The U.N. - Definitely "United" -- Against...Israel

(nablopomo day 30--the last!!)

I want to end this Nablopomo for the month of June with a clever little video from No Laughing Matter, illustrating the effectiveness and unity of the United Nations, who are definitely united and effective on one thing, and one thing only: bashing Israel.




Maybe things will improve in the month of July.

A Beautiful Name for a Beautiful Soul

(nablopomo day 29)

I was in a rush to get my post and pictures in yesterday, so I didn't pontificate on the significance of the name "Naomi." I remember, when my first Israeli grandson was born to my younger son, Nathaniel Blumenstein, I waxed eloquent ( or rather, my son did--I just copied and pasted his stuff!) on the meaning and significance of his name, Gavriel (which is translated as "Gabriel" in English) on my post back in November '08 after his birth, here.

As is Gavriel, Naomi, too, is a special name.  It is Hebrew, originating in the TaNaCH in the book of Ruth.  Naomi was the mother-in-law of Ruth.  It means "my delight," coming from the Hebrew word, no'am, which is "pleasantness" or "delightfulness." The shoresh, or root, is "na-em," which is 'pleasant' or 'lovely.'  The infinitive, "li-n'om," means "to be pleasant."

Hebrew grammar has seven different structures or "constructs" of conjugations.  The above, "li-n'om," is in the first one, called 'po'al,' or 'kal' - "simple,"  such as in the verb "to write" (I wrote, you wrote, etc.) But you can also conjugate this verb in the hiph'il, or causative form, which means 'he caused you to be pleasant.' Then, the verb "li-n'om" becomes "le-han'im."

The interesting thing about this is, that in this form, the meaning changes.  It is not any longer 'to be pleasant,' but rather, "to play music," or "to compose music!"  Naomi's father loves music.  He was once a drummer, and composed alternative rock music in his band of long ago (now disbanded), Rift.  When little Naomi was still in utero, he and his wife played Vivaldi for her.  The name 'Naomi' was aptly chosen--it reflects this love of music.

And lastly, but not least, in the book of Mishlei (Proverbs) there is a passage which has been incorporated into our tefilot*, which in the siddur* describes following the path of Torah--it uses this verb, no'am:
                                            
                                                 "דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם, וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם"

(Transliteration, so that non-Hebrew speakers can read it the way it sounds: deracheha darkei no'am, ve-chol netivoteha shalom.)

My prayer for my new grandchild is this: may little Naomi be as beautiful as her name, inside and out.  May she have happiness, joy, and much music in her life. And finally, may she love and take pride in her Judaism and in the Torah which has sustained our people for millenia, and be the fulfilment of the passage above, which means,

"Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."

 *tefilot: Hebrew word for prayers
*siddur: the Jewish prayerbook

My New Granddaughter!

(nablopomo day 28)

Finally I have some photos to post of my new little grandaughter, Naomi.  I actually mentioned her name in my response to a comment on yesterday's post, not having realized that I never disclosed her name in that post!
So, her name is Naomi, and here she is!

D. H. says they're not high-resolution.  I say they are higher than high!  Or maybe that's me: I am higher than high!

I'm a Savta! (Again!)

 (nablopomo day 27)

I was on pins and needles all Thursday and Friday, knowing that my daughter-in-law's due date had passed (June 24th), and not having  heard a word.

Then, around 12:30 p.m. on Shabbat, the phone rang.  I jumped up and ran to look at the caller I.D. As you might already know from reading this blog (-you do read this blog, don't you?!), we are Jewish and observant, and consequently do not use the phone on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath.

So basically, all I could do with the phone was...look at it!.  I saw that it was a call from Israel, so I rapidly slid down the bannister (well, not exactly, but it sure felt like it) to the main level in our townhome, where the kitchen is and our phone recording machine, and hopped from one leg to the other waiting for the message (bet you didn't know I could hop, either).

Sure enough, it was my older son, Mr. Arnold Mayergi, sounding excited and exhausted at the same time--don't they always go together, though,when you're giving birth--telling us that he and his lovely wife Hardally, were at the hospital!  Yes!  Finally! 

So of course from that point on, I was on shpilkes* for the rest of day, waiting to hear and not being able to do anything about it--feeling totally frustrated not being there for them.

We were the only set of parents not there; actually; since there are only two sets of parents, that's not so bad, eh? No, but seriously, Hardally comes from a large family, same as ourselves, with five siblings, and I'll make you a bet the whole hamulah--translation: all of 'em--were there.

In contrast, my son had only his "baby" sister, Rambo who was able to come (and I think she was only able to get there just after the baby was born, by twenty minutes or so); his younger brother, Nathaniel Blumenstein, will be visiting them tomorrow.  He couldn't today, because he was packing up to move his little family and worldly possessions out of his rented apartment, and eventually a twenty-minute drive away into one he just bought and signed for on Friday, in a different town.  Talk about multiple stresses--but thank G-d, it's all for the good.

Unfortunately, none of the U.S.-branch family could come, which included 2 parents, 2 siblings, a brother-in-law, a grandma and various and sundry aunts, uncles and cousins.  It is so difficult when you are in financial straits and so far away.  I'm sure my son would have appreciated our being there, but it couldn't be helped.  It's hard not to feel guilty about this though, somehow--guess I am only exercising my right as a. . .Jewish mother!

