A response to the Editorial Column of the Jewish Week edition for Shabbat 12/21/03
http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editcolcontent.php3
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Gary,
I would like to disagree with your editorial. How can we expect American college students to feel proud about Israel, regardless of what we teach them, if Israelis do not feel proud about Israel???!!!
Today’s war in Israel is not about borders, as the media makes it out to be, rather at its core it is a war about an idea – the idea that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people. The Arabs have always fought against this idea and we see today that they have succeeded in convincing most of the world, most of the Jews and many Israelis too!
In order to win this war, we need leaders who can stand up for the right of the Jewish people to live in all of the land of Israel, anything less is a symbolic gesture to the Arabs that we are wrong and they are right
!
In the Madrid conference, it is said that a Syrian official confronted an Israeli official and asked him if he believes that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people and the Israeli official answered yes. The Syrian official then responded to the Israeli that obviously he doesn’t believe it because he is in Madrid talking about giving away parts of the Land of Israel to others!
In our eyes we might see practicality, but in the Arabs eyes this is a symbolic weakening of the Jewish people that has continued until this day!
When we have Israeli leaders who stand up for our right to live in all of Israel, regardless of the pressure, then Israelis, Americans, and even American college students will feel proud of Israel. Until then, we will all be embarrassed by Israel’s existence, because it is not standing up for us, actually, it is barely standing at all.
May we soon experience the type of pride in the Land of Israel that world Jewry felt after the 1967 war, operation Entebbee and the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor. Pride based on the knowledge that the Land of Israel is a proud country that stands up for itself and for the Jewish people.
Avi
Monday, December 22, 2003
Friday, December 19, 2003
Goooooood Morning Am Yisrael!!!!!!!!!!
Hello one and all and Erev Chanukah Sameach!
It is time to wake up!! Time to wake up to reality.
Please tell me when will we wake up, when? When will you wake up?
We all spend our days and nights trying to make a parnasah, trying to be good Jews, doing what we were taught to do. What else should we be expected to do? Life is hard and busy and few of us have the guts, the time or the energy to really do what is necessary to stand up for the right of the Jewish people to live in the Land of Israel. (This message is for everybody, those living in chutz laaretz and those living in Israel).
Nobody prepared us for this moment, not our Rabbis, not our teachers and not even our parents.
What moment, do you ask?
G-d couldn’t be more of clearer about the moment we are up against, if only we begin to open up our hearts and minds a little and realize the holiday we are about to celebrate. A true sign from heaven.
How ironic that we are about to celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, where the few beat the many, the righteous ones beat the evil ones, where our fiercest enemies were our own brothers who wanted to assist in eradicating the Judaism of the Jewish people, allowing the takeover of the land of Israel with the impure Greek culture of the time.
Now wake up to reality!!! Don’t you get it? This whole peace process is a scam. There is no peace and there will be no peace. There is nobody to talk to from our enemies (because “you only make peace with your enemies” – remember that propagandist line that got Oslo started?), yet we must constantly make gestures for our enemies to prove our sincerity for peace. Hmmmm…
The Antiochus of our time, the Haman of our generation, the Hitler who lives in our own backyard, Arafat, - is a known terrorist, the father of airplane hijacking and essentially a mass murderer, and an “obstacle to peace”. YET, he is the most protected person on this planet. Unlike Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, we don’t have to look all over the world and in holes in the group to find Arafat, we know exactly where he is. But he is a VIP, protected by the great world leaders free from receiving justice from the Israeli people. Again, Hmmm…..
And yet, in this comical reality, our own leaders seem to be bending to the pressure to transfer Jews from their homes. You got to love the moral compass of the Left – transfer of Arabs is immoral, but transfer of Jews is moral. (If you fell for that moral inequivalence, I’ll sell you the Brooklyn bridge tomorrow)
The Israeli government is planning on transfering the Jews from Migron, in the Shomron, 10 minutes from Yerushalayim. Migron is a settlement of 43 families, with a playground, a library and a kupat cholim (health clinic). Families have set up their homes there, their children were born there. And you fell for the argument that, no matter how painful, it is moral to transfer them from their homes???
However, all is kosher for that elusive peace, oh yes, no wrong can be done if it is in the name of peace. Peace, the new religion of the modern world, THE pinnacle of morality. This is the poppycock that we all have internalized, hook, line and sinker!
Wake up!! The Greeks are coming, the Greeks are coming and we are caving into their pressure??!!!
You know there is a famous quote about honor that I want to share with you. It goes like this “he who runs after honor chases it away, yet he who runs away from honor, is chased by it”.
I think it is about time we start to realize that the same formula also exists vis a vis peace --- he who runs after peace chases it away, yet he who runs away from peace, is chased by it. Read these few lines again, internalize it and think. Now continue...
Chanukah was one of our finest moments as a people because we stood up for ourselves, against our own brothers, for our religion, for our holy places…..against all odds, and especially against the greatest power of the world at the time. It is not just ok to stand up for our beliefs, it is a must because that is our purpose in the world as Jews. Don’t you see, we can only become an ohr lagoim if we are true to ourselves and to our beliefs. And that is hard work!
That is why we are the “chosen people” - chosen to struggle against all odds to bring light into this world of darkness, to align the moral compass of the world according to the moral compass given to us by Hashem. We are not doing our duty if we give up on our beliefs because of the pressure of the many – that is failing ourselves, and failing humanity.
So let’s not go through this upcoming Chanukah as robots – lighting the candles, singing the songs, and eating latkes – because that is what we always do, reflecting upon it only as a part of our history. This year, realize that it is not just our history, it is also a sign of our present and a ray of inspiration for our future. This Chanukah internalize the greatness of our beliefs, the valor of our virtues as a nation, the greatness of the Maccabbees and their actions and the guts it takes to be part of a nation that stands up for itself against all odds - and begin to act the way we are supposed to act.
Then think if your mundane life really encompass what it means to be a Jew.
We are living in a historic time, a time where we in Israel are coming to realize that we must be inspired by the Maccabees to resist our own elected leadership, who have been blinded and bribed by the modern Greeks, to stand up for our right as a people, to live freely in our own country.
Migron is only the test of our will. But it is the beginning of the battle over our right to live here, not just in YESHA, but in all of Israel. (If you think I’m exaggerating then just pay more attention to the details of all the so called peace plans promoted by the world - not the media reports, but the details!)
May we all wake up, be inspired by our history and do what we must for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael.
On that note….
Boker Tov to reality and have an inspiring Chanuka,
Avi
Hello one and all and Erev Chanukah Sameach!
It is time to wake up!! Time to wake up to reality.
Please tell me when will we wake up, when? When will you wake up?
We all spend our days and nights trying to make a parnasah, trying to be good Jews, doing what we were taught to do. What else should we be expected to do? Life is hard and busy and few of us have the guts, the time or the energy to really do what is necessary to stand up for the right of the Jewish people to live in the Land of Israel. (This message is for everybody, those living in chutz laaretz and those living in Israel).
Nobody prepared us for this moment, not our Rabbis, not our teachers and not even our parents.
What moment, do you ask?
G-d couldn’t be more of clearer about the moment we are up against, if only we begin to open up our hearts and minds a little and realize the holiday we are about to celebrate. A true sign from heaven.
How ironic that we are about to celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, where the few beat the many, the righteous ones beat the evil ones, where our fiercest enemies were our own brothers who wanted to assist in eradicating the Judaism of the Jewish people, allowing the takeover of the land of Israel with the impure Greek culture of the time.
