Thursday, February 26, 2009

Hachnosat 8 Sifrei Torah Celebration for the Kedoshim of Yashlatz and Yeshiva Harav Kook. Happiness and sadness fused

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HACHNOSAT 8 SIFREI TORAH by ANONYMOUS DONOR FOR 8 KEDOSHIM

On Rosh Chodesh Adar, on the Yahrzeit of the 8 Kedoshim, 5 from the Yashlatz Yeshiva a high school adjacent to Mercaz Harav Kook and 3 from the Beth Medrash of Mercaz Harav Kook a tremendous celebration took place.  If you are a Rebbe or Mechanech(es) please take the time to watch this celebration on the blevechad.com website and share it with your students. 

The best way to describe this celebration is intense emotional feelings of happiness and joy at the hachnasos Sefer Torah and the intense sadness of our loss simultaneously.

See the celebration at www.blevechad.com  The ceremony took place on Tuesday, February 24th at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav at 17:30 (5:30 PM).

Also please forward it to other Mechanchim to do the same.

The following material will serve as tremendous lessons in Emuna and Bitachon.  An utube of Rabbi Weiss speaking with his Talmidim immediately following the massacre and the transcript and an edited utube of an interview Rav Weiss had with Ilana Dayan, interviewer of Israeli TV


Part 1: Harav Yerachmiel Weiss talking to his students immediately following the Pigua not even knowing who had perished

Rav Weiss, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Yerushalayim L'Tzeirim (Yashlatz) is interviewed by Ilana Dayan on the Sunday after the Rosh Chodesh attack in which six of his students were killed. An edited version of this interview with subtitles can be found at

Part2:  Rav Weiss being interviewed by Ilana Dayan 
after the burial.

A  transcription of Rav Weiss's interview can be found on

Faith Through Tears  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125521

Lecture and Book Launch  (see attached flier)

PRINCES AMONG MEN

Memories of Eight Young Souls

A Memorial volume produced by the senior class of Yashlatz (the high school which lost six students in the attack) about the eight young souls that were taken from us in a storm last Rosh Chodesh Adar, containing a collection of impressions, recollections and divrei Torah written by family members, friends and teachers of the eight boys.

Lecture and Book Launch:

Efrat- Motzei Shabbbat Feb 28th at the home of Chaim and Chaya Lea Guggengheim, 22 Netzech Yerushalayim at 8:00pm

Bet Shemesh - Wed Mar 4th at Yeshivat Reishit at 8:30 pm

Yerushalayim - Motzei Shabbat Mar 7th at the OU Israel Center at8:30pm

------------------------
To RSVP or for ordering information please contact Yaakov:

email: memorialbook@yashlatz.com
telephone 050-833-1309
for details: www.yashlatz.com/book

Flier Sponsored by Feldheim and OU


Clarification:

5 of the Kedoshim were from Yeshivat Yerushalayim L'Tzeirim and not from Mercaz Harav Yeshiva.

Otherwise known as Yeshivat Yerushalayim L'Tzeirim, Yashlatz is a dormitory high school for 340 students. Although founded in the spirit of Rav Kook zt"l and adjacent to "Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav" in Jerusalem, Yashlatz is a separate institute of learning with an independent administration and student body.

On the night of Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, March 6, 2008, the Yashlatz Bet Midrash was being set up for the traditional Rosh Chodesh party. A few dozen of the most diligent students walked over to the Mercaz HaRav library next door to continue their studies. At 8:30 pm, a terrorist entered the campus and went on a rampage, murdering eight students in and around the library.

Five of the boys killed were from Yashlatz, which a sixth was a recent graduate in his first year of studies at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. The other two young men killed both studied at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva.

Excerpt
:

from a diary entry of a fifth year, Mercaz HaRav student, written two days after the attack.

"My emotional state was stable all that evening, and the next morning.  But when I got to the yeshivah on Friday, took a look around the library, and went down to the dining room with everyone trying to decide which funeral to attend, a friend came up to me and said - "You know that Moses was murderd.  Your young friend. Avraham David."

Avraham David?!? There was no words to describe what overpowering emotions swept over me at that moment. 

Avraham David?!? What?! Avraham David?  How can that be?? He is such a tzadik! And so young! It  can't be!.....

Why did it have to be him?  Why not me?? For I was also there!  I also could have been murdered!  But he had to be murdered?!  If it had been me, it wouldn't have been so terrible because there are lots of boys like me. But he was so special, such a rare kind of boy.  I am not such a tzaddik.  I don't always do what I should, and I even sometimes do things that I later regret.  But him?! If I had been murdered I wouldn't have asked any questions.  But why him?!!" ....


The Obama Administration Sacrifices Israel, Forbes Anne Bayefsky

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This isn't the only time that American Foreign Policy Sacrificed Israel.   It also happened when Jonathan Pollard worked for the American intelligence. When Jonathan Pollard became aware that America was not sharing intelligence that should have been shared as per an agreement between Israel and the US. he made the decision to become Israel's agent.  He did this not because of big money.  He did it because  he was a caring Jew and a caring and loyal US citizen as well.  He knew and understood that when the US endangers Israel it ultimately endangers itself.  

Durban I and Durban II is an antisemitic, anti Jewish and anti Israel forum and speaks of Israel's racism against the Palestinians.  Read this article and also read the comments.  Many of the comments take it as fact that Israel are the occupiers of Palestinian territory.


When will the Jews, and their organizations and Rabbinic leaders stop being silent regarding our entitlement to the Land of Israel based on G-d's everlasting Covenent with our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their seed the Nation of Israel? This is the Torah and it is not Old and antiquated and it is relevant to current events!  Failure to speak out with clarity, and publicly,  of our entitlement of the Land of Israel is a Chillul Hashem.  This chillul Hashem is the source of anti-Semitism (Semi comes from Shem which means name. i.e. w/o G-d's name)

How can we then reasonably expect the US speak out at Durban when we ourselves are Silent?

Please read the following article:

Doesn't the Talmud teach us, Shtika Kehodoya Damia.  Silence and agreement is synonomous

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/22/obama-israel-holocaust-durban-opinions-contributors_united_nations.html

Commentary

The Obama Administration Sacrifices Israel

Anne Bayefsky, 02.22.09, 11:48 AM EST

The cover-up on Durban II's anti-Semitic agenda.

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The Obama administration's decision to join the planning of the U.N.'s Durban II "anti-racism" conference has just taken a new twist: cover-up. On Friday, State Department officials and a member of the American Durban II delegation claimed the United States had worked actively to oppose efforts to brand Israel as racist in the committee drafting a Durban II declaration. The trouble is that they didn't.

