CAJLCC110607 What we can do to save Judea and Samaria from Nadai Matar.

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CAJL Conference of Authentic Jewish Leadership

CC Calling Campaign

November 6, 2007

 

The following was sent out by Nadia Mater, forefront activist, leader of Women in Green in Israel.

 

Dear Friends,

1) Yesterday, Monday evening, a group of us went to a very last-minute demonstration to give support to the 30 youth still in jail after they had been arrested the day before (Sunday) by the police for the "crime" of settling the Land of Israel. As you may recall, this past holiday of Sukkot, the Land of Israel Faithful, Youth for Eretz Israel, Women in Green and others have put up five new communities in Judea and Samaria. Three of the five communities lasted a day or two before the authorities brought them down. Weekly activities continue to take place on those three hills until we will be able to return and settle them with families, please G-d, in the near future.

But two out of the five communities have held strong since Sukkot, with families and youth living there. One community is "Harchivi" next to Elon Moreh and the other is "Shvut Ami" next to Kedumim. More than once, the authorities have sent troops to Shvut Ami to bring down the residents, but they have always immediately returned. On Sunday, the troops came once again and this time were very brutal, arresting over 40 youth and confiscating their cameras. The youth spent the night in jail and some thirty of them are still incarcerated in the Ariel police lockup. Last night close to a 100 people came to the Ariel police station to show our support to those wonderful idealistic youth who understand that now, more than ever, we must fight for every inch of this land. Their friends who have not been arrested have already returned to Shvut Ami to rebuild the place.

More details can be found by clicking on the Arutz 7 newsreport about it in English:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124139

We strongly suggest you also click on the Hebrew website, where you will find a videoclip of Shvut Ami and of what happened in court yesterday: http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/168213

There is no doubt that at this time, when the Olmert government wants to give away large parts of the land to the Arab enemy, the authorities are very bothered by activities that express our eternal link to the Land of Israel. We expect there to be many more actions by the police in the coming weeks against the Jews living in Judea and Samaria.

THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

Women in Green call upon all of you to have a campaign of protest phone calls to your nearby Israeli Embassy and to your Congressmen. When we in Israel protest the government's crushing of Jewish civil rights, it does not bother Olmert one bit. But when lovers of Israel abroad, Jews and non-Jews alike, bombard the embassies with masses of protest calls and faxes, then they do take notice.

Below are the numbers of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Keep their numbers for you will need them in the coming weeks and do not stop calling them whether it is to protest the arrest of tens of minors who have done nothing wrong except settling the Land of Israel ,or whether you simply want to tell them: I oppose the creation of a Palestinian State in Israel's Biblical Heartland.

Embassy of Israel in Washington D.C.
Tel 202-364-5500
Fax  202-364-5527
For finding the consulate closest to you please click on:
http://israelemb.org/israeli-consulate-in-usa.htm

For finding your congressmen please go to the following website: http://www.house.gov/writerep/


2) Wednesday mornings - Women in Green mornings

Starting this coming Wednesday, November 7th, Women in Green will hold weekly activities to support the Land of Israel.

This Wednesday we will go to Hebron and show support to our heroic brothers there. We will meet at 10:15am at the Gush Etzion intersection and drive with our cars to Hevron. Approximate return to Jerusalem: 2:00pm.


3) SUNDAY, November 11th: The State of Israel vs Nadia Matar in the Jonathan Bassi case.

As you may recall, Women in Green co-chair Nadia Matar was accused of "insulting a public official" after having written an open letter to Jonathan Bassi, head of the Sela committee before the expulsion from Gush Katif. Judge David Mintz, in the Shalom Court, dismissed the case saying that Nadia was unfairly being accused, when so many leftists had said things that were much worse, and were not put to trial. The State of Israel appealed Mintz's decision and won.

The trial is starting all over again in the Shalom Court, once again in front of Judge David Mintz.
The public is invited to come and protest this outrage.

When? Sunday, November 11th at 8:30pm
Where? Jerusalem, the Shalom Court, in front of Judge David Mintz.

Because there are often last minute changes we suggest you check your email to make sure we did not post any cancellation or change of date.


4) A call for Action by www.israelunitycoalition.org - Call your Congressmen


URGENT INFORMATION REGARDING A NEW HOUSE RESOLUTION: H.Res.758

This resolution can impact the outcome of the upcoming Annapolis Summit by calling for Palestinian accountability.

Last week, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced H.Res.758 jointly with Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV). This resolution calls on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also chairman of his Fatah Party, to officially renounce ten articles in the Fatah Constitution that call for Israel's destruction and acts of terrorism against its people.

The Fatah Constitution opposes any political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and it labels Zionism as racism. Other examples of the offensive language among the ten separate articles that explicitly seek to incite violence against the state of Israel include the following:

Article 17
("armed public revolution is the inevitable method to liberating Palestine")

Article 19
("the struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished")

Article 22
("opposing any political solution offered as an alternative to demolishing the Zionist occupation of Palestine")


Rep. Blunt released the following statement:

"There can be no reasonable expectation of a broad-based, long-term reconciliation between the Israelis and Palestinians while one side's constituting document calls for the complete destruction of the other. I believe it's absolutely critical that the insidious nature of the Palestinian constitution be brought to light ­ and that those with a genuine interest in working toward peace insist its most unconstructive provisions be abrogated from the text.

"It goes without saying that a basic condition of negotiating with someone is recognizing their right to exist ­ and once that's granted, the right to live without fear of terrorism. But, at least according to the ruling party's constitution, even these fundamental concessions continue to be rejected by the Palestinian leadership.

"The resolution I've offered with Rep. Shelley Berkley builds on the Arafat Accountability Act of 2002, which sought to bring action against former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as long as he continued to sanction acts of terrorism against Israel. This resolution takes a different approach, but the message remains the same: As long as Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah Party continue to promote the wholesale destruction of Israel, there can be no possibility for peace ­ whether in our time, or any other."