Now wake up to reality!!! Don’t you get it? This whole peace process is a scam. There is no peace and there will be no peace. There is nobody to talk to from our enemies (because “you only make peace with your enemies” – remember that propagandist line that got Oslo started?), yet we must constantly make gestures for our enemies to prove our sincerity for peace. Hmmmm…
The Antiochus of our time, the Haman of our generation, the Hitler who lives in our own backyard, Arafat, - is a known terrorist, the father of airplane hijacking and essentially a mass murderer, and an “obstacle to peace”. YET, he is the most protected person on this planet. Unlike Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, we don’t have to look all over the world and in holes in the group to find Arafat, we know exactly where he is. But he is a VIP, protected by the great world leaders free from receiving justice from the Israeli people. Again, Hmmm…..
And yet, in this comical reality, our own leaders seem to be bending to the pressure to transfer Jews from their homes. You got to love the moral compass of the Left – transfer of Arabs is immoral, but transfer of Jews is moral. (If you fell for that moral inequivalence, I’ll sell you the Brooklyn bridge tomorrow)
The Israeli government is planning on transfering the Jews from Migron, in the Shomron, 10 minutes from Yerushalayim. Migron is a settlement of 43 families, with a playground, a library and a kupat cholim (health clinic). Families have set up their homes there, their children were born there. And you fell for the argument that, no matter how painful, it is moral to transfer them from their homes???
However, all is kosher for that elusive peace, oh yes, no wrong can be done if it is in the name of peace. Peace, the new religion of the modern world, THE pinnacle of morality. This is the poppycock that we all have internalized, hook, line and sinker!
Wake up!! The Greeks are coming, the Greeks are coming and we are caving into their pressure??!!!
You know there is a famous quote about honor that I want to share with you. It goes like this “he who runs after honor chases it away, yet he who runs away from honor, is chased by it”.
I think it is about time we start to realize that the same formula also exists vis a vis peace --- he who runs after peace chases it away, yet he who runs away from peace, is chased by it. Read these few lines again, internalize it and think. Now continue...
Chanukah was one of our finest moments as a people because we stood up for ourselves, against our own brothers, for our religion, for our holy places…..against all odds, and especially against the greatest power of the world at the time. It is not just ok to stand up for our beliefs, it is a must because that is our purpose in the world as Jews. Don’t you see, we can only become an ohr lagoim if we are true to ourselves and to our beliefs. And that is hard work!
That is why we are the “chosen people” - chosen to struggle against all odds to bring light into this world of darkness, to align the moral compass of the world according to the moral compass given to us by Hashem. We are not doing our duty if we give up on our beliefs because of the pressure of the many – that is failing ourselves, and failing humanity.
So let’s not go through this upcoming Chanukah as robots – lighting the candles, singing the songs, and eating latkes – because that is what we always do, reflecting upon it only as a part of our history. This year, realize that it is not just our history, it is also a sign of our present and a ray of inspiration for our future. This Chanukah internalize the greatness of our beliefs, the valor of our virtues as a nation, the greatness of the Maccabbees and their actions and the guts it takes to be part of a nation that stands up for itself against all odds - and begin to act the way we are supposed to act.
Then think if your mundane life really encompass what it means to be a Jew.
We are living in a historic time, a time where we in Israel are coming to realize that we must be inspired by the Maccabees to resist our own elected leadership, who have been blinded and bribed by the modern Greeks, to stand up for our right as a people, to live freely in our own country.
Migron is only the test of our will. But it is the beginning of the battle over our right to live here, not just in YESHA, but in all of Israel. (If you think I’m exaggerating then just pay more attention to the details of all the so called peace plans promoted by the world - not the media reports, but the details!)
May we all wake up, be inspired by our history and do what we must for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael.
On that note….
Boker Tov to reality and have an inspiring Chanuka,
Avi
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Beilin is a Trojan Horse for the EU in Israel
By: Avi Abelow
The following should be spread as far and wide as possible:
In practicallity, all support for Beilin, his ideas, his agreements and his new party is support for the European Union running Israel and Israeli policy.
Investigative reporter Yoav Yitzchak reported in the February 8th, 2002 issue of Ma'ariv
that
former Labor Party MK Yossi Beilin is drawing an annual salary of NIS
350,000 - NIS 400,000 from The Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF), a
Tel
Aviv based organization that he formed with Yair Hirschfeld at the end
of
1990.
Yitzchak notes that the bulk of the ECF budget is covered by the
European
Union. In addition to the salary, ECF covers Beilin's heavy travel
expenses - including meetings with Palestinians overseas.
For all practical purposes, Yitzchak writes, the European Union is
paying
for Beilin to negotiate with the Palestinians.
For the original investigative article in hebrew (at the bottom of the article):
http://images.maariv.co.il/cache/cachearchive/08022002/ART245622.html
For other articles (in english) on the direct involvement of the European Union in Israeli politics:
http://israelvisit.co.il/cgi-bin/friendly.pl?url=Jun-27-01!EU - Another investigative article by Yoav Yitzchak from Maariv
http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp418.htm - A Jerusalem Center Public Affairs Article by Gerald Steinberg
http://www.cdn-friends-icej.ca/medigest/may99/midwife.html
http://www.ourjerusalem.com/news/story/news20010719a.html
Please pass this email on in all directions.
Remember - G-d helps those who help themselves,
Avi
By: Avi Abelow
The following should be spread as far and wide as possible:
In practicallity, all support for Beilin, his ideas, his agreements and his new party is support for the European Union running Israel and Israeli policy.
Investigative reporter Yoav Yitzchak reported in the February 8th, 2002 issue of Ma'ariv
that
former Labor Party MK Yossi Beilin is drawing an annual salary of NIS
350,000 - NIS 400,000 from The Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF), a
Tel
Aviv based organization that he formed with Yair Hirschfeld at the end
of
1990.
Yitzchak notes that the bulk of the ECF budget is covered by the
European
Union. In addition to the salary, ECF covers Beilin's heavy travel
expenses - including meetings with Palestinians overseas.
For all practical purposes, Yitzchak writes, the European Union is
paying
for Beilin to negotiate with the Palestinians.
For the original investigative article in hebrew (at the bottom of the article):
http://images.maariv.co.il/cache/cachearchive/08022002/ART245622.html
For other articles (in english) on the direct involvement of the European Union in Israeli politics:
http://israelvisit.co.il/cgi-bin/friendly.pl?url=Jun-27-01!EU - Another investigative article by Yoav Yitzchak from Maariv
http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp418.htm - A Jerusalem Center Public Affairs Article by Gerald Steinberg
http://www.cdn-friends-icej.ca/medigest/may99/midwife.html
http://www.ourjerusalem.com/news/story/news20010719a.html
Please pass this email on in all directions.
Remember - G-d helps those who help themselves,
Avi
Thursday, September 11, 2003
The Abelow Elul Update
Shalom to all!!
Note: The following email update ( below) was written 2 days ago, before the twin suicide bombing attacks that killed more innocent Israeli Jews - killings that continue to take place thanks to the planned or unplanned incompetence of the world powers to stop the murderers -(somewhat similar to WWII - when it comes to the lives of Jews). So, I wanted to add in some thoughts about the latest happenings.
