pidionshvuim8 Action Alert! Letter from Mrs. Goldsmith to Israel Embassy.

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Dear Friends, amv"sh

The following letter was sent to me from Israel on Pesach by Pidyon Shvuyim.  Please respond accordingly to the inhumane treatment of a family, including a pregnant mother who according to the writer of the letter, were thrown out of their new home in Negahot before the Holiday, by the IDF.  This military action, equipped with American made vehicles, American made weapons and American made uniforms, evicted the family,  together with their 5 kids on the eve of the holiday.  Their crime is apparently their desire to live in their home in Negahot, the Land of  their Entitlement.  Apparently, the Israel gov't and the American foreign policy do not recognize their entitlement as they failed to recognize the entitlement of those families from Gush Katif.  Apparently they prefer the Hamas and Al Qaida strongholds that have replaced the beautiful communities of Gush Katif now a breeding ground for terror sending terror Kassam rockets on a daily basis to Sderot and to Southern Israel.

Mrs. Goldsmith, NY  as well as others, called the Israel Embassy on Pesach but they were closed.  Mrs. Goldsmith then called the emergency number but they hung up on her after hearing her protests. She called back but this time they did not even pick up.  Please read her letter to the Israel Embassy at the end of this email.. 

Action Alert:  In addition to calling up the Embassy [telephone 202-364-5500], here are additional email addresses to express your outrage at this violation of human dignity and rights of a law abiding family, citizens of the State of Israel, on the eve of a religious holiday by the Israeli army that clearly is following the dictates of American Foreign Policy rather than the Jewish tradition of basic decency.

president@whitehouse.gov,

secretary@state.gov,

weiner@mail.house.gov,
alan.makovsky@mail.house.gov

howard.diamond@mail.house.gov

matthew.zweig@mail.house.gov

elise.aronson@mail.house.gov

jason.steinbaum@mail.house.gov

tom.stallings@mail.house.gov

zahava.goldman@mail.house.gov

lester.munson@mail.house.gov

don.macdonald@mail.house.gov
Emb-sec2@israelemb.org,

ashariv@newyork.mfa.gov.il,

consul.sec@atlanta.mfa.gov.il

consul@boston.mfa.gov.il

consul-GeneralSec@boston.mfa.gov.il

contactus@chicago.mfa.gov.il

consular.dep@houston.mfa.gov.il

heb-sec@houston.mfa.gov.il

concal.sec@houston.mfa.gov.il

info@losangeles.mfa.gov.il

info@miami.mfa.gov.il

info@philadelphia.mfa.gov.il,

From: Jon Grímsson <pidionshvuim@yahoo.com>
To: FaigeRayzel@aol.com
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:31:30 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: pidionshvuim5

April 23, 2008

Pidion Shvuim Alert:
No. 8
Are we talking about a Jewish army?

 

    We are sorry to interrupt your Passover holiday but we turn to you with very disturbing news of how the Israeli army has been violating the religious and human rights of Jews in Judea and Samaria.
    On the eve of Passover, the army sent troops to throw out a Jewish family with five young children and a pregnant mother from their home in the community of Negohot in southern Judea.
    Imagine you and your family are preparing for the Passover Seder and the Sabbath as Israeli soldiers, equipped with American weapons, American vehicles and even American-made uniforms throw you out from your home, throw out all your prepared food and pots, turn off your gas and electricity and throw out your refrigerator, cokker and oven just hours before the festival.
    The crime of the family is not clear other than they entered into a new home built on their property in an established community approved and financed by the government. But these are difficult times when the government of Israel has to prove to the United States the commitment by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to destroy Jewish life through out Judea and Samaria and parts of Jerusalem.
    As those who serve and whose children serve in the army, we recognize the need for the defense of country and homeland but what is happening increasingly and the Israeli army is being used against Jews and to defend our enemies.
    We ask you to telephone your protest to the Israeli embassy in Washington and to raise this issue with your member of congress.
    Call the Israel embassy [telephone 202-364-5500] and ask to speak to the military attache. Stress that you are an American citizen whose support for the Israeli military is based on its protection of Jews. Say that you also plan to discuss this case with your member of Congress who decides on U.S. military aid to Israel.
    The Olmert government, with an approval rating of near zero, has refused any accountability to the Israeli people and fears only the Bush administration. Unless we act now, there will be many more young Jews in jail. The Jewish holiday of Passover is about redemption. Let's work to redeem our fellow Jews.