It will be easy for you to contact your representative and ask him/her to support H.Res.758. To send the message, simply click the link below. You will be asked to enter your state and zip code. You will then be directed to your own Representative's Website where you simply fill out a short form using your own message or you can copy and paste the sample message below.
< http://www.house.gov/writerep/>Go to your Representative's Website and send a message.

SAMPLE MESSAGE:

Dear Congressman,

I hope you will co-sponsor H. Res. 758 calling for accountability from the Palestinians. The PLO Charter (Constitution) calls for incitement to violence and the destruction of Israel and its people. By co-sponsoring this resolution, you will make a statement that will express the opinion of millions of Americans against submitting to wanton calls in the Palestinian Constitution for the eradication of the state of Israel. This demand particularly applies to the upcoming Annapolis Summit that will ask for millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to go to the Palestinians and promises them statehood, while at the same time they continue to profess their underlying "death wish" for the state of Israel.

Rep. Blunt said, "As long as Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah Party continue to promote the wholesale destruction of Israel, there can be no possibility for peace ­ whether in our time, or any other."

As long as the Palestinian Constitution remains in effect in its current form, it is preposterous to assume that the Palestinians have any intention for peaceful coexistence.

Respectfully,

(Insert your name) _______________________
< http://www.israelunitycoalition.org/pdf/hres758.pdf> View the full Resolution


With Love of Israel,

Ruth and Nadia Matar


=============================================
Women For Israel's Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:wfit2@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

To make a contribution via our secure server:
https://wigisrael.org/index3.htm

To make a contribution through Paypal, go to: https://www.paypal.com
click on "Send Money" to the address wfit2@womeningreen.org

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Response from/to Rabbi Avi Shafran of Agudath Yisroel to "Need Breeds Greed".

In a message dated 11/2/2007 12:04:21 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Shafran@agudathisrael.org writes:

Thank you for your e-mail. Attached is an essay that might be of interest.

Shabbat Shalom,

AS

Dear Rabbi Shafran, avm"sh

Shavua Tov! Thank you for responding. What I understand from this article, see below, is that you are saying that the decision of Silence by the chosen Zekainim, elders, of Agudath Yisroel of America might be the right plan of action and that we in our limited understanding think we understand the best solution but in reality the solution that seems the most illogical is truly the best solution. Therefore, let us follow our Zekainim who are the real experts and know best and not second guess their direction even if it doesn't seem logical. The Moshol (analogy) was a lesson from Smokey, see below. If this analysis is incorrect please correct me.

The following scenarios will present situations when following the Zekainim or those considered the most wise led to disaster.

I will tell you a true story. A Chassidic Rebbe's granddaughter, (1 or 2 year old) finger got hurt badly. A cabinet fell on it or something. They went to their doctor who bandaged it and told the parents not to take off the bandage and to come back in a week. After a few days the child was crying and the mother called the doctor. The doctor told her I told you to come back in a week. She asked him maybe you should check it out. He told her it's not necessary. Again, she called and the doctor got annoyed that she was questioning his expertise. The next day or so was Yom Tov and the father and grandfather saw that the child was in terrible pain. The Rebbe asked one of his baalebatim who was a dentist what he would suggest. He suggested sending the child to his friend who was a PA in emergency medicine. The Pa took one look at the finger and sent her to the ER. Apparently the doctor bandaged the wound too tightly and the baby was in danger of losing the finger. B"h they just in time managed to save almost all of the finger.

Was it ok to second guess the first doctor? The doctor should be grateful that he won't be sued for malpractice.

I hear you saying that this is not a good analogy since our Zakeinim (elders) are not arrogant like that doctor was.

Still, are we allowed to put our complete faith in human beings. Do we disregard the words of the Torah and put all of our faith in the Zakeinim? What's with the Torah Commandment "Lo Yehiyeh Lachem Elokim Acharim Al Panei". We are not allowed to have other Gods. Do we follow the halacha, rulings of a Zakein, elder, even if it seems to contradict Torah Shebichtav, the written Torah? Isn't it possible to have halacha, Torah Shebaal Peh, oral law, not be based unfortunately, on Torah Shebichtav, the written law?

History has shown that Zekainim, elders have been wrong. The root of this is the Chait Miraglim which is the root cause of Lashon Hara. slander. The Meraglim, spies, were the elder and wise leaders of their generation. They discouraged going into Eretz Yisroel, the Land of Israel. Is it coincidence that Gush Katif fell out on Tisha Baav the yahrzeit of the Chait Hamiraglim, sin of the Spies.

I have heard many say that today is once again 1938 Germany. In 1937, Moetzes Gedoilei Yisroel, the rabbinic sages, met in Merianbad. There was one person they did not allow to speak. That was Zev Jabotinsky who tried to warn them of Hitler Y"M. The Gedoilim, Sages, chose to stay in Europe rather than go to E"Y and deal with the secular Zionists. Rather than be proactive and proclaim that after 2,000 years Hashem is giving us back Eretz Yisroel, and we want a Torah State, they instead said Moshiach hasn't come and the secular Zionists aren't Torah Jews. It's not the time to go to Israel. After all, the Secular Zionist believe that Eretz Yisroel is the whole Emes. truth, and the rest of Torah is not necessary. The anti Zionist Chareidi Jews apparently convinced themselves that Torah can be observed Mehadrin without Eretz Yisroel. So rather than returning to Eretz Yisroel now that they have the opportunity to actualize their daily prayers and supplications, they said that Eretz Yisroel is a Treif. not Kosher, State, and the loyal followers of these Zekainim , elders, instead went to Aushwitz etc. Millions of them perished in the Holocaust. P.S. I am a child of Holocaust survivors,

