparents made bullets out of lipstick cases and WON for heaven's sake! FIGHT!

***

Meanwhile, the American public continues to be given evidence of it's losing vote:

Thank you, Atlas:

Rep. Jose Serrano (D. NY) puts forth H.R. 5 proposing an end to the President's 2 term limit in office.

Amazingly, Even KOS has come out against the bill, which is apparently seeing its 7th Congress (the past 6 have thrown it out).

Stay tuned, America...

Cease? Are you SERIOUS?

2009-01-14T07:22:00.005-05:00

Livni, in a move deemed by the JPost as a homage to Sharon, propses that "Israel - when it feels it has accomplished its military goals (and she has never defined exactly what they would be) - should simply cease fire, leave Gaza without any agreements, and warn that if the Palestinians dare fire one more rocket on Israel, the IDF would go in with even greater force."

The JPost explains Sharon's 2005 pre-pullout logic:

"What did Sharon say at the time? He said Israel should do what's good for it, withdraw completely from Gaza, and then have all the legitimacy in the world to pound the Palestinians if they had the temerity to fire at Israel.

He didn't want any agreements with the Palestinians, not believing they would be upheld or were necessary. The Palestinians would not fire on Israel, he wrongly thought, because of the fear of Israel's response - thus, no agreement was needed."

which happens to mirror Livni's attitude:

"'I am not looking for agreements with Hamas. If they do fire, we'll do this again, and big time. This is what we're capable of, and this is the way to fight terror,' Livni said Sunday at a press conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

'A military operation ends when deterrence has been achieved, with them knowing that if it happens again, what they saw now is only a taste of what they'll see later,' she said."

and here, as the JPost points out, is the caveat: Livni promises power, but fears producing results-- why? International pressure, of course:

"The only catch was that it didn't happen. Israel left Gaza to the last Jew, but the rockets continued to fall, Gilad Schalit was kidnapped, and Israel did not respond with all its might, partly because it did not think it had the international legitimacy it had been touting." [Emphasis Mine]

Apparently, this fear of "international legitimacy" extends to Jews worldwide, in Livni's opinion. In another JPost article, "Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has expressed concern over "a wave of anti-Semitic attacks" faced by Jewish communities worldwide."

Okay, so somehow not fighting against anti-Semites is a better strategy? Sure. Just ask those 6 million European Jews and their descendants...oh, wait, you can't, can you?

This is a warning to all Israeli voters. If you vote Livni in the upcoming elections you'll be facing this battle over and over and over and over and over again. Hamas has already vowed the destruction of Israel. Therefore, anything less than a complete destruction of Hamas, which includes the rightful re-taking of Israeli land, would render this battle a complete waste. Not to mention, this tact is in complete disregard to thousands of Livni's constituents who have faced rocket attacks for the past 5 or more years, thanks to her predecessor's brilliant decision-making. When it comes to Livni: JUST SAY 'LO'!

Barak, on the other hand, wants any long-term cease-fire to involve Egyptian monitoring of tunnels. This is linked to an unsubstantiated belief that the monitoring will somehow stop the smuggling of weapons, arms, and other Hamas "services" into Gaza. But, of course, Barak also has personal reasons for promoting Egyptian involvement:

"Part of the reason for Barak's interest in an agreement with Egypt is because he is running the Egyptian channel, through Amos Gilad at the Defense Ministry, while the Foreign Ministry is largely out of the loop.

As such, if an agreement is brokered through the Egyptians, he could take political credit for it." [Emphasis mine]

Yeah. He can also take political credit for nearly ceding 97% of the West Bank to Arafat during this chick's husband's White House run, thereby causing the Second Intifada. (Or third, or fourth...I can't keep track. Point being: He's useless.)

As for now, Barak would also like a "week-long humanitarian cease-fire" so Hamas can fire more rockets freely...because three hours a day doesn't give them enough of an advantage. Fool. Idiot. I need to learn disparaging epithets in Hebrew.

Meanwhile, Olmert wants to continue on, but is facing pressure from Livni, Barak, Obama and the world:

"While the prime minister might want to continue for a variety of other reasons, including wiping out the memory of the Second Lebanon War, he realizes that the world is starting to close in; the visit Thursday of UN General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon is expected to increase the pressure on Israel to agree to a cease-fire.

Olmert is also looking at the calendar and realizes that January 20, the day when Barack Obama becomes president of the United States, is only a week away.

The outgoing premier will not want to greet the new president on his first day in office with an uncomfortable quandary: how to relate to Gaza without infuriating the Arabs, alienating US allies in Europe, or antagonizing Israel."

You know what? Israel does not have a responsibility to the U.N. or the U.S. The governing bodies of both have tried to destroy her--especially over the past four years. Stop! Stop even considering these nations and their governments as factors! It is absurd! Until Israel ceases to cave to international pressure she will face continual wars. Haven't we learned that yet?

Moreover, and here's the pure, Biblical truth of it: Egypt is not a reliable negotiating partner! Why do you think the prophet Ezekiel spent so much time talking about Egypt being a BAD, UNRELIABLE negotiating partner? Egypt didn't even so much as spit at the Biblical governments of Israel! Ezekiel wasn't talking about his contemporaries, people-- Egypt had no official treaty or talks with Israel since Yosef until 1979.

"Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am Adonai, because they have been a support made of straw for the house of Israel. When they grasped your hand, you splintered and threw all their shoulders out of joint; when they leaned on you, you broke and make them all wrench their backs." (29:6-7)

And Barak along with the rest of the world wants Israel to rely on Egypt and stop fighting the people dedicated to their destruction. What's Hebrew for NUTS?

Wake up, Israel! Stand strong! Demand results from your government that will achieve peace: The complete and total destruction of Hamas and the Israeli re-inhabiting of Gush Katif. This is your heritage and your right. Stand up for yourselves, because no one else will-- no one else but Adonai Himself. And, really, why would you want to turn your back on Him? In the hopes that you get invited to the Barack Obama tea party?

Please. Pardon me while I go vomit.

"Relying on Egypt is like using a broken stick as a staff--when you lean on it, it punctures your hand." Isaiah 36:6

Israel's War & Messianic Jewish Silence

2009-01-13T12:57:00.008-05:00

I am just completely blown away by the lack of commentary on Israel's war by the Messianic Jewish blog world.

Now, I should clarify that while I believe in Yeshua and am Jewish, I haven't been an active participant in the Messianic world for nearly 10 years. Long story short, I decided to explore what it meant to be Jewish, which meant befriending and getting into the world of Jewish Americans and Israelis. Consequently, my perspective when it comes to Israel and being Jewish is radically different from most Messianic Jews.

That being said, holy cow. Seriously. I saw two brief mentions of the war amidst a bunch of self-involved and/or theologically warped posts that were absolutely irrelevant to what is really going on with Israel and the Jewish people as a whole. These two breif mentions contained factual errors and inaccuracies, indicating that the Hamas rocket attacks have been going on "for a couple of years" (try 5-8) and telling readers "the American media is left-wing and biased" (which is true) so they should read Israeli news instead-- the only Israeli paper recommended, though, was Ha'aretz--which is about as left wing as you can get.

When I began my foray into the mainstream Jewish world, I was met with a lot of criticism from my Messianic counterparts. The common insinuation was that I was becoming "Judaized" (*gasp* can you imagine- a JEWISH Messianic JEW?!?!) and would lose my faith. Ten years later, my faith in Yeshua is as strong as ever. But I can tell you what I have lost: my faith in the Messianic Jewish world.

Our people are fighting for our right to exist, and all the Messianics can do is blather on about creating Messianic Beit Dins. Hm. Sounds like they're becoming a bit JUDAIZED to me! The irony is, they're running the risk of becoming as irrelevant to the Jewish world as any ultra-Orthodox clan. A Messianic Beit Din. What? You've got to be kidding me. Who's really going to submit to that? The movement that consists primarily of good-hearted gentiles who still struggle with giving up pork? Or the newly-formed Sanhedrin that would fall over if any believing Jew ever walked in with a court case to be heard?

Really, folks, who are we kidding? If there's one thing I've learned about being Jewish, it's that you don't get very far by imitating someone else's Jewishness and claiming it as your own; that's not being Jewish, that's being a poser.

Messianic Jews. I love them, but man, talk about being out of the loop.

Enough editorializing. Back to the important stuff. Have you read the livebloggers today? Read! Support their sponsors! Donate!

http://muqata.blogspot.com
http://www.israellycool.com

Go, IDF, GO!

The Truth Will Set You Free

2009-01-13T11:23:00.003-05:00

'Hamas agrees to Turkish force in Rafah' [JPost]

"Hamas would agree to a Turkish deployment of forces because it "harbors respect to Turkey as an Islamic nation," a Hamas source told the paper."

Yeah, right. I knew a secular Turkish muslim once. She managed to convince a white American kid with a college degree that the Joooozzz controlled the media. "Secular" my tuchus. Hamas proves my point: There are no secular muslims.

Editor's Notes: The foulest fight David Horovitz, JPost:

"But still, the repeated direction of Jewish fire-power into Islam's places of worship, one might have assumed, would inflame the Arab world and its supporters into an orgy of anti-Israel fury.

As of this writing, that hasn't happened.

And it hasn't happened because the Islamists know they've been found out.

...As regards the mosques, by contrast, Israel's declaration that it is firing on them because they are hubs of Hamas terrorism has met with no emphatic denials, no aggrieved assertions from Hamas clerics that their buildings are innocent places of humble worship, no pleas to the international community to enter the buildings and document their purity."

Assertions easily made from this important point:

1. Islam is not a religion of peace. It is a thin veil being used by a death cult bent on world and self-destruction, starting with Israel and the Jewish people.

2. Islam is not about making converts in order to win them over to a joyful eternal life; it is about using people as human shields and their "houses of worship" as weapon/bomb storage facilities. These are not churches and synagogues, people: Stop thinking of them as such.

3. This war is not about the establishment of a caliphate of dhimmis: It is about the destruction of Israel and the world, meaning simply that Muslims don't want to gather, worship, or live a sovereign life. They want to destroy, destroy, destroy, period.

The destruction has to begin with Israel because Israel is the literal, physical evidence that a loving, benevolent G-d who created and respects human free will exists and desires to enter into a positive, life-giving relationship with all those who seek Him out. Destroy Israel and you destroy the physical evidence of G-d, or so the theory goes. Once Israel is gone, so is the proof of G-d, free will, liberty, and justice for all: So the muslims can be free to use as many human shields as they want. There is vast evidence that already proves they have no problem killing their own-- what makes you think they'll stop if they "wipe" Israel off the map? Who are you kidding?

The truth is revealing itself and the battle, as a result, is getting simpler and simpler all the time. World governing bodies be damned: Israel must fight and fight to win. And all of those who love freedom need to get this lipstick-case-turned-bullet mentality in their heads: Israel must win and Israel must survive for all of our sakes-- lest there be no one left.

Baruch haShem-- Adonai fights for Israel!

Prayer Request & Strengthening Resolve

2009-01-13T07:26:00.008-05:00

Via IsraellyCool:

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated that Israel would give Egyptian brokered cease-fire talks a chance before deciding to expand Operation Cast Lead. But he made clear that Israel will stop the operation only if Hamas rocket fire and smuggling stops.

Egypt reportedly exerted fierce pressure on Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal, warning them that a refusal to do so would lead to Israel expanding its ground operation, in effect meaning an end to Hamas rule over Gaza. As of the writing of this post, there are no signs of a breakthrough in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, there are reports that IDF soldiers are advancing into Gaza’s suburbs.

Meanwhile, according to bunkered-down Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh:

<"We will deal positively with any initiative aimed at ending the offensive," he said.

However, Haniyeh said that Hamas would also continue to fight against the "occupation forces" of Israel.

This was said only last night, and was followed by a bunch of anti-Israeli slurs made while "citing several versus from the Koran".

Clearly, this isn't about rockets and tunnels and terrorist "infrastructure" being eliminated. Those are the effects, not the cause of the problem. The cause itself must be eliminated: Hamas must be wiped off the face of the earth and Gush Katif must return back to the people to whom the land belongs. Period.

Anything less would render this war futile. And I think the Israeli public is tired of fighting futile wars.

In other news, Israeli bloggers have been following the story of a U.S. arms shipment to Israel for the past few days-- well, apparently the shipment has been "cancelled due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip." Feh. America has always maintained a "too little, too late" approach to intervention on Israel's behalf, anyway. Forget America. Israel can do this on her own. We have Adonai-- who does America have? Barack Hussein? HA!

From Jameel at the Muqata:

Personal Request from Jameel: Please add to your prayers, a full recovery for the IDF soldier, Aharon Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana, who was very seriously wounded last night in Gaza.

12:48 PM IDF Radio reports that seriously wounded IDF combat officer Aharon Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana, was married only 2 weeks ago. He left his troops from the Gaza front a few hours before his wedding, got married, and the following morning was back at the front with his troops. (more in a second, air raid sirens in Ashkelon)

Baruch haShem for healing for Aharon Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana b'Shem Yeshua haMashiach!

Service with a Smile

2009-01-12T22:03:00.003-05:00

"We are continuing to assume our responsibilities although the Gaza Strip has been divided," said a statement issued by the Hamas government. "We are continuing to provide the citizens with various services."

Because with Human Shields, who needs gas, electric, or hot water?

The Walls are Tumbling

2009-01-12T14:01:00.005-05:00

Is the Leftist media stoned? Or is it just the Leftist politicians?

Via Ha'aretz: Barak and Livni disagree with Olmert, want quick end to Gaza fighting

Livni contends that continuing the offensive could harm the deterrence it has achieved so far and damage Israel diplomatically. Barak objects mainly to inserting ground troops deep into densely populated areas of Gaza. For his part, Olmert told the full cabinet Sunday that stopping Operation Cast Lead now would be a missed opportunity.

So that's where all the Kool Aid went...

Seriously, though, is this doublespeak? Because I don't see an end to this war in the near future.

Today, A Soldier's Mother wrote, "The danger and the wonder of the Internet is that you cannot hide nearly as easily as you think." Man, is that true. There are too many of us out there talking up the truth. We know we aren't the minority any more. Moreover, and more importantly, we know we aren't the crazy ones. I don't care how many degrees, titles, and recognitions you have behind your name-- you start portraying a bunch of lunatic baby killers who hide behind women and old people as "victims" of any kind, you're freaking nuts.

The truth is, a new reality is unfolding in this world. The old power structures are being broken down: people are starting to question the mainstream media, the academic world, and government leaders who act as nothing more than power-broking bookies behind the scenes.

And, perhaps, finally, some people are waking up and realizing that the problems we now face are not the fault of Israel or the Jewish people after all.

Huh. Go figure.

To paraphrase the words of one great freedom-fighter, I say to all lovers of freedom across the globe: KEEP BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS.

Support for Israel from...Ireland? And more!

2009-01-11T18:54:00.004-05:00

Why the Israeli people have finally had enough Ian O'Doherty [Ireland]
[Hat Tip: IsraellyCool]

...contrary to the currently popular belief, Israel is actually acting with a ridiculous degree of restraint.

...I know many people in the southern Israeli town of Sderot and what is remarkable about their stories is not the number or make of rockets which have fallen on them on a daily basis for years, but the psychological carnage this wreaked upon them.

...Hamas is a fundamentalist Islamic organisation intent on the eradication of the state of Israel and all its citizens; a violent fascist regime that allows honour killings and the execution of homosexuals to continue in its sphere of influence. Bankrolled by Iran, it manages to make even Hezbollah look like a moderate organisation.

But Hamas is clever.

As a friend of mine from Sderot pointed out, one of its favourite tactics is to launch Qassams from Palestinian schoolyards -- while the schools are still in session.

Hamas does this, you see, knowing that the IDF can't immediately strike back (they can vector a rocket launch site within 90 seconds) because the last thing the Israelis need is footage of a devastated Palestinian school with dead kids.

And, over the last week, we have seen carefully manipulated footage of dead civilians, with the fact that they were effectively used as human shields conveniently ignored.

...But there's a bigger picture here, something which Israelis have been trying to broadcast to the world, but which, thanks to their spectacular inability to accurately and sympathetically portray their point of view, has not been properly transmitted. It's this -- Israel is the front line of the war between democracy and Islamic fascism.

...Here in the West, where we share the same values as Israel, we need to start standing shoulder with this tiny oasis of democracy in a vast desert of savagery.

To do otherwise is moral cowardice of the most repugnant kind.

What you're seeing, dear world, is a line being drawn, not in the sand nor in any geographical location, but rather in the hearts and minds of free people across the globe.

In other uplifting news: Over 10,000 attended the pro-Israel rally in Times Square today. (Versus the couple hundred pro-Hamas demonstrators the MSM couldn't get enough of.) Photos via Atlas Shrugs

Atlas also reports UK: "TRAFALGAR SQUARE WAS FULL" OF ISRAEL LOVERS with video footage.

Pushing Onward and Looking Upward

2009-01-10T23:32:00.003-05:00

In her latest JPost op/ed, Caroline Glick says what we've known for years:

Israel is fighting a war with Hamas today because Israel withdrew from Gaza three and a half years ago. If Israel had not withdrawn its military forces from Gaza and forcibly expelled 8,000 Israeli citizens from their homes and farms in September 2005, it would not be fighting this war today. If Israel had not withdrawn, if it had retained its forces in Gaza and retained its communities - on whose ruins the IDF now fights - in Gaza, Hamas would probably never have taken over. And even if Hamas had taken over, it would never have been able to threaten a million Israelis with missiles and rockets and mortars.

Now, the JPost is reporting, "The dropping of the leaflets appeared to be partly a psychological tactic. Defense officials are prepared for a third stage of the offensive, in which soldiers would push much further into Gaza, but are waiting for approval from the government. The officials said the army had also planned a fourth stage that called for a full reoccupation of Gaza and toppling Hamas."

Glick ends her op/ed by stating:

TODAY THE IDF owes its operational competence to the public's humiliation and sacking of Halutz, Peretz and Olmert. On the other hand, Israel's diplomatic incompetence, and our leadership's continued refusal to accept that Sharon was right when he said, "As goes Netzarim so goes Tel Aviv," is rendering a true victory over Hamas impossible.

If we are ever to get on the right path in Gaza, as well as in Judea and Samaria and beyond, our first order of business as the public must be to force the politicians who brought us to this point to pay a price at the ballot box for their blind and dangerous incompetence. It is only by humiliating them in elections that we can be sure that their successors will be too frightened to repeat their mistakes.

In short, Israel must re-take Gaza and the decision to reconquer and re-inhabit the land belongs to Israel's voting public.

According to Israel National News:

Several Jewish nationalist groups have come together to sponsor a massive PR campaign calling to return to Jewish towns in Gaza. "There is a solution: Going back to Gush Katif," the campaign's posters say.
Advertisements bearing the slogan have been placed on 1,500 buses, and soon will go up on billboards throughout the country.

Will it be enough? This morning, both CNN and Fox News reported that the "end" of the "crisis" (because they can't call it a "war" because that's "mean") may only be a few days away. Of course, they also reported that more IDF Reservists have been called up to go into Gaza. Which, of course prompted me to check the LiveBloggers. First, IsraellyCool:

5:39AM: Aussie Dave here.

Ynetnews reports that Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the military to broaden its activity in the Strip, given that Hamas has suffered a severe blow.

...

12:30PM: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed to press on with our offensive against Hamas in Gaza, and stated that Israel is close to achieving its goals.

My inner cynic says this means Israel will accept a ceasefire in the very near future.

And then, The Muqata:

9:50 AM Cabinet considering expanding Gaza operation even further. IDF wants to continue operations until at least the end of January.

...

10:35 AM BREAKING NEWS. Phase 3 of the attack on Hamas may have begun with tanks moving into Gaza neighborhoods.

...

5:18 PM IDF Censor releases for publication; About an hour ago, Gunfire from Syria directed at Israelis at workers in the area of the village of Alonei HaBashan on the Golan Heights. Israel has raised a formal complaint with the UN. No injuries reported.

I trust the opinions of these guys more than the mainstream media. Maybe it's because they're Israeli. They're there. And they aren't a bunch of left-wing propagandists plagued with Jewish self-hatred and/or bent on Israel's destruction. So, when one of them expresses cynicism at Olmert's comment, I tend to be on guard. At the same time, the IDF's continued desire to push in and table a time frame give me encouragement. As I understand it, the IDF must receive approval from the Israeli Security Council (Livni-Barak-Netanyahu) before they make a move. However, since all three of the ISC players are up for re-election in a month, they'd be stupid to go against IDF recommendation now. Especially since the Israeli public has given this offensive an approval rating solidly in the 90th percentile.

Comprehend this: The fate of the civilized world is in the hands of the Israeli people. I hope they know this. I think they do. I hope Americans know this. I think a lot of average people do... but I'm sure that large minority is dwindling as we get closer and closer to Inauguration Day. I wonder, will the American people have to go through an Oslo and a few Intifadas before they realize that giving in is not an option?

Shavua Tov - The War Continues

2009-01-10T18:57:00.004-05:00

Liveblogging at IsraellyCool and The Muqata is essential reading.

Spent part of my day perusing some books I'd picked up over the winter shopping season. I buy everyone else fun stuff and I buy myself books on Islamic jihad:

Ken Timmerman: Preachers of Hate
Steven Emerson: American Jihad
Bruce Bawer: While Europe Slept
Robert Spencer: Stealth Jihad

Now, that's some fun reading. And thanks to Pamela Gellar @ Atlas Shrugs, I had pictures to go along with the endless accounts of Islamic hate! Seriously, folks, we ain't in Kansas anymore. Muslims the world over feel free to get violent in the name of Islam and openly declare (and, in some cases, act upon) their desire to destroy Israel, the Jewish people, America, and the West as a whole. This isn't theory in a classroom or debate on TV, this is real and they're making no bones about it:

[The enemies of Allah] do not know that the Palestinian people has developed its [methods] of death and death-seeking. For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry, at which women excel, and so do all the people living on this land. The elderly excel at this, and so do the mujahideen and the children. This is why they have formed human shields of the women, the children, the elderly, and the mujahideen, in order to challenge the Zionist bombing machine. It is as if they were saying to the Zionist enemy: "We desire death like you desire life."-- Hamas MP Fathi Hammad [Hat Tip: Not a Fish]

I think the majority of Americans are in la-la land. Despite mass Islamic protests in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Miami, and virtually all across America at which demonstrators shout "Hitler didn't finish the job!" and "Death to the Jews!" most Americans remain totally blind to the fact that muslims feel free to spew death threats. This is partially due to the mainstream media's near-complete lack of reporting on these protests (with the exception of one appearance by Steven Emerson on Fox News this past Friday night during the 5 o'clock EST hour), but it is greatly due to the fact that the majority of Americans have been living with their heads buried in the sand for the past 40 years. They have pacified themselves with the idea of "Oh, that happens over there," tacitly giving credence to the idea that Israel instigates suicide bombings and Islamic terror simply because they dare to... what? Not be as "likeable" as America and Americans?

9/11 changed nothing. In fact, it only served to make the ideological climate worse when it comes to fighting Islamic terror. Think about it: the greatest protest any of these pro-Hamas demonstrators can make is that anyone who disagrees with them is "racist." Do you realize what a childish argument that is? That's the equivalent of one kid calling another kid "mean". We tell them they're wrong for strapping bombs to their kids' chests and sending them out to murder Israelis and the most they can shout back is, "That's mean!" What kind of world are we living in where "that's mean!" is an acceptable response to the accusation of murder? It is as if the American public believes Islamic terror will end with mediation, a group hug, and their own personal prescription for antidepressants.

The only group with any kind of morale in this war are the Israelis. For the first time in a long time, I was able to laugh tonight as I read Aussie Dave's and Jameel's accounts of the Islamic Jihad's alleged seizure of weapons and materials from the IDF. "infamous Spicy Zionist Hotdogs of Death.^TM" Hysterical. And this one via IsreallyCool says it all:

This joke explains all you need to know about Israeli-Palestinian politics.

What happens when a fly falls into a coffee cup?

The Italian - throws the cup, breaks it, and walks away in a fit of rage.

The German - carefully washes the cup, sterilizes it and makes a new
cup of coffee.

The Frenchman - takes out the fly, and drinks the coffee.

The Chinese - eats the fly and throws away the coffee.

The Russian - Drinks the coffee with the fly, since it was extra with no charge.

The Israeli - sells the coffee to the Frenchman, the fly to the
Chinese, drinks tea and uses the extra money to invent a device that
prevents flies from falling into coffee.

The Palestinian - blames the Israeli for the fly falling in his
coffee, protests the act of aggression to the UN, takes a loan from
the European Union to buy a new cup of coffee, uses the money to
purchase explosives and then blows up the coffee house where the
Italian, the Frenchman, the Chinese, the German and the Russian are
all trying to explain to the Israeli that he should give away his cup
of tea to the Palestinian.

The Israeli Security Cabinet and the Israeli public are still strongly behind the war. Thank G-d. But most Israeli bloggers are consistent in their belief that if the war goes on for too long, or if too many soldiers are killed, Israeli morale will be quick to falter. As Carl in Jerusalem suspects, were it not for the upcoming elections, this government may have already called for a cease-fire. Carl also believes that the government may wait until after the elections to order the IDF into Gaza City.

I hope not. Obama's inauguration isn't that far away and the pro-Hamas legions are getting closer and closer by the minute. The one fact we have to rely on now is that G-d fights for Israel. He doesn't have a covenant with the rest of us, and we certainly haven't done anything to impress Him lately, but He fights for and with Israel. In a world where "mean" is considered a reasonable excuse for murder, we need some truth to rely on, and right now Israel is the only nation fighting for the truth. Even the U.S. has officially abstained from the fight.

Keep going, IDF. We're with you in every way we possibly can be. Keep going, because if you don't, no one will be left.

Disconnect

2009-01-09T07:47:00.005-05:00

Admin Note:I need to seriously update the graphics and links on this blog. Hopefully time will make itself available to me this weekend to do so.

I've been experiencing an incredible disconnect this week. To be fair, the disconnect began the minute this nation elected B. Hussein to be its leader. I'm sorry; I just can't relate to or consider myself a part of a people willing to elect a candidate who has befriended Arab terrorists and agreed with their viewpoints. Can't. Won't. I don't belong here anymore.