The Feb. 20 State Department press release says the U.S. delegation in Geneva "outline[d] our concerns with the current outcome document" and in particular "our strong reservations about the direction of the conference, as the draft document singles out Israel for criticism." One member of the delegation told The Washington Post: "The administration is pushing back against efforts to brand Israel as racist in this conference." In fact, tucked away in a Geneva hall with few observers, the U.S. had done just the opposite. The U.S. delegates had made no objection to a new proposal to nail Israel in an anti-racism manifesto that makes no other country-specific claims.

Getting involved in activities intended to implement the 2001 Durban Declaration--after seven and a half years of refusing to lend the anti-Israel agenda any credibility--was controversial to be sure. But late on Saturday Feb. 14, the State Department slithered out a press release justifying the move. It claimed that "the intent of our participation is to work to try to change the direction in which the Review Conference is heading."

Following what was clearly a planned public relations exercise, Washington Post columnist Colum Lynch championed the U.S. bravado in an article based on the story orchestrated by the American delegates. In his Feb. 20 article entitled: "U.S. Holds Firm on Reparations, Israel in U.N. Racism Talks," he fawned: "The Obama administration on Thursday concluded its first round of politically charged U.N. negotiations on racism, pressing foreign governments ... to desist from singling out Israel for criticism in a draft declaration to be presented at a U.N. conference in April."

The reality, however, was nothing of the sort. Instead, Obama's Durban II team slipped easily into the U.N.'s anti-Israel and anti-Jewish environs, taking the approach that "fitting in" was best accomplished by staying silent.

On Tuesday, the Palestinian delegation proposed inserting a new paragraph under the heading "Identification of further concrete measures and initiatives ... for combating and eliminating all manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance..." with the subtitle "General provisions on victims ... of discrimination." The paragraph includes: "Calls for ... the international protection of the Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestinian territory." In other words, it claims that the Palestinian people are victims of Israeli racism and demands that all U.N. states provide protection from the affronts of the racist Jewish state.

Furthermore, the new Palestinian provision "Calls for ... implementation of international legal obligations, including the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the wall..." This is a dramatic attempt to change an "advisory opinion" into a "legal obligation"--a status which attaches to no advisory opinion. The ICJ decision, which advises that the Israeli security fence is illegal, has always been rejected by the United States--hitherto. And with good reason. The Egyptian judge had voiced his opinion on the result before the case was even heard, in his capacity as a leading Egyptian diplomat. The terms of reference from the General Assembly who asked for the decision, and the documents they laid before the Court, predetermined the outcome. And as the strong dissent by the American judge and Holocaust survivor Tom Buergenthal pointed out, the Court came to its preposterous conclusion that "the right of legitimate or inherent self-defense is not applicable in the present case" without considering "the deadly terrorist attacks to which Israel is being subjected."

But when the Palestinian delegation laid their new proposal before the drafting committee, what did Obama's team do? Nothing, absolutely nothing. They made no objection at all.

It is impossible to argue that their silence was unintended. Over the course of the week's negotiations the American delegation had objected to a number of specific proposals. They had no trouble declaring "we share reservations on this paragraph," in the context of a demand to criminalize profiling. They "called for the deletion" of provisions undermining free speech like the suggestion to "take firm action against negative stereotyping of religions and defamation of religious personalities, holy books, scriptures and symbols."

Their silence when it came to Israel was, therefore, deafening. It also had the very concrete result of not placing the Palestinian paragraph in dispute, and the diplomatic rule of thumb is that paragraphs that have not been flagged as controversial cannot be reopened for discussion, as negotiations finalize an end product.

The Obama team was not only silent on the new "Israel is racist" language, it also said nothing when faced with Holocaust denial. Negotiators from the European Union suggested on Wednesday a new provision to "condemn without reservation any denial of the Holocaust and urges all states to reject denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full, or in part, or any activities to this end." Iran--whose president is a Holocaust-denier--immediately objected and insisted that the proposal be "bracketed" or put in dispute. The move blocked the adoption of the proposal and ensured another battle over the reality of the Holocaust in April--at these supposedly "anti-racism" meetings. After Iran objected, the chair looked around the room, expecting a response. He said: "Is there any delegation wishing to comment on this new proposal by the European Union? It doesn't seem the case. We move on." U.S. delegates said nothing, even after the prompt.

Again, the American silence must have been deliberate. In marked contrast, after the E.U. objected to a provision calling for limits on free speech, the American delegation had no trouble piping up immediately: "I want to echo the comments from the E.U. This ... call for restrictions is something that my government is not able to accept."

Evidently, a U.S. team bent on legitimizing Durban II believed it would be counter-productive to object vigorously to sections most likely to be noticed by Americans skeptical about participation in the conference. They must have figured that no objection would mean no controversy, which in turn would mean there would be no cause for complaint from U.S. observers. That's one way to buy favors on the international stage, but it sure doesn't forward a stated intention of changing the Conference direction. Nor does it promote the ultimate need to change the anti-Semitic and anti-democratic direction of global human rights policy.

The week's events also revealed that European negotiators have adopted the same strategy at Durban II that they did at Durban I. After the United States and Israel walked out of Durban I on Sept. 4, 2001, it was the European Union that cut the deal trading off a mention of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism for a reference to Palestinians victims of Israeli racism. Likewise, this week the European Union said nothing in response to the Palestinian proposal but pushed the Holocaust reference instead. No matter that discrimination against the Jewish state, and against Jews for supporting the Jewish state, is the major form of anti-Semitism today.

The manipulation of Holocaust remembrance--knowing that Israel is the bulwark of the Jewish people against "never again"--is as cynical as it gets.

European Union delegates confirmed that their silence on the Palestinian proposal was deliberate, commenting off-camera that the references to Israeli racism had already been made in the Durban I Declaration, and the purpose of Durban II is to implement Durban I.

State department officials and U.S. delegates to Durban II's planning committee insist that their minds have not been made up. Friday's State department press release said "the United States has not made a decision about participating in the Durban Review Conference or about whether to engage in future preparations for the Conference, but the work done this week will be important information for taking these decisions." Similarly, The Washington Post reports, quoting an American delegate: "This is a fact-finding mission; it's just a first step ... Negotiations will probably resume in March or early April."

The strategy is painfully obvious--spin out the time for considering whether or not to attend the April 20 conference until the train has left the station and jumping off would cause greater injury to multilateral relations than just taking a seat.