Again how can we ignore the Torah that says if we keep the Mitzvah of Shemittah then there will be peace and prosperity. Hashem is true to keep His promises. Apparently the way we keep Shemittah isn't good enough. The Torah is eternal and relevant. If you answer that Shemittah is only D'Rabbanan, then the question is even so, we are experiencing great security threats. Let's try harder to reexamine how we keep Shemittah. Are the halachos of Shemittah consistent with the spirit of Shabbos? Isn't Shemittah a year of eating the food of Davka, especially, Eretz Yisroel, Kedushat Shviit, sanctity of the seventh year? Why is the Halacha of Chareidim to buy from Arabs, empowering those that wish to destroy us? Why is there a plastic separating the earth of Eretz Yisroel and imported earth? How is there now access to the earth of Eretz Yisroel with Kedushat Shviis? Why is there the loophole of Pruzbul(regarding release of loans)? Why do our Sages not allow all wild grown vegetables or flowers based on the fact that we can't trust our fellow Jew because he is weak in faith (Sefichin)? Were is the spirit of Shabbos and sharing. Why are prices outrageous when it should all be free? Aren't all these halachic takanot, corrections a result of weakness and not of strength? Aren't they the result of Galus and were the solutions in a society that were unworthy of being in Eretz Yisroel? Doesn't our generation seem to be the generation of Gog and Magog? Apparently, we must strive to be even greater than the generation of the Midbar, the desert. We must yearn to conquer Eretz Yisroel and yearn to keep all the Mitzvoth in Eretz Yisroel.

When the government of Israel clearly come out with policies that are against the Torah, the Sages have been silent. They say unfortunately, Moshiach hasn't come and in the meanwhile let's all say Tehillim. They say that it's not our place to speak out. We must not anger the Goyim.

My question to the Zekainim is where is the yearning and desire to keep Mitzvoth in Eretz Yisroel? Why is it necessary for Moshiach to be revealed in order to have a Land based on Torah? When the Jews went into E"Y they were first led by Yehoshua of Shevet Efraim, the tribe of Efraim, and then by the Shoftim, judges of different Shevatim, tribes, and then by Shmuel. In fact they demanded a king prematurely. They lived in E"Y with Hashem's approval w/o a leader from Malchus Beis Dovid, the kingdom of Dovid. Their main sin was not to rid the Land of Avoda Zara, idol worship and successfully conquer the Canaanite Nations. Those parts of Eretz Yisroel left unconquered became thorns in our sides and they in turn persecuted Am Yisroel. Instead of subjugating them and eliminating them from the Land they instead showed us how we were supposed to effectively deal with them. That is Torah even if it sounds racist. Ahmadinajad brings G-d into the picture unabashedly. When we are afraid to bring G-d into the picture, we are forced to fight an evil force by confronting our religion in order to fight this foreign religion. This is a war of religions. (See Economist, this past issue early November) It has forced us to bring Torah and G-d into the picture since that is the only way we can destroy this evil force sent by G-d.

It is possible to envision a working Torah Authority (as opposed to a Palestinian Authority) with Moshiach not yet being revealed. Maybe Moshiach will come when Hashem sees that we desire and yearn to keep the Mitzvoth so strongly and realize that without Moshiach we are at an impasse. For example, Moshiash will tell us which tribe we belong to and which is our personal inheritance apportioned to us. . Then we will be able to keep Yoveil. Every 50 years we will disengage from our homes and return to our chelek, our portion, our nachala, our inheritance that Hashem has allotted to us. Yet even without Moshiach with a government based on Torah we still can keep many more Mitzvoth In Eretz Yisroel than we could have without a government based on Torah.

How can the Gedoilim, leaders, of our generation ignore the Nissim Gelutim, open miracles, of the establishment of Eretz Yisroel and of the Six Day War and daily miracles in Gush Katif and today in Sederot. Each day there are Nissim Geluyim, open miracles. Kassam Rockets are being fired and relatively few casualties. Why have the Zekainim of Agudath Yisroel and their followers joined with the Gov't by their Silence instead of taking a leadership role proclaiming that Eretz Yisroel is our Biblical Inheritance and only we can keep the Mitzvoth Teluyot Baaret, commandments dependant on the land.

Let me be so dare as to suggest the folowing:

Let our Sages put out a Kol Korei (Public Outcry)

* The Torah clearly says the Land belongs to G-d and

* In the Torah, G-d has chosen the Nation of Israel to inherit the Land and

* The Nation of Israel in turn must keep the Commandments such as Shemittah, and

* There is no way in the world we are willing to forfeit this mitzva by giving the Land to even a nice Democratic Palestinian Authority,

This definitely would make a difference. Even if no one would listen, it's words of Torah. It's Daas Torah. Silence, on the other hand, is just politics.

There has been the reestablishment of the Sanhedrin. Yet they have barely received any recognition and they have been ridiculed or treated as being irrelevant. Yet the Sanhedrin came out against the expulsion of Gush Katif and giving away any piece of Eretz Yisroel. So has the Lubavitch Rebbe. The Sanhedrin members are also Zekainim. Why does Agudath Yisroel davka chose as their Zakeinim, elders Poskim, leaders who provide rabbinic rulings, such as Rav Shteinman that said about Gush Katif that it's "nisht inzere sugia".

In your article you did not address any of the points in the letter "Need Breed Greed". You imply that we must follow our Zekainim irregardless. That is true when their rulings are " Al Pi Hatorah". But when the Zekainim have failed to respond when their are obvious violations in Mitzvoth DOrayta, Torah Comnandments, and have only seem to speak out when it's a matter of Tzniyut, modesty chumras, chumra over chumra even to the point of violating a Mitzvath Aseh of VeSamachta BeChagecha, even the Bochurim lose respect. Isn't it hypocritical to come out against Heter Mechira which is a symbolic selling of the Land and yet be quiet regarding the Annapolis Summit which is actually giving away of the Land.