With Love of Israel,
Datya Itzhaki

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <Shainsha@aol.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 5:48 PM
Subject: Re: pidionshvuim5
To: faigerayzel@gmail.com

Dear Sirs,

 

I'm afraid the response to my phonecall, in which I mentioned my disgust with the Israeli government for evicting a young family from Negahot on the Eve of Passover(!), did not measure up to my expectations of a body representing the State of Israel.  I too would be at a loss to defend the act of evicting a Jewish family on the Eve of a holiday if I were in your place.  But I like to think that I would not take the cowardly route of hanging up and refusing to pick up when the phone rang again.  Then again, perhaps I would be so deeply ashamed and incapable of defending or apologizing for the actions of my country that I too would take the easy way out.

 

Meanwhile, please register to your government the disgust that I, as an American Jew and  supporter of Israel, feel about the immoral persecution of Jewish citizens for the apparent puprose of currying favor with whomever it is that the current Israeli government is hoping to please with their embarrassing scraping and bowing.  Please let them know, too, that American Jews have more influence with their government than Israelis have with theirs and that American Jews support the government of Israel only so long as it is perceived to be protecting its own people.

 

Sincerely,

Mrs. J Goldsmith

NY

Fwd: Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Stands with Govt....

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Letter by Mrs. Esther Pollard regarding Conference of Presidents betrayal of Jonathan Pollard.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <FaigeRayzel@aol.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 3:00 AM
Subject: Fwd: Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Stands with Govt....
To: faigerayzel@gmail.com

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--------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk@concentric.net>
To: Endtimes <EndtimesIsraelNews@topica.com>, eejh <eejh@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:36:01 -0400
Subject: Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Stands with Govt. Against Pollard
Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Stands with Govt. Against Pollard

Justice4JPnews - April 20, 2008

To: Editor Hamodia, Mrs. Ruth Lichtenstein
From: Mrs. Esther Pollard


Dear Mrs Lichtenstein,

Re: Hamodia Special Feature* on Jonathan Pollard, 04/17/08 Pages B2 - B7

Jonathan and I want to extend a hearty Yashar Koach to Hamodia for the Special Feature presentation of the Pollard case in the Passover Edition ! Hamodia has done a great service to Klal Yisrael with this six- page special feature by making the truth accessible to readers in the US and in Israel. Multiple articles on the Pollard case shine a light on the long-neglected mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim, and honestly portray my husband, Jonathan Pollard, who is fighting a life and death battle for freedom after decades of abandonment and betrayal by Israel and the American Jewish Leaders.

We would, however, like to request a correction regarding the comments of Malcom Hoenlein (Hamodia, Special Feature, 04/17/08 Page B6). Contrary to Mr. Hoenlein's statements, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations did indeed reassure President Reagan that it agreed with Jonathan's life sentence and would never oppose his being incarcerated for life, in a letter to then-Secretary of State George Schulz. We obtained a copy of the Conference's letter <http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2002/111802.htm>http://www.jonathanpol lard.org/2002/111802.htm via the Freedom of Information Act, and it has been posted to our website since 2002. A copy follows below, with J4JP introductory remarks.

Please note that letter assuring the Reagan Administration of its agreement regarding Jonathan's being "justly" sentenced to life in prison and its commitment not to interfere in any way with the sentence, was written by the Conference of Presidents a mere 6 days after Jonathan was sentenced to life in prison.

While Mr. Hoenlein recently told Hamodia, that such no such commitment was ever made, please note the letterhead. It indicates that Mr. Hoenlein was at the time, Executive Director of the Conference.

As the Hamodia Special Feature accurately portrayed him, Jonathan is a G-d fearing man and uncompromising about the truth.  He chooses his words carefully and would never falsely accuse anyone. We therefore hope that Hamodia will bring the letter below (and its attached media release <http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2002/111902.htm>http://www.jonathanpol lard.org/2002/111902.htm) to the attention of your readers. We encourage you also to share the response from the Administration to the Conference <http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2002/111902a.htm>http://www.jonathanpo llard.org/2002/111902a.htm in which Schulz confirms receipt of the letter and expresses satisfaction that the Conference has adopted the Government's position on the Pollard case.