Then came Christmas. I've always just sort of gone along with the holiday season because, well, what else am I going to do? My boss likes Christmas music and her life is hard enough, so why not? It beats the Top 40 we listen to for the rest of the year. And I like Dean Martin; he always sounds a little blitzed, as if the martinis were free-flowing in the studio, and when you work customer service, you need a martini, so I can find humor in that. But, this year... it was different. Santa always plows around Christmas Eve on the town fire truck to wave to the kiddies. There we are, with our electric menorahs in our front windows, waving to Santa-- it's the nice thing to do when you live in a small town where everyone knows everyone, right? Santa and his crew see our menorahs-- and ignore us. Completely. That's never happened before. Ever. I don't belong here anymore.

This week, I'm listening to people gab on about their personal lives and watching "news" about Obama-- what the kids are wearing to school, what he's going to do about the economy (which, to most economists, is not as much of an issue anymore- just ask the proprietors of Amazon.com), what he wore (or didn't wear) while he was in Hawaii-- and I'm thinking to myself, "There's a WAR on, people! Don't you get it?!" And I realize-- they don't. I'm sucked to the news, mentally screaming at CNN, digesting liveblogging before and after work when I can get online, and praying my heart out for the IDF... and everyone else is worried about the "Inauguration" of the guy Dave the Mailman cynically calls "the messiah". Complete and total disconnect. I don't belong here anymore.

I watched a great interview on Shalom TV last night (Comcast Digital Cable channel-- check with your local provider) with one of the Editors of the JPost (whose name I can't recall at the moment, but will post later) who was born in America, visited Israel in the 70s and decided he wanted to live there, and finally made aliyah in 1998. He couldn't make aliyah until then for a variety of personal and professional reasons-- understandable, of course, but all the while I'm thinking to myself... I don't want to wait that long. I belong there not here but... I have logical personal reasons holding me back, too, like family, work, etc.

Perhaps this disconnect I'm having is all part of the process. Perhaps you need to live in disconnect for a while to really get in touch with your aliyah motivation. G-d knows, it isn't easy to make aliyah, and just because you do doesn't mean you'll find the connections you're looking for. Ten years in, and this JPost Editor remarked that he is still treated as an "outsider" to a degree. Perhaps that is what the "disconnect" feeling is all about-- teaching you how to feel like an outsider so that, by the time you get to Israel, you simply don't care what anyone else thinks because your conviction to be there is that strong.

More updates on news tonight. (Of course.) For now:

http://muqata.blogspot.com/

http://olehgirl.com/?p=1749

http://jerusalemdiaries.blogspot.com/2009/01/christian-broadcaster-narrowly-escapes.html

http://www.blogsofzion.com/blog/?p=1492

Sorry for the lack of links...running late for work...

The Sin of Omission

2009-01-08T18:34:00.004-05:00

The Rabbis say that the first question you will be asked when you reach the other side is, "Were you honest in business?" If that's the case, the authors and reporters of the mainstream media will have to lie their pants off to get through the door.

Then again, that's what they're good at.

It isn't so much that they're reporting outright lies-- okay, well, they are-- but what is more amazing is what they aren't reporting. Like the IDF's discovery of a Hamas Map that details the use of civilian homes and locations in the Strip as battle stations. Or the video footage of Hamas using children as human shields. Or the IDF opening a humanitarian aid center for Palestinian "civilians" (if you could call them such a thing).

No, all you hear on stations like CNN are:

"Palestinians get basic goods through the tunnels" -- Because everyone knows that to get your kitchen sparkling clean, you need GRAD missles and Katuyshas. You know, BOMB the dirt out!

"The UN demands proof of militant presence on school grounds" despite the fact that they hired the school master who moonlighted as a Hamas leading operative.

A segment on "What Arabs See" at the top of the hour, so we can analyze how the "Death to Israel, Death to America" audience views the media of the Great and Little Satans.

Ideas to eliminate the "basic goods and weapons" tunnels, such as "building an 80-foot deep moat" (in sand), creating an "underground barrier" out of...busted up GRAD rockets?, or establishing an "international monitoring force" of... moonlighting Hamas agents.

And let's not forget the pictures of Arab kids drenched in bright red liquid that may be blood, but is probably Karo Corn Syrup and red food coloring (apparently the Palestinians major in terror, but they minor in drama).

What a joke.

And if the uprising of Muslims and pro-Muslim terror supporters around the globe (yes, including Europe, the UK, Canada, and America) isn't enough, now we have this:

The head of the Vatican Council, which remained silently 'neutral' while six million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis between 1939-45, today referred to Gaza as a 'concentration camp' (Hat Tip: Hot Air).

Nothing like Papa Nazi to set us Jooz straight.

Bottom Line: Thank G-d for Israeli bloggers. Read them, support them, and vote for them in blogger award contests. Without them, we would be absolutely clueless regarding the truth of this war.

And speaking of truth, thanks to IsraelMatzav: Zionism represents the Jews' refusal to depend upon world opinion

Encouragement

2009-01-07T18:21:00.002-05:00

Pamela @ Atlas Shrugs posts:

NYC Pro-Israel Rally OVERWHELMING with links to video caught by the Red Squirrel-- a must watch to lift your spirits.

An incredible bloggers' interview with General Eitam-- important facts-- Click here.

And a slew of posts on increasing anti-Semitism in Europe, namely Denmark where Jews (excuse me, "JOOS") aren't allowed to register for school, and British synagogues are being destroyed.

The Muqata who is liveblogging gives an amazing list of other livebloggers...check them all out.

The Last Days of the American Republic

2009-01-06T18:37:00.006-05:00

The American media is close to scaling heights of absurdity not seen since the last days of the Weimar Republic. This morning, Fox News's "Fox & Friends" spent a full half-hour talking about "Blago" and a new survey out on kids calling other kids bad names in school. The Big Three did their usual, turning prime time morning news into a glorified human interest hour that features stories about natural disasters and incredibly obese people from small towns winning the lottery. CNN, however, trumped them all, by taking the Israeli incursion into Gaza and using it as an opportunity to parlay the term "Humanitarian Crisis" as frequently and inappropriately as a Peter Griffin one-liner gone awry on Family Guy.

While Kathie Lee and Hoda drooled over Perez Hilton's celeb gossip and Drew Carey hugged yet another poorly t-shirted mug for a $1.99, the top notch reporters over at CNN covered all four sides of the bombed U.N. School in Gaza--North, South, East & West--without once noticing the terrorists poking out of all four corners! That's accuracy in reporting; where's the Pulitzer Prize Committee when you need them?

I'm sure Paula Hancocks would've mentioned the fact that Hamas fighters were shooting at the IDF long before the IDF retaliated by bombing the building... if she weren't so busy talking about that "Humanitarian Crisis." I'm positive Christianne Amanpour would've spent more than a passing moment on the three month old Israeli baby wounded in a Hamas rocket attack if she weren't so busy talking about the loads of Palestinian children killed in that IDF bombing because they were being used as human shields (another thing Christianne conveniently forgot to mention). And I'm sure Rick Sanchez would have talked about how that UN school employed Hamas militants as school teachers if he weren't so busy interrogating an Israeli spokesperson with the comment: "Now, I checked with Human Rights Watch and confirmed your claim that Hamas uses children as human shields, but, even so, knowing this--should Israel target these places?" I think Rick should win an award. He can be the first foreign reporter allowed in Gaza. Go, Rick, Go!

CNN spent their day hammering Israel with more guilt than a series of Popes has lacquered onto Catholics for 2,000 years while, at the same time, making a special point of reporting that Senate Democrats were not "mean spirited" when they kicked "Blago"'s infamous "you'd better replace the only black Senator with another black man" Senate pick out of Congress.

Wait, so let me get this straight. The two main stories are:

1. Israel putting their lives on the line to ensure the safety of their people after four years of endless rocket barrages by terrorists groups who have no problem stating they want Israel and America dead--and that's a "Humanitarian Crisis."

2. Senate Democrats, members of a party created to ensure a state's right to legislate slavery, tell a party member to go home and we need journalistic insight to remind us that this isn't "a black thing."

But, in the end, what is really important is what Miley Cirus is wearing to prom. That's about as informed a news story as France attempting to get Syria involved in the mythical ceasefire negotiations. Maybe Miley is taking the slack-jawed ophthalmologist to the after party!

The American media is on drugs. That is the only viable explanation for the sheer lunacy exhibited by these television networks. It is as if they know their world is ending, but they anti-depressants keep bouncing them back through denial, anger, and bargaining, instead of onward to accepting the fact that life as Americans know it is over. Perhaps the media is just too afraid to face the fact that they are America's own homegrown suicide bombers; after all, nothing is a greater Humanitarian Crisis than a mainstream media that has been converted into a propaganda machine. Just ask Goebbels, or Reifenstahl, or the six million dead Jews who now haunt the increasingly violent pro-Hamas/anti-Israel rallies springing up across Europe.

THE REAL NEWS:

Live Blogging with Pictures from the Muqata.

Headlines from Aliyah! Step by Step: Making a Life in Israel (go to blog to read all):

Reuters exclusive-Gaza UN school headmaster was Islamic Jihad "rocket-maker"

Yesterday Hamas fired upon, hijacked humanitarian aid trucks

Missile launchers, anti-tank missiles found in Gaza schoolyard (updated)

Terrorists’ rockets extend range to Gedera, infant injured

Palestinian reporters in Gaza: Hamas leaders behaving like Osama bin Laden

Hamas stealing medical supplies from Gaza hospitals

A report from An Unsealed Room:

...A senior IDF officer in the Gaza Strip said, "Many houses in the area are booby-trapped and underground tunnels were built under them meant to enable the kidnapping of soldiers."

According to the officer, forces discovered a booby-trapped mosque, and among the weapons, found motorcycles meant to be used for kidnapping soldiers.

Brilliant observations by Imshin on Not a Fish:

Have you noticed that since the ground operation started, the IDF has been less careful, and not at all apologetic, about civilian casualties among Palestinans? There is apparently a reason for this, as regrettable as are any civilian deaths, especially those of children.

Someone explained it on TV. Apparently, this is one of the important lessons of the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006, in which our soldiers’ lives were on occasion compromised, apparently, in order to minimize the danger for Lebanese civilians.

Hence the incident in the UNWRA school today, which, according to the IDF, was being used as a launching pad for mortars against our soldiers, at the same time as it was providing refuge for civilians. Just another Hamas war crime, I believe.

This IDF policy doesn’t mean that no soldiers will be killed, as we have been seeing with great sadness, but at least they won’t be killed in order to save Palestinian lives.

The truth must be told. Precious as those Palestinian lives may be, they are not more precious to us than the lives of our boys. No Israeli mother should have to lose her child, because our enemies use other mothers’ children as human shields in wartime.

Biographies of the IDF Soldiers who have given their lives in this battle for the safety of Israel and the world from A Soldier's Mother.

An Overview of the Israeli Public's reaction to Operation Cast Lead @ Occidental Israeli.

A five minute doc on the buildup of Hamas in Gaza since Israel left in 2005. [Kippa-Tip to Oleh Girl.]

Over @ Forecast Highs a fairly thorough analysis of what lies ahead for the IDF--as for my two cents, the IDF should fight like Yhoshua--with complete faith. March around Gaza City. My prayers are that HaShem shines a light on all the traps-- much like the day He kept the sun in its place until the fighting was over and Yhoshua and Israel claimed the victory. It can happen again-- we just need to have faith.

An amazing observation on the media's interpretation of Israel by David Bogner @ Treppenwitz. What does this say to world Jewry? Will this battle inspire the kind of Zionism and pride evident after the Six Day War? Will we run with it this time?

Stay Updated with Israeli Bloggers to get the real scoop about what is going on... the American mainstream media is off their rocker.

Watching & Waiting: Important Links

2009-01-05T18:31:00.003-05:00

Media Backspin liveblogs the media bias 'round the world.

Israel Matzav, IsraellyCool, and The Muqata are all liveblogging the war from Israel.

Focus on Ashkelon blogs the day's events from Ashkelon where the rockets are falling.

A Soldier's Mother sends a list of wounded soldiers to pray for.

Not a Fish posts their everyday Israeli observations on the climate of war...a great report.

More to come...

IsraelMatzav: Love the Live Blogging!

2009-01-03T17:33:00.003-05:00

Carl in Jerusalem is LiveBlogging the ground invasion: IsraelMatzav

From the latest (12:20 am) post: "Israel Radio reported tonight that Hamas admitted that it cannot win a war against Israel. But it hopes that in the next few days, the IDF will see that it cannot control the rocket fire and that it cannot accomplish its goals.

Sounds like they're trying to lower expectations."

Heh heh heh. Where'd they make that announcement from? Under a kid's bed in the hospital?

From the midnight post: "Paratroopers continuing to operate on rocket sites - the former Jewish towns of Nisanit, Dugit and Elei Sinai. Yet another reason why expelling Jewish residents from Gaza a bad, bad mistake."

Barak is sticking to portraying this as a protracted conflict. It looks like, after endless rocket attacks, an impeachment, and a total inability to create a coalition, the government might just have learned their lesson when it comes to world government-proposed ceasefires.

Keep it coming, Carl... May all the IDF be blessed as they are surrounded by the heavenly armies and their leaders led by Adonai Tzvaot.

Speaking of prayer, David Bogner @ Treppenwitz has the full IDF prayer in Hebrew and English. Here's the English:

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our God from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May Hashem cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor. May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you. Now let us respond: Amen.

Eerily Quiet on the Information Front

2009-01-01T16:21:00.003-05:00

In this postmodern era of 24 hour information and updates, we're used to a news cycle that moves fast and often declares wars to be over before they've even started.

Not this time.

The media has been strangely quiet over the past week since the IDF bombings of Gaza began. It isn't that they haven't covered the story...it's that the updates are rather few and far between, and contain very little new information.

The IDF have generally handled themselves exceedingly well regarding media relations. There are no Geraldos on the front, drawing up battle maps on prime time news for every enemy with a Satellite dish or cable connection to download and transmit at whim. The IDF distributes information carefully and sparingly. Now, however, there are some additional factors at play that greatly assist Israel's ongoing battle with the mainstream media and world opinion.

1. The holidays. No major American news network wants to talk about Israel bombing the crap out of terrorists on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. It took a full half-hour for Fox News to even talk about the story on New Year's Eve. Outside of reporting on Israel's rejection of France's ceasefire proposal, CNN and the Big Three didn't mention Israel's raids at all during the 7-8 am EST hour I caught. Which is odd, since a major Middle Eastern war on the horizon would, in most people's minds, carry a lot more weight than, say, a report on hip New Year's Eve party outfits.

2. The Israeli Elections. Olmert and Livni may have been ready and willing to accept a Quartet ceasefire in Lebanon in 2006, but right now, their party is on the line. So is Bibi's. With elections less than 2 months away, and statistics showing that the majority of Israelis want the rockets to stop--even if that means a ground invasion--no political official is going to write away their chance to stay at the top now.

3. The Last Days of the Bush Administration. Bush's tacit support of Israel and condemnation of Hamas is something no Israeli government would count on from Obama. Israel knows their time to act is limited.

The best analysis I've seen/heard so far came from John Bolton on Hannity & Colmes earlier this week. IsraelMatzav has a rundown with video here.
I agree with Bolton; as long as Israel continues to hold her own despite world opinion to the contrary, this very well may lead to a greater battle in the region. Reporting from the Gaza/Israel border today, Fox News correspondent David Lee Miller sounded shaken, to say the least. At points, he sounded terrified. I've been watching this guy cover the region for years, and I've never heard that kind of wavering in his voice. Perhaps, at this 11th hour, Israel is finally shoving world opinion aside and taking the bull by the horns. That doesn't mean the battle will be easy, but that is what has to be done. The entire free world should be grateful that, yet again, a small band of Jews are standing up to the enemies of the same freedoms we so readily take for granted and often too easily give away. Truth be told, we owe these men and women our lives. Perhaps, one day, when things get bad enough in America, Americans will realize that. Until then, the conflict will build here.

It's already starting. Just check out the latest posts on Atlas Shrugs. The Muslim outcry is so well orchestrated, it is as if they've just been waiting in the wings to pounce in protest the first time the Jews dare lift a finger to defend themselves. Watch out, America. You're about to inaugurate a Hussein. If you think Freedom of Speech is being abused now...you'd better wake up and realize your dark days are just ahead of you.

For some reason it doesn't seem to bother most Americans that Muslims and Muslim-supporters have gathered in New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Dearborn, and other cities across the U.S. to stage large, anti-Israel protests. I urge anyone reading this blog to take a look at one blogger's experience attending a pro-Israel rally, wherein they were termed "Jew Faggot" by Palestinian supporters:

I was also informed by several other supporters of the Palestinian cause that I was a dog, a pig, a monkey, inhuman, the son of a whore, and that I deserved to be shot, gutted, slashed open, have my children killed, and see my wife raped.

This pro-Israel blogger was one of 100 people standing up against 3,000 well organized Palestinian supporters from a number of radical hate groups--groups that have been organizing under our nose for years, unabated.

I have reading for the New Year sitting by my bed:

STEALTH JIHAD by Robert Spencer
AMERICAN JIHAD by Steven Emerson
WHILE EUROPE SLEPT by Bruce Bawer
...along with a review of PREACHERS OF HATE by Ken Timmerman

This is where America is heading. Only by the grace of God and His blessing on the Israeli military at this crucial hour can we even hope anything will be different.

May God bless the Israel Defense Forces and fight on their behalf for all of our sakes. Not that the world has ever done much for God or the nation of Israel-- the simple truth is that if we do not rely on Him and His people now, no one will be left.

Best Chanukah EVAR!

2008-12-29T17:27:00.005-05:00

Chanukah Wrapup:

1 "Shema Yisrael" necklace: EXCELLENT.
4 Sarit Hadad CD's: FABULOUS.
300 Hamas terrorists bombed out of Gaza: PRICELESS.

There are some things gelt can buy.
For everything else, there's the Israeli Military.

Great Resources for Staying Updated on Israel:

Israeli Bloggers in English is a complete listing of Israeli bloggers who blog in English-- most are olim from North America.

Israel Matzav a favorite, this blog is managed by Carl in Jerusalem, an olim from Boston.

Sabra @ Heart A New Yorker who lives in Israel.

Many of these blogs have linked a post by Niv Calderon, who is starting a "Help Israel on Social Media" movement: go to his homepage for details. Basically, the idea is to stand up for Israel on social networking tools like facebook, myspace, twitter, etc., especially when these forums are referenced by major news sources-- i.e. Rick Sanchez's 3 pm EST spot on CNN. It's a great idea. With the protests going on worldwide, we need to get our pro-Israel voices heard.

And here's a Chanukah present to you: Hanukkah Hey Ya!

Of Miracles and Lights

2008-12-21T11:15:00.003-05:00

The greatest Hanukkah lesson I heard taught this year was from Rabbi David Wolpe, who remarked on the idea that miracles begin when human beings step out in faith. Were it not for the faith of the person who hid the oil, or the faith of those who lit the menorah on that first night, HaShem would never have been given the opportunity to reveal Himself in Spirit and in Truth. Miracles happen because we are willing to step out in faith; they do not drop from the sky upon our asking or manifest because we wish for them to happen.

We have grown soft in our comfortable, modern existence. We have grown susceptible to anti-Biblical ideologies because we are so distanced from the lives of the men and women written about in Scripture. We are cushioned by our own construct of reality, a structure that has carefully boarded out any remnant of the discomforts of our past. We fool ourselves into thinking that talking is action, forgetting that actions testify to the words we speak. We congratulate ourselves for forging alliances over breakfast tables that begin to decay by dinnertime. We have created for ourselves a very silly, sad and foolish world. Most frighteningly, we have put our faith in our creation.

Miracles happen because we are willing to stand up for what is right. The Maccabees had a false reality imposed upon them, one that contradicted everything they knew to be true and right. The Greek reality was the antithesis of who they were as Israelites. So, they fought back. It meant blood, injury, death. It was gruesome, ugly, fearful. It lasted more than a half hour, day, week, or month. It was not ended by third party negotiation or compromise. Judah Maccabee and his ragtag guerilla army of rebels, out-manned and out-flanked, won because they believed in a reality greater than any human being could ever create and couch themselves in. They won because they stepped out in faith--politically, religiously, and culturally.

And when the Jewish people can once again step out in that kind of all-encompassing faith, we will win, because our G-d has already claimed the victory.

Chanukah Sameach. This year, don't just light the lights. Strike a spark in your neshama and fight back.

Why Should She Apologize?

2008-12-16T22:00:00.003-05:00

Sarah Palin's church in Wasilla, Alaska, was set on fire. According to the Greta Van Susteren report, "About $1 million worth of damage has been done to the Wasilla Bible Church. An accelerant has been found at the scene." Women and children were in the church at the time the fire was set. Now, investigators are looking into a possible case of arson.

And Sarah Palin apologizes to the Assistant Pastor for any negative attention the church may have garnered as a result of her VP bid.

Why? Why should Sarah Palin apologize? She didn't cause this. She didn't cause Tina Fey's asinine impression to become the Top Quote of 2008. She didn't cause nasty t-shirts to be printed that said "She puts the C*nt Back in Country". She didn't cause the McCain staffers to badmouth her after they lost the election. She didn't cause any of the foul, cruel things that were said about her and her family. Sarah Palin didn't do one thing to cause any of the foul behaviors that have been unleashed upon her since she came on the national stage.

The Governor also commented on the current Illinois governor situation, stating: "You cannot be in this business of public service with anything but a servant's heart. Otherwise, you know, you need to get out."

Man, what class. I want to hear more from this woman, sans apologies. As far as I'm concerned, Sarah Palin is the one public figure in this election who has absolutely nothing to apologize for.

My heart and prayers go out to the Wasilla Bible Church. This Jew wishes them the Happiest Christmas on record.

One Nation, Thanks to God

2008-12-14T16:12:00.003-05:00

U.S. now only 2 states away from rewriting Constitution [WorldNetDaily]

Will it happen? My guess is, probably not. A Constitutional Convention would be way too public a place for such radical changes in legislation to be made. The Obama camp will just wait until their man is in office and start pummeling encryption through Congress during Byrd's endless repartee on the Magna Carta, no doubt. Seriously, though, a Constitutional Convention. Half of Obama's voters don't even know what that is, let alone what it could mean. "Hope won" all right: Hope in Destruction.

What the WND article does point out are some valuable facts regarding Obama's ideology of "redistribution" and how that will impact his administration's interpretation of the Constitution and makeup of the Supreme Court. A rep from the American Policy Institute remarked on the possibilities of a new Constitutional Convention, stating:

"This is a horrible time to try such a crazy scheme," the policy center said. "The majority of U.S. voters just elected a dedicated leftist as president. … Our uniquely and purely American concept of individual rights, endowed by our Creator, would be quickly set aside as an anachronistic relic of a bygone era; replaced by new 'collective' rights, awarded and enforced by government for the 'common good.'

The article also notes that an associate of one of Obama's cohorts published a paper on eliminating the "natural born citizen" clause regarding the Presidency just two years after Obama won his Senate seat. Given the fact that a dozen or so lawsuits regarding Obama's questionable citizenship status are now on the books- 2 of which hit the Supreme Court to no avail- it's no wonder the Obamites are arguing:

"The natural born citizen requirement in Article II of the United States Constitution has been called the 'stupidest provision' in the Constitution, 'undecidedly un-American,' 'blatantly discriminatory,' and the 'Constitution's worst provision,'" Herlihy begins in her introduction to the paper titled, "Amending the Natural Born Citizen Requirement: Globalization as the Impetus and the Obstacle."

You know, I once thought of becoming an English major. I psyched myself up, reading all of this Brit Lit and remembering how much I despised Chaucer and loved Shakespeare. To keep up my momentum, I rented a couple of Lit Studies-related movies: Educating Rita and The Student Prince. The former, a character study starring Michael Caine and Julie Waters, ended with the protagonist- a working class woman who sought to "better" herself through education- realizing that putting her faith in Lit was never going to make her happy. Of course, this was after her bohemian roommate attempted suicide and her alcoholic professor lost his job for seeking solace in the bottle between classes. The latter, a Masterpiece Theater deal starring Robeson Green, ended with the fictitious Prince of Wales renouncing his throne, proclaiming himself "a citizen of the world" and becoming a hyper-absorbed tree-dweller, dressed like a maniac and screaming, "More trees, less people!" from the limbs. Needless to say, I lost all my motivation. Not because of the movies, but because of the ideology behind them. "Life is meaningless." "Citizen of the world." What garbage. The last thing I needed to do was join that school of thought.

The same goes for the school of politics. You can follow as much news as you like, but at the end of the day, you really have no power to change anything. In fact, you wind up getting sick of people more often than not, and how helpful is that mentality? Even the high-powered bloggers mainly just report other peoples' news. Sure, it's good that the news is getting out there, and that we've still got a free soapbox to stand on, but in the end it won't affect real political change.

Something struck me in that API quote re-printed above. It went something like this: "Our uniquely and purely American concept of individual rights, endowed by our Creator,". Here, let me re-word it for you: "Individual rights" being "Endowed by a Creator" is a "uniquely and purely American concept". Not many people will argue with that statement. Hardcore conservatives will call you un-American if you say anything to the contrary, and nutbag leftists will argue that conservatives are "misinterpreting the statement for their own nefarious purposes" (thereby employing a grand Marxist tactic: blaming your enemy for your own faults). However, neither group will argue that this concept began with American democracy.

But, what if the idea of a benevolent Creator who bestowed freedom on all human kind didn't begin with America? What if that idea began long before America was established as a nation, or even as a group of colonies, or even as a known land mass? That would make the concept more eternal than the nation itself, wouldn't it? And separating the concept from the nation would also negate the notion that by changing the way the nation governs you could change the nation's perception of God and free will.

Conservatives need to stop seeking American salvation through political methodology. Politics is nothing more than the waging of human power. If conservatives believe that we are endowed by a Creator with individual rights, then why are they seeking their salvation from human beings? Right now, the voters have put into power a man who believes in the power of men to rule over other men. This is the way our nation will be governed for the next four years. But that does not mean that our Creator-endowed rights will be thrown out the window. Our Creator and our rights existed long before Obama or any of his cronies came into this world. You want to talk globally? Fine. Our Creator who gave us our rights knew you would long before the History Channel ever encouraged anyone to "globalize" themselves, which technically would indicate that He coined the term long before Karl Marx, the Student Prince, or B. Hussein took their first goose-step.