It is at times like these that me must remind ourselves that this world is but a corridor to the next world. We cry and scream out to G-d over our losses and question his actions/inactions, as this "matzav" continues, as we should. Yet we should also hold on to our belief that we live our lives according to the Torah so that when we do leave this world, however we do, we move on to the "world to come", and we leave all the pain and suffereing of "this world" behind. Our physical bodies are only the phyiscal cases to house our souls while we travel through this world, but they are not needed in the world to come. Although the above is the "emet", it is still no comfort to all of us left behind who must deal with the losses of our loved ones, acquaintenences and fellow Jews as they are taken from this world.
May "this matzav" come to a quick conclusion, and may we all assist in bringing about the redemption of AmYisrael, Eretz Yisrael and the world, quickly...
Abelow Update
Well the new year has begun!!!
Yakir has officially begun the Israeli school system by going to a public school gan in Efrat! (Note: in Israel, most schools are public schools, and many public schools are religious - this is the gadlut of Israel). Tachlis, that means that Yakir is in a gan with 34 other children and 2 gananot!!
Of all the ganenets in the system his ganenet is one of the best. So we are very thankful that he got her for a teacher. She is childcentered and friendly to the children. The assistant is very disappointing. If it wasn’t for the head ganenet we don’t know if we could’ve started him in the public system yet.
Rachel, the professional ganenet, with an MA in early childhood education, is having a tough time dealing with this new educational reality of such large classes.
Yakir is doing really well adjusting and likes his new gan and Ruti, the head ganenet. He says to Rachel in the morning, “Imma, play with me for a minute and then you can go.” He is doing better than Rachel is! He is such a big boy and developing really nicely.
As for little Itai, he is doing fabulously. Growing bigger and bigger by the day. He has the biggest smile and laughs when tickled! We look at Yakir’s baby pictures and they look exactly alike, it’s unbelievable! We are enjoying him a lot. Yakir loves being a big brother and takes very good care of Itai. He always runs over to give him kisses! Today Itai gave a real hearty laugh when playing with Yakir. It was very exciting! He loves his big brother!
The yamim noraim are upon us and our goal is to unpack as many boxes as possible before the chagim start. Wish us luck.
As for me and Rachel, B"H, we are enjoying now being parents of two beautiful little boys....and that says it all. That is what life is all about, enjoying our kids and growing with them, and we are loving it.
America is changing - beware and be cautious
Right now America is being squeezed from the "right" and from the "left" and the future of America looks very sketchy.
Today, I read a few interesting articles, describing different aspects of the changes that the USA is going through currently, and neither one, unfortuanately, is good for anybody who considers America the land of the free.
One article describes the depth to which the democratic party is failing Americans and America in exchange for a more liberal/unAmerican America.
This article is written by Dennis Prager, an American Jew who is very much respected by many, Jew and non-Jew alike, for defending Judeo-Christian values in America.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34492
The other articles I read off of various media pulications (MSNBC, Yahoo news etc) on what is scary about where the American administration, (Republican administration under Bush), is taking America with the US Patriot Act (and the steps that the administration wants to take to expand the government powers under this act, allowing more and more intrusive government authorities on personal information and activities - erasing little by little the privacy that Americans think they cherish).
http://www.msnbc.com/news/963214.asp
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/02/16/Columns/If_you_liked_Patriot_.shtml
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&ncid=1802&e=2&u=/washpost/20030909/ts_washpost/a45434_2003sep8
Each article alone might not sound so scary, but reading them together paints a scary picture about the direction that the USA is heading.
Personally, it is quite scary to see America moving in both of these directions. To me these two different "programs " are a sign of the fragile state that the USA is in right now, and a road map (sorry for using this now cursed term) to the direction that the USA is heading.
There are many, many Americans active in fighting against one or both of the above "programs", trying to stop the dangerous slide the USA is falling into (i.e. a liberal un-American America and a police state), but momentum is not on their side. On the one hand the fear of terror is allowing the Bush administration to gain more and more federal powers, to the detriment of the citizens privacy, and on the other hand, the liberalness of America is growing and expanding as we speak - making America less and less the melting pot it used to be and more and more a free for all country where anyone can do anything, and where citizenship doesn't even matter! It is hard to see either of these "programs" come to a halt and reverse themselves.
On the one hand I fear for the changes that America is going through, because America has been very, very good for the Jews and it has been a light unto the nations in many ways. However, I do not believe either of the above mentioned "programs" are good for Americans or for Americans Jews and ultimately they both will change America into a much scarier place to live. I'm more scared for Ameica's future than hopeful. I see these "programs" as a strong sign that is becoming stronger and stronger, a red flag, so-to-speak, for American Jews to leave the USA and come home to Israel. Here we have plenty of other problems and issues that are scary, but at least Israel is our homeland, where in one shape or form, we are impacted by living here in very positive ways.
Kansas is no longer the home Dorothy felt comfortable in - the USA is changing in very scary ways and there truly is no place like home, and that true home is in Israel.
May Hashem look after all of us on this blessed earth that he created, especially in todays topsy turvy world filled with terrorism and hypocrisy, and may we look after ourselves by accepting the scary reality around us and acting accordingly, instead of ignoring it and living life as usual - even though the reality is staring us right in the face.
Israel
I don't have optomistic thoughts on where the world is leading our puppet leaders with regards to the future of the State of Israel. Even though it is scary, it ultimately doesn't bother me, because hakol biday shamayim chutz m'yirat shamayim, and ultimately, everything will end up good. Good for Am Yisrael and for Eretz Yisrael. We still will probably have some very painful bumps in the years ahead, but ultimately, Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael will come out whole (whatever that means). I can't see how we will get there, but that's why I have faith in the one above and that is why I'm active in trying to bring to that future good about and not passive. But for now, the ikar for me is living and growing as a Jew and as a person in this special land we Jews call our inheritance and our homeland. May we take the steps to earn this inheritance and keep it!
With Teshuva, Tzedakah and Tefilah may we all be redeemed.
Elul Tov.
Avi
Shalom to all!!
Note: The following email update ( below) was written 2 days ago, before the twin suicide bombing attacks that killed more innocent Israeli Jews - killings that continue to take place thanks to the planned or unplanned incompetence of the world powers to stop the murderers -(somewhat similar to WWII - when it comes to the lives of Jews). So, I wanted to add in some thoughts about the latest happenings.
It is at times like these that me must remind ourselves that this world is but a corridor to the next world. We cry and scream out to G-d over our losses and question his actions/inactions, as this "matzav" continues, as we should. Yet we should also hold on to our belief that we live our lives according to the Torah so that when we do leave this world, however we do, we move on to the "world to come", and we leave all the pain and suffereing of "this world" behind. Our physical bodies are only the phyiscal cases to house our souls while we travel through this world, but they are not needed in the world to come. Although the above is the "emet", it is still no comfort to all of us left behind who must deal with the losses of our loved ones, acquaintenences and fellow Jews as they are taken from this world.
May "this matzav" come to a quick conclusion, and may we all assist in bringing about the redemption of AmYisrael, Eretz Yisrael and the world, quickly...
Abelow Update
Well the new year has begun!!!
Yakir has officially begun the Israeli school system by going to a public school gan in Efrat! (Note: in Israel, most schools are public schools, and many public schools are religious - this is the gadlut of Israel). Tachlis, that means that Yakir is in a gan with 34 other children and 2 gananot!!
Of all the ganenets in the system his ganenet is one of the best. So we are very thankful that he got her for a teacher. She is childcentered and friendly to the children. The assistant is very disappointing. If it wasn’t for the head ganenet we don’t know if we could’ve started him in the public system yet.
Rachel, the professional ganenet, with an MA in early childhood education, is having a tough time dealing with this new educational reality of such large classes.