In all fairness, it should be made clear to your readers that Jonathan's statement to Hamodia  "...the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations assured President Reagan that they agreed with my sentence and would never do anything to oppose my imprisonment for life" is accurate and comports with the facts.

With our appreciation and deepest thanks,
Esther and Jonathan Pollard


*[NB: Hamodia six- page Special Feature on Pollard coming to the J4JP website. Watch for it!]
 ____________

FOIA DOC: Conference of Presidents Letter to U.S. Secretary of State Betraying Pollard

J4JP Release - November 18, 2002

The following document, dated March 10, 1987 - six days after Jonathan Pollard was <http://www.jonathanpollard.org/sentences.htm>sentenced to life in complete violation of a plea agreement which Pollard honored and the Government abrogated - was recently obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). If ever there were a green light from the leadership of the Jewish community to the American Government to do with Pollard as it wished, this is it.
It is a letter written by Morris Abram, chairman of the Conference of Presidents to George Shultz Secretary of State, pledging the support of the Jewish community while clearly signaling that the Pollard issue is of no consequence to the Jews.
Abram, not Shultz, insists that Pollard not be allowed to interfere with the American Government's Middle East agenda. He assures Shultz unequivocally - though in not so many words - that that no matter what the government may do to Pollard, there will be no protest from the American Jewish community or its leaders. Not content to leave it at that, Abram also signals his intention to enlist the Government of Israel and thereby ensure a united front in the abandonment of Jonathan Pollard.
This letter documents the on-going betrayal Jonathan Pollard has suffered at the hands of the American Jewish leadership - a betrayal that continues to this very day.


Conference of Presidents
of Major American Jewish Organizations
515 Park Avenue
Morris B. Abram
Chairman
Malcolm I. Hoenlein
Executive Director
(212) 373 3237
March 10, 1987
The Honorable George P. Shultz
Secretary of State
State Department
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I think it is appropriate that you know my feelings (as Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations) on the Pollard affair; so therefore, I am enclosing a copy of a Press Release issued today. During the period of your stewardship of the Department of State, our country's stance has dramatically improved to the extent that I now believe that it will bear diplomatic fruit. Also, under this Administration, the American presence in the Middle East is more forcibly apparent because of the doctrine of strategic cooperation with Israel. In my judgment, and I believe in yours as well, it would be contrary to the interest of the United States were the Pollard affair allowed to unravel, in any respect, what you have so painstakingly developed.
I am off to Israel Saturday, where I shall convey the feelings I have expressed in the enclosed statement to the Prime Minister and others in the Israeli government. When I return, I hope I will have the opportunity of discussing these matters with you, for I will welcome your advice.
With deep respect, I am,
Sincerely,
(signed)
Morris B. Abram

See Also:

<http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2002/111902.htm>FOIA Doc: Conference of Presidents' Press Statement After Pollard Sentenced to Life
<http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2002/111902a.htm>FOIA Doc: Sec. of State's Response to Conference of Presidents Letter Betraying Pollard
<http://www.jonathanpollard.org/7890/031087.htm>Letter to An American Friend: Soured Promise
<http://www.jonathanpollard.org/1991/031591.htm>Collective Responsibility
<http://www.jonathanpollard.org/1991/080891.htm>Pollard Betrayed by Fears of "Dual Loyalty"
<http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2001/062101.htm>An Open Letter to the American Jewish Leaders

Shebechaol Dor VeDOR Omdim Aleinu..A slide show from harsh realities of life in IRAN. GRAPHIC..

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Israel Kaplan <israelkaplan@yahoo.com>
To: IZZY <israelkaplan@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 13:43:18 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Please send out to all: FW: A slide show from harsh realities of life in Iran( Very graphic images)

 

Hello All

As someone who grew up in Iran, and lived under the current regime for 8 years, it was still very difficult for me to watch the attached slideshow. I feel it is important to see and feel how people are treated under this oppressive regime and make every effort to stand up to them and spread the news. These are women, children and men just like us and they have a right to be treated better even if they have done something wrong.

