Shemittah, the Jewish Sabbatical year, brings security and blessing. The Torah says keeping this Mitzvah will prevent disaster and exile. Shemittah is Shabbat LaHashem. A taste of the World to Come. Learn about one womens quest for knowledge and rediscovery of this long lost Mitzvah according to the simple Torah reading of the text found in the beginning posts of this blog.
Typical of the left's strategy to stifle dissent to their agenda or allowing a different narrative to be heard or the opportunity of others with an agenda other then their own to be appointed or be in a leadership position all under the guise of "freedom of expression", "pro choice" etc.. No opposition or beaurocracy from them as long as your expression meets their approval and your choice agrees with their choice.... They are totalitarians masquerading under an umbrella of acceptance and diversity...
The message you have just received was delivered by Mike Huckabee and includes a message from Huck PAC, his political action committee.
Robin,
Democrats are very unlikely to stop Senate confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, but there is no limit to what they'll try to slow it down.
Here's the "delay, delay, delay" strategy put forward by Chuck Shumer, Richard Blumenthal and others:
1) Paint the investigation of alleged collaboration between Russia and the Trump campaign (for which there is no evidence at all) as a "big gray cloud" hanging over the presidency.
2) Use that accusation (for which there is no evidence at all) to hold up Gorsuch's confirmation.
3) Characterize attempts to move forward at all on filling the vacant seat as "rushing" and "unseemly."
4) Lather, rinse, repeat.
That's it. If you naively accept this strategy as non-political, consider that other organizations have joined in the effort to delay, including NARAL Pro-Choice America. "Choice," in this context, refers only to the option of terminating life, not to the new President's ability to choose the next Supreme Court nominee. On that, they are definitely anti-choice. The irony here is that in the eyes of Judge Gorsuch, those two issues should have nothing to do with each other.
Sincerely,
Mike Huckabee
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Message from Huck PAC:
HUCK PAC NEEDS FINANCIAL HELP: Support conservative Republicans in 2017 and beyond. Help us raise an additional $17,587 in March by chipping in $25 today or with a donation in the amount you can afford! Thank you!
The latest round of fake news burning up the Internet originated, as is often the case, with a tweet from CNN. Jake Tapper tweeted that the Trump budget would eliminate the "$3 billion Community Development Block Grant program, which funds programs like Meals on Wheels." So immediately, the story became "Trump wants to do away with Meals on Wheels and starve old people to death!"
Well, cool your jets. No, the Trump budget (which, remember, is only a proposal) does NOT eliminate Meals on Wheels. It would eliminate one program (the CDBG) that provides only a tiny amount of the federal funding for Meals on Wheels (most comes from the Older Americans Act, and any cuts elsewhere could be replaced by OAA). Meanwhile, here's a report listing some of the ridiculous rat holes of cronyism and graft to which most of the CDBG budget goes:
But at least the false report that Meals on Wheels might lose its federal funding resulted in an immediate spike in donations and volunteers for the program. Wait, so you mean Americans will help a worthy cause themselves? We don't have to be forced to pay taxes, then have a big piece of our money wasted on bureaucracy and graft before a small amount gets to where it will do any good? Individuals, churches and local governments can just help out directly without Washington getting involved? Why didn't someone think of this before?! Finally, CNN's fake news actually teaches its viewers something useful.
We know surveillance happened
By Mike Huckabee
No evidence that surveillance was carried out on the Trump campaign? Well, as Rand Paul sees it, we already know this was done. Here's the logic: If Michael Flynn was surveilled (he was), and Michael Flynn was part of the Trump campaign (he was), then spies had their ears on the Trump campaign. While the language in Trump's tweet was imprecise, his essential claim is already proven true. This is so simple, even Nancy Pelosi should be able to understand it.
Remember when James Clapper said intelligence may have been gathered "unwittingly" on American citizens? We know he misled Congress on this point. I wonder –- if they try to say now that they "unwittingly" scooped up Michael Flynn in some other investigation, will they also expect us to believe that the unmasking and illegal leaking of his name by someone with high-level security clearance were done "unwittingly" as well?