Yakir is doing really well adjusting and likes his new gan and Ruti, the head ganenet. He says to Rachel in the morning, “Imma, play with me for a minute and then you can go.” He is doing better than Rachel is! He is such a big boy and developing really nicely.
As for little Itai, he is doing fabulously. Growing bigger and bigger by the day. He has the biggest smile and laughs when tickled! We look at Yakir’s baby pictures and they look exactly alike, it’s unbelievable! We are enjoying him a lot. Yakir loves being a big brother and takes very good care of Itai. He always runs over to give him kisses! Today Itai gave a real hearty laugh when playing with Yakir. It was very exciting! He loves his big brother!
The yamim noraim are upon us and our goal is to unpack as many boxes as possible before the chagim start. Wish us luck.
As for me and Rachel, B"H, we are enjoying now being parents of two beautiful little boys....and that says it all. That is what life is all about, enjoying our kids and growing with them, and we are loving it.
America is changing - beware and be cautious
Right now America is being squeezed from the "right" and from the "left" and the future of America looks very sketchy.
Today, I read a few interesting articles, describing different aspects of the changes that the USA is going through currently, and neither one, unfortuanately, is good for anybody who considers America the land of the free.
One article describes the depth to which the democratic party is failing Americans and America in exchange for a more liberal/unAmerican America.
This article is written by Dennis Prager, an American Jew who is very much respected by many, Jew and non-Jew alike, for defending Judeo-Christian values in America.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34492
The other articles I read off of various media pulications (MSNBC, Yahoo news etc) on what is scary about where the American administration, (Republican administration under Bush), is taking America with the US Patriot Act (and the steps that the administration wants to take to expand the government powers under this act, allowing more and more intrusive government authorities on personal information and activities - erasing little by little the privacy that Americans think they cherish).
http://www.msnbc.com/news/963214.asp
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/02/16/Columns/If_you_liked_Patriot_.shtml
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&ncid=1802&e=2&u=/washpost/20030909/ts_washpost/a45434_2003sep8
Each article alone might not sound so scary, but reading them together paints a scary picture about the direction that the USA is heading.
Personally, it is quite scary to see America moving in both of these directions. To me these two different "programs " are a sign of the fragile state that the USA is in right now, and a road map (sorry for using this now cursed term) to the direction that the USA is heading.
There are many, many Americans active in fighting against one or both of the above "programs", trying to stop the dangerous slide the USA is falling into (i.e. a liberal un-American America and a police state), but momentum is not on their side. On the one hand the fear of terror is allowing the Bush administration to gain more and more federal powers, to the detriment of the citizens privacy, and on the other hand, the liberalness of America is growing and expanding as we speak - making America less and less the melting pot it used to be and more and more a free for all country where anyone can do anything, and where citizenship doesn't even matter! It is hard to see either of these "programs" come to a halt and reverse themselves.
On the one hand I fear for the changes that America is going through, because America has been very, very good for the Jews and it has been a light unto the nations in many ways. However, I do not believe either of the above mentioned "programs" are good for Americans or for Americans Jews and ultimately they both will change America into a much scarier place to live. I'm more scared for Ameica's future than hopeful. I see these "programs" as a strong sign that is becoming stronger and stronger, a red flag, so-to-speak, for American Jews to leave the USA and come home to Israel. Here we have plenty of other problems and issues that are scary, but at least Israel is our homeland, where in one shape or form, we are impacted by living here in very positive ways.
Kansas is no longer the home Dorothy felt comfortable in - the USA is changing in very scary ways and there truly is no place like home, and that true home is in Israel.
May Hashem look after all of us on this blessed earth that he created, especially in todays topsy turvy world filled with terrorism and hypocrisy, and may we look after ourselves by accepting the scary reality around us and acting accordingly, instead of ignoring it and living life as usual - even though the reality is staring us right in the face.
Israel
I don't have optomistic thoughts on where the world is leading our puppet leaders with regards to the future of the State of Israel. Even though it is scary, it ultimately doesn't bother me, because hakol biday shamayim chutz m'yirat shamayim, and ultimately, everything will end up good. Good for Am Yisrael and for Eretz Yisrael. We still will probably have some very painful bumps in the years ahead, but ultimately, Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael will come out whole (whatever that means). I can't see how we will get there, but that's why I have faith in the one above and that is why I'm active in trying to bring to that future good about and not passive. But for now, the ikar for me is living and growing as a Jew and as a person in this special land we Jews call our inheritance and our homeland. May we take the steps to earn this inheritance and keep it!
With Teshuva, Tzedakah and Tefilah may we all be redeemed.
Elul Tov.
Avi
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Great News amongst an Ugly Reality
We finally named our new born son.....Itai Yisrael.
The meaning:
"Itai"
1. One of King David's warriors
2. Hebrew word for friendly/compasion
"Yisrael" - named after my great-uncle Irving who was a gem of a human being - caring, sweet, gentle, friendly and loved by all.
May our Itai Yisrael grow up and develop the wonderful attributes that made my great-uncle Irving the wonderful person that he was.
At the brit I mentioned that Itai's bar Mitzvah parsha is parshat shelach and one major lesson I hoped he would internalize from that parsha is the lesson not to say dibah (the sin of the spies is that they spoke "dibah", or complained, about the land of Israel).
Just focusing on the bad and complaining is not good for one's personal development and not good for one's spiritual development. Rather, the world before us is imperfect, our own people (Am Yisrael) is imperfect and the land of Israel is imperfect, IN ORDER FOR US TO WORK TOWARDS MAKING THINGS BETTER. To focus on the bad, to complain about people, Am Yisrael, or Eretz Yisrael, regardless if it is true or not, means taking oneself out of being actively involved in improving the situation.
Am Yisrael has its problems, but instead of complaining about it, do something about it.
Eretz Yisrael has its problems, but instead of complaining about it, come here and do something about it.
So my bracha to our little Itai is that he hold on to his emunah in Hashem and dedicate himself to deal with the problems and challenges facing Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael instead of running away from the issues and only complaining about them.
That is the good news.
The ugly reality is that the Israeli Prime Minister together with the Bush administration have recently taken concrete steps that will endanger the whole state of Israel in the coming weeks or months ahead. The question isn't IF the palestinians will use terrorism again but WHEN they will begin to use terrorism again? (even the first question is a stupid thought considering that terrorism is still going on, and wasn't totally stopped - a continuation of the successful palestinain game they play with international politics)
However, even with this ugly reality, we, in Israel, will continue to have children, continue to build and move into communities all over Israel, including YESHA, and continue to act upon our beliefs that will ultimately bring about true peace to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael - regardless of the dangerous games that the politicians play with our lives.
We will not stop and complain, rather we will continue to do what we are supposed to do; and that is the type of life we bless our children to take upon themselves as well.
L'taken Olam B'malchut Shakai,
Avi
We finally named our new born son.....Itai Yisrael.
The meaning:
"Itai"
1. One of King David's warriors
2. Hebrew word for friendly/compasion
"Yisrael" - named after my great-uncle Irving who was a gem of a human being - caring, sweet, gentle, friendly and loved by all.
May our Itai Yisrael grow up and develop the wonderful attributes that made my great-uncle Irving the wonderful person that he was.
At the brit I mentioned that Itai's bar Mitzvah parsha is parshat shelach and one major lesson I hoped he would internalize from that parsha is the lesson not to say dibah (the sin of the spies is that they spoke "dibah", or complained, about the land of Israel).