The delay tactics are indefensible. The U.S. administration attended four full days of negotiation. During that time they witnessed the following: the failure to adopt a proposal to act against Holocaust denial, a new proposal to single out Israel, which will now be included in the draft without brackets, broad objections to anything having to do with sexual orientation, vigorous refusal by many states to back down on references to "Islamophobia" (the general allegation of a racist Western plot to discriminate against all Muslims), and numerous attacks on free speech.

This "dialogue" is not promoting rights and freedoms. It is legitimizing a forum for disputing the essence of democracy, handing Holocaust deniers a global platform and manufacturing the means to demonize Israel in the interests of those states bent on the Jewish state's destruction.

But you can be sure that the State Department report now on Obama's desk reads "can't tell yet, don't know, maybe, too early to tell." Why?

If the Obama administration does not immediately announce that its foray into the morass of Durban II has led it to decide this is no place for genuine believers in human rights and freedoms, there is only one conclusion possible. His foreign policy of engagement amounts to a new willingness to sacrifice Israel and an indeterminate number of American values for the sake of a warm welcome from the enemies of freedom.

Anne Bayefsky is a senior fellow of the Hudson Institute, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and editor of www.EYEontheUN.org.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

USA Putting Israel at Risk Fwd: ARLENE KUSHNER: SOUNDING THE ALARM

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Caroline Glick writes:

...Every single Middle East policy the Obama administration has announced has been antithetical to Israel's national security interests. From President Barack Obama's intense desire to appease Iran's mullahs in open discussions; to his stated commitment to establish a Palestinian state as quickly as possible...; to his expressed support for the so-called Saudi peace plan...; to his decision to end US sanctions against Syria and return the US ambassador to Damascus; to his plan to withdraw US forces from Iraq and so give Iran an arc of uninterrupted control extending from Iran to Lebanon, every single concrete policy Obama has enunciated harms Israel.
"At the same time, none of the policies that Obama has adopted can be construed as directed against Israel. In and of themselves, none can be viewed as expressing specific hostility toward Israel. Rather, they are expressions of naiveté, or ignorance, or - at worst - deliberate denial of the nature of the problems of the Arab and Islamic world on the part of Obama and his advisers.
"The same cannot be said of the administration's decision to send its delegation to the Durban II planning session this past week in Geneva. Unlike every other Obama policy, this is a hostile act against Israel. This is true first of all because the decision was announced in the face of repeated Israeli requests that the US join Israel and Canada in boycotting the Durban II conference. (emphasis added)
"...what lies behind Israel's requests for a US boycott is not a partisan agenda, but a clearheaded acknowledgement that the Durban II conference is inherently devoted to the delegitimization and destruction of the Jewish state. And by joining in the planning sessions, the US has become a full participant in legitimizing and so advancing this overtly anti-Jewish agenda. (emphasis added)


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Israel Kaplan <israelkaplan@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Subject: ARLENE KUSHNER: SOUNDING THE ALARM
To: IZZY <israelkaplan@yahoo.com>



February 22, 2009
 
"Sounding the Alarm"
 
My postings go out to many people in the US, and it is to all of you in particular that I speak now.
 
That Israel has friends in the US is incontrovertible.  This is the case notably within right wing segments of the Jewish community, and within certain segments of the Christian community. 
 
But there is the sense here in Jerusalem today that as a nation we stand alone among the nations of the world as perhaps never before. (The one exception at the moment being Canada, which I note with gratitude.)
 
This is how Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz puts it: 
 
"Israel is the only sovereign state whose destruction international society will excuse."
 
Horovitz wrote this in the context of talking about the state of politics in Britain today, where, according to British journalist Nick Cohen, the modern Left, "succors and indulges...the clerical fascists of radical Islam":
 
"From the broadcasters, through the liberal press, the Civil Service, the Metropolitan Police, the bench of bishops and the judiciary, anti-Semitism is no longer an unthinkable mental deformation.  As long as the conspiracy theories of the counter-enlightenment come from the ideologues with the dark rather than white skins, nominally liberal men and women will not speak out."
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Why do I address this to you, in America?  Because Horovitz also tells us that Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor warned, during a talk at the recent Herzliya Conference, that:
 
"...where Britain is today, America will be in a few years time."
 
Exaggeration?  I think not.  I am watching as a president with Muslim identifications and connections actively courts the Muslim world, while a good portion of the American populace still thinks he's great and deigns not to criticize him.
 
As I face this truth, an icy chill grips my heart.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
I know that there is precious little that I can do to stop Obama, except to sound alarms such as this one via my writing, and to consistently provide pertinent information.  And that is why I address each of you. 
 
I hope you won't find the picture of the finger pointing, below, offensive.  I most certainly don't mean it to be: I intend it, rather, to emphasize the significance of having each of you take this message personally.  
 
 
For the unvarnished truth, the painful reality, is that the future of Western society, with the US at its core,  depends on people like you.  And it's time for each of you to take this charge seriously.  A simple silent agreement with what I write won't cut it. "Tch tch" or "Oy!" is useless, even if most sincerely intended -- useless, unless it is accompanied by action.
 
How does that saying go?  "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing."
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Action: 
 
Work hard to convince others  -- relatives and friends -- of the dangers the US faces.  Write (brief, unemotional, fact-filled) letters to the editor.  Contact foreign desk editors, registering complaints (nicely --nasty doesn't work) when the news reflects an anti-Israel bias.
 
Of great significance, contact elected and appointed officials and register protests, clearly and frequently.  The White House, the State Department, and members of both Houses of Congress must hear what you have to say.  I will follow with specific names of greatest import.
 
Garner groups of local activists to do all of these things with you.  Get out contact information of Congresspeople (information on this follows below), and provide talking points for important issues (which I will always help with).  Be a catalyst.  Be brave and determined.  Form a list.
 
If you are a member of a major Jewish establishment organization -- American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Hadassah, Emunah, ORT, B'nai B'rith, AMIT, etc. etc. raise your voice within those circles and insist that they be involved officially in making protest.  The majority of these organizations have been all too quiet, and they need to hear from their members and financial supporters on this issues.
 
No more passivity. Act as if the lives of your children and grandchildren will depend on this. For they will.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
To those on my list already doing these things -- and some of you have been in contact with me -- I say thank you, and please don't stop.  (Bunny S., you're great!)
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
There will many issues to be addressed that I will raise over time.  Here I want to return once again to the Durban 2 preparatory committee and the issue of US participation.  This participation is the single most alarming decision Obama has made yet.  It not only has serious repercussions, it points in an exceedingly dangerous direction.
 
That is why the Obama administration must get the message -- immediate and vociferous -- that this is not acceptable.  The US is headed down a very slippery slope.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Today I begin with the most recent column of Caroline Glick. 
 
