All Together Now - means also Boro Park and Flatbush

All Together Now

By Arieh Eldad

 

Sderot residents blocked traffic on the Ayalon Highway this week.  I published a declaration of support, which expressed the hope that the resultant traffic jams would help Tel Avivians break out of their bubble and become aware of what ties them to the troubles in Sderot.  My e-mail inbox quickly filled with responses from angry, proud Tel Avivians.  They reminded me that Tel Aviv has been the site of attacks on coffeehouses and public buses. They pointed out that Sderot's viability derives from the economic and cultural activity of Tel Aviv; that Sderot's economy is not based on the dusty Kassam-ridden industrial zone in Sderot, but rather on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and Tel Aviv's major companies.  I cannot argue with facts. 

 

The next day the thoughtful face of Ehud Olmert visiting the Jewish Museum in Berlin peered at me from my newspaper.  Behind Olmert, one could see pictures of concentration camp survivors in striped uniforms, smiling and waving hats given them by the Red Army that freed them.  I have not been to that museum because I have not been to Berlin because I vowed never to step on that impure land.  Olmert was in Berlin.   I'm not condemning him for being there, because to speed the construction of special submarines for our navy - it is permissible to go even to Germany.  But there he stood, in front of photos of camp survivors - the symbol of a common Jewish fate: Haredim together with the non-religious; nationalist Betar youth movement members together with Communists; and even some who today would not be legally eligible to enter Israel under the Law of Return, but the Germans knew that they were Jews - and they all rose heavenward through the smokestacks.   Out of this abyss of the common Jewish fate, Olmert explained to journalists what he thought about Sderot's residents' demonstrating in Tel Aviv: "Every city has had its time to deal with the troubles they are dealing with today."

 

What were the Tel Avivians whom I tried to shake out of their bubble trying to tell me?  What was Olmert saying? 

 

They were saying:  In Israel everyone gets hit in his own time.  At some point Kiryat Shmona and Bet Shean, at some point Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem.  Therefore, Sderot's residents shouldn't come to us waving their Kassam rocket shells and blocking traffic on our Ayalon Highway.  Because more Jerusalemites and Tel Avivians were killed in the attacks on the Apropos and Sbarro restaurants and on the number 5 and 18 bus lines than have been killed in Sderot from thousands of Kassam rockets.  We have already suffered, now it is your turn.

 

Olmert's statement did not reflect a shared common burden.  It proclaimed the death of solidarity.  And it was made in front of photographs of prisoners garbed in striped uniforms, shirts bloodied by the wild animals who murdered six million.  The death of solidarity is Olmert's hope.  Only if he divides can he rule.  Were the army reservists  angry at how poorly the Second Lebanese War was managed to join with the poor residents of Dimona, and those of Sderot with those of Tel Aviv, and those of Kiryat Shmonah with those of Kiryat Arba, and the families who have lost loved ones in wars and terrorist attacks with the families abandoned to the mercy of Katyusha rockets and Kassam rockets – were they all to rise together now, on one day, not each city in its own time when it is beaten down, in shock, burying its dead, and insulted by having been abandoned – were all of them to rise in solidarity, and in full awareness of the common Jewish fate move to get rid of Olmert, he would not be able to cling to his desk.  People like Olmert survive because he who is not being beaten at a particular moment remains silent.  They are stronger than we are when we rise to protest each in his turn, and the rest remain silent, ignoring the others, complacent in their own bubbles, thankful for their good luck that this time it is not them being beaten.  The bubble is everywhere.  The Tel Avivians were understandably insulted.  Leave the new breed of Israeli alone for a minute, without a nearby attack, and he will erect a bubble around him.  These bubbles are made of shares of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, of greenhouse gases and same sex parents, of arguments about whether vegetables grown by a non-Jew in the Land of Israel during the Sabbatical year should be purchased, and of virtual "reality" television shows.  These are the bubbles that allow Olmert to stay afloat and steer our Titanic into an iceberg.

 

Israeli Army Radio should be praised for deciding to interrupt and stop its broadcasts every time a red alert is sounded in the south of the country indicating incoming rockets.  All radio and television stations in Israel should do the same.  And anyone who wonders what he can do for the residents of Sderot, and actually for himself, and in truth for all of us, should join the residents of Sderot stretched across the Ayalon Highway or the entrance to Jerusalem.  He should block whatever road he is near, or he should drive his car on Friday to Sderot, to do his shopping there, to sit there in a café, or just to be there, to talk to people.  Solidarity is a value that we need to take out of the mothballs, to shake the dust of cynicism from it, and to don it as a uniform, as one needs to do in a time of war. 

---

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

Excel article OU website R' Nachman Kahana and fwd from R' Pesach Lerner.

bs"d

Thank you Sara Lehman for forwarding me this article by Rabbi Nachman Kahana taken from the OU website.