Just focusing on the bad and complaining is not good for one's personal development and not good for one's spiritual development. Rather, the world before us is imperfect, our own people (Am Yisrael) is imperfect and the land of Israel is imperfect, IN ORDER FOR US TO WORK TOWARDS MAKING THINGS BETTER. To focus on the bad, to complain about people, Am Yisrael, or Eretz Yisrael, regardless if it is true or not, means taking oneself out of being actively involved in improving the situation.
Am Yisrael has its problems, but instead of complaining about it, do something about it.
Eretz Yisrael has its problems, but instead of complaining about it, come here and do something about it.
So my bracha to our little Itai is that he hold on to his emunah in Hashem and dedicate himself to deal with the problems and challenges facing Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael instead of running away from the issues and only complaining about them.
That is the good news.
The ugly reality is that the Israeli Prime Minister together with the Bush administration have recently taken concrete steps that will endanger the whole state of Israel in the coming weeks or months ahead. The question isn't IF the palestinians will use terrorism again but WHEN they will begin to use terrorism again? (even the first question is a stupid thought considering that terrorism is still going on, and wasn't totally stopped - a continuation of the successful palestinain game they play with international politics)
However, even with this ugly reality, we, in Israel, will continue to have children, continue to build and move into communities all over Israel, including YESHA, and continue to act upon our beliefs that will ultimately bring about true peace to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael - regardless of the dangerous games that the politicians play with our lives.
We will not stop and complain, rather we will continue to do what we are supposed to do; and that is the type of life we bless our children to take upon themselves as well.
L'taken Olam B'malchut Shakai,
Avi
Thursday, May 29, 2003
A Response to a Road Map Related Issue
I always look foward to your responses, and this time you did not disappoint me. As with all of your responses, your words ring true, very true. And they hurt like hell, because you say it like it is.
You picked up on the one piece of information that I purposefully left out of my email and that is, even though G-d works in strange ways, filling in for our weakness as a people, the price we will continue to pay for our weakness is with our own lives.
I do not know if you heard but upon hearing that the approval of the road map was final, Minister Uzi Landau said something to the effect of "The Jews also led themselves to be slaughtered in the Holocaust", commenting that we, as a people, have throughout history had the power to willingly bring about our own destruction. It was true then and it is once again true now.
However, you raise the question why Israeli Jews or Efrat Jews aren't in the streets protesting. How can it be that we oursleves are allowing this to happen. Well, in my opinion there are a number of reasons for this.
1. Israelis have learnt that Israel is not goverend by a democracy, it is governed by an autocracy. A Prime Minister can do whatever the hell he wants, without even consent of his own fellow party parliramentarians!
2. Israelis have so many economic woes just trying to make ends meet, they have no time or luxury to protest, which in anycase makes little to no difference on the decision makers.
3. Israelis are tired. They just went through 10 years of illusions and tragedy and they just want it over. Even though many people think the road map is bad, they secretly hope that it will help.
But do not be decieved. Even though the above analysis describes the masses, there are a number of people who are working for a revolution. But, like any revolution, it takes time to develop the infrastructure for the revolution to succeed. Because a revolution is based upon public support and as long as the masses remain indifferent, the revolution won't go anywhere. But it will happen.
I'm both an eternal optomist and a realist. Though the current situation pains me to no end, to know that Jews will continue to be killed, with our own "consent" to another useless political plan to reward the terrorists. I know that sometime soon- definately not soon enough - this geopolitical game of rewarding terrorists will come to an end, and a political revolution in Israel will take shape.
Again, my perspective is that, even though we the Jews, aren't doing enough to bring about our own salvation from this geopolitical mess, G-d, in his strange ways, will bring it about through occurences that to our untrained eyes will look totally natural.
Until better days,
Avi
I always look foward to your responses, and this time you did not disappoint me. As with all of your responses, your words ring true, very true. And they hurt like hell, because you say it like it is.
You picked up on the one piece of information that I purposefully left out of my email and that is, even though G-d works in strange ways, filling in for our weakness as a people, the price we will continue to pay for our weakness is with our own lives.
I do not know if you heard but upon hearing that the approval of the road map was final, Minister Uzi Landau said something to the effect of "The Jews also led themselves to be slaughtered in the Holocaust", commenting that we, as a people, have throughout history had the power to willingly bring about our own destruction. It was true then and it is once again true now.
However, you raise the question why Israeli Jews or Efrat Jews aren't in the streets protesting. How can it be that we oursleves are allowing this to happen. Well, in my opinion there are a number of reasons for this.
1. Israelis have learnt that Israel is not goverend by a democracy, it is governed by an autocracy. A Prime Minister can do whatever the hell he wants, without even consent of his own fellow party parliramentarians!
2. Israelis have so many economic woes just trying to make ends meet, they have no time or luxury to protest, which in anycase makes little to no difference on the decision makers.
3. Israelis are tired. They just went through 10 years of illusions and tragedy and they just want it over. Even though many people think the road map is bad, they secretly hope that it will help.
But do not be decieved. Even though the above analysis describes the masses, there are a number of people who are working for a revolution. But, like any revolution, it takes time to develop the infrastructure for the revolution to succeed. Because a revolution is based upon public support and as long as the masses remain indifferent, the revolution won't go anywhere. But it will happen.
I'm both an eternal optomist and a realist. Though the current situation pains me to no end, to know that Jews will continue to be killed, with our own "consent" to another useless political plan to reward the terrorists. I know that sometime soon- definately not soon enough - this geopolitical game of rewarding terrorists will come to an end, and a political revolution in Israel will take shape.
Again, my perspective is that, even though we the Jews, aren't doing enough to bring about our own salvation from this geopolitical mess, G-d, in his strange ways, will bring it about through occurences that to our untrained eyes will look totally natural.
Until better days,
Avi
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
The Road Map - What We Can Learn From it?
Well friends, it is official, the first Israeli government in history has officially accepted the political establishment of a Palestinian state. Not only that, but it is a right wing government to boot! Go figure.
Well, I'm not surprised and I'm not worried about our future either and I will tell you why.
THE lesson that I have learnt from this whole peace process is that G-d works in strange ways. That, in my eyes, says it all.
So what, ANOTHER Israeli government has just approved ANOTHER plan to AGAIN reward the Arab terrorists who terrorize us, in the name of some made up nation called the Palestinians.
That says it all. We have enough proof of the past 10 years to know that promoting plans that reward the Arab terrorism doesn't entice them to stop, it actually entices them to continue.
We had Oslo.....we had terrorism.
We had Camp David....we had terrorism.
We had Tenet, Mitchell, Zinni.....we had terrorism.
Why should we think that now it will be any different with the Road Map? Whoever thinks that it will be different is relying on the same false sense of hope that Oslo brought us. Well, wake up already - start using well based facts, history and your own logic, not false feelings of hope.
No, in my eyes, there never will be a Palestinian state, so we do not have to worry. Not because us Jews didn't try our best to give them one on a silver platter, but because the truth is that they don't want a Palestinian State. What they really want is to get rid of the Jews. Only with that subtle difference can we explain the perceived irrationalities of the Palestinians. Abba Eban is quoted as saying about the Palestinians that "they always take advantage of the opportunity to miss the opportunities given to them". Well, to our naive thinking yes, they are missing every opportunity possible to have their own state, but to them, they are not missing any opportunities, because they are not fighting for a state, they are fighting to get rid of us, and so far they are the ones who have continuously had full/partial backing from the world to continue their "struggle" against us, regardless of all the good faith deals we were/are willing to make with them.