I just spoke to a Bochur and asked him to ask his Rebbe in Chaim Berlin how come the Gedoilim are Silent regarding the establishment of a State of Palestine ( chas vechalila )and the Bachur responded he and all see the Emes but no one is saying the Emes.

The intensity of the fires of California is not because of Smokey the Bear. It is because Hashem has allowed the forces of Nature to exert their control. We may think that Nature is out of control. Hashem has sent heaven and earth with winds and heat to create the fires of California. Haazinu Hashamayim VeHaaretz.., Listen Heaven and Earth, See next to last Torah reading in the 5 Books of Moses. ....Next time you see a fire chas vechalila would you allow it to let it burn out of control when you have the ability to stop it?

Hitler Yemach Shemo was a fire that was uncontained by appeasers. The way we quench the fires is by keeping Torah and Mitzvoth. Fighting Ahmadinejad directly is as ineffective as putting out raging fires with the forces of Nature working against us. By proclaiming our desires to keep the Torah and Mitzvos the fires on their own will dissipate. That is why we are urging and begging our Torah Leaders to lead us in the paths of Torah and Mitzvoth. The Halachos must be in the spirit of Torah and will be recognized as such. The Halachos that clearly seem ridiculous like only buying from Arabs, will be met with much opposition.

A LESSON FROM SMOKEY

Rabbi Avi Shafran

On their surface, the e-mails had nothing to do with the uncontrolled wildfires then devastating southern California. Yet the confluence of the messages and the maelstrom held a truth worth contemplating.

The topic of the e-mails is of no matter. The writers were urging Agudath Israel of America to take a certain stance on a political issue. It was their tone that stood out. The correspondents had taken for granted that their own judgment on the matter was right, and were writing to insist that the organization come on board, or "get with it," as one put it. Or as another wrote: "Your Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah [Council of Torah Sages – Agudath Israel's highest rabbinical body] needs to take a strong stand here…"

Agudath Israel is unique among Jewish groups. Its administration does not set policy; that role resides among the venerable rabbinic elders at our helm. The organization's officers and executive staff are sometimes asked to provide the Council members with information, even to lay out various approaches to an issue. But we do not tell our religious leaders what we think they should think. One might say that we report, they decide.

It is an approach that rankles some, especially those who might not appreciate the humor in a sign I have that reads: "People who think they know everything are particularly aggravating to those of us who do."

But the fact remains: Judaism teaches humility, and special respect for the judgment of those most experienced and knowledgeable. The letters of the Hebrew word for "elderly" – zaken – are parsed by the Talmud to yield the phrase "this one has acquired wisdom."

And so, particularly in matters of Jewish communal welfare, we believe that Jews are exhorted to heed the direction provided by the community's most Torah-learned elders, those who have internalized a large degree of the perfection of values and refinement of character that the Torah idealizes. Even when those elders' judgment differs from our own. Actually, especially then.

Commenting on the decision made by the Judean King Rechavam (King Solomon's son) to shun the advice of the elders of his father's court and heed instead the advice of younger advisors (Kings I:12), the Talmud remarks: "[What might seem] constructive on the part of the young [can in fact be] destructive; and [what might seem] destructive on the part of elders [can in fact be] constructive" (Nedarim, 40a). Rechavam's wrong choice brought schism to the Jewish kingdom, fanning the flames of rebellion.

Which brings us back to more recent flames, those of the unprecedented California fires – which fire-management experts have dubbed "mega-fires," since they are ten times larger and more intense than wildfires of a mere decade or two ago. More than eight million acres of American forest have burned this year already.

The reasons suggested for the unprecedented infernos include, of course, the "usual suspect" for all natural disasters these days, global warming. But the fact that Baja Mexico has evidenced only smaller fires than adjacent San Diego County suggests strongly that something else is at work. That something, experts say, is a decades-old misguided conservation policy in the United States. Put simply, the longtime American approach to fire suppression – extinguishing small fires as soon as they appear, rather than allowing them to run their natural courses and create undergrowth-free zones – has created huge swaths of unburned brush that, when fire does break out, serve as rich and abundant fuel for infernos of exceptional scope and intensity. "When," asked University of California professor of earth sciences and fire-management expert Richard A. Minnich, quoted in The New York Times, "do we declare the policy a failure?"

So the culprit, so to speak, is Smokey the Bear. He seemed like a fine enough, if furry, fellow all those years, delivering his ursine, eminently common-sense message that putting out small fires was the obvious way to prevent larger ones. But he was wrong. precisely wrong,entirely wrong. Nothing personal (or specie-ist), but, in the end, only smarts can prevent mega- fires.

Now, with hindsight, we are wiser. Imagine, though, how the suggestion that forest fires be permitted to burn uncontrolled, would have been received had it been offered fifty years ago. It is not hard to imagine the e-mails (well, telegrams) chiding forest rangers to tell the Forest Service policymakers to "get with it" and "take a strong stand" against the obvious illogic of – goodness! – letting fires just burn!

It's not only the so-called "Law of Unintended Consequences" that can figure into weighty decisions. A host of factors can make the right decision seem the wrong one, puzzling observers, even outraging them. To be sure, we all have a right to our opinion, and much can be gained by sharing our perspectives with others.

But two vital commodities in all-too-short supply these days are humility and respect for elders. We do well to consider that our confidence – "evidence" and all – that we know what is best no more qualifies us to make the right decision than putting a ranger's hat on a bear's head and a shovel in his hand makes him an expert on forest conservation.

© 2007 AM ECHAD RESOURCES

[Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America.]