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Message from Huck PAC:
HUCK PAC NEEDS FINANCIAL HELP: Support conservative Republicans in 2017 and beyond. Help us raise an additional $17,587 in March by chipping in $25 today or with a donation in the amount you can afford! Thank you!
Israel collectively created a monster by allowing the destruction of Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria in Ofra and Amona! Did we allow NGO's like NIF to have the upper hand?
In Chutz LeAretz, for starters, every Religious Jewish Organization who prides themselves as faith based, Agudah, OU,YI, Chabad International, AJOP, RCA, RCP, RCA, Iggud HaRabbonim etc...must unite with all right wing Jewish Organizations like AFSI, ZOA, Standwithus and righteous Noahides to protest the horrific decisions by the GOI (Government of Israel) to expel Jews from Judea and Samaria! We must proclaim the Biblical Truths of Israel's Right to the entire Eretz Yisroel!
All MK's must do the same and risk their position in their respective parties be it Likud, Jewish home, UTJ, Shas etc.....The lessons of Shemittah is that Hashem will provide our sustenance even if we don't work and we won't starve!
The Art of Negotiation under Trump. How Jews Should Negotiate Against the 2 State Solution
The promise was first made to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21), then confirmed to his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and then to Isaac's son Jacob (Genesis 28:13),Abraham's grandson. The promised land was described in terms of the territory from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates river (Exodus 23:31).
Ofra and Amona - BaGatz - Israel Supreme Court - Judicial Overreach - in a Tale of Nine Houses Demolished in Ofra following a Tale of over 40 Houses Demolished in Amona by Avraham Keslinger
Has Donald Trump and Jason Greenblatt disappointed Israel or has Israel disappointed Donald Trump and Jason Greenblatt? Are we giving them any tools with which to work with if the GOI rushes to enforce a ridiculous Judicial Court ruling to demolish Jewish homes in Ofra and Amona? As I see it, Hashem has tied his hands until the Jewish Nation is worthy. Mattot Arim is correct telling the Knesset members that we can not put our faith in Trump's administration to do what only the Nation of Israel can do.
We the Jewish Nation and the State of Israel as a Jewish State, must convince ourselves first, that we have a right to Our Land!
I differ somewhat from Mattot Arim whom I love dearly...... I am very hesitant to express disappointment and put any blame on Trump's administration for their negative attitude towards settlement unless we look inward first. Yes....Please write letters to the MK's.
Jason Greenblatt has disappointed Israel. Talk of moral equivalence – he warned Israel NOT to build peaceful homes – and beckoned to the Palestinians to… become stronger militarily!
Please urge Israel's ministers and MKs to take action. This should not wait. The email addresses of Israel's leaders are above, between the Hebrew and English sections.
An example email, short and simple enough to be understood by any Israeli aide, might say:
re: Draw up your red lines!
Dear Knesset Members, dear Ministers,
The Likud and Jewish Home parties must meet NOW, to decide on Israel's red lines for construction: how much building is needed, in which Judea-Samaria communities, and on what upcoming dates.
Please explain to Mr Netanyahu that if he cannot keep to the red lines decided upon, he will lose your coalition support.
President Trump's support is very nice to have, but his own coalition's support is what Mr. Netanyahu can't do without!
I will support you and I will tell my friends and family to support you too. Because Israel, to be a viable state, MUST keep, and build, the strategic Judea-Samaria region!
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch. May their memories serve as a blessing.
bs"d From the Desk of David Bedein Director of The Center for Near East Policy Research Funds are needed to hire investigators to neutralize New Israel Fund and prevent them from destroying any more Jewish communities Contact: Dbedein@IsraelBehindTheNews.com
Thank you Raanan Isseroff for fwding:
Amona and A Tale Of Nine Houses...
By: Avraham Keslinger
Last week the settlement of nine houses in the Israeli town of Ofra were destroyed by order of Israel's Supreme Court (Bagatz) after the neighboring settlement of Amona was destroyed by order of the Court.