So, what is my conclusion?
My conclusion is that the Arabs themselves will deny themselves the existence of their own 28th (I think) state in the Middle East because they can't stop themselves from killing us. Plain and simple.
That is G-d's strange way of working. Even though we the Jews don't have enough strength to stand up to the world and fight for our rights to live in our WHOLE homeland, which is g-d given even in the words of the Koran. It will end up happening because the Arabs just won't give up their fight until they lose it all.
So, the road map is just another rung on the ladder to prove to all of us that no matter what "political horizon" the Arabs have, they will never give up their real fight, which is not for another Arab state, but really a fight against the Jews.
Think I'm off my rocker? Well, don't believe me now, but 5,10,15 years down the line, come visit me for coffee in Jewish Beit Lechem, the urban suburb of Efrat, and tell me how right I was.
Avi
Well friends, it is official, the first Israeli government in history has officially accepted the political establishment of a Palestinian state. Not only that, but it is a right wing government to boot! Go figure.
Well, I'm not surprised and I'm not worried about our future either and I will tell you why.
THE lesson that I have learnt from this whole peace process is that G-d works in strange ways. That, in my eyes, says it all.
So what, ANOTHER Israeli government has just approved ANOTHER plan to AGAIN reward the Arab terrorists who terrorize us, in the name of some made up nation called the Palestinians.
That says it all. We have enough proof of the past 10 years to know that promoting plans that reward the Arab terrorism doesn't entice them to stop, it actually entices them to continue.
We had Oslo.....we had terrorism.
We had Camp David....we had terrorism.
We had Tenet, Mitchell, Zinni.....we had terrorism.
Why should we think that now it will be any different with the Road Map? Whoever thinks that it will be different is relying on the same false sense of hope that Oslo brought us. Well, wake up already - start using well based facts, history and your own logic, not false feelings of hope.
No, in my eyes, there never will be a Palestinian state, so we do not have to worry. Not because us Jews didn't try our best to give them one on a silver platter, but because the truth is that they don't want a Palestinian State. What they really want is to get rid of the Jews. Only with that subtle difference can we explain the perceived irrationalities of the Palestinians. Abba Eban is quoted as saying about the Palestinians that "they always take advantage of the opportunity to miss the opportunities given to them". Well, to our naive thinking yes, they are missing every opportunity possible to have their own state, but to them, they are not missing any opportunities, because they are not fighting for a state, they are fighting to get rid of us, and so far they are the ones who have continuously had full/partial backing from the world to continue their "struggle" against us, regardless of all the good faith deals we were/are willing to make with them.
So, what is my conclusion?
My conclusion is that the Arabs themselves will deny themselves the existence of their own 28th (I think) state in the Middle East because they can't stop themselves from killing us. Plain and simple.
That is G-d's strange way of working. Even though we the Jews don't have enough strength to stand up to the world and fight for our rights to live in our WHOLE homeland, which is g-d given even in the words of the Koran. It will end up happening because the Arabs just won't give up their fight until they lose it all.
So, the road map is just another rung on the ladder to prove to all of us that no matter what "political horizon" the Arabs have, they will never give up their real fight, which is not for another Arab state, but really a fight against the Jews.
Think I'm off my rocker? Well, don't believe me now, but 5,10,15 years down the line, come visit me for coffee in Jewish Beit Lechem, the urban suburb of Efrat, and tell me how right I was.
Avi
Monday, April 21, 2003
Long Overdue Update
Chag kasher V'sameach to all,
The other "big" change in our life is that we bought an apartment!! Yup, we now own a piece of property in Eretz Yisrael! It is very exciting. It is one thing to live in Israel and it is another thing to own real estate in Israel, but the biggest zechut is to live in Israel in your own real estate!! So, B"H, we are blessed to be in the midst of preparing for our upcoming move to our new apartment in Efrat up the block from where we are currently renting.
Chutz me ze, it is wonderful being in Israel for our second straight Peseach in a row. It is hard to believe that we have already been in Israel for a year, wow!
This Pesach was a very deep one for Am Yisrael and the world. As a world, we all saw a type of "Slavery to Freedom" story unfold right before our eyes in prime time television (Iraq) and as a jewish people we got to all internalize and understand the famous Hagaddah saying that in every generation there is a people that wants to destroy the Jewish people (The Palestinians).
Personally, as a child growing up, I always read that line in the Hagaddah thinking of the Holocaust as my reference to the closest time to my life that the Jewish people ever tried to be destroyed. But I never thought it would happen again. "Never Again" was the saying repeated time and time again by jew and non-jew alike. Never again would jew or non-jew, the world over, allow innocent jews to be killed for no reason other than being jews. Well, my time of innocence has ended. Has yours? Many jews and non-jews alike stood by (and continue to stand by) excusing the killings of jews/israelis by the palestinians. Ad ma-tie?
When will we, the Jewish people, learn to stop putting our faith in governments, people and written agrrements with signatures and start putting our faith in the only rightful place - HKB"H - and in our own deeds/actions that can make a difference?
Until then, may we all strive to improve ourselves - our deeds, our thoughts, our words, our faith - and may we all return to our homeland soon.
Chag kasher V'sameach!
Avi
Chag kasher V'sameach to all,
The other "big" change in our life is that we bought an apartment!! Yup, we now own a piece of property in Eretz Yisrael! It is very exciting. It is one thing to live in Israel and it is another thing to own real estate in Israel, but the biggest zechut is to live in Israel in your own real estate!! So, B"H, we are blessed to be in the midst of preparing for our upcoming move to our new apartment in Efrat up the block from where we are currently renting.
Chutz me ze, it is wonderful being in Israel for our second straight Peseach in a row. It is hard to believe that we have already been in Israel for a year, wow!
This Pesach was a very deep one for Am Yisrael and the world. As a world, we all saw a type of "Slavery to Freedom" story unfold right before our eyes in prime time television (Iraq) and as a jewish people we got to all internalize and understand the famous Hagaddah saying that in every generation there is a people that wants to destroy the Jewish people (The Palestinians).
Personally, as a child growing up, I always read that line in the Hagaddah thinking of the Holocaust as my reference to the closest time to my life that the Jewish people ever tried to be destroyed. But I never thought it would happen again. "Never Again" was the saying repeated time and time again by jew and non-jew alike. Never again would jew or non-jew, the world over, allow innocent jews to be killed for no reason other than being jews. Well, my time of innocence has ended. Has yours? Many jews and non-jews alike stood by (and continue to stand by) excusing the killings of jews/israelis by the palestinians. Ad ma-tie?
When will we, the Jewish people, learn to stop putting our faith in governments, people and written agrrements with signatures and start putting our faith in the only rightful place - HKB"H - and in our own deeds/actions that can make a difference?
Until then, may we all strive to improve ourselves - our deeds, our thoughts, our words, our faith - and may we all return to our homeland soon.
Chag kasher V'sameach!
Avi
Wednesday, February 05, 2003
An Idea to Help Bring About a True Peace in the Middle East
THE IDEA
My idea is to consistently and forcefully promote a diplomatic plan that calls upon the world leaders (United Nations, United States and Europe) to work with the Arab Countries (that attacked Israel in the Independence War) to resettle the Palestinian Arab refugees because they have direct blame for them becoming refugees.