Rabbi Nachman Kahana writes

...In the galut, in all its ages and places, the cry of "Shema Yisrael" ascended to the highest realms of heaven as a Jewish soul parted from this world because of the fires of Christianity or the sword of Islam.

However, with our return to Eretz Yisrael the ultimate sanctification of HaShem is NOT to die for Him but to destroy all those who are identified with Amalek. As the Almighty Himself says in the Torah (Shemot 17,16):..

For complete article, a must read..

http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/article/36761

Rabbi Lerner writes:

Friends—

I share with you "The Editor's View" from this week's Yated Ne'eman weekly newspaper.

I believe the editor, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, challenges us to care, to do more.

I encourage you to read it and to share his thoughts with your family and friends.

Please share it with your rabbis and community leaders. Copy the article and distribute it in your Shul.

We need to start thinking about and talking about the critical situation in Jerusalem, Sderot and greater israel.

 

I also included Yated's article about the secret talks taking place about dividing Jerusalem, G-d forbid.

It is an article we all need to read.

 

Please share your comments  directly to editor@yated.com

 Thank you

PL

 Rabbi Pesach Lerner

Executive Vice President

National Council of Young Israel

111 John Street   Suite 450

New York, NY 10038

212-929-1525

---

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

Fwd: Naomi Ragen U.S. PLANS GIVING BILLIONS TO PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS

bs"d

 

Please forward this information to our representatives in the Major Jewish Organizations that have offices for Public Affairs that lobby in Washington DC. The OU for instance has not expressed any concern regarding the establishment of a terror state in lieu of the settlements within Judea and Samaria.  Establishing a Palestinian State Chas Veshalom will not only affect the 250,000 residents of Yesha but also of course the entire State of Israel.  Many major population centers will be within rocket range.  Just look at a map. Sederot is a sure example of what a terror state within Judea and Samaria will accomplish. Of course, feel free to lobby yourself as well to the politicians.  Do we really want the IPA to represent us?  Chaim Dovid Zwiebel dzwiebel@agudathisrael.org is the Public Affairs person for Agudath Yisroel.

 

About the IPA
January 01, 2006
About the IPA

As the public policy arm of the nation's largest representative Orthodox Jewish organization -- with over 1,000 member synagogues nationwide -- the IPA works to protect Jewish interests and freedoms by providing government officials with informative policy briefings, advocating legislative and regulatory initiatives, and coordinating our constituency's grass-roots political activities.

Importantly, the IPA works to bring the unique perspective of Jewish law and tradition to bear upon the widest range of public policy issues confronting American society at-large, thus seeking to fulfill our mission to work for the betterment of the world -- tikkun olam -- for all of humankind.

Within the Jewish community, the IPA serves as the Orthodox community's link to the Conference of President's of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the World Jewish Congress, and other umbrella entities. The IPA also serves as the Orthodox Union's link to the broader international community through its recognized non-governmental organization (NGO) observer status at the United Nations.

In addition to its day-to-day activities, the IPA sponsors an annual National Leadership Mission to Washington, D.C., and the IPA Summer Internship Program -- placing Orthodox Jewish college students in key governmental offices.

The OU's IPA invites you to become an active participant in our programs and to become a partner in working for tikkun olam today. You can contact the Institute for Public Affairs at (212) 613-8123 or by e-mail at ipa@ou.org.

Mark Bane
Chairman

Nathan Diament
Director
OU Thanks Olmert for Clarification on Jerusalem Negotiations
February 13, 2008
UOJCA APPRECIATES PRIME MINISTER OLMERT'S PROMPT CLARIFICATION ON JERUSALEM NEGOTIATIONS
Reiterates call that Jerusalem remains the united, eternal capital of Israel and the Jewish people

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, issued a statement in response to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's comments to reporters that Jerusalem would remain the last issue to be resolved with the Palestinians and to reports that construction will continue on Jewish projects in East Jerusalem.

UOJCA President Stephen J. Savitsky, Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb and Director of Public Policy Nathan J. Diament stated:

We are appreciative of Prime Minister Olmert's swift response to our call for clarification to media reports regarding the status of Jerusalem. We are equally appreciative of his government's decision to continue approval and construction of Jewish projects in "East Jerusalem".

The Orthodox Union continues to believe that Jerusalem must remain the united and eternal capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish People, a position held both by a majority of Israeli Jews and American Jews, across political affiliation and religious denomination. We also hope that Prime Minister Olmert will further clarify that there are no secret talks concurrently occurring on Jerusalem.