Over the course of the next Presidential administration we will see more than many legislative attempts to take away our rights. However, what this administration will continue to fail to realize is that our rights are not theirs to take away. Our rights are Divinely endowed as is our freedom to say so. The only one taking away any of their individual rights will be the individual who is foolish enough to grant that Higher Authority to an elected official instead of God.

Current Events: Israel Shall Rise Again

2008-12-08T19:53:00.002-05:00

While Obama is "is "feigning" a centrist position on some issues so he can ultimately push through a radical agenda" the IDF is "drawing up options for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities that do not include coordination with the United States" according to the Jerusalem Post. In the meantime, Bibi Netanyahu is preparing for the February elections in Israel. Many worry that Bibi will seek to form a more left-leaning coalition, possibly to make his ticket more palatable to Israelis worried about working with an Obama administration. Of course, it is well known that there is no love lost between Netanyahu and the right wing Moshe Feiglin of the Manhigut Yehudit party, who is running for a seat in Likud. Feiglin gave a patriotic interview, detailing his Torah-based outlook regarding Israel and Jewish identity to the Jerusalem Post, in which he said:

The watershed dividing Israeli society today is not territorial. Nor is it a question of Right vs Left, religious vs secular or security vs peace. It is a question of Jewish identity. Do we want to connect to our Jewish identity on a national and cultural level? Do we want it to be fundamental - the national wellspring - or do we want to escape it and treat it as some kind of burden?

and,

The point is that we can explain to the world over and over again how Western, modern and enlightened we are, and how we do everything in our power not to hurt women and children, etc., but it makes no difference. Because the other side says, “It’s mine,” and we are unable to say that. And if we’re not able to say that, we will lose it all - not Judea and Samaria, but Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Sderot. So, we have to educate the younger generation on the source of our right to live here at all. That source has to be based on Judaism. Basing it on the past 100 years is not enough. We have to base it on our history that goes back 4,000 years. We have to base it on the Book of Books from which the entire world derives its moral base. If we don’t do that, we’re lost.

Which I totally agree with. However, the Manhigut Yehudit platform advocates extremely strong Rabbinical views, including:

The Jewish leadership that we strive to establish is not the Messiah. But it is an immensely important step in the right direction. It is the forerunner of the Messiah and clears the way for his arrival.

and:

In order to address these issues [of Jewish Justice], the Torah directs us to appoint a king. The king institutes and presides over laws to govern his people in the areas not addressed by the Torah. The caveat of this principle is that any law passed by the king must be in strict accordance with Torah law. The Sanhedrin presides over rulings dealing with the laws of the Torah.

Which are more Rabbinic than they are Biblical in nature (Torah does not "direct" Israel to appoint a king. In fact, the reality is the complete opposite. Deuteronomy 17:14-15 states: "When you have entered the land Adonai your G-d is giving you, have taken possession of it and are living there, you may say, "I want to have a king over me, like all the other nations around me.' In that event, you must appoint as king the one whom Adonai your G-d will choose."

Later, in Deuteronomy 28:36, this king is referred to as, "your king whom you have put over yourselves".

In fact, the only time Israel is praised for having a king in Torah is in Numbers 23:21 which states, "...Adonai their G-d is with them and acclaimed as King among them...".

So, how is appointing an earthly king a Torah commandment? It isn't. G-d is pretty clear in I Samuel 8:6-9 about what He thinks about Israel's desire for a "king like other nations":

Adonai said to Samuel, "Listen to the people, to everything they say to you; for it is not you they are rejecting; they are rejecting Me; they don't want Me to be king over them. They are doing to you exactly what they have been doing to Me, from the day I brought them out of Egypt until today, by abandoning Me and serving other gods. So do what they say, but give them a sober warning, telling them what kinds of rulings their kings will make.

and, let's not forget I Samuel 10:19, "But today you have rejected your G-d, who himself saves you from all your disasters and distress. You have said to Him, 'No! Put a king over us!'"

Feiglin's Jewish Leadership party wants to pave the way for a Jewish monarchy because their Rabbinic-informed vision relies on the belief that Torah commands a King. They believe their actions will pave the way for the Messiah's arrival. How can enthroning a Jewish monarch pave the way for Messiah?

You tell me.

Real Jews Don't Pay Retail

2008-11-15T12:50:00.003-05:00

On the Inspiration Network they're running a telethon. The prize of the day: For a $700 gift you get a prayer shawl.

A tallit.

One of the most sacred cultural emblems of the Jewish faith.

You get it for $700 bucks.

Pure Jewish reaction: "You can get them for $50 straight from Israel! What kind of deal is that?"

Pure Messianic Jewish reaction: "Why are you co-opting my faith and making money off of my traditions? Didn't that whole 'They bargained for His robes' verse mean ANYTHING to you at ALL?"

Seriously. How much credibility do Jewish believers have when gentile believers take on these cultural elements and manipulate them for their own benefit? It's as bad as turning the Temple into a den of robbers. Although, it really shouldn't surprise me; gentiles have been re-hashing and manipulating Jewish scriptures to suit their own needs for roughly 2,000 years, right?

Now, Pastor Huch is wearing a talit and praying over phoned-in prayer requests, because "there's power in doing things according to God's instruction."

No, really? Like ripping innocent believers off by telling them they'll receive supernatural anointing if they unload their wallets into your hands? Since when did God charge for the gifts of the Spirit?

The talit is a metaphor, a symbol for the wings of God; it is used by many observant Jews as a kind of individual prayer closet; it is the mode by which we wear the tzitzit, commanded fringes that identify who we are and remind us of the holiness of Torah, our covenant with God. And these gentiles, who don't observe Torah, who don't identify with Israel or the responsibilities of our nation, and who, therefore, don't even know what tzitzit are- are being SOLD prayer shawls by a bunch of pastors who want MONEY for THEIR OWN PURPOSES, INCLUDING A BUILDING FUND?

GOD'S GIFTS ARE FREE!

GOD'S GIFTS ARE FOR EVERYONE!

GOD REALLY DISLIKES SPIRITUAL LEADERS WHO ABUSE THEIR AUTHORITY!

One Pastor in the bunch explained, "God says He will bless us but we have to follow His commandments and tithe!"

Are you kidding me? Here's what people are hearing: "God will bless me if I give this holy man money. If I give this holy man money, I'll get the prayer shawls the Jews wear, and I'll have money like they do!"

No. No. No no no no no!!

Why aren't they just sharing the importance of Torah? Because it's hard. It's hard not to eat pork, or to put a Christmas tree in your house-- it's hard NOT to be like everyone else. I know-- I've been there. But, you know what? It's also an incredible blessing to know that you can be totally and completely independent. Torah is the founding document of spiritual, political, religious, social, economical, and national independence. That is the real reason why they don't teach Torah-- because if they did, these leaders would lose their authority over the people. Why? Because the people would catch on to the truth of their independence in HaShem and, suddenly, the authority they grant their pastors and spiritual leaders would be granted solely to HaShem.

"Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. Their task is to equip God's people for the work of service that builds the body of Messiah, until we arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by God's perfection." - Ephesians 4:11-13

Pastors aren't meant to lead you through your life forever! Pastors are meant to guide you into an independent existence that trusts in HaShem!

Now, T.D. Jakes is talking about separating the wheat from the chaff and rebuking Satan. This is the same guy whose daughter's wedding was covered by Entertainment Tonight.

"Human being, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy! Tell them, the shepherds, that Adonai Elohim says this: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed the sheep? ...I am against the shepherds. I demand that they hand my sheep back to me. I will not allow them to feed the sheep, and they won't feed themselves either. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will be food for them no longer." - Ezekiel 34:2,10

Okay, Pastors. You want to embrace Torah? You want your Jewish roots? Then quit thinking that the prophets were only talking about the leaders of ancient Israel. You're the shepherds, aren't you? And if you can wear a prayer shawl, you must think Torah-- ALL of God's words-- apply to you, right?

Start acting like it. Quit abusing the traditions of my faith for your own nefarious purposes. Quit abusing my people for the sake of your pocket. And quit abusing all of those true-hearted believers out there who really do want to understand why their Messiah is referred to as the Living Torah.

Remember, you believers: God's gifts are free. Yeshua paid the price. If you want to truly respect and understand what that means, you'll embrace the covenant--Torah-- and in doing so you'll come to understand that you weren't put on this earth to throw your hard-earned money at a bunch of glamorous church leaders who do nothing more for you OR God but throw familiar epithets in your face. Don't rely on leaders- BE a leader. That's what God has commanded of you.

Obamination

2008-11-05T12:45:00.002-05:00

Via IsraelMatzav:

Jewish Fools in America:

An astounding 78% of American Jews voted for President-elect Barack Hussein Obama in Tuesday's Presidential election despite professing concern about terror attacks and the economy. More Jews voted for Obama than voted for John Kerry in 2004 and a higher percentage of Jews than Catholics or Protestants voted for Obama on Tuesday.

JPost Reports: 76% of American Voters in Israel Vote McCain

I've already talked extensively about aliyah if Obama were to be elected. Now, the idea takes on a new cultural relevance: I have more in common with 76% of Israeli Jews than with 78% of Jewish Americans.

The Truth Behind the Obama-Khalidi-McCain Triangle

2008-10-30T10:54:00.002-04:00

Obama befriended Rashid Khalidi who, despite the weak-minded and poorly argued persistence of Kirsten Powers on Fox & Friends this A.M., is a terrorist. According to Mona Charen @ NRO:

Khalidi was a spokesman for the PLO in the 1970s, when the organization was officially designated as a "Terrorist" group.

and,

"Khalidi, who has called Israel an “apartheid” state and who defends the right of Palestinians to use violence against Israel, founded a group called the Arab American Action Network."

What has been printed about the infamous 2003 dinner party are Obama's remarks about the close relationship his family had with the Khalidis, and how that friendship impacted the way he thought about, shall we say, foreign relations:

A special tribute came from Khalidi’s friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi’s wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking. ...His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been “consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases. . . . It’s for that reason that I’m hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation — a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid’s dinner table,” but around “this entire world.”
Perhaps that is why Obama was one of 22 Senators who voted AGAINST a 2007 Resolution declaring Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist force.

Perhaps that is why Obama declared he would meet Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad WITHOUT preconditions.

Perhaps that is why, less than 24 hours after declaring support for Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem at this year's AIPAC conference, Obama told CNN that Jerusalem was up for negotiation.

Doug Ross @ Journal reports, according to a reliable source: Saw a clip from the [2003 dinner/LA Times] tape. Reason we can’t release it is because statements Obama said to rile audience up during toast. He congratulates Khalidi for his work saying “Israel has no God-given right to occupy Palestine” plus there’s been “genocide against the Palestinian people by Israelis.” [Hat Tip: Israpundit]

More than just words over the dinner table have passed between Obama and Khalidi. According to the same NRO article:

"When Obama served as a director of the Woods Fund in 2001 and 2002, the foundation donated $75,000 to the AAAN, for projects like an “oral history” project on the “Nakbah,” which translates as “catastrophe,” and is the name Palestinians use for the birth of Israel."

and,

"Khalidi held a fundraiser for Obama when the latter ran for Congress in 2000..."

Obama does not deny any of this took place. His campaign's only rebuttle to the incriminating videotape is that John McCain chaired the board of the International Republican Institute, one of four organizations created by the National Endowment for Democracy, with the purpose of assist in establishing and building democratic governments across the globe, when the group granted funds to Khalidi's "Center for Palestine Research and Studies". According to the Chicago Tribune:
During the 1990s, while McCain served as chairman of the International Republican Institute, the group distributed several grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, including a $448,873 grant in 1998 to his Center for Palestine Research and Studies for work in the West Bank.And, since 1993, when McCain joined IRI as chairman, the group funded several studies run by Khalidi's group in the Palestinian territories, including more than 30 public opinion polls. Khalidi helped found the center, "an independent academic research and policy analysis institution."
The Center for Palestine Research and Studies has no official website, but comes under the heading of CIPE- The Center for International Private Enterprise, a sister-institution to the IRI. According to the CIPE website:
The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy and a non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since 1983, CIPE has worked with business leaders, policymakers, and journalists to build the civic institutions vital to a democratic society.
So, let me get this straight:

Obama is trying to compare his close friendship with Rashid Khalidi, replete with family dinners, honorary speeches, and monitary exchanges, to McCain having sat on the Board of an Institution created to promote Democracy that granted monies to a man who claimed to be promoting Democracy among a people enslaved, and then distributed said monies to that man's organization through a sister-institution?

Obama used the Woods Fund to grant monies to a Khalidi project that was openly and pointedly anti-Israel and anti-Jewish.

McCain was one of many board members to grant monies to a Khalidi project that claimed to desire the promotion of a democratic attitude among the Palestinian people.

Obama knew Khalidi's anti-Israel philosophy because they talked about it over dinner.

Has McCain ever shared so much as a Tic-Tac with Khalidi?

The only thing McCain and his fellow board members are guilty of is believing that a Palestinian wanted to better the lives of his own people. We've learned a lot since the 1990s, and we've learned a lot more in the past week about those who befriend Khalidi and terrorists like him.

Kirsten Powers tried to defend Obama's relationship with Khalidi with the argument that you can be friends with someone and still have differing points of view. The question that immediately came to my mind was this: Has Kirsten Powers ever been told she's not good enough to walk this planet? Has she ever had a friend threaten to wipe her family "into the sea" and then laughed about it and invited them to join her for dinner next Tuesday night? Probably not.

So many pundits are already commenting on the momentous nature of this election. Perhaps it is because Americans-- real Americans who value their freedoms and their identities-- are learning who their true friends really are.

Friends Don't let Friends Vote Obama.

Cross-posted at The Jewish Cowgirl

This Says It All

2008-10-29T08:55:00.001-04:00

Via Drudge

Redemption in Obama's "Jesus Story"

2008-10-28T19:12:00.005-04:00

Greek columns. Fanfare. Shouting, jumping, and rolling in the aisles.

I'm not talking about a revival meeting in a megachurch; I'm talking about just an average day on the Obama campaign trail.

Now, in a desperate attempt to woo Christians to the left, a PAC called "The Matthew 25 Network" has cropped up to cast B. Hussein Obama in a holy light. Not like Louis Farrakhan did when he dubbed B. Hussein the Islamic Messiah, oh no. M25N wants to bless Obama in a more, shall we say, Judeo-Christian fashion.

One might be tempted to ask how a Christian PAC go about appropriating Matthew 25, a chapter about unprepared Virgin Brides with no oil for their lamps, paranoid servants making unwise investments, and the Messiah separating the sheep from the goats at the second coming, to endorse Barack Obama.

Sure, the organization performs some quick exegesis, taking from the chapter one verse that comes in handy, in this case, verse 40: "The King will say to them, 'Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!'," a verse rich in moral teaching when placed in perspective. But, one might inquire as to the relevance of verse 41 that reads: "Then he will also speak to those on his left saying, 'Get away from me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels!'"

Somehow, interpreting that verse in light of the current political climate might cause more than one Bible-believing voter to think twice before associating the most left-leaning Senator in this nation's history with Jesus Christ.

And yet, that is exactly the association a Matthew 25 Network representative made this morning on CNN. "Barack Obama's got a Jesus story," were his exact words.

A "Jesus Story"? What exactly is a "Jesus Story" anyway? As far as I know, there is only one Jesus Story because there is only one Jesus. I happen to think of Him as an Israeli carpenter from Judea who fulfilled the prophetic words in Torah (Genesis 22) and the prophets (Isaiah 53) regarding the Messiah who would come to redeem Israel and the nations.

Liberals, however, happen to think of him as an African-American who grew up as a Muslim in Indonesia, purposefully surrounded himself with "radicals" including "Marxist professors" during his college years, and whose ideology fulfills the Marxist axiom, "From each according to his ability to each according to his needs."

Now there's a guy to whom I want to bow.

Hey, they hail him in Germany:

That's always a good sign ...right?

My Jesus had working schlubs-- fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes-- for followers. Sure, they gave up their bad habits and all they owned to devote their lives to serving their Messiah and living out the principles He taught them, including humility and servitude towards one another and their neighbor through great personal sacrifice.

The Liberals' messiah has cultured, educated, traveled, professional men and women working for him. Sure, they embrace murder and general acts of terrorism both in America and against American allies abroad, destruction, fraud, racism, anti-Semitism and generalized hatred, but they've given their lives to their causes. In fact, at least one of them still wishes he could do more, insisting that he and his wife "haven't done enough."

My Jesus was sacrificed for world redemption.

The Liberals' messiah would like to sacrifice Americans in order to redeem world opinion.

My Messiah preached personal freedom through an end to slavery.

The Liberals' messiah preaches enslavement through an end to personal freedom.

From Glenn Beck [via Israpundit]:

Gang, this is the final warning. I mean it. This is the final warning. You cannot become — you cannot get any clearer on what is coming. It amazes me day after day after day after day that America just doesn’t seem to care anymore, but you cannot get any clearer. If this is out here and this man is elected, you are going to elect the most arrogant Marxist who will not be stopped because he came into office fully uncovered. Every — do not pretend to be shocked when we begin to see a Marxist and who I believe will become a fascist President. And he will become fascist because he will not understand how you suddenly don’t want to become Marxist.

My Messiah identified with and has a strong love for Israel and the Jewish people.

The Liberals' messiah identifies with and has a strong love for the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people.

Barack Obama Accepted Jeremiah Wright’s and Michael Pfleger’s Endorsement

...Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country’s policy toward Iran, that would be "very problematic."

Obama Advisor Suggested that the U.S. Attack Israel

MSM Holds Video Of Barack Obama Attending Jew-Bash & Toasting a Former PLO Operative…

Today, a "Jewish American Senior" asked Joe the Plumber, "Am I right in saying that an Obama Presidency would mean Death to Israel?"

Joe the Plumber, an average working-class middle American said, "Yes, I'd have to agree with you on that."

Somehow, when it comes to Jesus, Barack Obama just can't measure up.

And, yet, Americans are being led to believe that, come November 4th, they will crown their Messiah.

So, dear voter, who is your God?

Hit a Jew Day

2008-10-27T10:47:00.002-04:00

Shocked by the CNN report logged at Israel Matzav, I Googled, and sure enough: It is "Hit a Jew Day" in Missouri [SperoNews]

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), concerned over reported incidents targeting Jewish students at Parkway West Middle School in the suburbs of St. Louis MO, will meet with school officials on October 24 to discuss implementing an anti-bias education and response. A number of Jewish students at the school were hit by fellow classmates during the week October 12-18 on what the students called "Hit a Jew Day."

...The incident began during the school’s “Spirit Week” that included Hug a Friend Day, High Five Day, Hit a Tall Person Day, to Hit a Jew Day. Many such schools celebrate their Spirit Week similarly, with Cross-Dressing Day, Camouflage Day, or Pajamas Day, etc.

IsraelMatzav ends his blog entry with a warning: "If you're Jewish, you don't want to be on the streets next Tuesday night if John McCain wins the election. You just know they're going to blame the Jews."

Is his reaction heavy-handed superstition?

Can we afford to define it as such?

Obama has friendly and financial relationships with a number of anti-Israel/anti-Jewish activists including Edward Said and PLO terrorist Rashid Khalidi, of whom Obama spoke very highly:

Barack Obama also praised the former PLO operative during the event. And, Obama confessed that his family often shared dinner with the Khalidis:
His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases... It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation -- a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table," but around "this entire world."
...The event was videotaped, and a copy of the tape was obtained by The Times. Khalidi and the Obamas were great friends in Chicago and often shared meals together.

...The LA Times has video of Obama toasting a former PLO operative at a Jew-bash but will not release the video.

...Charles Johnson adds that Weather Underground terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn attended the same 'dinner.'

I hate authors who quote themselves, but I'm going to do it here to make an important point. From Freedom's Current Crisis:

...A Lexis-Nexis news database search of 40 years worth of major American newspaper archives returns one article detailing the timeline of transactions between Castro and the PLO. Please note that, unless otherwise stated, all quotes and facts come from Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s concisely detailed article "Castro’s Link to the PLO" printed in The Washington Times on July 24, 1990.

"The ties between communist Cuba and the PLO go back at least to 1966, when Mr. Castro hosted the Tri-Continental Conference, which brought together more than 500 delegates from radical groups around the world, including the PLO, to devise an international strategy to counter 'American imperialism.' … The relationship between Mr. Castro and the PLO is mutually beneficial because each fits into the other's grand strategy. Diplomatically, politically and militarily, Castro and the PLO work hand-in-hand."

...In the late 1960s, the growing number of young militant communist factions in Europe traveled to Cuba, among other places, to train alongside Islamic militants and Arab insurgents from the PLO, Hamas, and similar organizations.

...Marxist groups aided the PLO in executing terrorist acts. In one instance, the Red Army Faction (formerly the Bader-Meinhoff Group, a collective of Marxist Germans) joined with the Black September Group to help murder Israeli Olympians during the 1972 Munich Olympics. In 1976, the PLO, along with a group of German dissidents, was unsuccessful in hijacking a plane at Nairobi International Airport. As a result, two of the German dissidents, Thomas Reider and Brigida Schultz, were arrested and jailed. The Entebbe hijack that occurred six months later was PLO retaliation for their allies’ imprisonment. (History International)

..."The PLO assists Marxist-Leninist guerrillas around the world because they see it as the best way to fight Israel's main ally, the United States. The intent is to drain U.S. energies and resources and to distract the United States from playing an active role in the Middle East."

...Ms. Ros-Lehtinen was, at the time, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She ended her article with the poignant words: "The PLO and Mr. Castro play a vital role in international terrorism, and the partnership between them must not be ignored."

Why wouldn't Ayers and Dorn attend a function in honor of a PLO terrorist? They probably trained alongside him as members of the Weather Underground!

Can Barack Obama's character be made any clearer?

Seriously?

What else do we need to do to illustrate his Marxism? Get him to wear an "I HEART FIDEL" or "ARAFAT 4-EVER" button below his much-discussed and miniscule American flag pin?

Marxism birthed communism, socialism, and fascism. These movements birthed Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Fascist Italy, Communist China, North Korea, Vietnam, the PLO, Castro's Cuba, the Weather Underground, the Black Power movement, Saddam's Iraqi regime, and, in part, Ahmadinnerjacket's Iran. Marxism has been the driving force of the liberal wing of the Democrat Party since the 1960s-- and has roots in that party that go back to the 1930s and before! (Just ask Whittaker Chambers.)

Can the connections be any clearer?

America, do you get it?

Hitler was elected.

Is that a heavy-handed comment?

Can we afford to define it as such?

Cross-posted at: The Jewish Cowgirl

Redemption in a Postmodern Era

2008-10-26T08:38:00.008-04:00

Every once in a while I click into this music video program called Steel Roots on Inspiration TV. Basically, it's a Christian version of MTV circa 1990-- you know, when they aired music videos and not gag-inspiring low-budget reality TV of their own making. Young VeeJays intermingle music videos with commentary and interviews with different Christian bands. Decent idea in theory, right?

The other day my mother walked into the room, took one look at the screen and said, "What are you watching? That looks sick!"

A group of men wearing black eyeliner, their tattoo-covered skin layered in black leather, were screaming into a microphone while graphics on the screen depicted what appeared to be some kind of tornado followed by a girl locking herself into a bathroom and rolling around on the floor.

"It's Christian music videos," I replied.

"What's Christian about that?" she asked, aghast.

The next video that came on was of a band in a dark warehouse. Again, all wearing black, some with tattoos, banging hardcore on drums and electric guitars/bass. The lead singer, a girl with more eyeliner than most raccoons I've seen wandering in the woods, kept slamming her head to the side in a freakish sort of way that made her look, well, dead. Seriously, every three words and slam her head would pop off to one side and she'd roll her eyes a bit as if she was a doll whose head just got ripped off by some nasty little kid. Again, I couldn't quite tell what they were singing about, but the vision of her eyes half rolled into the back of her head stuck with me. (I just had an involuntary shiver.)

Then, a third band came on. A group of young guys-- definitely no older than mid-20s-- were dressed as soldiers wandering through a field and camping out. The lyric that kept repeating was "You're my favorite disease". One kid-- the lead singer I guess-- ended the video by running away from his buddies and kneeling on a hill. The most I got out of the song was that they were equating Messiah with a disease.

Huh?

Just to make sure I heard them right, I Googled "Christian music" and "My Favorite Disease" and found out that the song was written by a band called THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH and the lyrics to the last verse go like this:

Sometimes I feel like a monster

And times I feel like a saint

I'm on my knees

You're my favorite disease

And I love to way you kill me

Love the way you heal me

I love the way you kill me

I love the way you heal me

I love the way you kill me

I love the way you heal me

I love the way you kill me

I love the way you heal me

I love the way you kill me

I still don't get it. Why is Messiah a disease?

Aren't diseases bad things?

Is Jesus a cancer to your system now?

Suddenly, cancer can be a good thing?

What?

I don't get it.

What I did get out of a half-hour of Christian MTV was that these bands are trying awfully hard to worship G-d while looking like every other secular rock band you see marketed today. Eyeliner? Tattoos? Bobble-heads? Comparing Jesus to death-causing agents?

Simply put, none of that makes sense.

"Oh, but you're being judgemental." I can hear the complaints now. "Are you going to judge a fellow brother or sister in Christ because they don't worship the way you do?"

No. If they want to scream into a microphone and render their worship unintelligible to all but G-d's ears, that is their choice. If they want to carve images and names all over their skin in total lack of respect for G-d's commandment not to, that is their choice. And if they want to parade around looking like death, acting like death, and comparing "the Light that gives Life" to death, that is their choice.

I am not the judge of the universe. The power of condemnation is not in my hands. Nor is the power of redemption.

I can't condemn someone for comparing Messiah to disease. But I can't redeem them and say it's a good comparison, either. Too often the "non-judgmental" wing of the Christian community is quick to condemn anyone who voices an opinion of disdain when it comes to radical decision making, especially among youth. To borrow a phrase from another era, the people who respond negatively to bobble-headed, mascara-laden disease praisers are often labeled as "The Man trying to get you down." They're tossed off as "traditional", "old", and worst of all, "opinionated" and "judgmental." "All truth is G-d's truth" many modern Christian writers, like Rob Bell and Mike Erre, like to say.

Yeshua is Truth. In fact, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But in repeating this axiom, many believers often interpret Yeshua as the Way to the Truth of Eternal Life-- and they stop there. Eternity is enough for them, which implies that once you've used your chance in this life to pick up your free pass, everything else you do and how you do it doesn't matter.