The reason I think this diplomatic idea is a good one is because it:
1. Allows the Leumi camp to alter the issues being discussed about the conflict
2. Places the responsibility for the Middle East conflict on the Arab countries
3. Allows the true reasons for the Middle East conflict to come to the fore
4. Allows the public (world, Jewish, especially Israeli public who sway Israeli public opinion) to begin to question the validity of the accepted solution (A Palestinian State)
5. Places the Leumi camp in a positive light with a positive diplomatic plan
This is different than a diplomatic plan for Transfer, because even the idea of transfer, coming from us, means that we take responsibility for the Palestinians. The idea that I propose diplomatically takes the responsibility of dealing with the refugees away from us and puts it where it belongs – with the Arab countries.
WHY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA
Fact – ‘No to a Palestinian State’ did not work in the elections. (Much of the public has already accepted this as a fait accompli – they just want to end the matzav).
Fact – The real war behind the Oslo war is the war over the facts of the Middle East conflict.
Fact - As of now we have LOST the war over the facts almost totally – the world and most of the Jewish/Israeli people have accepted the version of the conflict that the Arabs created. (Even if they haven’t accepted the version of the conflict, they have accepted the solution of a Palestinian State, i.e. Donald Rumsfeld.
Fact – Nobody speaks about or deals with the historic reasons behind the conflict. (A Palestinian State is the accepted solution to the issue).
Also, now that the Arab world is the “sights” of the world community, and not immune to criticism, I think this is the opportune time to promote such as idea.
I would really like to hear your feedback and advice about what I wrote as well as advice on how to bring this idea before the right wing camp in general.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I have already prepared an online petition to help promote this idea that I put it up on the web two days ago. Any advice you can give me on publicizing the petition would be helpful as well.
The online petition can be found at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/justice9/petition.html
I put time and effort into this idea because I can’t sit idly by watching the facts of the situation become irrelevant and our horrible matzav contine. I believe that as long as the real reasons behind the conflict are not dealt with, our matzav will continue. I would really appreciate any help you can give me on this. Thanks again.
Avi Abelow
THE IDEA
My idea is to consistently and forcefully promote a diplomatic plan that calls upon the world leaders (United Nations, United States and Europe) to work with the Arab Countries (that attacked Israel in the Independence War) to resettle the Palestinian Arab refugees because they have direct blame for them becoming refugees.
The reason I think this diplomatic idea is a good one is because it:
1. Allows the Leumi camp to alter the issues being discussed about the conflict
2. Places the responsibility for the Middle East conflict on the Arab countries
3. Allows the true reasons for the Middle East conflict to come to the fore
4. Allows the public (world, Jewish, especially Israeli public who sway Israeli public opinion) to begin to question the validity of the accepted solution (A Palestinian State)
5. Places the Leumi camp in a positive light with a positive diplomatic plan
This is different than a diplomatic plan for Transfer, because even the idea of transfer, coming from us, means that we take responsibility for the Palestinians. The idea that I propose diplomatically takes the responsibility of dealing with the refugees away from us and puts it where it belongs – with the Arab countries.
WHY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA
Fact – ‘No to a Palestinian State’ did not work in the elections. (Much of the public has already accepted this as a fait accompli – they just want to end the matzav).
Fact – The real war behind the Oslo war is the war over the facts of the Middle East conflict.
Fact - As of now we have LOST the war over the facts almost totally – the world and most of the Jewish/Israeli people have accepted the version of the conflict that the Arabs created. (Even if they haven’t accepted the version of the conflict, they have accepted the solution of a Palestinian State, i.e. Donald Rumsfeld.
Fact – Nobody speaks about or deals with the historic reasons behind the conflict. (A Palestinian State is the accepted solution to the issue).
Also, now that the Arab world is the “sights” of the world community, and not immune to criticism, I think this is the opportune time to promote such as idea.
I would really like to hear your feedback and advice about what I wrote as well as advice on how to bring this idea before the right wing camp in general.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I have already prepared an online petition to help promote this idea that I put it up on the web two days ago. Any advice you can give me on publicizing the petition would be helpful as well.
The online petition can be found at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/justice9/petition.html
I put time and effort into this idea because I can’t sit idly by watching the facts of the situation become irrelevant and our horrible matzav contine. I believe that as long as the real reasons behind the conflict are not dealt with, our matzav will continue. I would really appreciate any help you can give me on this. Thanks again.
Avi Abelow
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
In Response to the Question - What is a Moderate?
Take the settler/religious/non-religious sectors out of this discussion. It has nothing to do with sectors of people and everything to do with one whom acts/thinks moderately regarding today's matzav.
What is a moderate? you ask.
Here is my definition:
A moderate is one who has accepted the "reality of the Israeli/Palestinian situation" as the liberal world has created it to be (pushed by many years of disinformation by the Arab world) and has adjusted his/her opinions of what we should do according to that mis-reading of reality. The point is that when you try to solve a problem that does not represent the true problem, the solution that you implement just won't work!
A moderate is a Jew, any Jew, who thinks that it is ok for negotiations with our enemies to involve negotiations over parts of the Land of Israel, believing that any such negotiations will really solve the issues of the Middle East (hence the real issue - and not the Israel/Palestinian issue).
A moderate is one who disagrees with the fact that the negotiations with our enemies should START off at the point that the Land of Israel belonging to the Jewish people is an indisputable fact that is NOT negotiable and that any negotiations must start with how the WORLD, including the Arab world, will help solve the Palestinian refugee issue. That is the real issue at stake that has everything to do with the Arab world and world powers.
In closing, a moderate is a Jew, any Jew, who thinks that he/she believes that by being pragmatic he/she is working towards the betterment of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.
That is my opinion and you are more than welcome to disagree with me.
Regarding the one unpleasant fact you mentioned, all I have to say is that regardless of that issue, we should be screaming at the top of our lungs the above argument. So long as we don't, and the longer it takes us to do it, the longer our situation will continue.
Regardless, in my world view, even if the worse case scenario comes about and we ourselves give away parts of the Land of Israel, our conflict will not end, it will only continue, thanks to the stupidity of our cousins who will never stop their crusade against us. That means, that one day, we will end up in all of Eretz Yisrael once again.
So, what situation do we want? a situation where we are forced to leave in order to return once again, with many more years of pain, anguish and mourning?
Or a situation where we try to end the lies of today's reality once and for all and stand up for ourselves as we should, right now.
Avi
Take the settler/religious/non-religious sectors out of this discussion. It has nothing to do with sectors of people and everything to do with one whom acts/thinks moderately regarding today's matzav.
What is a moderate? you ask.
Here is my definition:
A moderate is one who has accepted the "reality of the Israeli/Palestinian situation" as the liberal world has created it to be (pushed by many years of disinformation by the Arab world) and has adjusted his/her opinions of what we should do according to that mis-reading of reality. The point is that when you try to solve a problem that does not represent the true problem, the solution that you implement just won't work!
A moderate is a Jew, any Jew, who thinks that it is ok for negotiations with our enemies to involve negotiations over parts of the Land of Israel, believing that any such negotiations will really solve the issues of the Middle East (hence the real issue - and not the Israel/Palestinian issue).
A moderate is one who disagrees with the fact that the negotiations with our enemies should START off at the point that the Land of Israel belonging to the Jewish people is an indisputable fact that is NOT negotiable and that any negotiations must start with how the WORLD, including the Arab world, will help solve the Palestinian refugee issue. That is the real issue at stake that has everything to do with the Arab world and world powers.
In closing, a moderate is a Jew, any Jew, who thinks that he/she believes that by being pragmatic he/she is working towards the betterment of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.
