iStandWithIsrael

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday, March 25, 2012 - A Tragic Week

The horrific attack that took place in Toulouse last week has pretty much left me speechless. How does one even begin to understand what this terrorist/murderer did - let alone while claiming to be acting in the name of a religion that has been radically perverted for political purposes?

Sadly, this is not a one-time event, nor will it be the last. In very recent history, to name but the most prominent examples, there have been similarly horrific events: in Mumbai (November 2008), where Chabad Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah, together with others held hostage at the Chabad House, in Mumbai, India, were tortured and murdered by Islamic terrorists; and the grisly March 2011 murders of several members of the Fogel family while they slept in their home in Itamar, Israel - also perpetrated by Islamic terrorists.

(Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah)

(Udi Fogel, 36, Ruth Fogel, 35, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and three-month-old Hadas)

(Gavriel Sandler (age 4), Aryeh Sandler (age 6), 30-year-old Rabbi Yonatan Sandler. and 8 year old Miriam Monsonego)

Sadly, these tragic murders are just the latest chapter in the often tragic history of the Jewish people. And while I think that the images below are just incredibly sad, they are also inspirational in a unique manner.

The initial Jewish reaction to such terrible events is to do everything possible to ensure that the victims are buried in accordance with Jewish law and tradition - stressing dignity for the deceased, comfort for the family, and recognition of the supreme reign of HaShem.

I am privileged to serve on our local Cherva Kadisha, and while thank G-d we have never had to face anything remotely like any of the events above, we find great internal comfort in knowing that we do our best to ensure the continuance of the vital Jewish tradition of caring for the dead and their families.

The time will come (in the hyper-media world of today, it has already started) to analyze the security and political side of the Toulouse tragedy, but for now, let's give the victims and their families our undivided time and attention.

May you be comforted among the other mouners of Zion and Jerusalem

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saturday, March 10, 2012 motzei Shabbat

1. Try As I Might - I'd like to blog about something besides Iran (or Syria, or antisemitism, or...) but it's all over the place and, together with Syria, the Euro crisis and the Russian election, is undoubtedly one of the leading international news stories at the moment. A variety of links to consider:

2. AIPAC - AIPAC's Victory World Affairs Journal

3. The President - I'm not sure that this is the endorsement he wanted - Iran leader Khamenei thanks Obama for diplomacy push The Times of Israel

4. Bibi Gets Jiggy With It - sort of...

5. Things Heat Up In Gaza - Missile fire from Gaza has picked up - 100 missile attacks over the weekend - so since the UNSC seems not to care - Israel has taken matters into its own hands. And to anticipate the question that some people will ask out of ignorance, stupidity, antisemitism, whatever - what country in the world is expected to sit idly by and let missiles be fired at its civilians?

Regardless, in what to me is a delicious piece of karma, Zuhair al-Qaissi, the commander of the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, was one of the victims of the IDF retaliation - he was someone integrally involved with the Gilad Shalit kidnapping and who had lots of other blood on his hands - Slain terror chief had publicly acknowledged his link to Shalit affair The Times of Israel - better still, his son-in-law, Mahmoud Hanini, a high level terrorist commander of the PRC and someone allegedly just released in the Shalit deal, is now with his father-in-law for the rest of time - hope they have lots to chat about.....

Meanwhile, YouTube sprung into action and removed a posting of an IDF video showing an airstrike against these cowardly terrorists - YouTube takes down IDF video showing airstrike on Palestinian terrorists The Times of Israel - I'd hazard a guess that you could very easily find 1,000 videos that infringe the YouTube policy more blatantly, so I think that their excuse is crap. Nonetheless, you can see the video here is you have a YouTube account - remember that the thermal images being blown up are real people - real honest to goodness terrorists that are thankfully are now no longer part of this earth.

Anyway, not to worry - Egypt mediating ceasefire between Israel, Hamas The Times of Israel - I'm sure this will end well.....

6. The Palestinians - Has any group of people been less better served by its leadership - despite the tons of aid given to them by the UN, the EU, the US and so on, and the curious "love" extended to them by those on the Left even the leadership embodies the opposite of what the Left supposedly stands for. Beats me...

The "Mother of All Letters"
UNRWA seeks $75 million for Palestinian refugees The Times of Israel
Who Marginalized the Palestinians? « Commentary Magazine
Arab Spring and Iran Tensions Leave Palestinians Sidelined - NYTimes.com (and besides the obvious reason, why did the NYT use that particular picture to lead the story? - speaking of which - check out this link from CNN - "Israel Pounds Gaza; 15 dead" - like Israel just woke up one day and decided to attack Gaza...)

7. Syria - what can one say about this that has not already been said? The World from Berlin: 'The Assad Regime Is on the Verge of Imploding' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International - or maybe not - in any event, in my opinion, sending Kofi Annan to Syria is an utter and total waste of time.