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Need Breeds Greed - by Sara Lehmann A must read.

bs"d

 

 

Sara Lehman saralehmann21@yahoo.com sent me the following piece. It was too controversial for the Jewish Press. Nonetheless, she would like to share it and would be interested in your feedback and so would I. Feel free to forward.

 

Thanks,

Robin

 

 

Need Breeds Greed by  Sara Lehmann

 

 

I called a friend in Israel before Rosh Hashanah to wish her a Shanah Tovah and we exchanged news about our families. My friend's nineteen-year-old daughter is currently involved in shidduchim and is looking exclusively for a husband who will be a full-time learner. My friend's description of the process provided revealing insights into the Israeli counterpart of a world that I know well in Chutz LaAretz. Her daughter's wish to marry someone who does not plan on working is quite the "ordre du jour" these days. But in light of current and past wrongs in Israel and their effects on the Jewish people as a whole, it seems to me that this wish involves ramifications that should transcend a personal choice.

 

My friend's daughter never lacked for anything and seems quite unprepared to live a life of Torah under privation, despite her protests to the contrary. Of course her parents plan to pick up the tab, as many parents in such a scenario do. So many of these girls' idealistic pursuits are buttressed by the pocketbooks of those who enable them. But there are limits, especially with younger siblings in the household. My friend's daughter will not even consider someone who may have a long-term plan to support his family, and my friend's dismay at this extreme attitude is not unlike that of many other families in Israel and in America. I have attended countless shidduch meetings in New York where mothers bemoan this stance that their children have adopted yet seem powerless to confront or negate it.

 

Torah is the bedrock of Judaism, and Torah learning is what sustains this foundation. Without it we Jews would simply not survive as Jews, as evidenced by those who have thrown off the yolk of Torah and vanished through assimilation. The concept of "Koveiah Itim", setting aside time for Torah learning, is obligatory on all Jewish men. It is imperative that we have amongst us those who devote their lives to such a course so that we have talmidei chachamim to serve as rabbanim, dayanim and mechanchim in our communities. However, Torah scholars are not mass produced, and not everyone has the potential to become one. Today, it unfortunately seems as if the once valuable partnership of Yissachar and Zvulun has been hijacked by one side.

 

This single-minded manifesto to pursue a kollel life at almost all cost is a relatively new phenomenon. One does not need to go back to the days of the Tannaim to ascertain how the greatest of our sages worked for their livings. My mother grew up in a Rabbinic Chassidic home in Transylvania during World War II and clearly remembers the role of the father as a breadwinner in every household. She recalls how shameful it actually was for a husband to have to rely on his wife's earnings. One would think that if Hashem did not intend for man to work, we would still be collecting mannah each morning outside our doorsteps.

 

My friend in Israel attributes much of her daughter's leanings to her teachers. She told me that teachers in her daughter's school in Petach Tikvah will now not even use the word "work" when referring to an eligible young man's plans for the future. They have come up with a euphemism to replace the dirty word, and they admonish their students not to even consider dating someone who plans "la tzeit" - "to go out". I wonder if these young men recognize the irony of their now having achieved a similar status to that of the ideal Bat Yisrael, who is extolled by King Solomon for not "going out" in his words, "Kevod Bat Melech Pnimah".

 

By opting for such a lifestyle, an enormous burden is put on the wife. She usually becomes the sole earner of the family and no longer serves as the Akeret Habayit to her children at home. Invaluable opportunities to teach children basic lessons in manners and inestimable rules of social interaction based on Torah values are frequently squandered without the proper mentors. Notwithstanding our obligation to support a certain amount of talmidei chachamim in kollel, an indiscriminate carte blanche invitation to all has engendered dependency as a matter of course.

 

In Israel especially, this situation seems to be compounded by the severity of prevalent difficulties. Unlike my friend, many parents are not in the position to support their children. The stipends of the typical kollel do not go a long way, and the benefits of programs in America, such as food stamps, section 8 and medicaid, do not have ready equivalents in Israel. Furthermore, the restrictions of not attending college, not only by the dictates of full-time learning but also by the shunning of the army draft, have limited the options of those who are forced to reconsider a kollel life and provide sustenance for their family. All these can cause a domino effect leading to rampant poverty.

 

It is not improbable to correlate claims of privation among this sector and ill-fated decisions in the Israeli government. Many of these citizens have grown accustomed to hand-outs in some form or another, and there is no shortage of willing politicians eager to fill the demand at any cost. It is no wonder that the Torah insists that the judges of Israel be independently wealthy (as were many of the leaders) and thus impervious to bribes. Needy leaders who represent needy followers are easy bait for corruption, and the ills of bribery cast long shadows after their acceptance.

 

To the irreparable detriment of the Jewish people, it seems as if Israel has sacrificed much on the supposed alter of Torah learning. The leaders of political parties in Israel who represent the vast majority of this segment of society have supported Knesset policies that have slowly destroyed the lives and security of their fellow Jews. Shas's endorsement of the Oslo Accords enabled them to pass in the Knesset, a debacle that spiraled downwards into tragic consequences. How can a party steeped in Torah knowledge have agreed to give up parts of the holy land that Hashem promised His children? If one were to excuse their judgement as a mixture of naivete and a desire for peace for the sake of pikuach nefesh, how can one forgive subsequent decisions? After thousands of Jews were slaughtered and maimed as a result of Oslo, how can Shas now sit in the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a traitor to his G-d and his people, who plans to give the Palestinian Authority a state in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and much of Jerusalem?

 

How did UTJ (United Torah Judaism - Agudah) justify joining the government coalition that approved the Disengagement from Gaza? What amount of shekalim can absolve a religious party from receiving support for its constituents at the expense of ruining 10,000 lives and endangering their fellow countrymen? For that matter, why were so many of their American counterparts silent at the time? If ever a time of pikuach nefesh warranted action, that was it.