That is my opinion and you are more than welcome to disagree with me.
Regarding the one unpleasant fact you mentioned, all I have to say is that regardless of that issue, we should be screaming at the top of our lungs the above argument. So long as we don't, and the longer it takes us to do it, the longer our situation will continue.
Regardless, in my world view, even if the worse case scenario comes about and we ourselves give away parts of the Land of Israel, our conflict will not end, it will only continue, thanks to the stupidity of our cousins who will never stop their crusade against us. That means, that one day, we will end up in all of Eretz Yisrael once again.
So, what situation do we want? a situation where we are forced to leave in order to return once again, with many more years of pain, anguish and mourning?
Or a situation where we try to end the lies of today's reality once and for all and stand up for ourselves as we should, right now.
Avi
Monday, January 20, 2003
The Myth of the Moderate Religious Settler
I have always tried my best to portray myself as the moderate religious settler, in effect trying to blunt the "damage" the more extreme settlers have on all of us; Explaining my beliefs together with pragmatic reasoning (which obviously toned down the _expression of my true beliefs) to garner some understanding, if not agreement, with the people who I communicated with.
However, today's two year matzav has clarified quite a lot for me, and one of the most important lessons of them all is that our horrible matzav continues, and will continue, so long as we, Jews/Israelis, don't admit to ourselves and to the rest of the world what we truly believe in, which is that Eretz Yisrael is the land of the Jewish people, period - whoever can accept that and live peacefully with us, great let's live in harmony, whoever can't accept that and acts accordingly will have to face extremely stiff consequeces. Once this is accepted, all the specifc issues can be resolved, but as long as we ourselves don't wholeheartedly scream the above message out loud, we will continue to pay for our silence.
For good or for bad, the above argument is totally based on faith and belief, and flies in the face of the pragmatic liberal world we live in. (Even though I believe that the pragmatic liberal - pascifist ideology flies in the face of true reality and pragmatism.)
So, I'm left with believeing that I no longer should portray myself as a moderate religious settler, because I'm not, and the longer we, as a community, continue to delude ourselves that such a thing exists, by hiding behind the true belief of our own religion, the longer we contribute to our horrible matzav to continue.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Avi
I have always tried my best to portray myself as the moderate religious settler, in effect trying to blunt the "damage" the more extreme settlers have on all of us; Explaining my beliefs together with pragmatic reasoning (which obviously toned down the _expression of my true beliefs) to garner some understanding, if not agreement, with the people who I communicated with.
However, today's two year matzav has clarified quite a lot for me, and one of the most important lessons of them all is that our horrible matzav continues, and will continue, so long as we, Jews/Israelis, don't admit to ourselves and to the rest of the world what we truly believe in, which is that Eretz Yisrael is the land of the Jewish people, period - whoever can accept that and live peacefully with us, great let's live in harmony, whoever can't accept that and acts accordingly will have to face extremely stiff consequeces. Once this is accepted, all the specifc issues can be resolved, but as long as we ourselves don't wholeheartedly scream the above message out loud, we will continue to pay for our silence.
For good or for bad, the above argument is totally based on faith and belief, and flies in the face of the pragmatic liberal world we live in. (Even though I believe that the pragmatic liberal - pascifist ideology flies in the face of true reality and pragmatism.)
So, I'm left with believeing that I no longer should portray myself as a moderate religious settler, because I'm not, and the longer we, as a community, continue to delude ourselves that such a thing exists, by hiding behind the true belief of our own religion, the longer we contribute to our horrible matzav to continue.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Avi
Thursday, January 09, 2003
Israeli Democracy?
***I write the following harsh words about Israeli democracy because I believe that true change can only come about when we, en mass, start saying the naked truth about the situation loud and clear. Otherwise, we continue to play according to the rules of the undemocratic ruling elite. ***
Israel’s Democracy Must Be Changed!!
Yitzchak Rabin was quoted as saying that he had to try the Oslo accords because Israel couldn’t fight the Arabs anymore because of the Israeli Supreme Court.
Today we were provided further proof of that unfortunate fact.
The decisions made today in the Supreme Court allowing Tibi and Bashara to run for the Knesset had nothing to do with the law and everything to do with executing a particular ideology, (an immoral-European one, I might add, that appeases the ruthless, and directly & indirectly hurts the innocent).
As the symbol and executor of “authentic” Israeli Democracy, the Supreme Court further provided proof for me that this type of democracy must be changed.
My vote will go to the political party that earnestly and constantly communicates the messages below loud and clear to the Israeli public:
**Israel’s laws of democratic conduct must be changed.
**It is undemocratic for Supreme Court Judges to pick fellow Judges.
**A vote for Labor/Mitzna is a vote for politicians who support enemies of Israel to sit in the Knesset.
**We can’t totally win the war against the West Bank/Gaza Arabs and their Israeli Arab supporters if our own Supreme Court continues to take steps to defend their undisputed evil words and actions.
Following Rabin’s logic we should act towards changing Israel’s Supreme Court/laws of Democracy so that we can be allowed to win the war against the Arabs. We can not continue the dangerous Oslo path of land for peace towards more bloodshed.
Food for thought:
What is more immoral?
Expelling an Arab (Israeli, West Bank/Gazan) that supports the enemies of Israel and/or the killing of Israelis
OR
Allowing the bloodshed of innocent Israelis to continue.
I believe that it is time we use our true Jewish Kup and not our Jewish-galut kup.
No, this is not the only challenge that we face in fighting out enemies, but this is one thing that we have the power to change if we start telling ourselves and the public the truth.
***I write the following harsh words about Israeli democracy because I believe that true change can only come about when we, en mass, start saying the naked truth about the situation loud and clear. Otherwise, we continue to play according to the rules of the undemocratic ruling elite. ***
Israel’s Democracy Must Be Changed!!
Yitzchak Rabin was quoted as saying that he had to try the Oslo accords because Israel couldn’t fight the Arabs anymore because of the Israeli Supreme Court.
Today we were provided further proof of that unfortunate fact.
The decisions made today in the Supreme Court allowing Tibi and Bashara to run for the Knesset had nothing to do with the law and everything to do with executing a particular ideology, (an immoral-European one, I might add, that appeases the ruthless, and directly & indirectly hurts the innocent).
As the symbol and executor of “authentic” Israeli Democracy, the Supreme Court further provided proof for me that this type of democracy must be changed.
My vote will go to the political party that earnestly and constantly communicates the messages below loud and clear to the Israeli public:
**Israel’s laws of democratic conduct must be changed.
**It is undemocratic for Supreme Court Judges to pick fellow Judges.
**A vote for Labor/Mitzna is a vote for politicians who support enemies of Israel to sit in the Knesset.
**We can’t totally win the war against the West Bank/Gaza Arabs and their Israeli Arab supporters if our own Supreme Court continues to take steps to defend their undisputed evil words and actions.
Following Rabin’s logic we should act towards changing Israel’s Supreme Court/laws of Democracy so that we can be allowed to win the war against the Arabs. We can not continue the dangerous Oslo path of land for peace towards more bloodshed.
Food for thought:
What is more immoral?
Expelling an Arab (Israeli, West Bank/Gazan) that supports the enemies of Israel and/or the killing of Israelis
OR
Allowing the bloodshed of innocent Israelis to continue.
I believe that it is time we use our true Jewish Kup and not our Jewish-galut kup.
No, this is not the only challenge that we face in fighting out enemies, but this is one thing that we have the power to change if we start telling ourselves and the public the truth.
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