8. The UN - On our agenda today, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future.....Israel, Israel, and Israel.....

9. Good News From/About Israel and Judaism:

10. Oy Vey! - Such "tsuris" - Ku Klux Klan in decline: Why did the KKK lose so many chapters in 2010? - Slate Magazine - they should have been pushing this line - antisemitism is so convenient - A Convenient Hatred » Main Feature » Jewish Ideas Daily.

11. The Idiocy of That Foolish Week That Comes Around This Time of Year - which does not deserve a name - remember - people often vote with their feet - The "Apartheid State" That Minorities Keep Struggling To Get Into

12. Jerusalem in 1925:

13. Russian Elections - yeah, right....Muscovites Go to the Streets as Putin Declares ‘Victory’ World Affairs Journal

14. Wasn't This A Line From A Song By The Doors? - yes, sort of - in their classic "The End" - a freaky song that was part of the soundtrack for "Apocalypse Now" - but I digress - Why the West Is Best.

-

Or - here is the song by Jim Morrison and The Doors:

15. Dennis Prager - Opinion: Our golden calf Dennis Prager Jewish Journal

16. Interesting Conference - YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Jews and the Left - especially if Paul Berman is involved.

17. IBM And The Holocaust - I had the privilege of meeting Edwin Black when he spoke in Halifax at a Yom HaShoah ceremony a number of years ago - an expanded version of his landmark 2001 book has been released - IBM and the Holocaust, by Edwin Black The Times of Israel

18. The Big Bang Theory - not everyone likes this show, but I get a real kick out of it. For those familiar with the show, here's Sheldon letting his hair down....as well as coming up with a Mideast peace plan (I'm not sure it will work).

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 - Purim Sameach

Purim will soon be upon us - the 14th of Adar (today is the 13th of Adar, so I am a bit early).

Here's a special mini Purim edition.

This cartoon shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

And I know I posted this last year, but Purim is only once a year, so bear with me...

Sunday, March 4, 2012

1. AIPAC - the 2012 American Israel Political Action Committee policy conference starts today. President Obama has already addressed the delegates - here is a link to his remarks.

2. The President and Israel - is the President correct when he speaks of his strong support of Israel? Does the record support him? This link - Reminder: Israel Can’t Rely on Obama’s Iran Assurances Because They Don’t Exist « Commentary Magazine - and this video suggest otherwise.

3. On the Topic Of President Obama - Professor Barry Rubin thinks he should apologize for burning American credibility. Also see - Obama: Apology for Koran Burning “Calmed Things Down” « Commentary Magazine

4. Meanwhile In Canada - Prime Minister Netanyahu is stopping in Canada on his way to AIPAC. Some reactions:

5. The United Nations Human Rights Council - Again... - Outrage: UN rights council readies resolution praising Qaddafi regime’s human rights record at View from Geneva and

6. Andrew Breitbart - conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart died last week of natural causes at the unnaturally young age of 43. Remembering the Late Andrew Breitbart, Media Entrepreneur Formerly of the Drudge Report – Tablet Magazine

7. Those Critical Of Israel From Afar - might well wonder how they would act and what they would do if they had to always allow for something like this - At Habima Theater, all the parking lot's a bomb shelter The Times of Israel - and to be clear - I'm not saying that someone cannot take issue with things Israel does the same way that one might criticize other countries - I'm saying (as I have said a fair amount recently) that it's easy to talk big when you are thousands of miles away.

8. The Menace Of Building Houses - 336 Homes Supposedly Threaten World Peace

9. Harvard - I suppose this is academic freedom - Trying to give respectability to the one-state solution at Harvard Richard L. Cravatts Ops & Blogs The Times of Israel, Laundering anti-Semitism at Harvard - JPost - Opinion - Op-Eds and What Rules Should Harvard Have? Opinion The Harvard Crimson.

10. An Ambassador Of Another Type - Casspi not cavalier about role as 'Israeli ambassador' in US The Times of Israel

11. It Takes A Jewish Woman - In the face of desperate Zimbabwe poverty, a Jewish woman provides hope The Times of Israel

12. The EU Criticizes Israel - EU criticizes Israel over Ramallah TV station raids The Times of Israel - they say that Israel has violated the Oslo Accords in so doing - not that 2 wrongs make a right, but also not a word whenever the PA does such a thing - which it tends to do with rather more incitement (antisemitism in the education system and media) and violence (suicide attacks, etc.). And in a sidebar, here's the great Victor Davis Hanson on the EU - Works and Days » Europe in the Rearview Mirror

13. And This Is What You Get On PA TV Anyway - Sbarro terrorist gets TV show - Israel News, Ynetnews

14. Syria - Michael Totten » An Israeli Embeds with the Free Syrian Army, Why some Syrians have stuck with Assad The Times of Israel, Rubin Reports » Some Real Heroes: Syria’s Humanitarian Martyrs and Russia, China join U.N. council in Syria rebuke Reuters