In part she reviews material covered the other day by Anne Bayefsky of Eye on the UN (whom I cited last week).
 
Ostensibly, the US delegation sent by Obama to participate in the preparatory committee -- along with the likes of Libya, Cuba, Iran and Pakistan -- is only there to try to make things better.  The US says it still holds out the option of refusing to attend the actual sessions in Geneva in April if improvements aren't made in the document that will set the agenda of the conference.
 
But, says Bayefsky, this is exceedingly disingenuous for several reasons:
 
-- The decision to participate at all represents a major shift in US policy, as the US government, since 2001, has boycotted all Durban proceedings.
 
-- The stated purpose of Durban 2 is "to foster the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action. This is non-negotiable and cannot be changed by U.S. participation, period." 
 
"...all U.N. states attending these preparatory sessions have already agreed to 'reaffirm the Durban Declaration.'...joining negotiations now means agreeing to its provisions for the first time."
 
As Glick puts it, as the original Durban Declaration "include[s] the anti-Israel assertion that Israel is a racist state, it is clear that the Durban II conference is inherently, and necessarily, anti-Israel."
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
But Glick now carries this further:
 
"The second reason that both the State Department and the White House must realize that they are powerless to affect the conference's agenda is because that agenda was already set in previous planning sessions... and that agenda includes multiple assertions of the basic illegitimacy of the Jewish people's right to self-determination.
 
"Beyond all that, assuming that the Obama administration truly wishes to change the agenda, the fact is that the US is powerless to do so. As was the case in 2001, so too, today, the Islamic bloc, supported by the Third World bloc, has an automatic voting majority."
 
Writes Glick:
"SINCE IT came into office a month ago, every single Middle East policy the Obama administration has announced has been antithetical to Israel's national security interests. From President Barack Obama's intense desire to appease Iran's mullahs in open discussions; to his stated commitment to establish a Palestinian state as quickly as possible...; to his expressed support for the so-called Saudi peace plan...; to his decision to end US sanctions against Syria and return the US ambassador to Damascus; to his plan to withdraw US forces from Iraq and so give Iran an arc of uninterrupted control extending from Iran to Lebanon, every single concrete policy Obama has enunciated harms Israel.
"At the same time, none of the policies that Obama has adopted can be construed as directed against Israel. In and of themselves, none can be viewed as expressing specific hostility toward Israel. Rather, they are expressions of naiveté, or ignorance, or - at worst - deliberate denial of the nature of the problems of the Arab and Islamic world on the part of Obama and his advisers.
"The same cannot be said of the administration's decision to send its delegation to the Durban II planning session this past week in Geneva. Unlike every other Obama policy, this is a hostile act against Israel. This is true first of all because the decision was announced in the face of repeated Israeli requests that the US join Israel and Canada in boycotting the Durban II conference. (emphasis added)
"...what lies behind Israel's requests for a US boycott is not a partisan agenda, but a clearheaded acknowledgement that the Durban II conference is inherently devoted to the delegitimization and destruction of the Jewish state. And by joining in the planning sessions, the US has become a full participant in legitimizing and so advancing this overtly anti-Jewish agenda. (emphasis added)
~~~~~~~~~~
Glick goes on to describe what happened at a committee session last Thursday, when the Palestinian delegation proposed that a paragraph be added to the conference's agenda, which "calls for implementation of... the advisory opinion of the ICJ [International Court of Justice] on the wall, [i.e., Israel's security fence], and the international protection of Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestinian territory." 
"The American delegation raised no objection to the Palestinian draft. (emphasis added)
"Issued in 2004, the ICJ's advisory opinion on the security fence claimed that Israel has no right to self-defense against Palestinian terrorism. At the time, both the US and Israel rejected the ICJ's authority to issue an opinion on the subject.
"On Thursday, by not objecting to this Palestinian draft, not only did the US effectively accept the ICJ's authority, for practical purposes it granted the anti-Israel claim that Jews may be murdered with impunity."
~~~~~~~~~~ 
Glick's conclusion:  "...through its behavior at the Geneva planning sessions this week, the US has demonstrated that State Department protestations aside, the administration has no interest in changing the agenda in any serious way. The US delegation's decision not to object to the Palestinian draft, as well its silence in the face of Iran's rejection of a clause in the conference declaration that mentioned the Holocaust, show the US did not join the planning session to change the tenor of the conference. The US is participating in the planning sessions because it wishes to participate in the conference. (emphasis added)
 
"The Durban II conference, like its predecessor, is part and parcel of a campaign to coordinate the diplomatic and legal war against the Jewish state...
 
"By participating in the conference, the US today is effectively giving American support to the war against the Jewish state.
"The open hostility toward Israel expressed by the Obama administration's decision to participate in the Durban process should be a red flag for both the Israeli government and for Israel's supporters in the US. Both Israel and its Jewish and non-Jewish supporters must openly condemn the administration's move and demand that it reverse its decision immediately. (emphasis added)
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Now, as the alarm gets louder, I add information from one more very recent article by Anne Bayefsky.  This is what she says:
"The Feb. 20 State Department press release says the U.S. delegation in Geneva 'outline[d] our concerns with the current outcome document' and in particular 'our strong reservations about the direction of the conference, as the draft document singles out Israel for criticism.' One member of the delegation told The Washington Post: 'The administration is pushing back against efforts to brand Israel as racist in this conference.' In fact, tucked away in a Geneva hall with few observers, the U.S. had done just the opposite. The U.S. delegates had made no objection to a new proposal to nail Israel in an anti-racism manifesto that makes no other country-specific claims. (emphasis added)
It's an Obama administration "cover-up," says Bayefsky.  Which means we cannot depend on what is reported on this issue by government sources or journalists tending to support the administration. 
The silence of the U.S. delegation is all the more disturbing because Bayefsky reports that it had no trouble raising objections on other issues at the meeting.
~~~~~~~~~~
Contact the White House, the State Department, and your elected Senators and Congresspersons on this issue.  Be strong and clear in your demand that the US pull out of Durban planning sessions.  Use the information provided above to make your case succinctly: The US cannot change the anti-Israel direction of the proceedings and is instead legitimizing the process of undermining Israel.
Phone calls and faxes are most effective.  Use e-mail if that is what is possible for you.
An important hint when contacting Senators and Congresspersons:  Call their respective offices and ask for the staffer who is responsible for foreign affairs or Middle East affairs.  Either speak to that individual directly, fax in care of that individual, or secure an e-mail address for him or her for sending a direct message.  Members of Congress do not have the time or energy to read all messages, or consider all facts. They depend upon key staffers to advise them.  You reach the members of Congress most effectively by reaching the appropriate high level staffer.

President Barack Obama:  

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/  (for email contact form)

Fax: 202-456-2461 

White House Comment line: 202-456-1111  

 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Public Communication Division

Phone: 202-647-6575

Fax: 202-647-2283 

e-mail: secretary@state.gov

To locate your representatives in Congress, see:

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

To locate your senator:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

You can often secure best contact info. by logging on to the website of the representative or senator. 