 

And what can one make of the endorsement by Rav Ovadiah Yosef, spiritual leader of Shas, of a man who is the antipathy of Judaism to serve as president of the State of Israel? Shimon Peres, a pariah of politics who has made a career of castigating the Jewish religion at every ample opportunity, won approbation from the likes of Rav Menachem Porush of the Agudah and won the presidency through the enabling of Shas. Such a Chillul Hashem is monumental. It has already had ripples of repercussions as this serpentine president usurps maximum power from a role that until now has been largely symbolic. His very first speech gave tacit support to the notion of relinquishing holy and strategic land, and he continues to take advantage of a pulpit to push his agenda of delusional capitulation.

 

Israel's politics has been hijacked by the suicidal leanings of the Left, and its culture has been dying a slow death at the hands of the irreligious policies of its educators. The moral compass of a land that should have been directed by Judaic values has been increasingly off kilter. The religious right could have been at the forefront of combating this sickness and taking stands that would have made a Kiddush Hashem. Unfortunately, not only were opportunities of this sort wasted but too many were exploited. With their success at halting the Gay Pride Parade last summer in Jerusalem, the strength of their numbers and purpose should not be undervalued. They have the potential of being a force worth reckoning with. Their dedication to Torah study has the potential of linking with Torah action to achieve results.

 

It seems as if the personal dilemma which my friend in Israel is grappling with has national consequences. Her daughter's decision to subscribe to a system of living that does not promote working can have ripple effects on more Jews than just those who adhere to it. Troubles of dependency in Israel cannot be viewed in a bubble. The rumblings against the Israeli government cutbacks affecting Chareidi families underscores how intertwined their lives are with the government. It highlights the necessity of division between the two based on financial independence in order to avoid corruption. The lives of all Jews are connected, and the manipulation by some, whether they be by those on the right or the left, have repercussions for all.

 

The November Conference looms ahead and forebodes disaster. Relinquishing any part of Eretz Yisrael, especially Yerushalayim, Yehudah and Shomron, is relinquishing the Jewish heart in its heartland. It poses an immediate and irrevocable threat to Jewish lives. At this juncture we cannot afford to witness more tacit support in or out of the Knesset for such perfidy. The Jewish people are waiting for the rabbanim and leaders in Israel and America to stand up and make a Kiddush Hashem worthy of the imprimatur of Torah scholarship.

 

This will be posted on http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com

 

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Fwd: MUST READ! WE’VE BEEN HAD! (THE JERUSALEM PLOY) by Emanuel A. Winston

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To the Coordinating Council for Jerusalem, amv"sh

I hope this article will be convincing enough. Agudath Yisroel of America, the OU and the Young Israel alone have the resources to mobilize hundreds of thousand of Jews to speak out for Eretz Yisroel and the Torah. All the other organizations in the Coalition for Jerusalem have strong constituents as well. Let's unite for Eretz Yisroel even if it means to disagree and publicly oppose the policies of the United States of America which is out to destroy Eretz Yisroel. It will be for our mutual benefit and for blessings of all mankind. America will thank us later. Now we have to stand alone if necessary for the Torah and put our trust in Hashem and Hashem alone, and believe that Hashem will come to our salvation.

WE’VE BEEN HAD! (THE JERUSALEM PLOY)

by Emanuel A. Winston,

Mid East Analyst & Commentator

I was reminded by several incoming Emails that we Jews have been thrown a bone to distract us and it’s called "Jerusalem" for the coming International Conference for "Peace In Our Times" at the Annapolis Naval Academy in Maryland. It’s not that they wouldn’t like to divide Jerusalem at this time but, for their purposes it’s something they can use for negotiations but then give up the JERUSALEM PLOY to get what they really want. It was vital in their planning to get Jewish and Christian supporters of Israel to ignore the planned main take-over and have us focus primarily on Jerusalem.

The "Theys" are (among others) President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and, especially former Secretary of State James Baker III. Baker learned a lot about us from his State Department Jew-Boys, Dennis Ross, Aaron Miller and Daniel Kurtzer (later joined by Martin Indyk). Baker learned how we think! Jews tend to focus on humanitarian goals and, therefore, are easily misled on other issues. This may be a weakness which our adversaries will take advantage of for the Annapolis Conference.

The Nazis similarly also understood our weakness and our desire to believe the best about other people - even those who were endangering our existence. This inner knowledge of our naivet facilitated their plans for their "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". Therefore, please start to use your Jewish "Sechel" (smarts) to re-construct the meetings and plannings of Rice and her co-conspirators to recruit the Jews to assist in their own demise. The Germans at Wannsee under Heydrich and Eichmann similarly used their understanding of Jewish wishful thinking that people were well-intentioned to ease the way to death camps.

The Annapolis Conference for "Peace in Our Time" is the American version of the infamous Wannsee Conference. The main goal of Rice, Bush - and others - is to divide Israel and build another Palestinian state out of what’s left.

Manipulating us to dwell only on the vital issue of Jerusalem, we would leave the rest of Israel to fall into Muslim Arab hands. Weakening Israel by dividing an already minuscule and vulnerable nation is a definitive obsession for those who have been invited to what amounts to a pre-execution ceremony.

Now that they’ve turned what was once a veritable Garden of Eden in Gush Katif/Gaza into a Global Terror Base, they wish to "move on" to their primary goal of eliminating a militarily strong, democratic non-Muslim nation. Once they have Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights, it’s just a matter of time before Jerusalem would fall into their hands like a ripe apple.

Who would be clever enough to understand our psychology so well as to lure us into another Nazi-style sucker play? IF we could get the planners under subpoena, we might start to get at the truth. Who understands us? Who studies us? Who are part of us to understand how to manipulate us? The answers to these five questions is a mix of special interests but, all have the same goal.