That doesn't make sense.

How many believers understand that Yeshua, their Messiah, also teaches the Truthful Way to live Life?

Actions speak louder than words.

If actions didn't matter, Yeshua never would have had to hang, bleeding in agony on a tree in a rainstorm.

If actions didn't matter, Yeshua never would have had to spend three years criticizing His own people for their unrighteous behavior and teaching His followers the way to eat, the way to pray, and the way to live their lives on this planet.

Yeshua's sacrifice is not a blank check you've been given to pay off the consequences of every bad action you take. Yeshua's sacrifice is the number one example of taking responsibility for the purpose G-d has for your life: To walk with Him in righteousness, even unto death, with full trust in the unseen fact of eternal life given through the grace of the only begotten Son of G-d.

In other words, your bad choices have been forgiven but you and you alone have been redeemed. Now, how you walk the walk is up to you, but G-d's forgiveness doesn't imply that you are suddenly held unaccountable for your actions. Yeshua didn't die on the execution stake to make everything okay. He didn't walk this earth as a rebel and leave His followers with a great commission to be like everyone else.

In fact, understanding and putting full faith in His forgiveness and grace implies acknowledging not only that you have done something wrong, but that you have dishonored G-d by doing so. So, why is it that so many believers hold onto the notion that since they've been forgiven, they can do whatever they please and Messiah makes it all okay?

Since when did the Son of G-d become a band-aid for your un-G-dly behavior?

There is such incredible zeal among young believers to live out their faith in Messiah in total and complete honesty. But they can't go around claiming everything is redeemed for Christ and call it kosher.

I once attended a worship service where the leader decided to follow a good hour and a half of praise music with "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles. My dad and I, the big Beatles fans we are, stared at one another with a mutual expression of, "What are they doing?"

"Yes! Love!" the leader proclaimed, "All we need is the love of Messiah!"

Yeah, but that's not what the Beatles were talking about when they penned the tune in 1967. They were talking about "free love," a love rooted in drugs, promiscuous sex, music, and the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I know. I saw the Anthology. So did everyone else who stood there, more than a little aghast.

As believers, we are so enamored with the truth that Yeshua's sacrifice has allowed G-d to forgive our past wrongs, to redeem us from our sins, that we tend to not only claim that redemptive power over our own lives, but over everyone and everything that we love.

But, we can't redeem.

We can't make it better.

We can't render the actions and work of others as just in G-d's eyes.

We can pray for people and we can pray that the truth we hear in music, in movies, and in all work produced is more powerful and pervasive than the lies that often accompany those truths, but we can't go around calling everything good.

It's a great thing to look for the good in this world, because Scripture states that, "Every good thing is from above." But, condemnation and redemption go hand-in-hand. You can't have one without the other and both belong to G-d. It's good that you don't want an attitude of condemnation pervading your believing community, but just as you recognize that you don't have the power to condemn everything as bad, you have to recognize that you don't have the power to redeem everything as good, either.

When the Beatles sang "All You Need is Love" they were singing an anthem of the Hippie movement. They were four guys with torrid private lives who openly used illegal drugs and participated in pagan religious activities. You may understand that G-d is love, but their love god was someone or something completely and utterly different.

When a rock band cakes on eyeliner, clads themselves in tattoos and black leather, and stares at a camera with eyes rolled to the back of their head, they might be singing about G-d (although that's even left to question) but they look like pagans.

When musicians talk about Messiah in terms of disease and death they use the antithesis to characterize the thesis of their professed faith.

Paul writes to the Corinthians, "'Everything is permitted,' you say? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. 'Everything is permitted?' Maybe, but not everything is edifying." How does looking, sounding, and analogizing like the secular world translate into being an effective witness for the truth of Messiah?

Paul goes on to write, "Well, whatever you do, whether it's eating or drinking or anything else, do it all so as to bring glory to G-d." In other words, Paul isn't saying that your actions will glorify G-d no matter what you do, he says that what you do should be motivated by the goal of glorifying G-d.

Does dressing, acting, or talking like you're dead glorify G-d?

No.

Does espousing a secular nature while professing Biblical belief glorify G-d?

Better yet, let me ask you this: Is our G-d the G-d of confusion?

Then why do you portray your faith in Him in such confusion?

Christian Media: Observations

2008-10-20T19:21:00.003-04:00

Larry Huch Ministries
Inspiration Television
Monday, October 20, 2008
7 pm EST

Selling "Prophecy Decoded," a six-CD series on prophecy from a "Jewish perspective."

Pastor Larry says it's the "best" prophecy series you'll ever listen to. He usually does not teach on prophecy because he used to think it was all doom and gloom, but after the anointing of G-d fell on him, Pastor Larry believes that end-time prophecy is exciting because "we will go out before the doom and gloom" -- "we will go out with a shout."

With your $40 purchase of Pastor Larry's CDs you'll receive a free gift- a bottle of anointing oil that Pastor Larry wants you to use on "your childrens' pillows, your husband's pillow, and your checkbook," so that your family and your finances will be "anointed for the end times."

You will also receive another free gift: An Israeli/American flags lapel pin, in order to show our support as Americans for Israel. Why? Because, in the Bible it says that G-d will bless those who bless Israel.

In the last segment, Pastor Larry reminds us that he knows from studying the Jewish roots of the Bible that you never come before G-d with empty hands. Now, we think of this when we think of going up to Jerusalem, but we know that when 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name, His presence is there. So, as Pastor Larry and his viewer(s) gather together through the television, he would like you to consider sowing a seed into his ministry.

7:30 -- Morris Cerullo is now telling us that in the years leading up to the financial crisis, "the L-rd led him" to issue "Financial Crisis Alerts" and he prays that "you have responded as I have directed you to" so that you can be ready financially for the end times.

His son, David, (who is the financial head of Inspiration TV) has written "Eve of Destruction" a book that questions whether or not this is the end of America.

You are also offered the "Save America Now" DVD: a prime time special broadcast before the last Presidential election and loaded with "anointed" performances by various Christian singers and pastors.

All these ministry resources can be yours for a suggested gift of $30 or more. These gifts will "inspire you, direct you, and keep you" during these turbulent times.

Cerullo ends with: "Please, don't procrastinate: Get into the cycle of what G-d has prepared for His people in these end times."

URGENT: A Night of Prayer & Fasting for America

2008-10-08T08:40:00.001-04:00

Tonight begins the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur. We gather together as a community to ask G-d for His mercy in forgiving our sins and blessing us with another year of life. Quick Biblical reference is Leviticus 23.

This year, Yom Kippur isn't just a Jewish thing.

Our nation is in serious need of G-d's mercy. We've got a "friend to the terrorists" running for President of the United States. Nothing is more serious than the possibility of a Hussein in the White House.

That's why I'm asking everyone who reads this blog--Jewish or not--to participate in a night of prayer and fasting for America. Since Yom Kippur starts at sundown, it can be as simple as skipping your nightly snack and humbling yourself for a few minutes before G-d in honest prayer.

Our nation is at stake. Can we do at least that much to help?

Pass it along to your friends, your family, your Pastors, and your Rabbis: tonight is a night to get serious before the Almighty and pray for this nation, to sacrifice a meal so we don't have to sacrifice our lives to the threat of a socialized government and anti-American ideologies both here and abroad receiving carte blanche from the highest office in the land.

Tonight. Sundown. Skip the snack and pray:

May G-d Bless America.

Cross-posted at The Jewish Cowgirl

Rethinking Christianity & Living Rabbinic Judaism

2008-10-07T21:07:00.003-04:00

My reading list never ends. Currently, 2 books popped into my sphere:

Provocative Faith by Matthew Paul Turner
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

I just finished the former and started the latter. I find it interesting that these young ministers are calling for a cultural re-think of faith in Messiah. What especially drew me to Bell's book were his uses of Jewish Biblical terms: tassels (tzitzit), Torah, and Shalom. I'm looking forward to seeing how he correlates these elements of Jewishness with his redefinition of Christian culture.

Essentially, what I'm sensing from this literature is a desire for a more living, vital faith. It's as if these young men know G-d and want to live their faith in Messiah, but they know that traditional Christian church culture isn't the way to do it. They want a practice that is less religious and more lifestyle-oriented, and they want it to be real and relevant to the way Messiah lived when He walked on earth. Is this a trend towards Biblical Judaism? I can only report on what I see, and when I see young people questioning church practices using Jewish terminology, I can't help but wonder about the direction of the culture of faith in Yeshua/Jesus with more than a little anticipation.

In the meantime, I've also completed Mark Kinzer's paper, Postmissionary Messianic Judaism: Three Years Later. In comparison to the two texts mentioned above, it seems that Kinzer's thinking is just as regressive as Turner's and Bell's is agressive.

Firstly, to compare the three texts is somewhat difficult, given that Turner and Bell wrote for a broad audience of everyday readers while Kinzer's work is penned for the realms of the Messianic and Christian academic elite. While Turner's and Bell's books contain clear, solid argumentation backed up by real life examples and scriptural citation, Kinzer's work is laden with language and argumentation fed by quotes of fellow academics and completely lacking in any Biblical citation whatsoever. The tone and style of these pieces clearly indicates their intended audiences, which causes me to question the motives behind Kinzer's work in particular. After all, if the radical cultural changes he proposes are so right-on for the movement as a whole, why not bring them to the people of the movement in a pallatable fashion? Why hide these assertions among the upper-echelons through the careful (and often confusing) use of academic language?

Secondly, while Turner and Bell question the structure and methodology of contemporary Christianity, Kinzer uses the structure and function of the contemporary Christian church as the basis for a historical analysis of the relationship between Judaism, the Jewish people, and the Christian church/faith. In true postmodern fashion, Kinzer ignores the facts and implications of 2,000 years of history and instead uses today as the launching point for the future of the Messianic movement. Can we really wipe away 2,000 years of history and start fresh when we all still wear the scars of our past?

Thirdly, while Turner and Bell are seeking to redefine their faith-identity through the Word of G-d, Kinzer is relying on the man-made authority structures inherent within the Christian Church and Rabbinic Judaism to develop a Messianic identity. Turner and Bell are seeking to break down religious structures that inhibit believers from walking in their faith, while Kinzer relies on the very same man-made structures to redefine a halacha with Yeshua.

This year, I attended Rosh haShanah services at my local Reconstructionist Temple. Why? Honestly, my boss offered me his ticket and the time off from work. Appreciative and always up for a cultural experience and a chance to interact with my fellow Jews, I took him up on the offer. Three and a half hours of solid liturgy later I sat on a hard wooden pew and felt as if my jaw were going to fall off. Despite the admirable levels of commitment exhibited by the packed house, it took all I had to retain the deep sense of joy I have in being a Jew.

Despite the incredible number of times the word Yeshua was prayed in the liturgy, Yeshua was not invited into that room. It was as if someone threw a wedding but the groom never showed up. And, honestly, I wasn't even meaning to be Biblical in my analogy; there is just no other metaphor to explain the sheer sadness of it all. There was the bride, waiting and waiting, not realizing that in all her preparation for the biggest day of her life, she'd forgotten to do the one most important thing of all: Say 'Yes' to his proposal. There she was, playing bride the way little girls play house or play dolls. All decked out, she rehearsed the part with the same mix of joy and sadness inherent in any teenage girl's dream; that spark of hope damped by that twinge of reality. It was sad. It was creepy. It was weird. Three and a half hours of liturgy recited by a cantor, mumbled by an audience as familiar with Hebrew as they are with Chinese.

Afterwards, we all walked down to the river to cast our sins into the waters. At first, I realized that I hadn't brought any bread and secretly rejoiced in the irony that Yeshua had already washed my sins away. Then, one of the ladies came up to me with a slice and a smile. I returned the wish for a good yontif and took the bread with a nod of thanks. Tearing it up, I joined my people in casting off the sins of Israel into the mayim chayim. It reminded me more of feeding the birds than anything else.

Messianic services are filled with joy. We dance. We sing. We play tambourines and a host of other instruments. We wave tabrets, flags, banners. We wear talits. The ceremony of worship is all color and light, shouts and singing, clapping and dancing. The most movement I got in this service was davvening lightly during the two 5-minute periods of silent prayer and reflection.

Have you ever truly thanked G-d for knowing Yeshua? I have. I did it a lot this Rosh haShanah. I'm still doing it. Thank G-d, I know Yeshua. Thank G-d I'm not the bride left wondering. Thank G-d I'm not relying on day-old bread to take my sins away.

No one is more important in my life than Yeshua. Not many people understand that, including believers. So many believers get to the point where Yeshua becomes so familiar that they respond to His Name like robots receiving a computer prompt. The leader says "Praise Messiah!" and the congregants respond, "Amen!" when they're really thinking, "Is it time to eat yet?" or "I have to go walk the dog!"

Try attending a Rabbinic service. I guarantee you, your Messiah will take on a whole new place in your life and your way of thinking. Once you know what it is like to live the difference, you will love Him more than ever.

Baruch haShem, Yeshua.

Have an easy fast...

Re-Judaizing "Jesus"

2008-09-20T12:23:00.003-04:00

I try to stay away from TIME Magazine, along with every other mainstream publication. Blame it on my media studies background: I think mainstream publications don't project Main Street at all. So, if I really want to get a tap on the way people are thinking (as opposed to what they're being told to think) the last place I'm going to look is on a corporate conglomerate's bookshelf.

Via the Restoration Foundation's Hebraic Heritage Christian Center News I bring you the link to the TIME MAGAZINE article:

10 Ideas that are Changing the World: 10. Re-Judaizing Jesus [March 2008]

Interesting. Very interesting.

Conversations with Christians on Barack Obama [Excerpts]

2008-09-20T11:39:00.004-04:00

Background: A couple, married for a long time; he is going to be 80, she is probably in her late 50s. White, middle class. Educated professionals. No children. Very active in a rather large church (membership near 1,000-- 3 Sunday services, one Saturday night service, multiple Bible studies/groups meeting weekly) and with the children in the neighborhood where they live.

She: "So, your parents are probably voting for John McCain, aren't they?"

Me: "All of us are."

He: "All of you? You mean your parents."

Me: "All of us."

He: "Even you? Someone of your age is voting for John McCain?"

Me: "Yes."

He: "Why?" (He is clearly aghast.) Everyone your age is voting for Barack Obama!

Me: I don't trust him.

He: Why?

Me: I don't trust his background.

He: Because of all that Muslim stuff?

Me: Yes.

He: Oh, that's just.... (trails off without responding) I think he's an educated man. We need that!

Me: He's a very good speaker.

He: We need education! He wants everyone to get a free education; that's what the government should do. We need educated people!

Me: I agree. But before the government sponsors free education, we need to reform the system.

He: I think a lot of people are denied an education based on economic reasons that are really, (he leans forward) more racially based than anything else.

Me: So, you're talking about white males, like my brother, who are denied scholarships that are then given to African Americans solely based on their race, right?

He: (Blinks. No response.)

Friend 1 (White American male, mid-50s): That's right.

Friend 2 (Hispanic Immigrant, mid-40s): That's right. White American males get nothing.

He: What do you mean, "reform"?

Me: I taught white male students who walked out of classes on feminist film theory feeling guilty of being rapists, colonizers, and murderers-- just because they happened to be white males.

He: That's ridiculous! What are you talking about?

Me: Feminist film theory-- a branch of literary and cultural criticism.

He: What is that? That's just one teacher, not an entire school.

Me: It is an entire school of thought that is taught on every college campus in this country.

He: What do you mean "every campus"? What college was this?

Me: A public, state-funded university.

He: Well, where does this come from? What is this theory?

Me: Literary and cultural studies, a branch of study that teaches you how to interpret the world around you and the media being produced by and for that world. It came out of English departments in the 1930s and expanded further in the 60s and into today. It is the basis of Liberal Arts education.

He: (Says nothing. A while later in the conversation, he returns to the topic.) Government should educate the citizens!

Me: That's all well and good, but we need to reform the system before we begin giving free educations to students.

He: Well, why is that the government's responsibility?

Me: (Laughing to myself.) Well, if you want the government to send every student to school for free, but they send them to an institution that is so drastically biased in its teaching, what kind of citizens are you getting? You're getting more people into the same work force that says (Friend 1) can't get a small business loan because he happens to be a white American male. So what good is a free education?

He: (Says nothing for a moment.) Well, why is the reform the government's responsibility?

[Ed. Note: I love how liberals like the government to take care of everything except when it comes to correcting their own shortcomings and faux ideologies. Then, suddenly, the libs aren't responsible.]

Later, in the conversation:

She: Well, I couldn't vote for any candidate who wasn't pro-choice. My sister got pregnant when she was 15, and she had no choice back then-- she didn't want to give the baby up for adoption, so she married the guy and had a miserable life. She was an alcoholic for 32 years. It was terrible.

Me: (Sometimes, saying nothing is the best response.)

She: I think the right has been horribly abused, but still, women should have the choice.

Me: (Again, I say nothing. But, I think to myself: My mother had a miscarriage and a blood disease, and was told that one of her options when she got pregnant with me was to have an abortion because of her medical history. Hm. She had a choice, and in exercising that choice, she respected her unborn daughter's right to choose life as well.

Later, it occurs to me that this woman's sister had a choice, too. She could have put the baby up for adoption; she chose not to. She could have raised the baby alone; she chose not to. She could have sought out refuge in positive things; she chose not to. And because her sister has sympathy for her, her sister chooses not to sympathize with every other woman, born and unborn, and their choice. Ironic, isn't it?)

Still, later in the conversation:

He: Hey, can you take a joke?

Me: Sure.

He: You know why I don't want to vote for McCain?

Me: No, why?

He: Because I don't want another Bush in the White House!

Me: (Shuddering at the lame vulgarity of the double-entendre, I choke out a polite chuckle.)

She: Oh, that's terrible.

Me: (Trying to change the topic.) One of my friends goes to your church.

She: Oh, really? What's her name?

Me: (I give her the name.)

She: Does she do music? Is she in the youth group? Is she active in the leadership?

Me: Oh, I don't know.

She: Well, it's such a large church... there's over 900 people. They do three services on Sunday, you know. And they're doing Saturday night services now!

Me: Really? Wow.

She: Yeah, it's great. I'm not a morning person, so this will be perfect.

Me: (I nod and wonder at the mercy of G-d, fitting Himself so politely into her schedule.)

He: You know, everyone in the world loves Barack Obama.

Me: I don't really care what the world thinks.

He: Why not? We have to deal with these people!

Me: The last thing I'm worried about are the opinions of overly socialized governments that coalesce to Islam.

He: (Says nothing.)

***

And that is faith impacting someone's political viewpoint. Well, faith, or a lack thereof. You know, Christians really need to get their heads on straight when it comes to what it means to live out faith. I think they're starting to, in drips, drabs, leaps and bounds. It's tough to verbalize and communicate, though, because expressing a faith lifestyle requires the equivalent of speaking a foreign language for most Christians.

Christianity's vocabulary is so diluted with pagan thought-processes that it is very hard to create and come to terms with the idea of living a life totally defined by Messiah. My heart goes out to these people who are trying so hard to do the right thing in everyone else's eyes that they've lost the vision G-d has for them. It's frustratingly pathetic on one hand, but seriously sad on the other.

I tend to be extremely critical on this blog because I have been trained, through education and experience, to view situations with a critical eye. Sometimes I come off as glib, and other times I come off as downright unforgiving. But, truly, as angry as I am with leadership that have let their flocks go astray, I have just as much, if not more compassion for the millions of sheep searching for the right path home, and I am just as easily able to laugh at the irony of G-d's truth in action. I hope everyone else is the same way because experiencing that depth and range of emotion draws us closer to knowing our G-d. And knowing our G-d is the only way to know and to be our true self.

Sarah Palin: Standing With Israel

2008-09-16T21:55:00.002-04:00

Via Israpundit:

I just attended a rally for her (Gov Palin) here in Anchorage where she spoke before going back on the campaign trail. I wore an Israeli/USA flags lapel pin on my shirt. Knowing that Sarah Palin flies a small Israeli flag in the window of her Juneau office. When she made it to me I stuck my hand out, with the pin I’d removed from my shirt in my hand, and left it in her hand when we shook. She was taken aback, wondering, what the heck is this? After she looked down to see what it was, she looked back up at me and kind of gasped, holding her hand over her heart and saying "THANK YOU!" I shouted back, "STAND WITH ISRAEL! She nodded and paused and looked me right in the eyes and said very seriously with a stiff and confident nod, "I WILL wear this." She is a real person, very sincere. I was glad to hear her tell Charlie Gibson repeatedly that we should NEVER 2nd guess ANYTHING Israel decides it needs to do to protect themselves.

Why I Like Sarah Palin:

2008-09-04T17:45:00.002-04:00

[Ed. Note: I know, I know, this is supposed to be a blog that focuses on the Messianic movement and subsequent veins thereof; since we live in a world in which "we are all links in a chain" as my mother would say, political commentary matters-- especially to believers, and especially to Jewish people. So, I'm getting political; so should the yeshiva-boys. (Like they already don't in their own way....)]

I'm sitting here listening to Chris Thile's album Not All Who Wander Are Lost which is *the* perfect soundtrack to accompany a discussion about the Republican Veep nom, because the bluegrass tunes, much like the hockey mom-turned-Governor, are so inherently American. As much as I hesitate to admit it sometimes, there is something so freaking beautiful about the soul of this country. According to the democrats, because I am a white, middle class, Jewish female in a certain age bracket, with a certain level of education under her belt, who lives in a certain area of the country, I am supposed to be a cynical, self-loathing, nation-hating anti-patriot bent on self-destruction through the socialization of my federal government. But, you know what? I can't be. I like this place too much.

There are a lot of perspectives I could take on Sarah Palin.

I could write as a woman about how great it is to see another woman get nominated for V.P., but honestly, in the world of feminist tripe, how shallow of a comment is that?

I could write as a Jew and get antsy about her Evangelical background and attendance at a church where David Brickner from Jews for Jesus was invited to speak, but honestly, I find her faith more helpful than harmful. After all, it isn't like the woman or her pastor are strapping explosive vests onto their kids and sending them into crowds of Jews; her son is going into the Army to beat Al-Quaida, not crash himself into a national landmark.

Heck, I could even write within my democrat-approved demographic and say that because of my age, my gender, my education, my geographical region, and my ethnic makeup that I think Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton, which is true. Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton-- which is why I would vote for her in a heartbeat.

But, I think I'm going to write this one out as a working class, Wal Mart-shopping, cowboy-boots wearing, ponytail-bearing, once-and-therefore-always-Texan, history-loving American with hardcore flag-waving roots. So, let me begin by saying: I like Sarah Palin because she's an American, just like me. She's a wife and mother with normal kids and a husband who works hard. She goes to church and actually believes in the Bible she holds every Sunday, because she understands that leaders must have the attitude of servants. Yet, she's proud enough of her history to "take the bull by the horns," as my grandfather often said, and "tell it like it is." The best thing the McCain camp could have done, they did: They researched and found a politician with the right combination of government experience and down to earth American character.

Joe Biden was all over the mainstream media during this morning's news hour, scrambling with his liberal newscaster cohorts to throw half-hearted blows in Palin's direction. It is evident that they don't have a thing to go on. Sure, Sarah's delivery was great, and her one-liners about B. Hussein Obama were fantastic, but even more than that: everything she said about energy independence, fighting terrorism (and B. Hussein's willingness to negotiate), and the economy was right on the money. As Clive Crooks over at the Atlantic Monthly notes:

Well, the Democrats have a problem. They had a few days of calling her a clueless redneck, a stewardess, a nonentity, and she has hurled that back in their bleeding gums. (If I were Joe Biden, I'd start practising for October 2nd right now.) Even before tonight's speech, they had backed off the "no experience" strategy, because (as the Republicans intended) that was sending shrapnel in Obama's direction.

But, here's the kicker: Most who can't beat 'em, join 'em, but Palin is forcing the hardcore liberals to draw a line in the sand. Crooks goes on to say:

Where they will have to end up is obvious: McCain-Palin is an extreme right-wing ticket. It is a team that will prosecute the culture war against all that is decent and civilized in the United States: that must be the line.

Classic Marxists to the end, the liberals play the pot calling the kettle black. Suddenly, Sarah Palin, who represents the majority of American citizens (what one bleeding-heart liberal I know called "the poor farm girls of the American midwest"), is the one attacking all that is "holy and good" (and I use those terms very loosely in this context) in the eyes of liberals the nation-over. Liberals who would sooner sell us out to Iran than stick a few drills into barren Alaskan tundra. Liberals accuse the Evangelical Hockey Mom of waging a war they created and are busy fighting every day: a war against the culture and values that made this country great. Do they really think all us lipsticked pit bulls will let them get away with that?

You see, the thing about Sarah is that she resonates with a person who is tired of being let down by a system that is so overloaded, you can't half-see the pork from the bull, let alone wade through it all. Perhaps the mainstream media is having such a hard time criticizing her because she isn't this or that-- like so many of the rest of us average Americans, Sarah Palin just is, and there's not much arguing with that.

Yesterday, I couldn't have given a hoot about this election. My only concern was keeping my passport updated so I could make a quick run for it if B. Hussein got elected. Now, I'm interested. I'm interested to see if the real America I love is all it's cracked up to be. I'm interested to see the real America put up a fight-- and win.

The DNC, Obama, and Filthy Collaborators Everywhere

2008-08-28T21:29:00.003-04:00

I suppose I should say something about the DNC. Okay, here goes: YUCK.

Victor Davis Hanson on Hussein Obama's acceptance speech @ National Review:

Let me get this straight: Obama goes to Europe, does a garish outdoor extravaganza before thousands, returns to find himself dubbed a publicity-seeking celebrity, analogous to Paris Hilton—and abruptly begins a tailspin in the polls. And now in reaction, at the greatest moment of his life, he transfers his acceptance speech to an open-air stadium to handle tens of thousands of frenzied fans, replete with Greek temple (Olympian Zeus or Parthenon?) as the backdrop stage, and outspoken rock stars?

Hezbollah opens a regional office in Venezuela Latin American Jews beware....as Carl in Jerusalem writes,

Venezuela is also too close for comfort to the US. One can only hope that as Americans become aware of the gathering threat to their south, they will tighten entry into the United States to keep the terrorists out. Unfortunately, so far, there has been no sign of any tightening on America's borders.