~~~~~~~~~~

 
IZZY KAPLAN
416 824 2858
416 256 2858
Check out my new blog http://israelonisrael.blogspot.com


Re: Speaking up THANK YOU SUSIE DYM of Mattot Arim ! לפתוח את הפה

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Dear Susie, amv"sh

Thank you so much for continuing to raise awareness!

Friends, amv"sh

I hope that those of you that are reading this email will scroll down to the very end of this email, absorb the contents and then actively engage in setting the record straight regarding our entitlement of the Land of Israel.

As Susie Dym notes in her email copied below, the people in this past election did not vote for a Palestinian State.  Yet that is what Netanyahu is promoting. Netanyahus leadership is not reflective of the National Camp. The purpose of this campaign is to get themselves into the newspapers, Internet and radio both in Israel and abroad (Jewish press and general press).

Mattot Arim emphasizes the security catastrophe that would unfold if Judea, Samaria and the Golan do not remain in Jewish Hands. While this is of course extremely valid, it does not get to the root of the problem.

Addressing and emphasizing  Biblical, historical, religious and legal arguments in defense of Jews settling all of Israel does get to the root of the matter..

Therefore this letter writing campaign inititated by Susie Dym of  Mattot Arim is so urgent and important!

Our message of entitlement is not being reported or heard.  Our entitlement to the Land of Israel is a fundamental given that can never be compromised. Our  relationship with the Land  of Israel is that she is unconditionally exclusively divinely earmarked for the Jewish People with the stipulation that we keep the Mitzvoth of the Torah, the laws and precepts.  This in turn will bring peace and prosperity to the entire world.

I was disgusted when I read the following article in this past weeks Forward. 

To Sue or Not? Palestinians Face Dilemma After Report On Settlements

This supposedly Jewish newspaper is educating its readers of newly opened classified data on 30 settlements that were" built on Palestinian Land"  in violation of Israeli law and how the Palestinians are  (foolishly from their perspective) in a dilemma on whether to to sue Israel for appropriating their land.

I am sure it can be proven that Tel Aviv and much of the Dan Block is built on top of Arab villages.

The fact that Olmert and Barak consistently speak about Israel "occupying" Gaza and Israel's desire not to "occupy" Gaza clearly educates the people that the Jews have no entitlement.

The Forward apparently takes the position that the Jews are the occupiers and that Jews have no entitlement in Judea and Samaria..

If we have no entitlement to East Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza then what gives us entitlement to Tel Aviv or Haifa?

I think an excellent contact person for Mattot Arim is Aryeh King whose work involves returning former Jewish Land to Jewish owners. Please google Israel Land Fund Arieh King and many excellent articles will come up describing Arieh King battle with JNF and how the JNF has allowed Land bought with Jewish Donor money earmarked for Jewish settlement is given away unlawfully to the Arabs.  Afsi, and in particular Helen Freedman, has been actively engaged regarding this matter.

Now is the time to do Panim el Panim with our neighbors and friends and to the MK's on the email list  regarding this matter..

.
2009/2/24 <mattot.arim@gmail.com>

 

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נתניהו: מדינה פלשתינית ורמת הגולן
 
נתניהו ניצח בבחירות - לא כי הליכוד קיבל יותר מקדימה -  אלא כי המחנה הלאומי ניצח את מחנה השמאל. כך אמר נתניהו בעצמו, בנאום הנצחון שלו http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/852/201.html. אבל... יתכן שנתניהו יוותר על עקרונות  "המחנה הלאומי" שבזכותם הוא עצמו ניצח!
 
מהן העקרונות? כן לארץ ישראל -- לא למדינה פלשתינית ביהודה ושומרון - לא לנסיגה ברמת הגולן.
 
הפוליטיקאים אחראיים להכניס את העקרונות הנ"ל לכל המקומות הבאים:
   א. קווי היסוד של הממשלה (בניסוח זה או אחר)
   ב. ההסכמים הקואליציוניים
   ג. החלטת הממשלה הראשונה בישיבתה הראשונה (בניסוח זה או אחר)
   ד. הנאום הראשון של ראש הממשלה
   ה. מכתבי סיעות שיימסרו לנתניהו
    ו. איוש תפקידי מפתח (חוץ, בטחון, התישבות) ע"י אנשים לאומיים מובהקים או פיצוי הולם
 
כדי שכל הנ"ל יצליח, כל הפוליטיקאים צריכים לתפוס יוזמה (כלומר: לתפוס בדחיפות מיקרופונים) ולדבר על: ארץ ישראל, רמת הגולן, מדינה פלשתינית. כך, תיווצר אוירה ציבורית ותקשורתית מתאימה כדי להציב את הדרישות הנ"ל לנתניהו לכל אורך השבועות הקרובים.   
 
נא ליצור קשר דחוף עם ראשי הרשימות ועם חברי הכנסת הלאומיים הבכירים, הזכירו להם בנימוס רב, שאיננו שומעים אותם די, מתבטאים בנושאים הנ"ל, באמצעי התקשורת. תוכל להעביר להם את המייל הזה (חלקו או אפילו במלואו אם אתה ממהר). או, כתוב מכתב אישי, עם כותרת קצרה ומתאימה.
 
הנה הכתובות של: נתניהו בעצמו, אביגדור ליברמן - ישראל ביתנו, אלי ישי - ש"ס, זבולון אורלב - בית יהודי, מאיר פורוש - יהדות התורה, אורי אריאל - איחוד לאומי. ובליכוד: גדעון סער, גלעד ארדן, רובי ריבלין, משה כחלון, סילבן שלום, יובל שטייניץ, ישראל כץ, יולי אדלשטיין, לימור לבנת, חיים כץ, זאב אלקין:
 
 
תודה רבה על פועלכם. כעת - תורם של הפוליטיקאים - עקבו באמצעי התקשורת ונראה מי עובד ומי "הלך לישון"!
הנה דוגמא של חבר כנסת חרוץ, אמיץ ונאמן: http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/856/937.html
אגב: כל הכבוד למי שפנה לישראל ביתנו בעקבות המייל הקודם שלנו. זה עזר, הם המליצו על ממשלת ימין.
 