15. Iran - Wishing upon Iran, Iran's Ahmadinejad, reviled abroad, fades at home Reuters

16. Back To Basics - in more ways than one - A Soldier Connects to His Jewish Roots During Basic Training – Tablet Magazine

17. Snow in Israel - I would be willing to bet that most people in the West think of Israel as some sort of desert-like country like Kuwait (which is slightly smaller than Israel). I wonder what they'd say if you told them of the tremendous geographic differences in Israel, and that it even snows there sometimes - Winter wonderland Laura Ben-David Ops & Blogs The Times of Israel. Maybe some of their other perceptions of Israel are incorrect as well......

18. These videos are really cool - I am too old, and I wouldn't want my kids to do this - but....

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012 - motzei Shabbat

Shavuah Tov to all.

1. SSDD #1 - a popular expression these days is "same stuff, different day" (or words to that effect...). This expression is often shortened to "SSDD". And so it is with Iran.

What I find especially amusing, shall we say, is various prominent members of the world community telling Israel not to strike Iran, to let diplomacy and sanctions work. It is not up to me to determine the best course of action for Israel (I am no less confused than I was in last week's posting), but at the same time, I think that it takes a lot of chutzpah for the US, Russia and so on to be telling Israel how to look after itself and its citizenry (which, in case anyone forgets, includes a very significant Arab minority, as well as Christians and people of other faiths).

Should Israel tell the US not to hunt down those who wish it harm and have exhibited their ability and willingness to do so? Should Israel tell the Russians not to worry about terrorists from Chechnya when they conduct suicide attacks on the Moscow subway line or the attack on a school in Beslan. Should Israel tell the UK not to worry about the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, located some 7,913 miles from London (let alone what went on in Northern Ireland?).

The reality is that Iran has repeated and very publicly threatened Israel with destruction. By all appearances, the Iranian theocracy is actively seeking the ability to do so through nuclear weaponry. Why is Israel of all nations supposed to sit around and wait for itself to be destroyed? Why is it permissible for a member of the United Nations to publicly pledge the annihilation of another member of the United Nations?

Some people tell me that Iran is developing nuclear power to meet domestic power needs. Some people tell me that Iran doesn't really mean what it is saying; that it is all some sort of international political game.

My response is to quote Roger Daltrey singing in "I Can See For Miles" (The Who's hit from 1967) , "well, that's as may be" - but whatever one says or thinks about Israel, it stands up for itself and sends its own children to do what has to be done to protect itself - so I think that everyone (who, by the way, are largely sitting in the cheap seats) should just back off and let Israel do what it thinks it has to do in this situation. I'm absolutely sure that whatever it does, it will do so in a manner that pretty much every other nation in the world could only aspire to emulate. Clear?

2. SSDD #2 - and then there's Syria.....

3. I Apologize To The UNSC - UN Security Council condemns terror attacks on Israeli diplomats - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News

4. Russia - Professor Barry Rubin asks What is Russia Doing In The Middle East?

5. I Don't Even Know What To Say... - Mormons posthumously baptise Anne Frank - Americas - World - The Independent. I guess I'll have to rely on Stephen Colbert - Watch Stephen Colbert Convert All Dead Mormons to Judaism

6. Not Really On The Jewish Calendar - the Daytona 500, that is - Racing for Israel at Daytona « Commentary Magazine

7. Automatons, Robots, Whatever - watch the video on this link - forget for a moment the utter crap the protesters are chanting - is it just me or do these people just sound like brainless kool-aid drinking morons? If the Kool-Aid fits....

8. Jews In Sports - In Germany, a Jewish Hockey Player Chooses the Future - NYTimes.com and Houston School Makes State Hoops Final Four – The Jewish Daily Forward

9. Sacha Baron Cohen - I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but this article makes an interesting point. And I think this video is a panic.

10. OK - Something Jewish - Herman Wouk, famous for The Winds of War, also wrote This Is My God

11. Jewish Music #1 - The Jewrythmics

12. Jewish Music #2 -

13. TV, Guide! - Leil Leibowitz weighs in on The Simpsons and Downton Abbey

14. It's That Time Of Year Again - just in case you were wondering, here are some good points in case you have to deal with this (sadly) "born in Canada" disgrace.

15. They Are Only Throwing Rocks - what's the big deal? I received this from a friend in Israel - this incident took place very close to where he lives near Yerushalayim. You don't have to understand the Hebrew (I don't) to understand this.

16. The Heck With Wall Street - Invest in Israel Instead

17. Need Some Cool Jewish Gear? - I knew that Jews were prominent in the union movement, but this is wild!

18. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed - for all you rock and roll types, this is from one of the best live concerts ever (IMHO):