As for Joe "Proud to Serve Obama" Biden, apparently he's not too crazy about us Joos:

At Commentary, John Podhoretz posts an excerpt from a 1992 JPost article in which Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joseph Biden threatened to cut off aid to Israel over 'settlements.' The confrontation between Biden and then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin occurred during the 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee (the 'First Lebanon War').

...During that committee hearing, at the height of the Lebanon War, Sen. John Biden (Delaware) had attacked Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria and threatened that if Israel did not immediately cease this activity, the US would have to cut economic aid to Israel.

When the senator raised his voice and banged twice on the table with his fist, Begin commented to him: “This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think that because the US lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats. Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.”

The Excellent Ken Timmerman Outlines Biden's Own Iranian Connections over at Israpundit.

Biden’s election campaigns “have been financed by Islamic charities of the Iranian regime based in California and by the Silicon Iran network,”

And, Of course, More Proof of Obama's Arab-Muslim Funding Connections thanks to Carl in Jerusalem.

I'm reading Saul Bellow's book, To Jerusalem and Back. It's an account of the author's year in Jerusalem in the late 1970's. If you want to understand anything about why we are in the place we are in now, read this book. It is an excellent account of politics; communism versus liberal democracy; capitalism versus socialism; the West versus the East; the remarkable character makeup of Israel. If you want to understand who you are and where you stand, read this book. It may have been written over 30 years ago, but his points are as relative today as they were then. Read this book.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, completing a visit to the region today, has been pressing Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would divide Jerusalem by offering the Palestinians a state in Israel’s capital city via Israpundit...

This world is absolutely insane. Were one to take a completely broad, pragmatic view of things, they would be forced to come to one concluding question that begins and ends not with "If" but "When?"

Bits & Pieces-- and a Look at Things to Come

2008-08-18T17:45:00.003-04:00

Iran Satellite is a Dummy [Israel National News] <~~~ Because, if it was real, and if they truly had that kind of technology, and if they really thought they could, they would have sent a missile Israel's way by now. Duh.

The West’s Islamist Infiltrators [NetWMD]

Aafia Siddiqui, 36, is a Pakistani mother of three, an alumna of MIT, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis University. She is also accused of working for Al-Qaeda and was charged last week in New York City with attempting to kill American soldiers.

And people wonder why I dislike academia.

Seriously. Take a look at the curriculum posted on the English Department websites of major American universities. English departments, where students supposedly learn how to take a critical approach to literature and, in some cases, media of all sorts. Check out, for instance, UPenn, where they're teaching Marx and American Studies this semester, or UCal San Diego where this Fall's classes like "ISLAM MODERNITY" explore "A survey of developments in the Islamic world during the period of European colonial domination and its aftermath, with special attention to the works of leading Muslin thinkers (e.g. Sayid Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Abduh, Hasan al Banna, Ruhallah Khomeini, among others)." Do you wonder why American students walk into college naive and leave brainwashed?

Postmissionary Messianic Judaism, Three Years Later

Mark Kinzer, the author of the controversial text Postmissionary Messianic Judaism (about which I have commented on previously, to a slight degree) has recently delivered a 27-page paper reflecting on the reactions to his book, the full text of which can be found by clicking on the link above. Needless to say, I plan on reading the paper and commenting on it in the near future. Stay tuned!

Mind Games and Abuses of Power

2008-08-17T14:42:00.004-04:00

I'm taking a break from election commentary, although this discussion is just as pertinent to that topic as well.

Being a believer can be a huge mind game sometimes.

When I first struck out on my own, without the support of a congregation, Rabbi, or believing friends, it didn't take long for me to realize how we are trained and ingrained to be so incredibly reliant upon one another, especially upon leadership.

Christian/Messianic Jewish culture, and even Rabbinic Jewish culture, is a personality-based belief system. Think about it: Think about the way you perceive G-d, Messiah, and His servants. In essence, they're all people in your mind, right? G-d said "Don't make a graven image of Me" and, all of a sudden, the believing world has pictures of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jesuses hanging on every wall.

Depending on the branch of service you're in (a.k.a. denomination) you even have some of His compatriots right up there with Him. Today, the Christian Church idolizes servants like Rav Shaul, Kefa, Miriam, etc. as heroes of the faith-- whether you're Catholic or Protestant or a Rabbinic Jew, you have a panoply of historical figures to call on any time you need a handy quote to back up what you're professing. And, guess what? The Evangelical church and Messianic community are no different. When's the last time you saw Joel Osteen putting a picture of Mt. Sinai on the cover of one of his books? Or T.D. Jakes telling ET to show some stock footage of average church goers instead of doing a feature on his daughter's wedding? Just check out Rabbi Bruce Cohen's letter to the editor in the latest edition of The Messianic Times if you want to find out how much of a personality-bash American Messianic Judaism has become.

How many Catholics pray to Saints? How many Rabbinic Jews quote ancient Rabbis? And why? Why is the Judeo-Christian community so consumed with people-worship? Because the Greco-Roman world decided to believe in Messiah-- on their own terms. Graven images, gods with personalities and all too human foibles, the beauty of the human form-- all of that is the direct influence of Greek culture on the gentile believing world. And that influence continues to seep into the Jewish world--believing and not--in steadily increasing amounts.

Rabbinic Judaism was a direct assimilatory reaction to the rejection of Messiah and the consequent loss of the Temple and Israeli/Jewish national sovereignty. Rabbinic Judaism began in Yavneh with the denial of sacrifice as the pathway to G-d's redemption and morphed into a personality-controlled, personality-fed faith. As a result, you have a growing minority of religious Jews who can quote Talmud backwards and forwards but have absolutely no knowledge of basic scriptural texts. This cultural shift has influenced a growing majority of those born Jewish to wind up living more like secular gentiles than not-- and to be completely justified in doing so!

But, Messianic Judaism is different, right? These are the Jews and gentiles who, having forgone human tradition, turned to the scriptures with open minds and hearts. The Bible is the foundation of their faith. Like the Puritans who sailed to the shores of America for religious freedom, their bedrock and justification is the Living Word of G-d. And, just like the Puritans, the Messianics are subject to the same human faults and fallacies that act as the doormen to disaster.

The letters of the talmidim, just like the words of the prophets, urge their readers and listeners to stop acting small and to think big about the way they act towards one another. Petty jealousies, lying, power-plays and the like plagued the believing community then as they do now. In fact, they are the reason Israel lost sovereignty in the first place: Bad behavior produces bad fruit. We all know that. What we so often neglect is the result of bad fruit in the stomach of the body. Bad fruit makes you sick-- so sick, in fact, that you have to spit it out. It's a pretty standard biological reaction: expel the cause, treat the sickness, so the body can heal.

Can you imagine what G-d would look like to you if you lived in the pre-Constantine era, with no photographs, no film, no Michaelangelo to paint your icons on the stone and brick walls? He wouldn't look like Charleton Heston, or Jim Caviezel, or Joel Osteen, or T.D. Jakes, or John Hagee, or any other "name" you can think of in your own circle. He wouldn't look like your Pastor, Priest, or Rabbi, either. Big shock there.

The thing is: We can think these things, but thinking, and even comprehending them isn't enough. The "personality preachers"--world-famous and not--tend to be the best at condemning the wrong within their own communities. Of course, this condemnation tends to be a very subjective one, but the opinions of the speaker are generally glossed over by the audience that is too busy being enamored with the pomp and circumstance of the performance to worry about what is actually being said, and to whom the condemnation is being directed.

Until the condemnation is directed at them.

Like many, I have been the subject of direct and indirect condemnation in a variety of Judeo-Christian circles and, without fail, my peers in each incident were oblivious to my personal persecution until they, too, came under leadership's scrutinous glare. We're the people who believe in forgiveness and redemption, yet we thrive on creating tsuris and placing the blame.

Rarely, and not until it is too late, do we actually acknowledge the damage that has been done by digesting the bad fruit. In this case, the bad fruit are the mind games produced by gross abuses of power committed by those who forget that their leadership roles are granted to them by the same authority on which they are ultimately dependent: G-d and the move of His Spirit in His people, the body. Sick things happen when leaders get out of control, and their congregants are the ones who pay the price. And, because we're all links in a chain, the entire body pays a heftier price than we could ever imagine-- because we're too busy living small to think big.

Do you know why the top 2 commandments are to "Love the L-rd your G-d with all of your heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself"? Because it is EASIER! It is TEN TIMES EASIER to love someone than to hate them, TEN TIMES EASIER to forgive someone than to hold a grudge, TEN TIMES EASIER to put your full heart in G-d and not man, and TEN TIMES EASIER to let the love you have for G-d guide you into loving relationships with one another.

Human beings don't know it all. Bodies are dust. Pictures can be erased, torn up, thrown out. But the spiritual damage of unjust condemnation, ridicule, hatred, those are wounds that can only be healed by G-d, but ones whose scars will never fully fade. Do you know why G-d commanded the Israelites to literally "cut off" members of the community who sinned? Because the act of cutting someone off, of condemning them, was a literal stripping of their identity, their very sense of self. That is not the job of any Rabbi, any Pastor, any Priest, any one. The next time you so much as utter a foul word about someone, think of that-- think of the fact that you are acting to strip that person of their identity. Then question if power and authority like that really belongs in your hands.

We live in destructive times. By our very choice to be a believer in and follower of Messiah we have made ourselves targets for the destroyer. The survivors, and the ones who will be used to ensure the nation's survival, will be the individuals who comprehend and live out the truth that G-d is the sole Creator and Authority over their identity. The individuals who refuse to submit to abuses of power will be the ones who triumph over the petty mind games by flying right past them and achieving the real Goal. And, here's a hint: It's not a front-page writeup, tickets to the "MegaChurch of the Moment" or a front row seat at the next "Famous Man's Revival Hour Broadcast LIVE!"

Keep your eyes and ears open, followers of Messiah. Maintain the integrity G-d has given you in the face of unjust condemnation--from enemies and "friends" alike.

"My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow Me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from My hands. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them from the Father's hands. I and the Father are One." (Yochanan 10:27-30)

Take that Torch and...

2008-08-11T18:02:00.003-04:00

quickie post...

MUST READ:Did Obama Knowingly and Willfully Accept Illegal Foreign Contributions? "GAZAN" CONTRIBUTIONS FLAGGED BY FEC, OBAMA NEVER REPORTED by Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs

‘Oil, Israel and Iran’ Among Factors that Led to Georgia War by Gil Ronen, Israel National News, August 11, 2008

(IsraelNN.com) Analysis of the war in Georgia points to a fight over a major oil route as the main reason for hostilities, but also to an Israeli connection.

Channel 2’s expert on the Muslim world, Ehud Ya’ari, told viewers of the central evening newscast that Russia and neighboring countries were vying for control of a strategic oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. This relatively new pipeline passes through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey and is the only pipeline between Asia and Europe that does not pass through Russia or Iran. Israel is expecting to receive oil and gas through the pipeline.

By using the ethnic Russian population in South Ossetia to destabilize Georgia, Russia was making a play for the pipeline, he said.

The Israeli Connection

The Georgian move against South Ossetia was motivated by political considerations having to do with Israel and Iran, according to Nfc. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili decided to assert control over the breakaway region in order to force Israel to reconsider its decision to cut back its support for Georgia’s military.

Russian and Georgian media reported several days ago that Israel decided to stop its support for Georgia after Moscow made it clear to Jerusalem and Washington that Russia would respond to continued aid for Georgia by selling advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria and Iran.

Hundreds of Israeli defense experts are reportedly in Georgia and Israel’s military industries have been upgrading Georgia’s air force, training its infantry and selling the country unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced artillery systems.

...

Russia bombs Israeli-run plant
Also on Sunday, Russia bombed a Georgian military plant in which Israeli experts are upgrading jet fighters for the Georgian military. According to Nfc, the bombing was a “sharp message” to Israel.

A Russian fighter jet bombed runways inside the plant, located near Tbilisi, where Israeli security firm Elbit is in charge of upgrading Georgian SU-25 jets.

...

Never let anyone fool you. It's always all about Israel, it always all boils down to Israel. Ronald Reagan had it right when he termed it a battle between good and evil-- pull all the political blinds up and that's what you see.

MUST READ:Did Obama Knowingly and Willfully Accept Illegal Foreign Contributions? "GAZAN" CONTRIBUTIONS FLAGGED BY FEC, OBAMA NEVER REPORTED by Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs

And here's the Olympics foul up of all foul-ups (what do you expect from a contest in which the original participants traipsed around naked in an orgy of body worship?):

Elder of Ziyon reports that NBC's Olympics site has a brief description of Israel, but a much more extensive description of 'Palestine,' which it calls the 'Holy Land.'

Screw the Olympics and Screw NBC. See related story:

Hamdan bin Mohammed launches 'Universal City Dubailand' project at AED 8 billion [April 2007]

MUST READ:Did Obama Knowingly and Willfully Accept Illegal Foreign Contributions? "GAZAN" CONTRIBUTIONS FLAGGED BY FEC, OBAMA NEVER REPORTED by Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs

A Cantor in the White House

2008-08-05T19:19:00.003-04:00

A Jewish Vice President.

This isn't exactly a new idea to the American political landscape, and in the election year of female and black-muslim candidates, a Jewish guy is bound to make the bottom of the "Most Controversial Candidates" list. The idea of a Jewish Vice President of the United States, however, is a topic worthy of some serious discussion.

I could boil my punditry down to some rather stereotypical blanket comments about Americans not voting for Jews, and Jewish Americans being paranoid about having a member of the Tribe in such a seemingly "high powered" government post, (so high powered, in fact, that John Adams, the first Vice President, spent the majority of his tenure developing a sore tuchus and staving off levels of mental boredom known best to those working in corporate offices 9 to 5) but I won't, because I don't think it is my job to reinforce already common thought patterns and the personal opinions of others that too often tend to be taken as fact. The mere idea of a Jewish American VP candidate is worth more than a simple toss-off of, "No Bible-belter will vote for a Jew," or "If he gets into office, they really will think we run the world." Take the idea seriously for a moment: A Jewish Vice President. And a Republican to boot. What would that mean? What kind of statement would that make about the psyche of our nation?

As the sampler says, "actions speak louder than words." I could quote Cantor non-stop and still be wrong about him when all is said and done because, like any other politician, he could just renege on every word his speechwriter penned. I can, however, remark on the fact that he spoke at a One Jerusalem event in Israel, during which he quoted Ben Gurion in Hebrew. A Jewish American Congressman attending a conference promoting the unification of Jerusalem as a Jewish capital. A Jewish American Congressman speaking Hebrew in public. Is this guy totally unique, or has the Jewish American psyche has come a long way, baby? Jewish American voters will decide that one, should Cantor get the nod, that is.

But what will gentile American voters think of a Jewish American-Jew? Is it finally okay to not be Jerry Seinfeld? Can Jews drop the hyphen and bring their faith out of the closet without being held under suspicion? Perhaps Cantor's VP nod will shed new light on exactly how suspicious gentile Americans are of their Jewish counterparts-- and vice-versa. If the McCain-Cantor ticket wins, will the victory make Jewish Americans think twice about how they are viewed by their gentile neighbors?

Or will it just give the muslims another excuse to blow us all up?

If McCain pulls Cantor for VP, you'll have a race that pits a flag-waving Vietnam Vet and a religious Jew against a black muslim with fundamentalist roots and (possibly-- any news on Hillary yet?) a 60s hippie with a communist agenda. The ideological battle of the past 40 years will rise to the surface. Lines will be drawn in the sand. It will literally be the most clear-cut election this nation has ever witnessed: Capitalism vs. Communism; Democracy vs. Socialism; Judeo-Christianity vs. Islamic Atheism. Can we boil it down any further? After this November, I doubt there will be any more water in the pot.

That is, if Cantor gets nominated.

However, if things stay as they are, which, by the nomination-to-be of Barack, we already know things are far from status-quo, then we are bound to be plastered into even thicker layers of ridiculousness and confusion. If Cantor were nominated, the results of the ensuing election would make clear who we want to be and where we want to go as a nation. Could the American voter handle that much responsibility? Or would it just be easier for them (and McCain) if the Republicans picked yet another gentile Joe-Schmo running mate?

Perhaps its really a question of what demons we want to face. The Jewish people are called out to be a light. Cantor's nomination would shed a light--and possibly a lot of it--on the ideas behind the idealogues and the values that are really at stake in this election. As it is, the mere idea of his candidacy is already forcing many conservatives and Republicans to question how much longer they want to remain hiding in the dark.

Eric Cantor for VP: A Conservative Grassroots Movement

All the News that's Fit to Print

2008-08-03T21:24:00.003-04:00

Full Disclosure: I dislike John Kerry. A lot. He's an embarassment as a human being. And, in my book, the Swift Boat Veterans had every single right to publicize his shameful behavior to the world, and thank G-d they did-- at least there are a few people left who don't mind telling the truth when it counts. That being said:

"John F. Kerry has been mentioned as a potential Secretary of State in an administration led by - God forbid - Barack Hussein Obama."

But, on the bright side:

"According to a report in the Politico, Republican Presidential nominee John Sidney McCain is vetting Virginia Republican Representative Eric Cantor as a possible running mate."

Need important American political news quickly? Check out Israeli blogs. Duh.

Israpundit has become practically nothing more than a glorified laundry-list of Obama's campaign foul-ups. I dislike reprinting all of them here because, IMHO, if you're an informed voter, you already know most of this stuff. However, some things are just too fantastic not to garner special attention, like this letter from one Obama staffer to an Obama fan who posts on the campaign website:

"Hi [EMK],

Thank you so much for your involvement in the My.BarackObama online community. Your voice is valued here; however, we were forced to remove your recent blog post that referred to the "Jewish lobby." Please use the more specific and accurate term "Israel lobby." We appreciate your understanding and hope that you continue to be active in our online community.

Emily
Obama for America"

Wait, wait, let me guess. Hitler got a similar telegraph from Henry Ford in the 1920's, after receiving the future Dictator's "Letter to the Editor" for the Dearborn Independent.

Full Disclosure: I dislike Nancy Pelosi.
Fuller Disclosure: I dislike all Democrats in general. I'm not a Republican; I just dislike Democrats.

House Speaker adjourns Congress to prevent debate on offshore drilling that could give U.S. relief from oil prices.

I hope Pelosi freezes inside her hybrid this winter.

Missouri Cherokee Tribes proclaim Jewish Heritage This doesn't totally surprise me. As a fan of old book shops, I've come across more than one worn volume from the 1800s about the Cherokee people being the "lost tribe" or "13th tribe" of Abraham. I'm not quite sure how justifiable the claims are, since many of them are based in missionary-interpretations of Cherokee culture, but in this particular case, the claim is actually coming from the Cherokee people themselves. So, who knows? My only question is, if my ancestors belonged to another tribe, does that mean I'm really at war with myself?

And, finally, filed under the "Whoop-dee-Doo, We Knew This Five Years Ago" Column:

U.S. OFFICIAL: IRAQIS SAID SADDAM’S WMD’s WERE SENT TO SYRIA

I like to do a lot of outlining in this blog. I copy and paste headline after headline, then I step back and take a good hard look and, hopefully, with the help of HaShem's wisdom, I'm able to connect the dots.

Now, it's your turn.

Barack Insane Obama, et al

2008-07-29T23:05:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday, my local rag featured a front page pic gratis the AP of Barack Obama "saluting" a throng of German onlookers who, like him, were raising their right arms at a 45-degree angle, enamoured expressions pasted on their faces.

Yeah, creepy.

Why is a United States Presidential candidate campaigning all over Europe and the Middle East, anyway? The official line was that Obama was illustrating how he'd "repair America's image abroad." Shouldn't he care a bit more about what the actual voters think of him, as opposed to accusing the voters of being unpopular with crowds of people they don't hang with on a daily basis anyway?

Then again, Obama's thinking is screwed up in more ways than one. He also believes in linkage a theory that contends that if the "Israel problem" were solved, the Arabs would be happy and the world would be at peace. Since when did world peace depend on a group of disparate tribesmen who subscribe to a 7th-century religion created by a pederast that condemns as "death-worthy" the people and faith that formed the basic foundations of modern civilization? Forget Hussein-- Barack's middle name is Insane.

The mainstream media continues to shut McCain out--limiting airtime on coverage of his campaign as well as, in the case of the New York Times, refusing to print his rebuttal to an Obama op/ed. The mainstream media's bias is so evident it's downright boring. Can't they at least be a little more cleverly deceptive about it? Apparently, I'm not the only one who notices.

Jewish World News's Israel Update did a story this week on the continual arms buildup off the Lebanese/Israeli coastline. Hizbullah, thanks to Iran, is building up Lebanon's Navy (among other things) while Israel just contracted to buy updated naval technology from the U.S.

Building, building, building... it all keeps building up...

Messianic Judaism in the Headlines

2008-07-11T18:21:00.002-04:00

A new archaeological find, a stone tablet that is "said to bear Jewish
messianic messages from the first century B.C." has hit the press. Apparently owned by a private collector, the story of the tablet hit last Sunday's New York Times. The news wasn't so much the find in and of itself, but the issues it raises within the believing community, namely the origins of "Christianity" and the close ties between faith in a Messiah named Yeshua and Biblical Judaism. From the MSNBC article:

"...the front page of The New York Times on Sunday, in a story that quoted one professor as saying some Christians would "find it shocking" that Jewish scriptures prefigured Christian theology.

But Hershel Shanks, founder of the Biblical Archaeology Society and editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review, said that such a linkage really isn't surprising, let alone shocking.

"The really unique thing about Christian theology is in the life of Jesus - but in the doctrines, when I was a kid, you had little stories about the Sermon on the Mount and the people listening to this saying, 'What is this man saying? I never heard anything like this! This is different,'" Shanks told me. "Today, this view is out. There are Jewish roots to almost everything in Christian experience."

...

"You have in Christian theology a very different kind of messiah, a messiah who's going to shed blood and atone for your sins," Shanks observed. "Where the hell did this come from, baby? Are there elements of this in Jewish messianism?"

The Dead Sea Scrolls have already shown that the idea of a suffering messiah was part of the cultural milieu back then. If the tablet's text and its three-day messianic interpretation are verified, it could shrink the theological gap between pre-Christian Judaism and early Christianity even further. But that shouldn't come as a shock, [Mark] Rose [Online Editor, Archaeology Magazine] said.

"Is this going to redefine the relationship between Judaism and Christianity? I don't think so," he said.

It never ceases to amaze me that Rabbinic Jews are willing to believe in a Messiah figure akin to that of a military general, who would face a bloody death on a battlefield in order to achieve the salvation of His people, yet they cannot fathom a Messiah, whose sacrifice was seen by Avraham Avinu and is directly foreshadowed by the Pesach account, who willingly sacrificed His own life in a bloody, deathly fashion in the middle of an complex ideological & spiritual battlefield known as first century Jerusalem. What, because Yeshua's experience didn't have enough horses, chariots, and battle sequences it isn't good enough to count? Is that it? Has the Messiah's gift of salvation been boiled down to rate against the plot of a blockbuster film? "It doesn't sell enough tickets--it can't be right," the minyan said. The theory has always been that the Jews run Hollywood; now I'm starting to think that Hollywood runs the Jews.

Despite the growing amount of evidence pointing to the fact that Christianity, as gentile and even secularized as it has become, is truly a Jewish faith, these "experts" are still unwilling to break down the walls between the faiths. Bizarre, yet understandable; much like the servants denying the fact that the Emporer has no clothes, these academics will walk around denying the facts placed before their eyes because if they dared to do any different, they'd be out of jobs. And so would the people who employ them. In fact, the entire cultural structure through which the Western world has been taught to view themselves and the world around them would literally crumble.

Want to test the theory? Try telling one Catholic you know that they hold a Jewish faith-- not practice a Jewish religion, mind you, but hold a Jewish faith--a belief system that is inherently Hebrew, inherently Torah, inherently Israelite. Then, step back and watch that person who has spent a good few decades of their life attending mass every Saturday night and saying Hail Marys until the cows come home that, while their heart may be in the right place, they've essentially been doing it wrong all these years. Yeah. That's going to go over well. Then, watch how quickly they make donations to their church, and support societies like the B.A.S. and subscribe to publications like Archaeology Magazine that reinforce the same traditions and theories with which they were raised. Lies are self-predicating. Why? Because it's easier for a human being to go with the flow.

The real joke of it is that most believers would respond with, "Well, at least that Catholic is still a good person." Right. Okay. What does "good" mean? And who ever said they weren't? And who ever says they're a "bad person" anyway? In Hebrew, the commandments are called "mitzvot"--good deeds. "Good" isn't just some value-judgement we place based on how we "feel" about something; "good" is measured in direct correlation with the actions you take. How "good" is it to face the fact that your Messiah is a Jew; that His followers were all Jews; that the lessons He preached were inherently Jewish, including the one where He said: "I did not come to abolish the Torah [the covenant between G-d and His people, Israel] but to fulfill it"; the lessons His followers preached were about practicing a life in Messiah, a life guided by the same covenant their Messiah fulfilled and upheld. Tell me, what sounds good to you? Someone repeating actions not sanctioned, sometimes unfavorable [i.e.; eating pigs to honor Messiah's sacrifice], and almost wholly foreign in order to honor the G-d they claim to worship, or someone seeking to honor the G-d they worship the way He, the omnipotent, all-powerful, one and only G-d commanded?

FYI: Biblical Archaeology Review has put the stone's Hebrew text as well as the English translation thereof online.

Messianic Judaism has hit the Associated Press: Messianic Jews say they are persecuted in Israel [Jun 21, 08] mainly focuses on the story of Ami Ortiz, a 15 year old Israeli native who opened a package left on his doorstep one morning before Purim and lost two toes, some of his hearing, and still has safety pins and screws lodged in his body. The package--a bomb--was most likely left on his family's doorstep by ultra-Orthodox Jews because the Ortiz family dare to proclaim faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. While no arrests have been made, the Israeli police informed the family that no way was this a Palestinian attack-- the plastic explosives were far too advanced for rugrat terrorists. Hm. Guess that should make the average Israeli think twice the next time an old Orthodox Rabbi starts shaking a tzedekah tin in their face at the Kotel. My guess is at least some of those funds aren't going for textbooks at the Yeshiva. I wonder if events like these make pro-Talmud Messianic scholars think twice about Rabbi-nizing faith in Messiah. In a related note, one op-ed by a Rabbi printed in the Jerusalem Post on July 2, How to reply when the doorbell rings smacks of Orthodox Jewish anti-Yeshuaism (because that's what it is-- "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first" John 15:18) in the same paranoid, presumptuous, and bizarre fashion common among palestinians who claim that the IDF uses nude women soldiers to lure and trap young shahids in the making.