 
Netanyahu: Palestinian state and Golan
 
Netanyahu won the elections -- not because his party came out biggest (Zipi Livni's Kadima did) but because the National Camp (the Right) beat the Left by a large margin -- as Netanyahu himself pointed out in his victory speech. However, there is a concern that Netanyahu will abandon the principles of the National Camp, by virtue of which he won in the first place! The principles, as we all know, are Eretz Yisrael -- yes; Palestinian state -- no, Golan -- yes. 
 
Please help to ensure that the above principles  make their way into all of the following documents and decisions: * the Government Guidelines, * the Coalition Agreements, * the crucial first Government Decision, which is voted upon in the first meeting of the new government, * the premier's first speech, * any official letters the factions may submit to the Prime Minister, and * the decisions on relevant portfolios and positions such as Defense, Foreign Affairs, and settlement policy positions.
 
To do so please contact Israel's senior politicians and politely ask them to get themselves into the newspapers, Internet and radio both in Israel and abroad (Jewish press and general press) so that they can energetically explain why Palestinian state is catastrophic for Israel and the Golan is crucial for Israel. This will create the atmosphere that will allow the above governmental documents to be properly shaped. It is a pity for them to be sitting around when they can be creating public opinion and that is what you will be reminding them. Here is an (old) example of an MK doing good hasbara: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1221142472433&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull We need several articles like this one every day - rather than one such article every several months!
 
If you are in a hurry or don't like writing, just forward this email or part of it to the following email addresses: 
 
 
(Netanyahu himself, Avigdor Liberman, Eli Yishay head of Shas, Zvulun Orlev of Bayit Yehudi-Mafdal, Menachem Porush of hareidi UTJ, Uri Ariel of National Union and the senior Likud MKs such as Saar, Erdan, Rivlin, Cachlon, Shalom, Steinitz, Yisrael and Hayim Katz, Livnat, Edelstein and Elkin, cc us)
 
Thank you very much for helping. Keep your eyes on the press to see which MK comes through for us. Also thanks to all the great people who read our previous email and contacted Liberman's representatives and asked them to recommend a no-Palestinian-state oriented government. Liberman's people came through for you and made the right recommendation (pun) as you probably saw in the press.
 
Mattot Arim, Israel  
 

Don't wait for the next Mattot Arim updt, go into our blog anytime http://mattotarim1.blogspot.com

 

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Mercaz Harav Massacre - One year later, Utubes of Rav Yerachmiel Weiss Rosh Yeshiva

bs"d

Dear Yeshivoth, Friends and family, amv'sh

One can not watch these utubes without crying. Tonight is the yahrzeit of the massacre of the Kedoshim

part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIqY7kD4vbI
part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd8p5fq-I4&feature=channel_page

Sent to me by Yaakov Cohney
Communications Director
Yeshivat Yerushalim LeTze'irim (Yashlatz)
050-833-1309 (israel)
646-810-8743 (us line)
ycohney@yashlatz.com


A transcription of Rav Weiss's interview can be found on

http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2008/03/faith-through-tears-rabbi-yerachmiel.html

If you are a Yeshiva this material is a tremendous lesson in Emunah and Bitachon and you may wish to share it with the students who can identify with their peers and deeply share the pain with the students of Yashlatz and Mercaz Harav Yeshiva.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Remarks by Aaron Kinsberg regarding 3 boys in jail in Japan.

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"Aaron Kinsberg" <aitlaasot@yahoo.com>, writes:


I will say T'hillim 4 them . But when is the Jewish leadership & community going to put a stop to the illegal acts perpetrated by community members. On this issue, the chilloni (secular) criticism of the Chareidi (ultra orthodox) silence is on the mark.
The name & background of the person who led this 'chesed' club should be disseminated. I hope it is not being hidden out of the usual 'mah yomru hagoyim (what will the Nation of the World say?) which only gives a license to members of the community to commit illegal acts. What do these alleged religious people have to be afraid of? The community will always run to protect the worst offender.  I'm in Israel & read that an adult in Meah Shearim was just arrested for molesting his 2 nephews. The parents were aware & claim they consulted a Rav & were told not to make an issue.

Tehillim must be said 4 the 3 young men but when r we going to put an end to the crime that is allowed by the silence of 'mah yomru hagoyim?

Please say Tehillim for Yaakov Yosef ben [son of] Raizel, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Risa Chava, and Yosef ben Ita Rivka.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Re: הכנסת ס"ת שארית ישראל - hachnasat sefer torah to Bet Hakneset Shearit Yisrael Sderot

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Israel Kaplan can honestly say that he shares in the pain of his brethren.  May we all be equally zocheh and learn from his example.

Israel, Thank you so much for sharing.  Yasher Koach!

On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 9:47 PM, Israel Kaplan <israelkaplan@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear Family & Friends
 
On the eighth day of Shevat, corresponding to February 2nd, 2009, a Sefer Torah entered into the Shearit Yisrael Shul in Sderot.  The Shearit Yisrael Kehilla is one of the few ashkenaz shuls in Sderot and has a mix of young and old, many immigrants and Israeli born Jews.   Several month earlier I was approached by members of the kehilla to help them locate a Torah as the Sifrei Torah they had were either on loan or were posul beyond repair.  So after giving it much thought I decided that the right thing to do was to donate one to this shul.   The dedication was not in memory of our family members but rather to honor the Jews of Sderot who have shown our enemies, both near and far that it will take much more than  the intimidation of Kassam rockets and the recklessness of the ruling Israeli governments to remove these Holy Jews from their homes.      The event was planned for between Mincha & Maariv and when I showed up at this very modest shul with Alon Davidi of Maateh L'bitchon Sderot, recorded music started to play and the chaverim of the shul drew us into the dancing immediately.  
Throughout the dancing with the Sifrei Torah, I kept thinking of what brings me to this place, why me, why Sderot, why this shul?  Later in the evening the answers became clear when we sat down to the seudah in order to give shevach v'hodaah (praise and thanks to hashem) that he brought us to this moment of great joy(as seen in these pictures).   One regret was that my wife, children and grandchildren who live in Israel were not with me during this hachnasat Hasefer but due to timing, work and school it would have been difficult, however we hope in the future to involve them in similar acts of chesed.   At a point in the suedah a number of Rabbanim stood and said beautiful divrei torah which encapsulated a myriad of aspects related to why we all came together.   
 