First some background.
When Jordan possessed Judea and Samaria, the King of Jordan, King Hussein punished people who had fallen into disfavor and rewarded those who were in favor by taking lands from the former and giving them to the latter.
However, according to the Ottoman law that applied before World War I (1917), the recipient of such land from the King, had to work the land and pay taxes in order to retain ownership. In a surprising move the Bagatz decided to recognize the gifts but not the conditions.
Arbitrary Law Making?
Moreover, the Bagatz even recognized that land can be considered private when no one is actually claiming ownership and there is, in fact, no known owner. Thus, Israel's Supreme Court made the legal Israeli residents of Amona and nine of Ofra's houses instantly into illegal squatters, ruling that they had to be evicted and the houses destroyed.
To confuse the issue further, for security reasons approved by the same court to ensure the safety of Jews in that town, no Arab will ever be allowed to set foot there.
These same houses were legally sold to the residents by the Israeli government. The Israeli residents of Ofra's nine houses were led to believe that they were legally buying their houses on Israeli government land with the agreement of the government. That being the case, the government should therefore have to build new homes for the residents.
In an effort that would prevent such future evictions the Knesset passed what is called the Regulation Law. However, the law doesn't apply retroactively. The Regulation law sets up a mechanism that will compensate registered owners in cases where homes are bought on the belief that the buyers had the right to do so.
However, believing that this is robbery, a group is even challenging this law, and the case is presently being litigated in before the Supreme Court.
Extending Israeli Sovereignty to Area C
There are also efforts being made to extend Israeli sovereignty to Area C.
What is Area C? These are areas under Israeli civil and military control as per the Oslo agreements, which include all Israeli cities, land, towns and villages. This would automatically mean that Israeli law would apply fully in this area.
However, all proposals in this area have been frozen while Mr. Netanyahu tries to convince the new American President to continue to work towards n agreement regarding building in settlements.
Comments:
How can we fight against the Judicial overreach of the BAGATZ (Israel Supreme Court?) Here is a very worthwhile suggestion
Return of a Jewish Sanhedrin. Letter by Shmuel Koenig and a discussion about the Conference of Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah in Marianbad in 1937 Robin Ticker
There's another issue - the Regulation Law compensates Israeli/Jewish property owners who bought in good faith - but also appears to give the Court and the Israeli gov't the freedom to expel Jews from their homes (via the nebulous unfounded property claims by invisible Arabs and Leftists) "fairly" because they will then compensate the expelled. Furthermore, compensation to Amona and Ofra expelled residents must also include either forgiving mortgages on their destroyed property or compensation in full for the loans still owed not to mention any loans that were taken out to pay for renovations, etc. This must be in addition to building new home for these forcibly displaced citizens. We must not forget that GK'ers were not excused from paying off their mortgages on their properties in 2005. As far as Bibi working out a deal on building with Trump. Let's all get real. Trump is a builder not a destroyer. Bibi has too much money under the table to give up letting Trump build rather than forcing Trump into letting Bibi destroy and undermine the yishuvim. It's time the advocates for Shleimus HaAretz stop giving Bibi and his Knesset cohorts a pass. It's time to call a spade a spade. Bibi is not an advocate for Shleimus HaAretz; he's a politician who will do anything to keep himself in power which includes dragging out the country's growth and freeing terrorists in exchange for opportunities to make meaningless emotional speeches that garner him mindless applause and praise. best, Tamar
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch. May their memories serve as a blessing.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Sara Lehmann" <saralehmann21@gmail.com> Date: Mar 16, 2017 4:12 PM Subject: new interview with ZOA Israel Director Jeff Daube To: Cc:
Want the latest updates? The breaking news? To be a part of the conversation? All you need to do is press one little button and it's all yours for the taking! Follow @JewishPress Follow @JewishPress on twitter. Be a part of the conversation.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Jeff Daube
Jeff Daube
ZOA Israel Director Jeff Daube is no stranger to using his talents as an advocate on behalf of Israel. Having made aliyah over a decade ago, Daube puts those talents to work for the ZOA and other organizations that fight for the rights of a greater Israel.