In the meantime, the JPost reported on June 25, in an article titled Messianic Jews to protest 'discrimination' that, "A contingent of about 300 Messianic Jews from the US will protest this weekend against what they call Israel's discriminatory immigration policy against Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah." The article highlights three recent incidents of attack on the Messianic Jewish community in Israel: the Ami Ortiz bombing; the burning of several New Testaments distributed by Messianics in the town of Or Akiva; the attempt to disqualify a young Messianic contestant from participating in the annual Bible Quiz. All three incidents were [most likely, and in two cases, definitely] perpetrated by ultra-Orthodox Jews. "We are planning to call on the Israeli government to address the problem of discrimination against Messianic Jews who wish to make aliya," said Rabbi Russ Resnik, executive director of the US-based Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations."

Yeah, well, good luck with that, Rabbi Russ. It is true that Calev Myers of the Jerusalem Institute for Justice has scored some incredible court rulings regarding Messianics and aliyah. However, appealing to a government already embroiled in corruption and plagued by serious issues of war and public safety seems rather, well, moot at this point. Besides, if we believe in the authority of G-d, why are we seeking defense from a government of men? Men [and women] who are, mind you, not believers in Messiah anyway. The only reason the government would come to the Messianics' defense is if they found it politically or economically to their benefit. If believers start making appeals and deals of that nature, what does that say about the Messianic community? That's a scintillating testimony to share the next time you're sent out to knock on doors: We put our faith in Yeshua...and Tzipi Livni.

Interestingly, the JPost article uses a picture of MJAA members marching in last year's 40th Jerusalem Day parade. They are careful to note, however, that those photographed have nothing to do with the organization written about in the article. Or, do they? Is the UMJC's call for Israeli government action really meant to get the Knesset's attention, or are they using the Holy Land card to one-up a rival organization? In any case, the greatest part of the story comes not from the JPost article, but from the UMJC press release about the event, which opens by stating: "Meeting in Israel for their annual business meeting, June 26, representatives of the member congregations of the UMJC overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the government of Israel to end discrimination against Messianic Jews under Israel's Law of Return." Right. A resolution. Was that passed before or after the resolution that Yeshua is the Messiah?

Are religious institutions modern day temples of worship, or are they just glorified social clubs, fraternities and sororities for grown men and women who need a retreat, a safe place to feel special and important in an increasily secularized world? "Business meetings"? "Resolutions"? Isn't the business of a group of believers to worship G-d in Spirit and in Truth? Shouldn't their resolve be focused on faithfully living out the calling given to us by our Messiah, a calling that established us as a nation on Mt. Sinai? Why do believers continually seek secular solutions to spiritual problems? In the case of Israeli believers, discrimination isn't the business; Yeshua is the business, the rest is just paperwork. Messianics love to tout that they've got an identity, a lifestyle--not a Sunday religion. But they don't-- not as long as they resolve to petition secular governments for protection.

I spent the first 20 years of my life in the believing world--Christian churches and Messianic synagogues alike--and the next 7 in the secular world. In the believing world there is this stigma associated with questioning authority and tradition; you just don't do it. In the secular world, especially the young, postmodern portion thereof, everything is under scrutiny. Every tradition, every idea, every thought, every person is held under a magnifying glass and virtually ripped apart. People like to argue that the reason Christians avoid the "Old Testament" is because they can't handle the idea of a harsh, punishing, warrior G-d of judgement. Yet believers, no matter how they culturally identify themselves, all manage to skip over the harsh judgements cast by Yeshua, especially when it came to the so-called religious and political authorities who surrounded Him. Yeshua was all about questioning human decision-making in all its forms because He operated on the Torah principle: "If you fear Me and My armies, you need fear nothing else." Believers are trained to think that if you question leadership, you're questioning the Leader-- when, in reality, you're only questioning the human government over your own head.

As believers in Messiah, we should always feel free to question the human authorities around us. We are equipped to do so-- "what is in Yeshua is truth" [Ephesians 4:21] therefore, if we know Yeshua, we know truth. If we fear G-d, we need fear nothing and no one else. Hold the tenents, the traditions, and the teachers and leaders up to the test. Use the discernment of the Ruach. If enough of us do, we will be operating in unity because we will no longer rely on the resolutions of others, but on the simple Truth of G-d.

Dropping the Bomb

2008-07-09T18:18:00.005-04:00

Today, Iran tested 9 Shihab medium-to-long range missiles that could easily be equipped with nuclear material (for peaceful purposes). CNN was all over the story. During the noon-time report, Ben Wedeman, the Senior Jerusalem Correspondent, made a special point of "putting things in perspective" by noting that 2 of the prime-time news broadcasts in Israel did NOT carry the Iran missile test as their lead story. See? The Jews aren't worried, so why should the US care?

Somewhere over an ear piece I can hear a CNN producer screaming, "Because it makes for good ratings, Ben. Hello? The reason we're on-air 24-7 and charge ridiculous advertising rates to stay that way, maybe?"

If anything is more pre-fabbed than the media coverage of the Obama campaign (Access Hollywood, anyone? That's right, let's give them the real hard-hitting Maria Menounos to dish out some of those tough, still-unanswered questions about healthcare reform, the future of Social Security, the failing economy, diplomacy with Iran, and where Michelle finds such cute evening wear!) it's their sweeping, hard-hitting, rip-your-guts-out-with-a-Pulitzer coverage of the nuttiest guy in a monotone wardrobe since Hitler, aka, Ahmadinnerjacket. (I don't have to spell his name correctly, not because I'm an ignorant American, but because he's an idiot.) What a joke. Casually ignore all of his mega-televised speeches rife with Holocaust denial and proclamations about wiping Israel and America off the map, then get all blitzed over his soldiers test-firing missles that have been around since 2004. Thank G-d the prophets had a better source than Ted Turner.

And the whole "will they or won't they" endless barrage that has taken a nose-dive into the blogosphere regarding whether or not Israel will bomb Iran (or, shall I say, whether or not America will "permit" Israel to bomb Iran) has a drama-quotient that is truly Brangelina-worthy. America "permit" Israel-- to bomb a nation-- that seeks her destruction-- and happens to be rather nearby? Wait, no. Let me reason this out even more succinctly-- America PERMIT Israel? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That's cute. You just watch-- one day, you'll turn on the news and Ben Wedemen will be diving for cover, because suddenly, without warning, Iran's nuclear facilities will be blasted to allah and all he'll be able to get for the story is a rousing "No comment" from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, Sheeba Farms to Elat. The US will go crazy with paranoia. The Arab nations will be enraged. Ahmadinnerjacket will be holed up somewhere in a spider-hole tighter than Saddam's. And a year later, the CIA will issue a benignly-worded press release giving Israel the credit for it all. And what will Israel say? Tell me, what's Hebrew for, "Duh"?

Why do I know this? Why am I so confident? Why do I not shake in the face of missile tests? See ref. note under "Elijah" that reads: Our G-d Always Wins.

I Vote Aliyah

2008-06-29T20:11:00.004-04:00

**Ed. Note: Because of this disturbing news all future posts on this site will be cross-posted at our WordPress location: http://unifiedbody.wordpress.com a backup location I started at the nascence of this blog for times and situations like these.

If you're a fan (and I know you're out there-- thank you for the emails of support!) bookmark the link. I'm going to try and update the sidebar links at the wordpress location this week so the two sites mirror each other in content, if not in design.

Thanks for reading, and keep those comments coming! /Ed. Note**
Now, onto the weekly commentary.

If you think gas prices are bad in America, check out Carl in Jerusalem's blog post, Islamists seek to collapse the dollar? over at IsraelMatzav. And while you're there (or if you're still here) check out the Middle East Media Research Institute's report Mujahideen Monitor U.S. Economy, Attempt to Undermine Dollar which begins by stating:

Numerous postings on Islamist websites in the past two years reflect the mujahideen's growing interest in the state of the U.S. economy. As was argued in a 2007 MEMRI analysis, many of the jihadists and their supporters have come to view their struggle against the U.S. and the West as an economic war. More specifically, they have come to the conclusion that it is financial, rather than military, losses that will prompt the U.S. to change its policies in the Middle East and elsewhere. Consequently, they emphasize the importance of targeting U.S. interests around the world, and of directing their military jihad primarily at targets that affect the U.S. economy.

In brief, the Islamic nutballs are ordering their followers to invest in gold and real estate. Larry Kudlow, of CNBC's Kudlow & Company spent Friday night telling his audience that gold going high is a bad thing for the US Economy, and Saturday morning I go online to find this post. Great. Now I know why gold inflation is bad. Moreover, I also question the Arab influence behind the mortgage crisis-- less American ownership of American land makes it all the easier for the caliphate to attempt takeover. (Note: I said "attempt".) And how much easier is it to buy up land when Ma and Pa America are busy trying to put gas in their cars and make their meager paychecks cover their rising food bills?

Speaking of Ma and Pa America, Sultan Knish over at Israpundit comments on another great OpEd by JPost writer Caroline Glick: Religious Zionism Holds the Future of Israel in its Hands:

A nation can’t exist for long cannot exist without both a national identity and a national structure. The latter has to come from the political and practical institutions of the state. The former has to come from a shared value and belief system. A state without a shared positive value system is on the way to extinction, as first world nations can amply demonstrate for us. A value system without a state leaves only victims and exiles.

The collapse of the first world nations is occurring precisely because those value systems are being ruthlessly torn down, leaving hollowed out states that have the structure of a nation but no defense again attack or ability to rally morale. Like mannequins they have the appearance of states, but not the content. This is occurring across America, Europe and Israel.

Want an example of a mannequin nation? Try assessing the average Obama supporter. The only two things they're sure of are: 1. Barack Obama has roughly the same demographic makeup (age, race, economic status) as Dave Chappelle and, 2. His wife is the height of fashion. This is enough for them to elect a racist, anti-Israel socialist who wants to negotiate with the most maniacal world leader since Hitler as President of the United States. Brilliant.

If George Orwell were alive today, I don't know if he'd be crying in the corner or just staring blankly and remarking, "Told you so."

Has Obama said one word about his platform? Has he uttered one sentence about the policies he'd actually attempt to implement were he to be elected? No. Absolutely not. Why? Because Reality TV has seeped into politics? Yes. Absolutely true. Need the proof? Check out OBAMA’S NEW STRATEGY on Israpundit:

Obama and the conservative right are mutually trying to keep the debate about his candidacy on the existential level — is he the hope for America’s future or a Manchurian Candidate, a kind of sleeper agent sent to destroy our democracy? That debate, which pits Obamas rhetoric against the Rev. Wright's rantings, is a contest that could go on all day, and Obama would win it. It is simply a bridge too far to believe that Obama is that evil and that invidious.

But the more the debate covers such fundamental questions, the more it ignores the details — details which could bring Obama down.

Quite simply, Obama would rather address his religious views and his optimism about America and his embrace of diversity than talk about his plans to raise taxes, let gasoline prices soar and socialize healthcare.

How does he get away with providing such a TOTAL LACK of solid information to the mainstream newsmedia? More importantly, how are so many Americans falling under Obama's spell when they are obviously nearly totally completely uninformed about his policies?

They're morons.

Seriously, their entire philosophy is, "Well, If Oprah likes him, he must be okay." Americans, especially those between the ages of 18 and 39, who constitute the majority of Obama supporters appearing in rally audiences, have been totally desensitized and sedated by the crack that is reality TV. They could care less about issues: They want the sex, the violence, the drama. Okay, so Barack isn't exactly a pimp daddy, but he has openly admitted to using illegal drugs (check out his autobiography) he's embroiled in religious controversy, and visually, he's a D.C. version of Dave Chappelle without the bloodshot eyes and munchies. If only the Jewish people could produce a D.C. version of Jon Stewart to run for office, we'd have it made with today's young voters-- and more of these kids are graduating college than ever before! So much for higher education; I suppose that's what happens when you staff the ivy halls with professors so hell-bent on the benefits of tenure that they literally tell students what sentences to highlight and recopy from their textbooks onto their final exams. We have produced a nation of robots: turn on the TV and watch "reality" take over the White House.

Aliyah is sounding better and better.

Israel, In: America, Out

2008-06-15T12:07:00.004-04:00

"Islamofascism: Saudi money buys a lot in Washington…." Investors Business Daily via Israpundit:

Islamofascism: Saudi money buys a lot in Washington, even an extension of a lease to an Islamic school that graduates terrorists and teaches its students it's OK to kill non-Muslims.

A federal panel wants the Islamic Saudi Academy inside the Beltway shut down for promoting hate, something we've urged for years. But remarkably, this madrassa still has powerful backers — including the State Department.

Oh, the State Department, whose infamous wrangler is none other than Condi "No More Building Jewish Homes In Jerusalem" Rice. Nice.

Are Oil Prices Being Manipulated to Help Obama? Bill Levinson via Israpundit:

Noting that bad economic conditions, and especially a recession, work against the party that currently holds the White House, it is possible to at least speculate that hostile foreign governments and/or other entities are manipulating oil prices to help Barack Obama. This April, Obama said something about $4/gallon gasoline when the price was still well below $3.50. How did he know that the price was going to exceed $4.00 by summer?

Supreme Court Decision in Boumediene v. Bush Ted Belman, Israpundit

This decision by a 5 to 4 majority "found that the constitutionally guaranteed right of habeas corpus review applies to persons held in Guantanamo and to persons designated as enemy combatants on that territory."

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. For the past four years, I've been an avid blogger on two self-established forums: first, ConservaJew which was more political in nature, and now with The Unified Body, a blog that has taken on more of a spiritual nature, but is politically informed nonetheless. The majority of my blogging involves copying and pasting articles from other blogs and news sources and then taking a step back to analyze the big picture.

I've got to say that, after four years, the big picture ain't looking too good. At least, not in some ways. For America, the big picture looks increasingly grim, much like a Jackson Pollock schmear done late in life. For Israel, the big picture is somewhere between a Picasso blue and a bright Chagall, still farecht but nevertheless willing to allow a lot of light in to balance out the situation. In more simpler terms, or for those not artistically inclined, let me put it this way:

America has a candidate named Hussein running for President.
Israel is claiming to hold negotiations with Syria but building Jewish homes in Jerusalem and the West Bank anyway.

Adonai spoke through the prophet Zechariah, promising that Jerusalem would become "a cup that will stagger the surrounding peoples." In a way, this is already happening. Ever since the American government made it a priority to force Israel to give away the land, America has gone downhill-- and fast. The economy stinks. There are no jobs, hundreds of thousands of mortgages are in foreclosure, and the cost of commodities and oil are rapidly rising. Our government has signed away much of our national sovereignty, though NAFTA and through the Security & Prosperity Partnership-- a document that promises to unite Canada, Mexico & the US into a political trade union much like the EU. We have an apathetic generation who, overall, knows nothing of patriotism and is willing to support the election of a candidate who is cheered on by the Arab world-- aka, people bent on our destruction. America is staggering thanks to a generation's worth of poor choices and unG-dly decision making that put a series of anti-Israel politicians into key positions of power in our government. And now, the country is paying the price.

Israel, however, despite ongoing diplomatic and militant attacks from all sides is thriving. The Israeli GDP grew 5.4% in the first quarter, exceeding economists' expectations and the shekel is at an 11 year high against the dollar. Despite the seeming chaos surrounding Olmert's continued corruption expose, Shas has announced it will support dissolution, which will pave the way for early elections. Israeli politicians are already prepared, working together to form a new coalition titled the "Pro Land of Israel Parties" whose platform is this: "...in one sentence, the Land of Israel for the People of Israel according to the Torah of Israel, along with involvement in matters of education, social welfare, etc.". And let's not forget that the IDF is strong, and strongly against a nuclear-armed Iran-- they already made their statement in Syria last September; I don't think they'd mind CC'ing Iran on that memo.

And let's boil it down to Jerusalem:

Barack Obama makes hearty declarations about a unified Jerusalem at the AIPAC conference, only to "flip-flop" less than 24 hours later in the wake of Arab criticism by stating on CNN, "Obviously it is going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues, and Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations."

Israel, however, has a series of politicians forming coalitions and political parties based on maintaining a unified Jerusalem and a unified Israel. Perhaps they learned their lesson from Gush Katif. Or, perhaps, this is the beginning of the judgement hour, where Jerusalem will be the measuring stick by which all the nations on earth-- including the Jewish people--will be tested by G-d.

In any case, I am only left to wonder and led to believe that when the time comes for me to begin my next blogging venture the topic at hand will most likely be aliyah. The America that was a safe resting place for the Jewish people will soon be no more. Perhaps now is the hour when we are all being called back home.

Erev Shavuot -- Headlines

2008-06-08T22:46:00.002-04:00

Torah is the document that turned us from an unruly band of first, second and third cousins into a nation of priests and warriors with a King.

Russia says preparations for Iran nuclear reactor startup set for autumn [YNet News -- Hat Tip: Israel Matzav]

Russian news agencies said Saturday that preparations for the startup of a nuclear power plant in Iran will begin this autumn.

The agencies quoted Russian nuclear agency chief Sergei Kiriyenko as saying builders are in the final stages of work on the plant near the city of Bushehr.

His remarks Saturday were in line with a statement by the head of the Russian company building the plant that it would not be started up before late 2008. But Iran has said the reactor would begin operating at half its capacity this summer.

More Headlines from IsraelMatzav:

'Palestinian' caught with 6 pipe bombs at Hawara road block Condi wants opened

Obama on How the Jewish Lobby Works

Obama Flip-Flops on Israel [to get the Jewish Vote]

And from Arutz Sheva:

Arab Anger Forces Obama to Backtrack on Jerusalem

Responding to Obama's remarks, [regarding an undivided Jerusalem--made in a speech to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee or, AIPAC] a livid Abbas told reporters, "This statement is totally rejected. The whole world knows that holy Jerusalem was occupied in 1967 and we will not accept a Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital."

By Thursday Obama was quickly backpedaling, telling reporters "Well, obviously it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations… As a practical matter, it would be very difficult to execute [a policy of the capital remaining undivided.]"

And from the JPost:

Gaza op likely before J'lem signs truce [JPost]

In response to the recent string of fatal Hamas rocket attacks, Israel is likely to conduct a medium-size military operation against the Islamist group before agreeing to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, senior defense officials told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday.

A final decision on Israel's course will be made on Tuesday during a meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Barak, officials said, favored first striking at Hamas and only then agreeing to a truce.

"Under the current circumstances, accepting a cease-fire would appear as if we are giving in to Hamas's demands and ultimatums," a senior defense official said, adding that an operation would likely be launched soon.

According to the new strategy, the IDF will not reoccupy the Gaza Strip but will instead initiate an incursion to make Hamas "pay a price," and afterward agree to a cease-fire.

YOM YERUSHALAYIM!!!

2008-06-01T19:45:00.003-04:00

We're in a season of holidays right now. Tonight begins Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, the day we celebrate our victorious recapture of Jerusalem in 1967. In honor of the holiday, Treppenwitz has posted an interview with Moshe Rusnak, the commander of the Haganah forces in the Old City during the War of Independence in '48. Of course, we already know that Moshe Dayan opposed the capture of Jerusalem in '67; in fact, his opinion was one that led the Israeli government to surrender control of the Temple Mount back to the Arabs. However, in this interview, Rusnak details that, even then, the leadership of the nascent Israeli army never had any intention of reclaiming Jerusalem for the Jewish people.

In other words, we have all the more reason to rejoice in our G-d for the miracles He continues to perform in our midst, despite our complete bull-headed unwillingness to listen to Him and fulfill our part of the Sinai bargain.

HaShem fights for His people. And that is why we celebrate the gift of Jerusalem.

***

2008 Election Note:

Man, I love Carl in Jerusalem.

Hannity and Colmes on Obama's connection with 'Palestinian' terrorist Rashid Khalidi

Rashid Khalidi is a 'respected' 'Palestinian' terrorist: a member of the PLO since the days it was officially labeled a terrorist organization, he is now a professor at Columbia University (where else?), holding the Edward Said chair in Arab studies. Said was also a member of the PLO.

As it turns out, Khalidi and his wife Mona are also good friends of Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama.

Sean Hannity is a pretty cool dude, too.

Well, if all else fails, American Jews would be wise to rejoice in the fact that we still have Jerusalem to run to.

Zionism: A Badge of Honor

2008-05-21T22:37:00.003-04:00

Olmert Announces Tough Concessions Ahead in Talks with Syria [Israel National News]

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israelis Wednesday night talks with Syria could mean "concessions which will not be simple." He did not elaborate.

Exclusive: Syrian tourism industry makes plans for Golan [JPost]

"We understand that there is a [peace] process Israel must pursue and we understand that the prime minister [Ehud Olmert] is preparing to face a police investigation, but we also know that most Israeli Knesset members reject the idea of withdrawing from the Golan and that there is a strong majority in the Knesset that opposes the idea, as does most of the Israeli public.

"Although it is worrisome, we can't imagine the Israeli government would dare to give important Israeli territory to the hands of the Iranians, the Syrians and Hizbullah, and thereby endanger the existence of the Israeli state," Malka said.

Anti-Jewish Attacks in LA, England and NYC [Israel National News]

Violent attacks against Jews in recent weeks have taken place in Los Angeles, England and New York City. In Ireland, a Jewish man had graffiti daubed on his home reading: "Go Home, Jew."

They won't stop attacking us until we stand up for ourselves. Until we denounce, reject, and erradicate the corruption, fear, and self-doubt in our own ranks, we cannot and will not survive against outside attack.

Now is the time for all of Israel to stand up and fight back. This begins by throwing out the 2,000 year old diaspora scapegoat "woe-are-we" mentality. We are not the victims here: We are the victors. And the sooner we accept that, the better.

We are Israel. We. Always. Win.

Messianic Jewish Impact in Israel

2008-05-20T18:58:00.003-04:00

While the American Messianic Jewish community continues to spin on its heels, debating over such poignant issues as the incorporation of Talmud study and requiring gentiles to undergo official conversion ceremonies, the Messianic community in Israel is making some serious in-roads into being recognized as a legitimate, culturally and ethnically Jewish sect. While all of the credit goes to HaShem, the work of Calev Myers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice deserves a serious round of applause. This guy is basically THE spokesperson for Israeli Messianics. Some clips:

Orthodox youth burn New Testaments [JPost May 20, '08]

Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament in a religious Israeli town.

Or Yehuda Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon said missionaries recently entered a neighborhood in the predominantly religious town of 34,000 in central Israel, distributing hundreds of New Testaments and missionary material.

...

Calev Myers, an attorney who represents Messianic Jews, or Jews who accept Jesus as their savior, demanded in an interview with Army Radio that all those involved be put on trial. He estimated there were 10,000 Messianic Jews, who are also known as Jews for Jesus, in Israel.

Court applies Law of Return to Messianic Jews because of fathers [JPost April 22, '08]

Messianic Jews are entitled to Israeli citizenship according to the Law of Return if their father is Jewish, according to a precedent-setting ruling handed down last week by the High Court of Justice.

...

These petitioners, represented by attorneys Yehuda Raveh and Calev Myers, argued that they were eligible for new immigrant status and citizenship because they were the offsprings of fathers who were Jewish, not because they themselves were Jewish according to the definition of "Who is a Jew" in the Law of Return.

What is truly amazing is the story surrounding the participation of a Messianic Jewish girl in Israel's annual Bible quiz:

Organizers of Bible Quiz in Israel Get Question of Their Own: 'Who is a Jew?' [Jewish Daily Forward May 6, '08]

The organizers of Israel's annual state-run Bible Quiz are used to asking tough questions. But as this year's contest approached, the tables were turned as they were forced to answer one: Who is a Jew?

The Bible Quiz is a popular highlight of the country's yearly Independence Day celebrations, introduced by the prime minister and broadcast live on national television. Thousands of Israelis tune in to see teenagers battle to determine who knows the most about the Good Book.

Contestants come from Israel and the Diaspora. The only prerequisite for entry is that you have to be Jewish.

There are no records of contestants who had been excluded because their Jewishness was contested at any point in the quiz's 45-year history. In mid-April, however, a furious controversy erupted following the disclosure that Bat-El Levy, one of the four Israeli finalists this year, comes from a West Bank family of so-called messianic Jews who believe in Jesus as the messiah.

Rabbis and anti-missionary activists, already shaken by a recent Supreme Court decision permitting 12 messianics to immigrate under the Law of Return, demanded that the 17-year-old be disqualified. Opponents charged that her participation would help her community advance what critics call creeping legitimacy as a variant of Judaism.

...

"The reaction to this contestant shines a light on a phobia that exists toward messianic Jews in Israel," said attorney Calev Myers, de facto spokesman for Israel's 100 messianic congregations.

...

Among the quiz organizers, “nobody was happy” upon learning of the contestant’s faith, said Shlomo Ben-Tzura, who is in charge of Israeli entries.

"We talked with lawyers, but couldn't do anything," he said. "Everybody wanted to say she isn't a Jew, but nobody could do anything." He said that as the daughter of a Jewish woman, she meets the standard criteria to be considered a Jew under Halacha, or traditional rabbinic law. Legally, he added, there was no room to challenge her status, since she is listed as Jewish in her state papers — which do not always follow halachic definitions.

...

"Messianic Jews are widely despised because they claim to be Jewish while declaring a belief in 'Yeshua,'" explained Dan Cohn Sherbok, a Reform rabbi who is a theology professor at the University of Wales in Britain and has written widely on messianic Judaism. "However, what is accepted as the Jewish community is so diverse and pluralistic, even including groups like humanists who are actually nontheists, that anybody will have a hard time excluding messianics and justifying doing so."

Pushing our legitimate identity as Jews from a legal angle, Myers is bringing the crux of the "Who is a Jew" argument to the forefront of the Israeli legal landscape. By doing so, he is laying the groundwork to secure a future for Messianic Jews to live as Jews in Israel. Baruch HaShem!

The cultural implications of these legal decisions are radical. Not only do they legitimize our Jewish identity in the eyes of our fellow Jews; they establish our inherent Jewishness in the eyes of our gentile counterparts. This will have a massive effect on the way Messianic Judaism is practiced by future generations.