We could go back to Baker’s Jew-Boys: Dennis Ross, Aaron Miller, Daniel Kurtzer and Martin Indyk. Then there is always Baker himself, presently advising C. Rice and the group dedicated to dismembering Israel. Here we also find former President Jimmy Carter as a selected advisor to C. Rice who brings to the table his pathological hatred of the Jewish nation. Carter is currently making millions by promoting his virulently anti-Semitic, anti-Israel book, which makes him an ideal advisor to Rice for the Annapolis Conference.

We cannot forget the wicked machinations of those un-Jews of Israel: Ehud Olmert, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak - among others who wish to de-judaize the Jewish nation while they retain political power. As is said, they know what makes us tick! Rice has also been consulting with the Saudis and Mubarak of Egypt as to how to get Israeli and American Jews to negotiate their fate away at the Annapolis Conference.

This unholy gaggle of people have wanted to divide, if not eliminate Israel since her first days. The Jews of the Left never grasped that they too were slated to be eliminated, as indicative of their mind-set. They opened themselves, all Jews and Israel, up for elimination when they ruled that there could be no praise of G-d for the miracle of winning the 1967 Six Day War against three powerful armies. The word: "G-d" could not be mentioned in any official documents.

By waving the danger of losing Jerusalem in our faces, they trick us into ignoring their Greater Plan. They want Israel to be divided into a reservation for Palestinian Muslim Arabs with the unworkable thought they can pacify the Arab Muslims and eliminate terror against the Free West from other Muslim Arab nations. With Hamas and Fatah as heirs to Arafat’s Terror, once Judea and Samaria are in their hands, 3 to 5 million Arab Muslim Palestinian, supposedly the descendants from the 460,000 who left in 1948, will be pushed into those areas by the surrounding Arab nations who now house them in squalid refugee camps. They will ignore any agreements promising not to permit the flooding of what was Israel with 5 million immigrants.

Anyone who believes that the Iranians, Syrians, Saudis, Egyptians, ‘et al’ give a damn about Palestinian Arab Muslims had better start re-thinking their position. To them, the Palestinians were good for one thing only which was/is to keep the Arab Muslim and International pressure on Israel. They want Israel gone - along with the Palestinians. This kind of planning that is doomed to fail is typical of the Arabist U.S. State Department, particularly if it is only Israel who must pay the ultimate price.

The Annapolis International Conference meeting has only one purpose and one purpose only. It is to establish a space to gather Palestinian Arabs, now spuriously said to be in the millions, with a sovereignty and civil rights that heretofore have been refused to them by their brethren and co-religionists in the Arab Muslim nations. No Arab Muslim or Muslim Arab nation has permitted the Palestinians to have passports and citizenship in the country where they’ve settled. Only Israel has offered the Arab Muslim Palestinians more civil rights then they’ve received anywhere else. But, the world and the Muslims spat on the Jews for being generous. Now, Israel is foolishly offering herself on a silver platter as a human sacrifice - just to be divided up at the Annapolis Naval Academy, a name and a place that will become synonymous with Wannsee and the planning of the "Final Jewish Solution".

But, first Jews and Christians must be led to expend their energies on only saving Jerusalem at the expense saving Israel’s heartland, eastern security border and Heights as their primary goals. At the moment, Jerusalem has been decided to be one of the temporary "give-aways".

Any businessman or honest diplomat can tell you, they always come to a negotiation with a few intended "give-aways". The other side thinks they have won points when, in fact, they lost the larger issue, sometimes called the "Trojan Horse". At Annapolis, Jerusalem will be one of those "give-aways" during negotiations to lubricate the transfer of Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights - all of which includes two-thirds of Israel’s fresh water resources. Once those are in hand, they will come back shortly for Jerusalem and the 1947 borders. (Not the 1948 after the War of Independence in which Israel gained more ground than what had been pre-planned by the State Department and United Nations. The 1947 borders were intended to create a vulnerable Jewish State, surrounded by a hostile Muslim Arab state - including the heartland of Judea and Samaria.) Abba Eban called those the "Auschwitz borders".

Rice has invited every enemy nation and organization who want Israel dead and gone. This includes the Olmert-led Israeli contingent who will offer all the most holy parts of Israel’s Jewish sites as a gift for "confidence-building measures" to Abu Mazen’s Fatah who are presently discussing a merger with Hamas. Whose confidence are they trying to build up? Certainly not Israel’s.

We have been set up like country bumpkins who just came to the Big City. But, we Jews have been set up before. Remember the sign over the entrance of Auschwitz: "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Will Make You Free). We were led to believe what they wanted us to believe. You know the rest.

We are being led like the proverbial sacrificial goat - Azazel - into the Annapolis trap. The Arab Muslim Palestinians and the Muslim Arab nations want most of Israel first and can wait a little while for Jerusalem. In the end, they get all (IF) we let them. The maps in their schools, TV, uniforms, stationary, etc. show the new, second state of Palestine covering ALL of Israel with ALL of Jerusalem as the capital for the second state of Palestine.We’ve been lied to by experts but, worst of all, we have lied to ourselves. We usually know what’s coming and pretend it’s not. We Jews have died in the millions - throughout generations by ignoring reality. Rice tells us there will be peace after we evacuate the Land G-d gave us. She ought to know better. She should know how G-d gave Israel to the Jewish people from being raised as a pastor’s daughter. But, her childhood has molded her into a powerful woman who, despite her brilliant intellect, still sees things through a black and white perspective. In her childhood psyche the Muslim Arab Palestinians are her oppressed "blacks" and the Jews are her "whites". How comforting it is for we Jews to be advised by such friends! We know that Rice, Bush and Baker wish us well (ill). We know that Arafat and now Abbas want the best for us. The Saudi Kings, Bashar Assad of Syria, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt - all want us to succeed. Yes, indeed, it’s good to have such supporters - especially the U.S. State Department.