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The Jewish Press: In addition to your role with the Zionist Organization of America, you serve as the co-chair of Legal Grounds. Can you describe the goals and activities of this campaign?
Daube: Legal Grounds was established in 2014 as a grassroots initiative. I primarily work to carry on a conversation with leadership here in Israel and in the United States, with the goal of encouraging Knesset members and the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry to speak out more consistently and vocally about Israel's legal rights in Judea and Samaria. I go to Washington twice a year and I work to let American leadership know that our Israeli leadership feels very strongly about establishing those rights.
In addition to our government outreach, we work through the media, videos, and even a law clinic. When we found out that Israeli law students from Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University, and Bar Ilan University were attending law clinics from extreme left organizations, we realized we had to offer law clinics with our interpretation of international law.
What distinguishes your group from others that work for Israel's legal rights, and are the policies you advocate aligned with ZOA policies?
The Legal Grounds campaign is an effort to address the apolitical foundational elements of our legal rights in Judea and Samaria. As opposed to some organizations, we are not advocating for any one of the number of alternatives but rather presenting these as alternatives to the infamous, unsuccessful two state approach.
ZOA comes into play here because it has been very much against the Palestinian state approach. ZOA president Mort Klein insists that we not even call it a two-state solution because that implies that our legitimacy and sovereignty is conditional upon the creation of another state. ZOA also believes that this is not an occupation. So Legal Grounds and ZOA are on exactly the same page and work together.
The Israeli government seems to be encouraged by what it's seen and heard from the new Trump administration. Do you think this will lead to an increased sense of independence on the part of the Israeli government in terms of its decision making?
Yes. Here in Israel there are many Israelis who are ahead of the American curve. A number of years ago they realized this whole peace process was going nowhere. It was all about process and nothing about peace. Israelis sadly came to understand that and they became less delusional about this long before much of the American Jewish public. Because there was a very strong security and intelligence relationship between the two countries, we didn't want to jeopardize our relationship with America during the Obama years. We were basically going through the paces here, but everybody realized this was not going to result in a kumbaya moment.
In terms of going forward with the new Trump administration, it is very much in our hands right now. This is what Legal Grounds has been trying to tell the Israeli leadership. When I go over to Washington and argue for funding for Jewish communities over the green line, I hear from many members of Congress that "We're with you 200 percent, but you have got to get your leadership in Israel to speak up about this." The Trump administration is waiting to hear our suggestions. They are looking to us to be proactive and speak out about what we would like.
When I was in Washington the week after the election, they were telling me, "Why are you still practicing Obama-era incrementalism? You should be asking for more." So I took that to heart and told leadership here that it's about time we stepped out of the shadows and start articulating exactly what kind of cooperation we would like to see from the American government and what kind of initiatives we should suggest. It's got to come from Israel. American leaders tell me they can't be more Zionist than the leadership in Israel.
While Legal Grounds and other organizations fight to further Jewish legal and historical claims to Israel, Israel seems to be losing the cultural war, especially on American college campuses, among liberal groups and the younger generation. What would you suggest to combat this trend?
I have been suggesting that there be a very concerted effort to make the case on a person to person level. ZOA is all about historical precedent, statistical data, and the pursuit of the truth. Unfortunately, that is not what works with the younger generation these days. You give them a social justice cause and that's what really turns them on. The American Muslim Council or Students for Justice in Palestine talk about justice, equality, humanity, and anti-colonialism. They end up winning hearts and minds. I put hearts here before minds for a good reason because these days it's all about one's feelings. The only person whose feelings seem to count for nothing is the Jewish pro-Israel or Zionist student on campus.
What I would suggest is getting a massive exchange program going here. Send Israelis over to America so they can learn what we are like and bring many young Americans over to Israel so they can meet Israelis face to face. Once you do that you will have won at least half the battle. The Palestinians do this so well. They have all kinds of programs, like Green Olive Tours, Encounters Program, Birthright Extend Program, and Birthright Unplug Program.