However, by arguing that Messianic Jews are Jewish on the basis of genetics, i.e.; the Messianic Jews with patrilineal Jewish blood are deemed to be ethnic Jews, may be an argument that winds up setting us back in certain ways. As long as Jewishness is viewed as any kind of genetically-bestowed identity (whether it is termed a "race" or an "ethnicity" if it's blood-dependent, you're either born into it or you're not) we run the risk of contradicting Torah principles. Remember: the foreigner was accepted into the tribe as long as they accepted the cultural norms (Torah practice) of the Hebrew people. We cannot ignore the lessons of Ruth and Romans 9-11, among other scriptures, if we are to truly understand who we are as a people.

I would also warn against portraying the Messianic population in Israel as a "persecuted minority." Jews the world-over are a persecuted minority; the major world powers persecute Israel on a daily basis. It is absurd to begin crying foul when your own brother picks on you if you're both under the knife. We'll never establish any kind of true unity if we enter into a race with the Orthodox sect to see who is the most persecuted Jew. That's ridiculous. We should simply state the facts of our case and rest on the truth, because it is the truth--not whining--that will set us free.

Exciting things are happening in the land of Israel. Baruch haShem for the servants of Adonai!

LONG LIVE ISRAEL!

2008-05-10T10:44:00.005-04:00

This week was a momentous one in a number of ways.

We celebrated my Jewish father's birthday. His initials are V.E. because he was born on Victory in Europe day; oddly enough, I was the only one to know what V.E. Day was in my WW2 films class back in college. None of my peers--educated ones at that--knew what V.E. stood for.

Along with about 40 others, I took my turn to speak up and speak out against a proposed zoning ordinance during a public hearing with my city's commissioners. The proposed ordinance would have turned my 326 year old small town into a "smart growth transit village"-- a postmodern term for squishing as many people into as tiny a space as possible, in order to "save the wildlife" (and do G-d knows what else-- as a Jew, I despise ghetto mentality in any form for good reason). Penned by the local bunch of eco-nazis, the ordinance would have plowed over our history, character, and beauty for developers keen on building low income housing, multi-tiered parking garages, and hotels on wetlands. It was a classic case of the few and the powerful looking to make a profit off the weak and the uninformed, and looking to do so in a sneaky matter. When they realized that our small group had caught on and actually read the document, one city planner said, "Uh oh, the rats are out of the bag." (Not kidding.) Needless to say, our grass-roots efforts were nothing short of democracy at work; the public hearing was packed with people I didn't even know, speaking out against the ordinance. Fortunately (and fearfully) the commissioners heard us and responded to the public's outcry, tabling the ordinance for further re-write and review, with citizen input. I'm pretty sure this summer in town will be akin to the summer of Philadelphia, circa 1776. But, Thank G-d free speech still exists in this country, to some extent at least.

Most importantly, this week we celebrated Israel's 60th Birthday. We did so by investigating Olmert's gross corruption, witnessing John McCain (finally) publicly announce that Hamas supports Barack Obama, and watching as the Lebanese PM succumbed to Hizbullah terrorist demands and resigned.

This world is in a weird place. Even in my own small way, in my two minute speech to my commissioners and fellow citizens, I felt as if I were "raging against the dying of the light." We need a perspective change. We need to realize that, as Jews and as believers in Messiah, we are the light, and we aren't dying. Whether it is hearing people applaud when you speak the truth, or watching fireworks over Jerusalem, we need to be aware that we are the winners here-- that being Jewish means we align ourselves with G-d and, in doing so, WE ALWAYS WIN.

We're the winners here. We're the ones doing the right thing. And in that, I rejoice.

Last weekend I happened to pick up a Victorian print I'd had my eye on for a while. It's a close-up of three horses staring at you with the sea in the distance. I don't know why I like it-- I'm generally not into animals or animal prints-- but something about them spoke to me.

After doing a little research, I found out that the print is actually from a famous painting done for Queen Victoria by an artist and horse trainer named J.F. Herring. Ironically, the painting is titled "Pharaoh's Horses"-- hence the oceanic background; these are the horses leading the chariots on the chase after the Hebrews, about to be washed assunder by the waves of the Red Sea. Now, every time I look at them I can see clearly the fear in their eyes: being knowingly led by a cruel master into their demise, and not being able to do anything about it. These were the animals chasing after my ancestors (after me, after all of us really, since we are to feel that we have been personally freed from Egypt) yet the horses are the ones in fear, not us. Because we always win.

Happy Birthday, Israel. We always win!

Yom HaShoah & Israel Independence: Thoughts

2008-05-03T11:48:00.003-04:00

When asked who held the most blame for the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel answered "the American Jews." He's right. Jewish Americans were in places of power and authority within the FDR Administration, and they willingly chose to do nothing despite having full knowledge of what was going on. The Editor-in-Cheif of the NY Times openly made it a point to keep reports about European Jewry in the back pages of the largest newspaper in America--that is, when he chose to cover the story at all. Hollywood Jews did make an effort to draw attention to Hitler's atrocities in Europe in the late 1930s, as well as to help European Jews emigrate to the US, until the US Government sent Joe Kennedy to warn them against their commentary, lest America blame the Jews for being drawn into the war.

Sure, there were average Jewish Americans who did what they could to speak out, to bring family and friends over from Europe, and even to fight. But the Jewish Americans with the greatest power and authority by and large did nothing.

Today, American Jews claim that without Jewish American money, the State of Israel couldn't survive. They're wrong. Don't tell the survivors and descendants of an army that fashioned lipstick cases into bullets that they need greenbacks to function. That's plain bull. I can't help but wonder if the money argument doesn't have a twofold purpose: to ease the guilt of not taking on the burden of responsibility for leaving our European brothers and sisters in the dust, and to justify the lack of willingness to make aliyah. In any case, it's an argument that's got to stop if we are to ever begin healing the rift between American and Israeli Jewry, a great number of whom are of European descent.

Related Links:

NEVER AGAIN: Speech by the IDF Chief of the General Staff for the 'March of the Living' [Israpundit]

Lebanon Palestinians to march on border [JPost]

More than 100,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon are expected to march toward the border with Israel on May 14 in the context of the Palestinian Authority's plan to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Israel, PA officials told The Jerusalem Post Thursday.

...

The plan calls on the refugees to return to Israel with suitcases and tents so that they can settle down in their former villages. The refuges are requested to carry UN flags upon their return and to be equipped with their UNRWA-issued ID cards.

The plan asks Arab countries hosting the refugees to facilitate their return by opening their borders. The plan specifically refers to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

Palestinian refugees living in the US, EU, Canada and Latin America have been requested to use their foreign passports to fly to Ben- Gurion Airport, while dozens of ships carrying refugees will converge on Israeli ports.

If you get 'Shalom TV' you'll recall that Israel Update covered this story months ago. Whether it will really happen or not, I don't know. Trying to get those forces to unify has failed more than once in the past. But, trust that if it does, it should be one hell of an Israel Independence Day.

Modern-Day Devorah Takes Rabbinic World By Storm

2008-04-30T22:08:00.003-04:00

Rabbis call for Bible Quiz boycott [JPost]

A group of religious Zionist rabbis have called for a boycott of this year's International Bible Quiz after discovering that one of the four finalists from Israel is a Messianic Jew who believes Jesus is the true Messiah.

...

The call to boycott the quiz came after Yad L'Achim, a haredi anti-missionary organization, discovered that one of the finalists, Bat-El Levi, an 11th grader from a high school in Pisgat Ze'ev, was a Messianic Jew.

...

Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, an advocacy group that represents members of the Messianic community, said that the rabbis' call to boycott the quiz was a show of weakness.

"If the participation of a Messianic Jewish lady is enough to shake up those rabbis' world, it shows the weakness of that world," said Myers.

"Why should they have a problem with a young woman who knows how to quote from the Bible?

"It is about time that they stop having a monopoly over determining who is a Jew. The beauty of the Jewish world is the diversity. If you can still be considered a Jew even if you believe that the Lubavitch Rebbe [Menachem Mendel Schneerson] is the messiah, the same thing should hold true if you believe Jesus is."

As far as I'm concerned, Bat-El Levi deserves a hearty hug of support from the entire Messianic community for having the guts to even enter the contest, knowing full well the uphill battle she would face if she did win any round, let alone make it to the finals.

A Messianic Jewish Israeli teenage chick who knows her Torah bowls over the Rabbinic Jewish world. How awesome is that? Call it the D'vorah Moment of the Week.

It's a Pesach MIRACLE!

2008-04-25T21:46:00.003-04:00

Israeli Supreme Court rules in favor of Messianic Jews [israeltoday.co.il]

The following is a press release issued by Jerusalem Institute for Justice co-founder Calev Meyers:

In a landmark decision this week, the Supreme Court of Israel ratified a settlement between twelve Messianic Jewish believers and the State of Israel, which states that being a Messianic Jew does not prevent one from receiving citizenship in Israel under the Law of Return or the Law of Citizenship, if one is a descendent of Jews on one's father's side (and thus not Jewish according to halacha).

Added Bonus: "This important victory paves the way for persons who have Jewish ancestry on their father's side to immigrate to Israel freely, whether or not they belong to the Messianic Jewish community. This is yet another battle won in our war to establish equality in Israel for the Messianic Jewish community just like every other legitimate stream of faith within the Jewish world."

YAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the Economy...and They're Stupid

2008-04-14T19:28:00.004-04:00

I was not an Economics Major. However, like George Orwell, who ventured into the working-class-poor world after his stint at a ritzy English university (I want to say Oxford, but it may have been Cambridge), I have ventured far from the ivy halls of the ivory tower and thusly consider myself as having a PhD in Common Sense.

So, Common Sense Economics 101:

Lesson one: NAFTA

NAFTA = No Jobs for Americans on American Soil

Mom and Dad who have high school educations and VoTech trade degrees can't get jobs->
Mom and Dad go on unemployment-->
Mom and Dad begin living lives subsidized by the American government (the same government that approved the bill that lost the couple their chances for employment)--->
Mom and Dad have a kid, and get more government money---->
Mom and Dad realize that kids=more government money, so they keep having kids, and keep getting checks----->
Eventually:
Mom and Dad manage to swing buying a house on a 100% sub-prime mortgage (thanks to shady bankers) and continue to live off government money while taking secondary, under-the-table employment (legal or illegal, cash only=no taxes=not putting back in the government pot) in order to furnish new home, OR
Mom and Dad realize that if they split up, Mom can live in low income, government subsidized housing with the kids----->
Mom and Dad realize that dad can move in with friends, and rent out the house where they live, so they can pay the mortgage with rent money and pocket the government checks (most likely to be spent on plasma TVs)----->
Kids grow up without a steady father-figure--->
Most likely in a seedy neighborhood--->
Most definitely in an environment that promotes living off government money--->
Eventually:
>Kid thinks, "Why bother with school?" and the system continues, OR
>Kid wins "disadvantaged youth" scholarship, winds up in Ivy League School in order to fill "underpriveledged minority" enrollment quota, and lands big money job in high class environment while--->Working class kid with working parents who refused to live off government money doesn't qualify for scholarships (parents make just a little "too" much) doesn't get into Ivy League School (no money to pay for it) and doesn't get that big money job in high class environment that they're otherwise totally qualified for.

And this is why the socialization of the government in any form or fashion results in complete destruction and eventual collapse of the society as a whole.

The primary purpose of the Federal Government was to act as a bastion of national defense. In fact, the whole reason we fought the Revolutionary War was to keep the government from barging into our homes, our pocketbooks, and our lives.

Of course, the idea of American independence is now a notion under intense government scrutiny. It is a joke to think that the economy is receeding or collapsing; just as with the Great Depression in the 1930s, the middle class was raked over the coals while the rich (like FDR and his cronies) kept getting richer all the time. Look at who stands to benefit from the failure of the US Economy: Arab nations, whose markets are booming; China; Russia--- you know, all of our greatest moral enemies. They also happen to be the nations we bow to (and force our allies to bow down to-- need I remind you of the Annapolis Conference?) and borrow money from (ahem, CitiGroup); do our greatest amount of trading with (MADE IN CHINA ring a bell?); and send our oil to.

So, what better way to destroy the United States than implement a series of laws and policies to break down our economic structure, resulting in a weakening of our moral fiber, and rendering us malleable enough to agree to just about anything in order to sate our appetites overwhelmed with living off the fat of the government, or tired of scratching to pull weeds from the ground? This wouldn't be the first time poor people succumbed to the empty promises of socialist systems-- or didn't you get that lesson in your 9th grade unit on Hitler's Germany?

Weaken the Dollar -->
Weaken the Moral Resolve -->
Present Alternative Currency/Promises of Better Economy -->
So what if an Alternative Government comes along with it?

Recommended Reading:

Inside the Hush-Hush North American Union Confab [StopSPP.com]

A largely unreported meeting held at the State Department discussed integration of the U.S., Mexico and Canada in concert with a move toward a transatlantic union, linking a North American community with the European Union.

The meeting was held Monday under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, or ACIEP. WND obtained press credentials and attended as an observer. The meeting was held under “Chatham House” rules that prohibit reporters from attributing specific comments to individual participants.

...

The meeting agenda included topics reviewing the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, or SPP, and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council, or TEC.

The SPP, declared by the U.S., Canada and Mexico at a summit meeting in 2005, has 20 trilateral bureaucratic working groups that seek to "integrate and harmonize" administrative rules and regulations on a continental basis.

Several participants said the premise of the SPP is to create a North American business platform to benefit North America-based multi-national companies the way the European Union benefits its own.

Others noted the premise of the TEC is to create a convergence of administrative rules and regulations between Europe and North America, anticipating the creation of a "Transatlantic Economic Union" between the European Union and North America.

...

Before the meeting began, concerns were raised informally by participants worried that the Ohio Democratic Party primary had prompted both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to talk of renegotiating NAFTA.

Participants at the State Department meeting pointed out U.S. political candidates could be expected to argue "protectionist themes opposed to global economic integration" as a tactic, without necessarily being committed to taking aggressive steps once in office.

Amero Currency News & Updates
Stop the Security & Prosperity Partnership

Absolute Madness is at the doorstep.

Dangerous. Very, Very Dangerous.

2008-04-08T18:40:00.003-04:00

IDF collecting settlers' weapons [JPost]

After more than 25 years of holding onto his IDF-issued gun, Moshe Grosberg was surprised to learn from the head of security in Ofra, the Samarian settlement where he lives, that he had to give it up.

"I haven't killed anyone with the weapon," said Grosberg, who notes that he lives close to Palestinian areas and needs the gun for protection when he walks or drives outside of the community.

Still, like 50 others in Ofra, he handed in his gun last week.

The measure is one of a number of changes that have settler leaders up in arms. In recent weeks, the IDF has collected army-issued weapons held by Israelis living in the West Bank, as well as caches of weapons held in storage in the settlements. It has also stopped providing bulletproof windows for settlers' cars.

IDF Collecting Reserve Guns, Supplies From Civil Response Teams [Israel National News]

Accordingly, the gun collection program excluded those weapons currently issued to local security personnel and to members of emergency response teams in the Judea and Samaria region, according to the IDF. However, residents of the towns in question said that it was now impossible to obtain any new guns, even for those who have been volunteering with community emergency response teams for weeks prior to the latest collection efforts.

Army spokespeople noted that the confiscated weapons are to remain in IDF reserve armories for the time being. In case of emergency, according to officials, the guns will be distributed among reservists who served in combat units during their military service.

But some security personnel in the affected communities expressed concern that they will be left with little defense at the same time that the government has ordered the removal of dozens of roadblocks and blockades designed to restrict travel by Arab terrorists.

Related Articles via the JPost:

Hamas Threatens to Breach Israeli Border

Syrian Official: We're Prepared for War

Iran begins installing 6,000 new centrifuges

via Israel National News:

Arabs Attack Drivers in Judea

Ramon Admits Security Fence Actually Partition Wall

Citizenry Emergency Drill Begins With Nationwide Sirens

The BBC did a news report on a group of religious Zionist teenagers in the West Bank, who literally stand their ground against IDF soldiers who are being ordered to evict them from "illegal" outposts. Unarmed with only their faith to defend them, these young people are forcibly carried away and detained (often for unusual lengths of time without being formally charged-- something the BBC neglected to mention) simply for defending what the Torah says. One young man, probably no more than 14 or 15, said to the reporter, "This land is ours. G-d gave it to us. They have no god; that is their problem."

No guns. Just faith. Pure and simple. This is what it has all boiled down to, which is ironic, since that's what it's all about in the first place.

Some Purim Halacha

2008-03-23T10:40:00.005-04:00

Chag Purim Sameach!

Of course, Purim is a great holiday for many reasons.

1. We are reminded once again that we always win. Baruch haShem!

2. We are reminded once again that we work best together as a team. Sure, leaders are called out from among us, but victory requires unity.

3. Shiksappeal can't hold a candle to Yehudiyappeal. Sure, Mia Farrow may have snagged Woody Allen, but our girl got the Persian king. Can Annie Hall hold a candle to the winning over of a kingdom? I don't think so-- and the critics agree.

Favorite Verses from the Megillah:

"If Mordekai, before whom you have begun to fall, is a Jew, you will not get the better of him; on the contrary, your downfall before him is certain." (Zeresh, Haman's wife, to Haman, Esther 6:13)

"...the Jews resolved and took upon themselves, their descendants and all who might join them that without fail they would observe these two days..." (9:27)

"For Mordekai the Jew was second only to King Achashverosh; he was a great man among the Jews, popular with all his many countrymen. He sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all their descendants." (10:3)

Personal Observations:

New treat for this year's Purim: chocolate hamentashen from Israel. I've had fruit-filled from some of the finest (and not so fine) American bakeries, but I've never seen chocolate-filled before. Needless to say-- c'est tre bon!

Of course, Purim this year coincided with Easter weekend, which meant that everywhere I went people were wishing me a Happy Easter. I could have replied, "Happy Purim to you, too," but since I'm not a jerk, I just smiled and wished them the same.

Yay for being a minority!

Personal Purim Victory Story:

This week, my order from Andy Books came in the mail. I picked up a series titled, "Halacha: Walking with G-d" by Dr. Karl Coke. The series deals with the concept of Halacha in a Biblical context. In other words, drop the religious façade, read the Bible, and live what it says. Think Torah observance as Yeshua lived it, not as the Rabbis teach it or as the Church ignores it.

For the past four years, I have become increasingly aware of the fact that as believers we often live two very separate lives. We have what my boss often calls, "work mode" where we go into our daily lives, to our jobs, interacting with other people, etc., with a certain attitude and a certain set of behaviors. This is often in complete opposition to "G-d mode" which is the pattern we fall into when we go to services, spend time with fellow believers, or even just come home after a long day out in the world.

Nowhere did the dichotomy between "work mode" and "G-d mode" become more apparent to me than in my job search. I happen to be a freelance writer who writes about Jewish things. I also happened to write about Jewish topics during my graduate studies. These works are included in my online portfolio I prepared to show potential employers. I'll never forget the day my brother basically told me that if I wanted to shop myself I should just not talk about or flash around anything that relates to being Jewish. In other words, not only should I omit the truth of who I am, I should also ditch half the work in my portfolio, lest my Jewishness become a hindrance in landing a professional career.

Whoa.

Intellectually, I understood that being Jewish was not a popular thing. But it seems like a part of me couldn't resist testing that notion in practice in the real world. I suddenly became very evasive about things when applying for jobs or going on interviews. Sometimes, I would just boil my thesis down to, "cultural studies," or neglect to pass along my business cards to people whom I thought wouldn't appreciate my writing portfolio. Suddenly, I found myself becoming very careful about expressing my Jewishness. And the more careful I became, the more frustrated I became, and the more I questioned whether or not I wanted a "career" in the "real world" after all.

The last job interview I went on was with a fairly large, well-known publishing company. The woman who interviewed me for a glorified secretarial position (think: "foot in the door, chance for bigger things" type-position) asked me what computer programs I was familiar with. Then, for some reason still unbeknownst to me, felt the need to ask me what blogs I read. (If you can tell me how my wpm count and my Internet surfing predelictions relate to one another in the context of interviewing to get someone's coffee every day, I'll give you five thousand shekels.) Taken slightly aback, I thought to myself, "Say 'Daily Kos.' NO! Don't associate yourself with those nutbags! What's a popular, mainstream blog? Uhm, uhm, she wants an answer. Oh, forget it!" before responding, "Israpundit."

"Oh, I've never heard of that one," she answered. "What news sources do you read?"

At this point, I knew the cat was out of the bag. "The Jerusalem Post," I replied, adding, "The New York Times," to soften the blow.

"Oh, you follow the news over there, then. That's a personal interest to you," the comment came with a slightly shocked expression, followed by a slightly patronizing grin and chuckle. She then proceeded to skewer me about my lack of publishing experience, and had no problem cutting me off when I answered her questions.

That night, when I got home, I made sure the link to my writing portfolio was included in my thank you email to her.

Nearly three weeks went by. The friend who referred me for the job was shocked that I hadn't heard anything, because she knew for a fact that her boss needed a new assistant, pronto. Finally, after weeks of waiting and feeling confident I wasn't going to hear anything, I got a call.

"Oh, we'd love to offer you the position. Just name your start date!"

Cool, okay. I asked some questions and when she said she'd have to obtain the answers from HR, I told her I'd call back in 24 hours with an answer.

But something shook inside of me. Later, my father and my brother would both ask me if I was excited when I got the offer, and I had to honestly respond, "No." It wasn't that this was a bad job, or a bad company. Something just didn't feel right. But, I reasoned, an offer is an offer, and after three years of working dead-end jobs and looking for the "career-position" that everyone wanted me to have, I had no right to say no.

"G-d," I prayed out loud, "I love you, and I want to do what is right by you. Please, if you want me to take this job, talk to me. I will listen and obey if it is what you want." I listened, but I didn't get any response.

So, the next day I called back. It happened to be Friday. It happened to be Shabbat. And, it happened to be Purim. My questions were answered, and I accepted the position. Then, we got to talking about the start-date. Suddenly, "name your date," turned into a patronizing lecture about how she felt no need to get with me sooner, because she was sure I would be available any time (despite knowing that I am currently employed). My date was not good enough, so she named a date. Then, in the next breath she changed her mind; the date she had stated wasn't good enough because she was travelling, so I'd just have to be in sooner.

This wouldn't have allowed me to give a full two weeks notice to my current employer. I stated as much, and she then implied that I hadn't communicated my situation clearly, saying she "thought" and she "assumed" I would be available any time, so she didn't feel the need to ask about my schedule. I asked her if I could call her back on Monday morning, to which she replied, "Well, we'll really need to know by then, because if this isn't going to work, we can't keep wasting our time. We'll have to start the process of looking all over again."

I played it cool, told her I had to make a phonecall and would call her back. Then, I hung up the phone, baffled. It made no sense. The woman who had been so sweet the day before, saying I could name my date, suddenly barked at me as if it was my fault that she neglected to ask me a fairly important question. Something wasn't kosher. But, at the same time, I felt like everyone was counting on me to get a "career" and get going with my life.

At that point, my family had arrived and was ready to celebrate Purim and Shabbat. So, I took the opportunity for a quick conference before I called this woman back. "Well, do you want the job, Sis?" my brother asked.

"Not really," I replied.

"Well then, don't take it," my brother and parents responded in unison. "Don't do something that's not going to make you happy."

It was as simple as all that. And, suddenly, it clicked. I called the woman back and politely declined the offer. She was stunned.

When I hung up the phone, the full impact of what I had just done hit me. Four years later, I had turned down a solid career offer, a chance to establish myself in the professional world. I couldn't believe myself.

That night, after everyone went home, I prayed about it and a peace I hadn't felt all week came over me. Determined to set it all aside, I made it a point to focus on HaShem, on Shabbat, and on the holiday at hand. As I praised HaShem, the peace increased and I felt a new strength grow within me.

The next day, my mother and I talked about it, and I commented that I couldn't just leave my current employer (who has been very good to me, and who also enjoys the fact that I am a Jew like him) without a full 2 weeks notice.

"No," she answered, "you couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right. And you have to do the right thing. She wanted you to do the wrong thing, and that's her problem, not yours."

Being Jewish, for me, isn't about flashing a Magen David, or claiming that I'm a Chosen One, or pushing a portfolio in people's faces. Being Jewish is about doing the right thing. How many times have we been asked to do the wrong thing when we're in "work mode"? How many times have we pushed our relationship with G-d to the backseat because we're in "work mode"? Every week, my boss's daughter comes in with her baby son to say hello, and every week, my boss says to her, "I can't stop now, I'm in work mode." The other week, the baby who just turned one, came in the door, spied his grandfather and said, "Pop pop!" He reached for my boss in excitement, something my boss would later remark, "was pretty cool."

Life isn't about "work mode." Life is about walking with our G-d. If I had conceeded to this woman's demands, I would have done the wrong thing by my current employer. And what would it have gotten me? A career? Maybe. The chance to work under someone who operates in confusion? The chance to work in a politically correct environment where conversations about my G-d, my faith, and my identity would not be considered kosher? Definitely.

We struggle so much with who we are supposed to be in this world. On the one hand, we're taught that degrees, careers and subseqent money and possessions mean nothing. Yet, on the other hand we're taught that to achieve respect and status, we are to become educated, establish a career, and earn a lot of money. Tele-preachers and megachurches today thrive on the "prosperity doctrine" of men, claiming that if you throw all your money into building funds for new stadium-like sanctuaries, G-d will rain fortune down upon you. Yet, G-d is no respector of persons. He chose fruit pickers, shepherds, and working class fishermen to teach and preach the Truth to the world. He uses the simple to confound the wise. We know all of this, yet we race to earn more status in the professional sphere so that we can earn more money which will earn us more status with those around us-- whether they are our neighbors, our peers, or even our religious leaders. And, all the while, we're sending a message to G-d that reads, "I don't have time for you now, I'm in work mode."

There is nothing wrong with having a career, or being successful at it. The motivation to achieve and succeed, however, becomes wrong when it is not motivated by the Truth of the Word of G-d. Ever since I was a child, I was instructed by teachers that since I had a brain and could get A's on tests, I was supposed to obtain a career that would make me rich. My gifted and talented peers now have myspace pages where they brag about how much money they make and all their subsequent social opportunities and chances for promotion as doctors, lawyers, politicians, you name it. You never see one of them bragging about how many people they healed, or how many innocent people they defended and saw acquitted. When I interviewed with this woman, she asked me why that particular publishing company interested me. I responded that I respected the fact that they specialized in medical publishing, and that working for a medical publisher would allow me to contribute in some small way to the betterment of the world around me. Her response was, "Oh, that's interesting. I never really thought of it that way."