 

Please use discretion since the images are very graphic and I thank Leah for sharing this video.

 

Hope you will never have like this in your lifetimeto experience or witness anything

Soheila

 

Soheila Sabeti

Senior Manager, Admissions and Marketing

The Toronto Heschel School

819 Sheppard Avenue West

Toronto, Ontario  M3H 2T3

 

Tel:  416-635-1876 x334

Fax:  416-635-1800

 

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

 

----------------------------------------------------------

IZZY KAPLAN

416 824 2858

416 256 2858

Check out my new blog http://israelonisrael.blogspot.com

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You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.

Fwd from Sanhedrin, Korban Pesach today! הרשמת מינויים לקרבן פסח

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Do you want to participate in the Korban Pesach in our day and age?  Impossible you say.  We don't have the Beit Hamikdash.  Well think again! Members of the Sanhedrin, with reliable Rabbinic qualifications say otherwise.  Read all about it, click the link and register or email me if you are interested and we will try to register by group.  Pass this along as well.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <FaigeRayzel@aol.com>
Date: 2008/4/15
Subject: Fwd: הרשמת מינויים לקרבן פסח
To: faigerayzel@gmail.com

http://thesanhedrin.org/Vaad/KorbanPesach/En/1.htm

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From: דב שטיין <dbtc@actcom.com>
To: דב שטיין <dbtc@actcom.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:18:45 +0300
Subject:
 The Hebrew website הרשמת מינויים לקרבן פסח

http://TheSanhedrin.org/Vaad/KorbanPesach
 

.

 

THe Land of Your Possession by Rabbi David Algaze - I love it

bs"d


Thank you Evelyn Haze for forwarding to me!  This is also a message for those living in Eretz Yisroel.  Unfortunately, many times, those that have sacrificed it all to live in Eretz Yisroel are harsh on us nebechs here in Chutz Laaretz for not making Aliya or even if we did make Aliya, for remaining in the Golus.  Some go as far as to say, when you make Aliya, then you can speak up.   Your voice is not important, your body is. 

This distinction, this holier than thou attitude can have many negative consequences.  The biggest problem is that it gives an excuse to the one living in the Diaspora not to speak up and to remain Silent regarding claiming Eretz Yisroel.  They say, even though I feel terrible about the events in Israel, what right do I have to speak up.  My children don't fight in the army.  We haven't made the sacrifices of Israeli citizens.  This attitude strengthens the divide of Jew vs. Israeli. 

Our rights to Eretz Yisroel is because we are the seed of Avraham Yitzchok and Yaakov.  The  entitlement of a Jew in the Diaspora is no different and not less than the Israeli citizen.

Hashem is waiting for each and every Jew to claim Eretz Yisroel as a necessary component of their Judaism.  Collectively we are lacking when the majority of Jews do not see relevance of Eretz Yisroel to the practice of Torah and Mitzvoth.  This is why I believe we were collectively undeserving to keep Gush Katif. The settlers themselves are the most worthy people in the world.  Because if there would have been an outroar of the Jews in the Diaspora as to how can you give away OUR Land and how can we be Silent in the Diaspora as talks of giving away Judea and Samaria and Yerushalayim are taking place it shows that we don't yearn or long for Eretz Yisroell as we should and we don't really believe that it is ours or that we are truly entitled.   Because if we truly believed it is our precious gift, we would fight tooth and nail to keep our precious gift.

Please forward.

THE LAND OF YOUR POSSESSION

By Rabbi David Algaze

"When you arrive in the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I will place a tzara'at affliction upon a house in the land of your possession" (Vayikra 14:34)

The lesions that appear on people's skin, called tzara'at, are afflictions of the soul and are an indication that the person so affected is in reality suffering from a spiritual malaise and is in need of reflection and atonement.  When the same lesions appear on people's houses, itself a supernatural occurrence, a similar sign beckoning the sufferer to repent is created.  Maimonides explains that G-d first punishes a person's property and then, if the person does not pay heed and repent, then G-d afflicts the body.