After students have a wonderful experience with Birthright Israel for ten days, they will see a Facebook ad inviting them to go over to Bethlehem or Ramallah. These students end up going there, the Palestinians feed them, and they get to know the people. And the Palestinians turn them around 180 degrees. Americans need to visit holy sites in Israel but they need to visit the holy people here as well.
You also serve as co-chair of the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeitim. Can you talk about your work and describe the conditions on Har Hazeitim before and after your involvement?
I work on the committee along with Harvey Schwartz, Menachem Lubinsky, and Abe Lubinsky. Before we got involved in 2010, Har Hazeitim was completely neglected and desecrated. There was garbage strewn all over the place, tombstones were tipped over, broken, and vandalized. The Arabs were having donkey races through the cemetery; they used the tombstones as soccer goal posts; and there was traffic going through the cemetery. Visitors were getting stoned regularly and attacked with mortars, fireworks, and firebombs.
The contrast now has been absolutely remarkable. It's much, much cleaner. And people feel safer. We have not had a grave desecrated since October 2015 and the number of incidents of stoning, firebombing, and shooting fireworks has gone done tremendously. We are planning a beautiful visitor center and a permanent police station in it. And the government had been putting up a very substantial barrier around the cemetery, at the cost of close to 4 million shekel, which allows the police to better manage the area by just a few entry and egress points.
We are also involved in a massive restoration project. The Jordanians destroyed over 45,000 graves on Har Hazeitim when it was under their control. They used them for latrines and pathways going to the Jordanian army base. The Israeli government took care of about 22,000 of those and we're involved in rehabilitating the other 23,000.
As a former New Yorker, I remember what Mayor Giuliani was able to do with Central Park, which had been a virtual war zone. He brought in all kinds of cultural events and that in turn brought in enormous crowds. Criminals don't like crowds. I am trying to "Giulianize" Har Hazeitim by bringing people there. We have had events and concerts there, including one on the yahrzeit of Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt, who is buried there. Har Hazeitim is an educational trove. The Ohr Hachaim, Rav Kook, Menachem Begin, Shai Agnon, and list goes on, are all buried there. It is the greatest repository of Jewish history in the world. We have got to bring tourists and students there. If you bring the crowds there, a lot of the problems will disappear.
Why did it take Americans to get this project done when it's a problem the Israeli government should have addressed?
It became an American issue because unfortunately Americans who have gone to visit the kever of a loved one have gotten stoned. And there are over two thousand Americans buried on Har Hazeitim. But sometimes things are not noticed until a problem is pointed out. When Menachem Lubinsky saw the conditions on Har Hazeitim, he was determined to do something about it. Now members of Knesset agree it's shameful that it took Americans from Brooklyn to come to Israel and tell the Israelis to do what they should have done themselves.
How is this sentiment of regret translated into action?
Knesset members are now setting aside funding for it. They are listening because they are conscious of their image in chutz la'aretz and they do not want that image tarnished. There are thousands upon thousands of American and French Jews buried there, and the Israeli government wants to maintain a positive image.
For example, the area around the kever of the famed Rav Ovadia me'Bartenura is a mess. When I recently showed a picture of what the area looked like to Knesset Member Yoav Ben Tzur from Shas, he was horrified. There were Arabs shooting up with drugs and lying over the kever. When he saw it he committed immediately to take care of it. Other Knesset members have also committed to deal with problems there and have pledged to have budgets and security remain in place.
There is a strategic element here too. Har Hazeitim is a natural choke point because it cuts the 38,000 structures of illegal Arab building from Ramallah in the north to Bethlehem in the south. Har Hazeitim sticks out into what we call the Jerusalem Gaza Strip like a bone in somebody's throat, so it's very important for us to maintain Jewish Israeli control over that area. Har Hazeitim is very much the national cemetery of the Jewish people worldwide. A lot of positive efforts are underway and they need to be continued.