So, at the end of the divrei torah an announcement is made asking me to address the kehillah hakdosha and only then did it dawn on me that I am speaking to an entirely hebrew speaking group.   Ashamedly my hebrew is not all that good but having little choice stood up and thus began my debut of giving a drasha in hebrew for the next 10-15 minutes.    I have often heard Rabbanim say throughout my life that whenever you are looking for connectivity to a happening open up the chumash and there you will find it, in front of your nose.    I firstly asked for mechilah from those that were gathered, that my hebrew is rough and that I will need their help to get me through this.   I then brought to their attention my thoughts of why me why Sderot, why this shul.   I opened up the Chumash to parshat Shmot perek alef, posuk zayin.   Yosef has died and the Jewish people were fruitful and became strong and the land became filled with Jews.   So what we see here is that while Yosef was alive and leadership exsisted and protected, the Jewish people were safe and secure and despite the fact that they grew and became many there were no assurances that there safety and security was guaranteed as the following suggests (v'yakam melech chadash).
 
From this point I turn to Shmot Perek bet posuk yud alef.  Moshe Rabbainu grows up and went out to his brothers and the posuk says that he observed their burdens(v'yar b'sivlosam).  I remarked that Moshe grew up not only grew up physically but also matured in his sensitivity to the plight of his brothers and identified as one of them.   Moshe sees an Egyptian beating a Jew and with very little hesitation acts quickly and decisively, wrong or right and kills the Egyptian.   My comment being that this is the first time we see that a man has taken notice of the suffering of the Jews.   Only later in Shmot perek bet posuk kof daled does hashem state that he hears their crying and moaning and great suffering.  Then again perek gimel posuk zayin does hashem begin to discuss with Moshe that he, Hashem has seen the suffering of his people thus begins the process of Hashem's intervention from suffering, slavery to redemption and freedom.   
 
One should attempt to draw the lessons of life and behavior from the acts of Moshe Rabbainu who long before he knew about the powers of Hashem took it upon himself to help his fellow Jews.   Moshe was brought up as a Prince, isolated from the streets of Egypt where his brothers were going through unimaginable suffering and yet he was unable to live with himself knowing that while this is going on I am enjoying myself in a palatial existence.    It would appear that the message that I am attempting to give is that Hashem will not come into the picture unless he sees how we sacrifice for the sake of our fellow Jews first.  Other examples that Moshe displays are at the time of Golden Calf when Hashem has had it with the Jewish People and declares he will destroy the Jews at which point Moshe shows again his devotion and responds to G-d to wipe his name out from the Torah.   And yet another example of faith & emunah is when Moshe is castigated by G-d prior to the splitting of the sea and with no compassion asks Moshe why are you crying to me "did I not tell you what to do" at which time he tells  Moshe, "Now when Israel is in distress, is no time for lengthy prayer.  Bringing examples such as these could be called a blueprint on how and when to act when segments of the Jewish people are in trouble.  
 
Another famous line that I have heard from Rabbanim throughout my life time is when you have reached IM"H your 120th and you go to for judgement will they ask you why were you not more like Moshe Rabbainu and the answer is no they will ask you why were you not more like yourself, why did you squander the great potential that you had?   Why did not you not hear the calling out of your brothers when they needed you the most?  I pray that most of us won't be asked this question.    Without greater elaboration I asked the gathering if they understood what I was trying to say.
 
My closing remarks were regarding the yet to be decided elections and who would lead Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael into the coming frightening years.  Again I borrowed some parallels from our mesorah.   When we come close to the month of Tishrei, we begin to do some soul searching and often become a bit queezy about transgressions, sins of ommission, innocent and not so innocent comments made to our fellow man.   The coming elections in Israel can be looked at by many political personalities of coming clean as it were with the Jewish people.   How refreshing would it be if someone stands up in front of the viewing public and says I made a terrible, terrible mistake.  I voted for the expulsion of the Jews from Gush Katif, I was carried away to a low place by personal greed.  I watched in the last 3 years how so many families have been destroyed with very few of us politicians coming to their aid.   I watched as the Kassam rockets rained down on the homes and people in Sderot for the last few years and I did so little to help.   Oh, I am so ashamed of what I have done.   I have no right to ask this of you the people of Israel who voted me into power, but I need your forgiveness.   Are there politicians of this calibre who are able to show their human side, I responded, very, very doubtful.   Politicians in Israel are unable to admit to making mistakes lest those who oppose them use the apology as being less than perfect and unable to serve.   Only politicians who make no mistakes are able to serve and the rest, well the rest are not part of the ruling class.   I suggested to the small gathering that far be it from myself to make predictions on the political future of Eretz Yisrael, but that until a new bread of political leadership religous or non-religous are voted into power those that are being recycled today will continue to challenge us for many years to come.
 
I thanked everyone for the z'chus and merit of sharing my feelings with the Jews of Sderot and left the evening elevated and richer for this experience.
May we all share in similar experineces throughout our lives.
 
Thank you
Izzy Kaplan
 
 
 


 
 
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Sent: 
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חה .
I am


Friday, February 13, 2009

Tehillim for 3 Yeshiva Boys on Trial in Japan Yaakov Yosef ben [son of] Raizel, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Risa Chava, and Yosef ben Ita Rivka.

bs"d


Please say Tehillim for Yaakov Yosef ben [son of] Raizel, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Risa Chava, and Yosef ben Ita Rivka.

Three Yeshiva Boys on Trial in Japan

by Hillel Fendel

The trial of one of three Israeli yeshiva boys charged with smuggling drugs into Japan – inside a suitcase a "friend" asked them to take for him – has begun, and the other two are to begin within weeks.

Efforts to give the three legal aid, financial help and prayers have been stepped up in Jewish communities around the world.

The story began last April when the three Chassidic yeshiva boys from Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, all under age 20 and one under age 18, were asked to transport some antiques from Holland to Japan. The three were part of an "acts of charity club," and the friend who asked them for the favor, offered them $1,000 each, and assured them that everything was legal, was the coordinator of their group. They therefore suspected nothing.

Once in Amsterdam, they were given the "antiques" – concealed inside false-bottomed suitcases. Told that this was a precaution against theft, they once again suspected nothing, and flew on to Tokyo. In Japan, the false bottoms were quickly detected and broken into by customs officials – who found there not antiques, but $3.6 million worth of Ecstasy pills.

The boy's ensuing detention period has been "very difficult, to say the least," sources close to the case say.  Japan is known for its no-nonsense approach to drug-trafficking and other crimes, and in view of the severity of the charges, the boys have been separated from each other, grilled by interrogators, and forced to subsist on vegetables, fish and the like – so as not to eat non-kosher food. 