 

 

 

---

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

Jonathan Pollard's letter to the people of Sederot.His words are so prescient..

bs"d

 

Thank you rosewalk@concentric.net for sending me this

 

Pollard to Sderot: Praying for your success
By Yaara Maitliss -Arutz7 Hebrew News - February 15, 2008
[Translated to English by J4JP]

Esther Pollard, wife of Jonathan Pollard, the longest-held Israeli captive
languishing in an American prison, published an inspiring letter about two
years ago from her husband to the beleaguered people of Sderot under
bombardment, in which he calls upon the Government of Israel to stop the
abandonment before there are casualties. What is most amazing, his words are
so prescient that it seems as if the letter had been written today.

Pollard opens his letter with these words, "To the Dear People of Sderot,
HaShalom v'habracha! Although it is no simple matter for me in my current
circumstances, I feel compelled to get a message of encouragement and
support out to you. Five years ago,  (YM: that is now 7 years ago) I
concluded a letter to former Prime Minster Ariel Sharon with the following
statement: "Recent events in Israel demonstrate that you have an uncanny
ability to tolerate the agony of our people at this excruciating time in our
history. Be aware that this ability to block out their cries and ignore
their suffering is no more than an extension of your ability to tolerate the
agony of one Israeli agent. After all, 5 million is just 5 million
multiplied by one."

"In truth, when I wrote these words I would never have imagined how
absolutely accurate they would be today. At that time, absolutely no one
ever
imagined, even in their worst nightmares, that the situation of Am Yisrael
would degenerate to the extent that it has. Please know, Dear People of
Sderot, that in your determination to put an end to the abandonment of your
city to terror, you are fighting not only for the people of Sderot, but also
for the State and for the Nation at large," Pollard adds in his letter.

Pollard continues his message to the residents and writes, "A government
which allows your lives to be jeopardized daily by on-going missile attacks
is a government which is capable of abandoning every single citizen without
exception. If at one time there were those who believed that the victims of
government abandonment were limited to certain select individuals or groups
that could be ignored, such as: the MIAs, Mudhat Yosef, the SLA army, the
collaborators, or old folks and sick people, today it is clear that the
policy of government abandonment puts every Israeli citizen at risk! We must
restore the ideal of "Arevut Hadadit" (mutual responsibility) to our
national consciousness! All for one and one for all!"

Pollard concludes with a request, "I wish I could be with you in person at
this time to demonstrate with you in Sderot. Since I am prevented from doing
so, I am sending my dear wife, Esther, to you to bring you this letter and
this message. I call upon all The People of Israel: Stand up for your
bothers, the People of Sderot! If not for their sake, then for your own!"

Pollard signs off with the words, "Much the same way that no one could
imagine just a few short years ago that cities in Israel would be blowing up
and the world would not come to a stand-still over it, today no one can
imagine just how bad things may get if we do not wake up, and do what needs
to be done now. I pray for your success and for a speedy recovery for those
who have been injured. I urge you not to despair, for ultimately justice and
truth must prevail! With love of Israel, Jonathan Pollard."

See Also:
Hebrew text: Pollard to Sderot: Praying for your success
www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/171715

---

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

I stand to be corrected re: Agudath Yisroel. Strength of Agudah. Shaliach Hashem

bs"d

 

Susie Dym sddym@bezeqint.net spokesperson for Mattot Arim a grassroots organization for Eretz Yisroel responds to my comments regarding  apparent lack of effectiveness of Agudahs resolution regarding Jerusalem at this years Agudah Convention  on US Policy.

 

a. personally i would not say to people that Aguda's statements did not have any effect on the us government. bH it is not true that the aguda's statements had no effect, in fact quite the opposite: (1) olmert was very upset by them and he made a very sharp statement indicating he was rattled by this development. (2) the Annapolis statement did not contain any overt mention of jerusalem (3) shas made a conditional commitment to leave the govt.

none of 1, 2, 3 is a geula shlema. 1 2 3 all together also are not a geula shlema. but they are ALL important steps forward, which show the great strength of aguda as שליח ה.

 

I wrote:

 

Agudah made a commitment to speak out for Jerusalem.   They did so at
> their Agudah convention in November.
> 
> http://theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/12165/contact.
> 
> Part of their resolution is as follows:"NOW, THEREFORE, the delegates
> to the 85th national convention of Agudath Israel of America hereby
> resolve that Agudath Israel of America, under the direction of its
> rabbinic leadership, should communicate to appropriate government
> officials the organization's strong belief that, for the reasons set
> forth above, Israel should not relinquish parts of Jerusalem to
> Palestinian sovereignty, and the American government should not
> pressure the Israeli government into doing so."
>

 

My comments were:
> So the United States gov't didn't listen to Agudah's appeal.  Neither
> did Olmert.  So is that the end of Agudah's appeal?.  If someone you
> love is threatening to go off a cliff and you ask him not to and he
> doesn't listen, do you simply give up trying to convince him ...

---

The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music takes you there.