Why does the law apply only in the land of Israel, as it says "in the land of your possession"?  The Ramban (Nachmanides) explains that this miraculous phenomenon could only occur in the Holy Land, where by virtue of its special nature, G-d's presence and actions could be easily experienced. Since the land possesses such high spiritual qualities, any spiritual flaw is immediately detected and revealed in the state of the land.

The Midrash explains this phenomenon in a radically different way. The function of these lesions appearing as stains on the walls of houses was to reveal the places where the Canaanites had hidden their treasures prior to the invasion by Israel. In His kindness, G-d places an affliction on that spot in the wall where the inhabitants concealed their jewels and thus the Israelites would benefit from those treasures. This explanation makes the 'afflictions' a source of blessing to the owners of those homes and forms part of G-d's participation in the inheriting of the Land by the people of Israel.

This clarifies why the emphasis of the verse on the fact that Israel is the "land of your possession." We have seen the beneficial consequences of the tzara'at lesions for the improvement of a person's spiritual life. Now, we can appreciate G-d's love towards Israel in giving us the land and all the treasures contained in it. From the inception of our history, starting with Abraham, G-d planned that the people of Israel reside in the special land called Canaan and later Israel so that the combination of the spiritual forces of both would result in   a greater light that will illuminate the Universe with more intensity.

Many think that the relationship of the people of Israel to its land is similar to the connection of any nation to its birthplace. Other nations are connected to their ancestral land by virtue of their past or as a vehicle for their national life. Israel, however, is connected to the land by spiritual bonds that transcend history. Even if the people of Israel are away from their land, the land never relates to any other nation and the land awaits its legitimate children, the Jews, forever.  Rav Kook writes, "The land of Israel is not something external to the Jewish nation. Otherwise, one could replace this land with any other, especially with places that are less contested and less dangerous and richer in natural resources. The land of Israel is an organic whole that is deeply connected with the life of the nation and related to its inner existence." (Orot) This emphasis on the "whole" reveals that one cannot distinguish between various parts of the land, that the entire land of Israel possesses a special spiritual quality and that that land is to be the possession of one nation only, the people of Israel.  Our connection to the land does not depend on whether we are there or not, on whether we are the majority of the population or not. This is something the non-Jewish and non-Torah world cannot comprehend.

Rav Shlomo Halevi Alcabetz, author of the Lecha Dodi, writes that our right of the land does not stem from our physical presence there nor is its spiritual energy diminished because we are away. Thus, the possession of the land and our spiritual existence have been bound together from the beginning and this bond will never be severed because that bond is supernatural. When we draw lines and borders between different parts of the land, when we want to keep Tel Aviv or Haifa but are ready to give up Beth Lehem and Hevron, where our history began, we are in fact denying this miraculous bond to the entire land of Israel. It is ironic that, precisely at the time that some Jews are prepared to relinquish parts of the land to others, in that very moment some voices are raised to deny completely the legitimacy of the State of Israel, the unacceptability of the Zionist enterprise and even the historical connection of Israel to this land. However, this phenomenon can be perfectly understood if we appreciate the integrity of Israel's connection to the land. Either it is our land or not, either it is our possession or not. Once we are ready to give away parts of the land, it sends a signal to the world that we are not the real possessors of this land. The world perceives in our readiness to sever our spiritual link with the land, that this land is not ours. This is the reason for the appearance of an intense anti-Israel attitude in the world and the vociferous hostility by our enemies in denying our right to the land.

Throughout our history, the people of Israel knew how to resist attacks on our heritage and history. Our ancestors gave up their lives to insure that our traditions and our Torah did not disappear. Their sacrifices in very dangerous times were very great and they knew when to draw 'red lines' that they were not prepared to cross. Nothing less is demanded of us today. The Torah emphasizes that this land is "for our possession" and is called "the land of your possession." We only ignore these words at our great peril.  As Nachmanides writes concerning the redemption of lands in Israel, "This land cannot be sold in perpetuity, because it is not only yours, you are just residents and transients with Me, for the land belongs to Him and we are just residents alongside Him, and He does not want other nations to settle there except us, to us alone it belongs and to us it will return." These prophetic words were written at the beginning of the 13th century. It would be absurd that in our century, after witnessing so many miracles in the Land, anyone should be prepared to reject the words of this great giant of Torah and betray the sacrifices and dreams of our ancestors.