Every country or nation who has mistreated, exiled or killed their Jews has suffered a decline and fall. However, that did not help the Jews already dead or exiled by the those nations. They say we are a stiff-necked people. If not, we would have fragmented eons ago instead of trekking onward. We do not have to crumble because the nations have gathered - again - to deliver their "Final Solution" for the "coup de grace" (deathblow) in Annapolis!

Get the word out! Fight hard for Jerusalem but, save most of your energy and contributed protest organizing funds to insure that Israel does not disappear in a deal (hidden or open) at Annapolis. We have proven ourselves by contributing disproportionately to mankind and have no apologies to make. We have given more to the people of the world than most others and yet, we are hated. Now a new generation of Nazi-style Islamo-Fascists wants to destroy one of the miraculous and productive civilizations on this planet while their contribution is ceaseless destruction.

Regrettably, we can do nothing to please the nations except to disappear and this WE WILL NOT DO! If, as G-d had intended, we are to live alone and follow His commandments - So be it! May G-d forgive them, for I cannot

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Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)

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CAJLCC103007 Save Sderot: Mustn't cause a humanitarian crisis

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CAJL  Conference of Authentic Jewish Leadership

CC: Calling campaign

October 30, 2007

 

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Al Taamod Al Dam Reiacha.  One is not allowed to sit idly while his brothers blood is being spilled.  How can we not protest the policies of the Government of Israel as they abandon the security of their tax paying citizens.   Please email or call the following major Jewish Organizations or Rav to speak out for their fellow brethren and not be complicit with the policies of the State of Israel that has the mandate to protect its citizens and is failing to do so.  Why should we organize to pay for better bomb shelters or supply foster homes temporarily for these poor kids.  Let us get to the root of the problem and unite to pressure the government of Israel to do something to protect their citizens our fellow Jew.    What is the point of having lecture after lecture on Loving Kindness and fail to speak out against the physical danger facing lives of our fellow Jew.  Are our Torah values philosophically, and spiritually uplifting but merely words that are not applied or will we put our hands and feet and mouth where are hearts and brains are and act. 

 

Please urge these influential organizations and individuals to use their political muscle in Washington DC or influence their constituents to call Washington DC and their Jewish Media to speak out against the policies of the government of Israel for standing silent rather than use force against these acts of aggression against our fellow Jew.

 

Call the Agudath Yisroel of America 212-979-9000 Rabbi Gertzulin,

Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel PR dzwiebel@agudathisrael.org

Rabbi Avi Shafran shafran@agudathisrael.org

Call the Young Israel 212-929-1525 plerner@youngisrael.org Rabbi Pesach Lerner

Call the OU 212-563-4000 info@ou.org Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Stephen Savitsky

Call the OU Washington DC 202-513-6484 ipadc@ou.org Nathan Diament Director

Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Executive Director Michael Rothchild 845-352-3505 

    Spirtual Mentor Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky 215 477 1000 Yeshiva in Philadelphia

 

Rabbi Perlow, the Noveminsker Rav

Rabbi Yoel Schonefeld = Works for OU, Very vocal regarding Gush Katif  Good liason to the Haredi world

 

Rabbi Matisyahoo Solomon  Very influential in Lakewood and Yeshivish communities

 

 Rebbetzin Jungreiss hineni@hineni.org  Please ask her to ask the Rabbanim to end the Silence.

    The Hineni Heritage Center
232 West End Avenue, New York, NY, 10023
Tel: (212) 496-1660

 

Arachim  info@arachim.org

E-MAIL
president@whitehouse.gov

first.lady@whitehouse.gov

FAX: (202) 456-2461 PHONE: (leave a message for the President) (202) 456-1414
Ambassador Sallai Meridor, Embassy of Israel, 3514 International Drive, NW, Washington, DC 20008

Emb-sec3@israelemb.org 202-364-5590; FAX: 202-364-5560

Ambassador Asaf Shariv, Consulate of Israel in NY, 800 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017

ashariv@newyork.mfa.gov.il, 212-499-5450 - Fax: 212-499-5455

 

The following was sent by Izzy Kaplan

 

Israel's Minister of Defense decided to reduce the supply of fuel to the Gaza Strip in response to thousands of rockets launched against Israeli towns over the last several years and especially since Israeli evacuation from the Gaza Strip a year and a half ago. The hue and cry went up from the UN, the "human rights" groups and the "peace camp." It will cause a humanitarian crisis among the innocent civilian residents of Gaza. "Collective punishment" is contrary to the Geneva Conventions, they all pointed out. The Attorney General ordered the government to shelve the plan pending a decision by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile…

 

Does anyone know that two kassams fell on the Western Negev the other night at about 11 PM?

B"H, "No one was wounded and no damage was reported as a result of the attack."

No wounded.

But do you know what a kassam launching means? It means that the Red Alert siren went off.

It means that children were dragged out of their sleeping beds screaming, because the siren went off, and the parents are racing with them to the shelters.

It means that people in Sderot and the Western Negev know a kassam is flying, have no clue where it is flying, and are POSITIVE that chas v'shalom it is aimed directly at them.

"No one was wounded and no damage was reported."

Old people cried, young people screamed, babies shrieked, mothers shook.

But there was NO DAMAGE.

 

Thousands of Kassams have fallen on Sderot since Israel vacated the Gaza Strip … for peace. Excuse me if "humanitarian crisis" has a hollow ring. We know they don't mean us. The "humanitarian crises" the world gets exercised are never ours.

 

Izzy Kaplan

416 256 2858

HAPPY MOMENTS .......... PRAISE HASHEM
DIFFICULT MOMENTS .... SEEK HASHEM
QUIET MOMENTS ........... PRAY TO HASHEM
PAINFUL MOMENTS ....... TRUST HASHEM
EVERY MOMENT ............ THANK HASHEM

 

 

 

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