Fears That It Will Get Worse
Held in conditions that are diametrically opposed to the culture and sheltered conditions in which they grew up, they are likely to face even more difficult conditions for untold years in Japanese prison if convicted. Japan and Israel do not have a mutual extradition treaty.

Actively helping out in procuring legal help and visitors are Rabbinical Court Judge Chaim Yosef Dovid Weiss of Antwerp, Belgium; Attorney Mordechai Tzivin of Israel, who deals in international law and specializes in cases of Israelis incarcerated overseas; Ukrainian Chief Rabbi Yaakov Bleich; and Rabbi Aron Nezri of London. In addition, Japanese lawyers have been hired to defend the boys – and they recently flew to Israel to see first-hand the environment of trust and kindness in which their clients grew up. 

Points in Their Favor
The sources say that though criminal cases in Japan almost never end in acquittal, the boys' exemplary behaviour, as well as extenuating circumstances as they were carrying out their "crime," have been noted. For one thing, all three have passed lie-detector tests showing that they were unwittingly taken advantage of by someone they trusted, and that they did not know what they were carrying. In addition, their behaviour before and during their trip to Japan indicated that they felt not at all self-conscious or secretive about their intentions.  

"Their incarceration in Japan is very difficult," one source emphasized, "physically, emotionally, and legally – and it can get intolerably worse if they are convicted."  The boys spend whatever hours they have studying Torah and praying, and try to fulfil whatever Torah precepts they can. Rabbi Nezri said that one of them told him, "No matter how much you think you understand what emunah [faith in G-d] is, you can't really know what it means until you're in my position."

Prayers
The families ask for prayers for their sons: Yaakov Yosef ben [son of] Raizel, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Risa Chava, and Yosef ben Ita Rivka.

A letter from one of them, Yaakov Yosef, several months ago, was replete with words of inspiration and faith. He wrote that he did not want to write about his personal situation, "because this is not the time, and especially since I didn't want to break you too much, for there are things that are above nature, and they happen every single day, without exaggeration." 

He also noted that he had "received letters from people we don't know, because all Israel is responsible one for another; 'Who is like Your nation Israel!'... and just as you [plural] wish to know about our reception of your letters, so too and even more I want to know how you [will accept] this letter, to which I have dedicated more than a week... and also, I saw your letter only a month after you sent it, and who knows how long it will be before you receive this.  I will sign off here, with G-d's help... saying, 'Even if I walk in the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your staff and rod will comfort me.'"

Re: Hoenlein: AMERICAN ISRAELI ACTION COALITION - Please protest!

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Dear Barbara, amv"sh

Malcolm Hoenlein is a dynamic speaker who mesmerizes his audience.  He wears a Kipa, is knowledgeable and quotes Tanach.  Yet as Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations he has been a major force in promoting a 2 State Solution and is a master politician. 

Unless people attend this event in Jerusalem in order to protest his continuous involvement in pushing Oslo, Annapolis and President Bush's Roadmap then why honor him with a mesmerized respectful audience? Malcolm Hoenlein has misguided the major Jewish organizations and hundreds of thousands of Jews, if not millions, into accepting the lie that a working  relationship with Fatah proves our willingness to work for the advancement of peace and security. 

He has yet to proclaim the Jews exclusive entitlement  of the Land of Israel based on G-D's Covenant with the Jewish people and does not publicly discredits Fatah's claim to the Land. By this silence he perpetuates the lie that we, the settlers, are the occupiers and that Fatah has legitimate claim to Judea and Samaria.

Malcolm Hoenlein is the number one expert on antisemitism. Therefore if antisemitism would decline, then Malcolm Hoenlein would be underemployed. 

We all know that there are charismatic dentists who are unethical.  They won't tell you to floss or brush your teeth. Or maybe they will. But they will create problems in your teeth when there weren't any before and you as a layman haven't a clue.  Are they professional?  No question about it!  They know how to fix your teeth better than any other dentist. So not only won't you know that this dentist created your problems, you will come out of his office depending on him and showering praises upon him believing that he is the most capable fantastic dentist alive.

There are auto mechanics that are unethical.  They fix your car in such a way they you will have to come back to them for major repairs.  As a layman you haven't a clue. After all, the knowledgeable auto mechanic, he's the professional. He has fixed problem after problem like no other mechanic has done.  He teaches all the other auto mechanics and is well regarded and respected.
 
AIAC clearly has a political agenda and if you read their statement of principles, Judea and Samaria are disregarded and by omission, expendable. This non statement is a political statement!  It is definitely a political stand that has been the public position of the major Jewish Organizations in America such as Agudath Yisroel of America, or the OU and even the Young Israel who never publicly protested Annapolis or spoke out against a Palestinian State! By this they bring "unity and consensus"?

The statement of principles of AIAC are deliberately vague.  The work of a true politician.

As a Jewish people we must unite around our Torah. We must not be afraid to speak out for our Torah and against a Palestinian State based on our entitlement. If AIAC truly wants unity that will last it must focus on the Torah and G-d's Covenant with the Jewish people. 

Only then AIAC will become a non-political, non-partisan, issue-oriented NGO based on our heritage and not politics. 

My fear is that if AIAC is successful in effectively recruiting and activating the more than 250,000 expatriate American citizens in Israel in order to create a united voice that will be heard by the governments and people of the United States and Israel on issues that pertain to the continued safety and security of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide, they will send the wrong message for the Jewish People and for the world! 

Why is Jeff Daube involved?

Will AIAC invite Nadia Matar to speak?  How about Gershon Mesika? Their message is more consistent with our Jewish Heritage than is Malcolm Hoenlein's.

Robin

 


On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 12:43 PM, Barbara Sommer <sommer_1_98@yahoo.com> wrote:

AIAC: AMERICAN ISRAELI ACTION COALITION

AIAC Co-Sponsors Presentation by Malcolm Hoenlein

Saturday Night, February 21/28 Shevat AIAC: American Israeli Action Coalition Co-Sponsors Motzaei Shabbat Mevorchim Social Evening and Lecture at the Jerusalem Great Synagogoue 56 King George Street. 8:15 PM (doors open at 7:30) Speaker: Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice-Chairman of The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Topic: "After the Elections: What Does the Future Hold?" Admission is free.

# # #

AIAC is a non-political, non-partisan, issue-oriented NGO, which is devoted to effectively recruiting and activating the more than 250,000 expatriate American citizens in Israel in order to create a united voice that will be heard by the governments and people of the United States and Israel on issues that pertain to the continued safety and security of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. www.aiacoalition.org

AIAC POB 7440 Jerusalem 94262