In the most famous passage from the book of Esther, Mordechai warns his niece, "Don't suppose that merely because you happen to be in the royal palace you will escape any more than the other Jews. For if you fail to speak up now, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from a different direction; but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows whether you didn't come into your royal position precisely for such a time as this?" (4:12-14)

Just because you may win the world's favor, doesn't mean you'll escape their wrath when they turn on you. If you fail to do the right thing, in accordance with your covenant with G-d, G-d will still see that His promises are fulfilled. You, however, will have written yourself out of the picture. Here's your test: Are you going to do the right thing by G-d, and honor your covenant with Him, or are you going to do what the world thinks you should?

When Yeshua said no slave could serve two masters, He meant it. "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me, and the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." (John 14:21)

When "work mode" overrides the one Source that should impact your decision-making process, you are losing out. You may be gaining a "good" grade, a "great" career, or a "fabulous" friend, but you are losing the opportunity to walk with G-d. You are losing the opportunity to be a part of the picture. You are losing the opportunity to have Him reveal Himself to you. So, what have you truly accomplished?

Chag Purim Sameach. And if you celebrate Easter, I don't really know what flowers and candy bunnies have to do with Messiah's rising from the dead, but have a nice time with your family-- and don't forget to spend time with the Messiah you're celebrating today. Only, I'd skip offering Him any ham. For some reason, I don't think it'd go well with the hamentaschen.

Freedom's Current Crisis (Or, Messianic Politics 101)

2008-03-16T12:37:00.007-04:00

I grew up with an intense desire to avoid political discussion at all costs. I was raised in a home that functioned on an intense undercurrent of conservative politics. However, certain things were not considered polite dinner table conversation. When I told a visiting professor, who happened to be a Communist non-practicing Jew, that our family did not discuss G-d, sex, or politics publicly, I had to scrape his jaw off the table. But, it was true. My grandfather ruled the larger roost and when it came to topics that could be perceived as divisive, we were quickly told to, "Cut it off." Outside of a few screaming memes from my mother, who anxiously shouted, "Liars! Anti-Semites!" at the occasional CNN reporter, or my father's random disparaging remarks about the Clintons, I was fairly unexposed to political dialogue. I preferred it that way. Politics were ugly and divisive, and besides, as a kid I was part of the disengaged non-electorate, anyway. I had better things to focus on-- like Torah, Judaism, and Israel.

I didn't truly begin to become aware of the tight-knit relationship between real life and politics until my first graduate seminar in the fall of 2002 when, in an introduction to film theory, my professor informed us that, "Everything is political." At first, I didn't believe him, but I came to see quite clearly that this was true: film theorists and academics in general would strive to attach political meaning to the most benign actions imaginable. Films about out of work actors doing summer stage became tomes rife with communist innuendo (at least, according to communist theorists). Suddenly, everything I encountered had a political platform. Everyone was trying to shove some ideology down my throat. And, nine times out of ten, that ideology ran completely against the moral foundation upon which I was raised.

My first year in graduate school was a nightmare. I couldn't make heads nor tails out of what my professors were trying to teach me. Fortunately, there was an "oddball" in my class, the avowed conservative libertarian among a bunch of unaffiliated liberals who had no problem speaking up and speaking sense into classroom discussions. I may not always have been able to follow him to the T, but thanks to his commentary, I could clearly see that the complex, nonsensical theories of my professors were based in dangerous ideological territory and, consequently, had far-reaching, disastrous implications. For that first year, I sat and listened-- a lot. I did what my grandfather had always taught us to do: I kept my eyes and ears open, and my mouth shut.

I still recall that night reality finally hit home. Walking up the steps to my apartment after class, it suddenly dawned on me: I'm not the one that's wrong-- they are. I realized that the moral foundation I was raised with was the right one. I also understood very clearly that, not only was I allowed to have my own opinion, I should be allowed to express it, openly and honestly. But, as I watched my conservative peer catch guff time and time again, I knew that if I wanted to complete my program successfully, it would be better for me to keep my opinions to myself. So, I did. I muddled along and became the only one in my class to graduate on time with honors.

When I arrived home, as exhausted as I was, I knew I had work to do. This time, I set my sights on studying everything I wasn't permitted to research as a student at a public university. I poured over books by conservatives, beginning with Slander by Ann Coulter, and working my way from there, first with media commentaries (authors like Bernard Goldberg) since that was my arena of study in school, and then expanding into government and history. Naturally, I gravitated towards political texts regarding Israel and the Jewish people-- books like The War Against the Jews and The Abandonment of the Jews that my mother had read in her Holocaust history course worked in naturally with books I had read for my thesis, like Hollywood: An Empire of their Own. Eventually, thanks to one of Coulter's references, I picked up Whittaker Chambers's Witness, which led me to John Loftus's The Secret War Against the Jews.

At the same time, I began to follow political news online, reading both mainstream sources as well as independent conservative blogs like Israpundit. Thanks to these blogs, I tuned into authors like Ken Timmerman (Preachers of Hate) and Ben Shapiro (Brainwashed). I also immersed myself in conservative talk radio, taking my summer off to listen to Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and my personal favorite, WABC's Mark Levin. And, I made it a point to listen to Israeli talk radio via Arutz Sheva-- the conservative, religious-Zionist "renegade" station that broadcasted off the shores of the Promised Land.

In short, I became consumed with all I had sought to ignore in the world. In a matter of three months, I had read somewhere between 30 and 40 books and spent countless hours online or next to a radio. I studied what was going on in Israel and America, with a special focus on how the media portrayed conservatives, conservative issues, and everything related to Israel and the Jewish people. In doing so, it became very clear to me that the agenda marketed by the media was the same agenda shoved down my throat in graduate school: anti-Israel, anti-G-d, and anti-everything associated with Him. Comprehending this allowed me to understand one other thing very, very clearly: In possessing these attitudes, the media and the academy, the institutions I had believed I would devote my life's work to, were against me.

And that is when I got angry.

"If the world hates you, understand that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would have loved its own. But, because you do not belong to the world, on the contrary, I have picked you out of the world therefore the world hates you. Remember what I told you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours too. But they will do all this to you on my account, because they don't know the One who sent me." (Yeshua, Yochanan 15:18-21)

I had always known Scripture to be true. But I had never experienced the hatred of this world, so until I did, I could not fully understand the Truth I had been given. I knew that the situation I was confronting-- this battle Ronald Reagan had so easily boiled down to the fight "between good and evil"-- was bigger than me, and had been going on longer than I had been around, longer than my parents or grandparents had been on this earth, for that matter. I wanted to go back down the line, to understand how we had arrived where we were at that point in time.

First, I went back to Chambers's book that detailed the infiltration and influence of communism on the American government in the 1930s. That, I knew, had resulted in the persecution of Jewish Americans in Hollywood, as well as a lack of American response to the Holocaust. Therefore, it was clear to see that communism was an anti-Israel ideology. The next step was to read Marx for myself, as well as to research the existence of Marxism in its various forms around the globe-- Cuba, Russia, China, all anti-Israel in nature. Cuba, in fact, was the first government to establish ties with Yasser Arafat and even open a "Palestinian Embassy" on their soil. Many of the communist terrorist organizations of the 60s and 70s had strong ties to the PFLP, the PLO, and the other muslim Arab terror organizations Israel fights today.

Learning this naturally led me to study the connection between Islam and Marx. Two years before it even started to become public via the blogosphere, I knew and understood that the relationship between communism and Islam went further back than Castro and Arafat, straight to Hitler and the Mufti. Hitler, it seems, wasn't so much about the promotion of the aryan race as he was about the destruction of the Jewish people, and he found an ally in a proponent of the oldest Israel-hating religion on the face of the earth: Islam. One night I found a Koran in an old book shop, and sat there copying verses about killing Jews onto scrap paper I found in my purse. I couldn't bear to buy the book and actually have it in my home, so I scrawled notes and proceeded to bury the text back on the shelf. My research was complete. I knew, then, for sure that the battle I was witnessing had been, and always would be about the existence of Israel.

In October of 2004, five months after I had graduated, I began writing down everything I had learned over the summer. I wanted the text to be brief and basic, but strong enough to substantiate the claims I was making. The original goal was to get down on paper everything I knew to be true for my own self, lest I forget all the wonderful knowledge I had just been given. In the end, however, I realized that my brief could be a great source for people like me-- the average, hard-working, middle class reader, who wanted to understand what was going on in the world, but who lacked the time to read 40 books and sit by a radio for six hours a day.

I completed the work in less than a month. After that, life changed. I entered the working world and set this particular work aside. A few weeks ago, I pulled it out and looked at it. Four years later, it was a dated, but not out-dated piece. So many things have happened since October of 2004. Bush was re-elected on a pro-Israel platform, only to turn around and force Israel to evict 9,000 citizens in the name of "peace." Ariel Sharon, the lion of the settlements, is now comatose while 75% of the residents of Gush Katif still wait for permanent housing.

A month after the eviction, Hurricane Katrina smacked into New Orleans and evangelical preachers proclaimed it a judgement of G-d. John Hagee formed Christians United for Israel, forcing liberals into hissyfits over neocon influence and the "power and control" of the "religious right". Condi Rice and the State Department have morphed into an anti-Israel cabal bent on the division of Jerusalem by the end of '08, something the Israeli government of Olmert and Livni are more than willing to do. Eight students from the ages of 16 to 28 studying Torah at the heart of religious Zionism in Jerusalem were murdered by a muslim terrorist. Now, the disenfranchised religious Zionists are ready to take justice into their own hands.

Jewish people from France are making aliyah in record numbers while conditions for Jews all over Europe continue to worsen. Jewish students at UC Berkeley and Temple University, among other schools, have been physically attacked and pro-Zionist students all over North America are facing growing anti-Israel, pro-muslim bias on campus. At the same time, the Christian Church is dividing into pro- and anti-Israel camps, with evangelicals touting Genesis 12:3 on one hand and various denominations divesting from Israel on the other. In the midst of it all, a growing number of gentile Christians are seeking to understand the history of their own faith and, in doing so, are acknowledging and embracing the fact that their Messiah is and their forefathers were all devout, practicing Jews.

Yes, many events have taken place since October, 2004. But the text of Freedom's Current Crisis still stands as a record of everything that led up to this point in time. Yeshua taught us, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light," and so it is, this truth of our history. What frustrated me so much about academia was that everything they taught as truth was, in reality, confusing, twisted, and non-sensical. Shortly after I returned home, I was given these verses from Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in Adonai with all your heart; do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him; then He will level your paths." The world likes us to believe that truth is a hard thing and knowledge is impossible to achieve. The world likes us to believe that you have to possess a great deal of accredited education and associated wealth to be able to understand how life really works. This is a lie. Truth is free. G-d is free. And you cannot put a dollar value on trust. Anyone can understand, know, and live the truth. They just have to want it badly enough.

I pray that the frustration I was driven to will not be what leads you to seek out the truth for yourself. And I pray that, in its own humble way, Freedom's Current Crisis will pay honor to G-d's promise: "The truth will set you free."

Jewishness: A Badge of Honor (For Everyone Involved!)

2008-03-13T19:56:00.006-04:00

"You did not choose me, I chose you..." -- Yochanan 15:16

One of the questions that plagues many people born into the Tribe is, "Why would anyone want to be Jewish?" A modern Jewish identity carries with it over 2,000 years of oppression, disillusionment, and hatred from the outside world. If you're European, a Jewish identity is enough to get you kidnapped and left for dead. If you're Israeli, a Jewish identity is enough to get you accused of hate crimes by the United Nations. If you're American, a Jewish identity is enough to leave you scarred by Woody Allen-esque neuroses and the threat of being termed a JAP. And, no matter where you live, being Jewish implies that you're constantly failing to hold up your end of the bargain with G-d. Why, oh why, would anyone choose to be a Jew?

Yet, if you've grown up or been immersed in a Messianic circle you tend to view the Jewish identity with a certain amount of admiration, bordering on holy awe-- especially if you're a gentile. If Israel is the promised land, then the Jews are the promised people: They are, therefore, to be respected, revered, and even imitated with reverence.

Now, more than ever, a growing number of gentile believers in Messiah are seeking to look like, act like, and even live like Jews. I've seen footage of various evangelical powerhouses with 7 branched menorahs cut to look like Chanukias, with congregants in talits blasting shofars and doing their best to dance like King David in the 6"x6" space in front of their chairs. Entire ministries have cropped up, devoted to teaching and preaching about the Jewish roots of Christianity; for the first time ever, major bookstores like Barnes & Noble are selling books by Christian authors with titles like Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography.

We live in a world where kids studying Torah in Jerusalem are being murdered by muslim terrorists, and Christians in America are suddenly deciding that they want to be Jewish, too. Having grown out of the Messianic movement, I can understand and appreciate their admiration for my people. Also, having gone through the very literal transition of understanding that I am Jewish-- both genetically and spiritually-- I can relate to their zeal at discovering and embracing their true selves. However, as a somewhat seasoned Messianic Jew who has lived outside of a congregation and in the real world for roughly 8 years now, I can also look at these nascent Messianics and think, "Wow, they really don't know what they're in for."

These people who are discovering themselves in their faith have to not only love the Jewish G-d, the Jewish land, and the Jewish people; they have to love being Jewish. I recall very recently attending a study being led by an ordained Pastor regarding the Hebrew roots of Christianity. Essentially, this pastor was teaching a group of gentiles that, by putting their trust in Messiah Yeshua, they were Biblically considered Jewish. However, he didn't quite put it that bluntly. Privately, he had no problem identifying himself as a Messianic Jew. During the lecture, however, key terms of identity were placed in a grey area. The concentration remained on the Hebrew roots, or history of the Christian faith, rather than the direction in which this knowledge was propelling the movement. The pastor was not someone who minced words, or practiced on the pretext of pleasing his audience; therefore, I found his ambiguity rather odd-- until I took a good look around the room.

Here were a bunch of gentiles, who were in various stages of leaving the organized Christian church, studying about first century believers and how they practiced their faith and lived their lives as Jews... but no one was willing to call themselves "Jewish." They were anxious to study Torah, to read Hebrew, and to observe the High Holidays... but they weren't anxious to call themselves "Jewish." One guy there was so zealous in his studies that he carried with him the works of various Rabbis, but was careful to pad out his comments with, "It isn't important how you practice, as long as you believe in Jesus... I mean, you know, this is all really helpful and important, but it isn't important, you know, what you call yourself, as long as you believe." These people were, for the most part, in a self-imposed Purgatory of Identity. They weren't this, but they weren't that, either. It was as if they'd found themselves in a fantastic bargain basement sale, but couldn't decide whether or not they really wanted to buy.

It was strange, and the cynical, kicked-around-Jew in me felt offended: You want what I have, but you don't want me-- you want what I can give you, but you don't want to work for it. Judaism is a template for you, but somehow, in the end, you still think you can do it better. At the same time, I also reminded myself to approach these newbies with a great deal of grace. It isn't any easier to suddenly be Jewish than it is to suddenly be Chinese or Italian: you don't start whipping up dim sum or planning a move to Sicily on your first night out. Sure, you may be seen in G-d's eyes as a Jew the minute you proclaim faith in Messiah, but that doesn't mean you know how to live a Jewish life. After all, the nascent nation of Israel needed a do-over just to get the Top Ten without having G-d crack it over their collective skull.

In the end, I walked away from that meeting sensing that there was something missing in the believing community-- not on the part of these gentile believers, but on the part of Messianic Jews. After all, aren't we the ones who know what being Jewish is all about? Aren't we the ones who are supposed to be excited about our faith and our identity in Messiah?

Every day I say to myself, "Wow, I love being a Jew." I don't want the world's hatred of the Jewish people and Israel to impact this growing movement of believers hungry to learn about and live out their Jewish identity. I do, however, want to see Messianic Jews get excited about their Jewishness, and pass that excitement along to these newbies to the Tribe. As Yeshua said, "You did not choose Me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in My Name He may give you. This is what I command you; keep loving each other!" (Yochanan 15:16-17)

Be encouraged: Be encouraged to love being a Jew. There is no greater identity on this earth.

Why?

Because our G-d always wins.

This is Terrorism

2008-03-06T19:01:00.005-05:00

Today, my boss walks by the TV at work and stops. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's this? A bomb in Times Square?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear about that?" I answered. "A guy threw a bomb in the army recruitment office at 3 a.m. Nobody was hurt or killed."

"Oh, so this isn't any crazy Shiite thing. This is just one guy angry at another."

"Yeah. The crazy muslims usually feel the need to strap bombs to their chests and walk into crowded pizza parlors before blowing themselves up."

An hour later, I look up at the now-muted TV and see that a crazy muslim entered a Jerusalem yeshiva and opened fire on a number of students eating dinner after evening prayers. Seven dead, 35 wounded and counting. "That," I said, "is terrorism."

The Israel National News article Arab Terrorist Attacks Jerusalem's Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva: 8 Dead has powerful photographs from the scene. You need to see them. You need to bear witness.

Mercaz Harav hit by worst terror attack since April 2006 [JPost]: "The 8:45 p.m. shooting at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood broke a two-year lull in terror in the capital and sent students scurrying for cover from a hail of gunfire - a reported 500-600 bullets - that lasted for several minutes.
...
At Shaare Zedek Medical Center, which is only a few minutes' drive from the yeshiva, the most seriously wounded student - who had bullet holes in many parts of his body - was rushed to the operating room. Spokeswoman Shoham Ruvio said he looked about 18 years old. Two other wounded students were in moderate condition, while four were lightly wounded. The age of the wounded was estimated at 16 to 28.
...
The Mercaz Harav Yeshiva is considered the leading national-religious yeshiva in Israel, with hundreds of elite students. Among its thousands of graduates are leading public figures including senior rabbis and IDF officers. It was founded in 1924 by mandatory Palestine's first chief rabbi, Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook. Its longtime head, Rabbi Avraham Shapira, died in September 2007.

Rabbi David Stav, one of many prominent graduates of the yeshiva, which has produced the bulk of the spiritual leadership of religious Zionism in Israel, said that the attack had been directed at the heart of religious Zionism.

'Mercaz Harav is the flagship of the entire religious Zionist movement,' said Stav. 'The terrorist targeted a place that symbolizes love for the land of Israel, love for the people of Israel and love for the Torah. No Jewish soul can remain indifferent to the horrible thought that a despicable terrorist attacked a group of young men who were busy studying the holy Torah.'"

Commentary from the JPost An assault on the heart of Zionism by Calev Ben-David: "In striking the flagship institution of the religious Zionist movement, a Jerusalem landmark whose history is linked with the founding and fulfillment of the Jewish national home in the Land of Israel, the gunman aimed his weapon at the heart of the Zionist enterprise.
...
The grief and fury in particular of the religious-Zionist sector will be beyond measure at this violent desecration of the cradle of their movement. The current efforts by the government to reach an accommodation with the settler leadership on the removal of outposts will have been in vain for the time being, as any spirit of compromise will be buried with the victims of this atrocity." Read the whole thing. He believes negotiations of any kind will be halted, and Olmert will be one step from being ousted. Let's hope so. Let's hope that part of the Israeli response is the collapse of the coalition and an immediate demand for new elections.

Israel Matzav has a series of up-to-the-minute posts with links to Israeli TV coverage of the attack. Yitzack Dadon, a 40-year old yeshiva student and IDF Reservist, was able to get to the roof of the Yeshiva and shoot the attacker twice. He told the Israeli media: "Shimon Peres gave him the [Kalachnikov] that he used and now Olmert wants to give them more. We are walking around like blind people feeling their way in the dark." Apparently, the comment was edited out of later broadcasts.

Info on How to Help from Treppenwitz: At Least 8 Dead in Jerusalem Terror Attack with links to American Friends of Magen David Adom, Friends of Mercaz HaRav, and ZAKA USA

Amazing commentary from Israeli bloggers who blog in English:

What it feels like to be Israeli @ Aliyah: It's as easy as opening a bank account...

On a Night Like This @ Blogs of Zion

They just announced on the news that the body count is up to 10 murdered, and Jerusalem is (of course) on high alert. What we need right now is another Ariel Sharon, pre-Gush Katif eviction: the Ariel Sharon that marched onto the Temple Mount and got in the terrorists' face and didn't budge.

It is seriously absurd that we can't even pray in peace in our own capitol. If we can't life in peace in Jerusalem, how can we expect to live safely anywhere else in the State, let alone the world?

Some more places to send your money, your prayers, and even yourself:

Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces
Mahal2000 Assisting non-Israelis who want to volunteer for the IDF
PizzaIDF Feed your soldiers!
Israel Service Organization [ISO] Entertain your soldiers!
IDF Surplus Store Wear your support!

Tonight, we mourn. Tomorrow night, we Shabbat. The next night-- [hopefully] we fight back.

Balagan: Israeli Government v. American Jews

2008-02-20T19:09:00.004-05:00

Aauuugghhh.

First, I click on a link to Arutz Sheva to check out their minute-by-minute coverage of the Jerusalem Conference, only to see a picture of PM Olmert holding an umbrella over Abbas like he's some sort of man servant to the palestinian chairman. Then, I read Arlene Kushner's report from the Conference via Israpundit:

"We have to write down the principle of two states," [Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni] told us. Israel as a homeland for Jews, and Palestine as a homeland for Palestinians. If we don’t write this now and establish the principle, we might not have another chance. For we are facing people who want us gone.

Got it? She is so afraid of forces that would destroy us, that she's willing to accept what may be less than we are entitled to, just for the opportunity to get it in writing that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state. And she believes that if we are to do it, it must be "today," because another chance might not come.

And these are the people governing our nation. Incredible.

Meanwhile, American Jewry continues to go through its own identity crisis of sorts. Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League told the Knesset today that One-third of Americans believe that American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the United States according to the latest research. "'This belief is so out of sync with everything else happening in America, with the fact that there's so much acceptance of Jews in all phases of life - academia, commerce, media, politics,' Foxman told The Jerusalem Post." Take a survey of the opinions expressed by the "accepted" Jewish Americans in academia, commerice, media, and politics, and I guarantee that you'll find the majority are left-wing in their views regarding America, and prefer to keep Israel out of the discussion completely. (Been there, done that, got the college ring and degree in television & film to prove it.) Foxman blames the poll results on the popularity of Walt & Mearsheimer's hack piece, "The Israel Lobby" and Jimmy "Peanuts" Carter's latest pro-pally tome. "MK Colette Avital (Labor)...told the Post that the figures indicated 'a failure to explain - I hate to use the word hasbara - that you can be loyal to both. In the US, people can live with several identities, such as Italian-Americans and African-Americans, and Jewish Americans should be seen in that context.'" How can you take on a hyphenated identity that is a total oxymoron? Can you honestly see anyone who truly identifies themself as a Jewish person identifying with a country that wants to divide Jerusalem and elect a guy named Hussein into the Presidency?

In a companion article in the JPost, Haviv Rettig writes, "Malcolm Hoenlein [Executive Vice Chairman, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations] has been telling everyone who will listen that something dangerous is happening among the American elite. A short version of his view holds that pro-Israel positions among American Jews are being delegitimized by being defined as "anti-American." ...Is support for what they see as the "Jewish interest" - supporting a safe haven outside America for their brethren worldwide - somehow against the interests of America?"

That question is easily answered in one word: No. However, the question is far more interesting in light of the fact that it illustrates the classic conundrum of "Jewish-American" identity: If 'Jews from around the world' need a safe-haven, and America is so great that the Jews here never plan to leave, why shouldn't the world's Jews seek their safe haven in America? If America is so safe, why should we bother supporting Israel?

Anyone with half a brain cell could take one wink at America today and comprehend that the question above is ironically rhetorical. Yet, for many loyal, patriotic American Jews, the duality of supporting a safe-haven for international Jews while maintaining squatter's rights on your own American turf has never hit home. I have heard American Jews proudly declare that Israel wouldn't exist without Jewish American money, and I have been to Seders where the older generation sings "G-d Bless America" instead of "L'Shanah Haba B'Yerushalayim" without blinking an eye. What? Is Israel for those "other Jews" whose ancestors weren't smart enough to get out when the getting was good? Why is Israel okay for the rest of the world's wandering Jews? What, just because we've managed to finally get accepted into Harvard Law, or pass a joke about being a shanda on premium cable, or scored a seat on Wall Street, we're suddenly supposed to feel "at home"? At least the most ultra-Orthodox anti-Israel protestors are willing to accept the idea that they'll return to Israel once Moshiach arrives. When will the successful American Jews head home-- when they're forced into early retirement by the kids who think that the be-all and end-all of being Jewish involves reading HEEB on Friday nights before going out to party?

The article ends with a sharp inference comparing today's anti-Israel American elite with the fascists of the 1930s, another ironic twist considering that most American elites of the 1930s were just as anti-Semitic as their modern day counterparts. Thanks to the anti-Jewishness of the 1930s, FDR's Administration of Elites (see Whittaker Chambers' Witness) put the kabosh on any anti-Nazi messages being sent out by "Jewish Hollywood" (thanks to the ripe anti-Semite Joe Kennedy, who warned Jewish studio owners that if they didn't quit inserting anti-Nazi messages into their films, the gentile population would "blame the Jews" for "getting them into the war"--see An Empire of their Own by Neal Gabler) and effectively aided and abetted Hitler in the mass murder of six million European Jews (see The Abandonment of the Jews by David S. Wyman and The War Against the Jews by Lucy Dawidowicz) by implementing a strict immigration quota in the 1930s and doing absolutely NOTHING when presented with clear and precise information regarding the activities going on in concentration camps across Europe. If that was the effect of elitist American thinking then, what of today?

I recently spoke with an Israeli who told me real estate in Israel is on the rise. Along with an increasing western European Jewish immigrant population, many American Jews are beginning to buy second homes in Israel, "just in case." I wonder how many of those Jewish Americans had parents who walked around with JNF tin tzedekah cans at Pesach and mortgaged their homes during the Six Day War. I wonder, would they be pleased or horrified at the realization that their investment was paying off a lot closer to home than they ever thought.

The Israeli government operates on fear. American Jews operate on confusion. I am a Jew born in America who believes fervently in a whole and united Israel with a whole and united capitol of Jerusalem, even if that means calling negotiations a joke and fighting for it. And, perhaps, in all the logical sense of my commentary I am the greatest engima of all.