'Meanwhile, 'back at the ranch' as we say here in the West,  I was waiting and waiting for another word. My son had said in his message that he'd call me back as there was more news to report. So I went in the afternoon to visit my friend and neighbor, with the nagging thought that I was missing hearing a phone message, but none came.

When Shabbat ended after nine o'clock at night, we made havdalah (we tried to sing fast), and there was still no news, so I called Rambo.  It was about 7:00 a.m. there, and she didn't answer, still fast asleep I found out later, when she called back at 8:00 a.m. her time.  She was at N.B.'s place (her younger-older brother), helping him pack up the apartment in order to move. 

It never rains, but it pours--all three kids were going at breakneck speed: younger son moving, older son having a baby, and youngest daughter taking buses and taxis, running from one to the other, trying to help them both.  Later she grabbed a cab the last leg of the way (after bargaining the cab driver down 5 shekel--hey, let's not waste an opportunity, right?) and told the driver to step on it.

So when I called Rambo, she said that her brother told her that they were going to induce labor, as the doctors were concerned, about 'low amniotic fluid'--I don't know which sounds worse, that, or it's medical name--oligohydramnios. 

Not having ever had that situation myself, but nevertheless having been induced (with Rambo, as a matter of fact.  Which sorta explains everything), I worried about Hardally, remembering how painful and difficult induced contractions are.  And in my case, it was my last pregnancy, not my first, which if it had been, might have totally turned me off to having any more kids--so I was doubly concerned about my daughter-in-law.  In short, I would definitely wish induced-labor-pain on my enemies--no question about it.

To make a long story short, after hours of difficult, induced labor (and a chance of an emergency C-section), my daughter-in-law was able to give birth naturally, to a healthy baby girl, 6 lbs. 6 oz. - same average size as my kids, actually.  My son said that (ptu, ptu, ptu!) she is beautiful, with a head of dark hair, his wife's beautiful dark eyes, his chin, and Lady-Light's family's nose!

All I can say at this point is, thank G-d.  There is nothing else.  Oh, wait, there is: pray, send us the money, oh Lord, so that we can get there!!

*shpilkes:Yiddish, for pins & needles, as in, 'sitting on pins and needles.'


*Copyright alert: No infringement of any text or graphic copyright is ever intended on this blog. If you own the copyright to any original image or document used for the creation of the graphics or information on this site, please contact the blog administrator with all pertinent info so that proper credit can be given. If you wish to have it removed from the site, just say the word; it shall be, ASAP.

Haveil Havalim #...I Don't the Heck Know!

(nablopomo for day 26, a tad late. so what.)

Haveil Havalim, the Jewish Blog Carnival, is up and running at this place.  Read it. That's an order. (But take it in a nice way. Please.)

Gilad Shalit: Hostage of Terrorists, Not Prisoner of War

 (nablopomo day 25, anniversary of the abduction of Gilad Shalit...)

Anyone who says Hamas are "freedom fighters" is ignorant, or delusional.  Hamas is a terrorist organization, fighting dirty in violation of international laws for one reason, and one reason only: to annihilate Israel.
That is why they went across the border of Gaza, on June 25th, 2006, and attacked an IDF post in Israeli territory. And this was after Israel had evacuated Gaza (which just goes to show you what a BIG mistake that was).  Hamas, in the raid, kidnapped then 19-year old Gilad Shalit.  

As written above, the summer before, in 2005,  Israel had removed approximately 9,000 Israelis from towns which they had built from scratch on what used to be sand dunes, in order to return Gaza to the Arabs- a gesture of good-will if I ever saw one - in a show of peace.

But there was, and still is no partner for peace on the Arab side. Hamas does not want peace.  It wants the elimination of Israel. 

Instead, when Hamas came to power, kassams started raining upon southern Israeli towns, upon civilians--men, women, children in schools--to the point that bomb shelters, painted in bright colors to double as playground equipment--had to be built.  So that the kindergarten children playing their during the school day would have a shelter to run to right there, where they were.  Because they might not be able to get to a bomb shelter within 15 seconds.

Gilad, who has been a hostage in captivity (hat tip, Daled Amos) now for one thousand, four hundred sixty-one days and counting,  is in isolation.  Hamas will not allow the Red Cross--who visit Palestinians in Israeli jails-- to see him.  This is a direct violation of the laws of war.  Gilad is in isolation, and being held for 'ransom.'  His living conditions, and personal health conditions, are unknown.

We need to continue to demonstrate and fight for Gilad's freedom: Free Gilad Shalit!
(seen on A Soldier's Mother)

Coincidence? Or Divine Intervention...

(nablopomo day 24)

Saw this on Shirat Devorah.  Is the  BP/Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill just another man-made disaster, or is it the Hand of G-d?



Food for thought. . .

Israel's Future: a Solid Jewish State

(nablopomo day 24)

An article on Israel National News discusses a recent demographic study in Israel of the last 15 years which indicates a dramatic rise in Jewish births and a parallel drop in Arab births.  The interesting thing is that the rise in birth rate is among secular Jewish women, while the birth rate among religious women remains consistently high.

Dr. Adam Reuter, writing on Arutz-7’s Hebrew site, presents a set of statistics showing that the dire predictions of an Arab demographic takeover of Israel that have become “common knowledge” are actually not true.

It includes eye-opening statistics, a few enumerated here, such as:

1) The fertility gap between Arab and Jewish women, which used to be 6 births in 1969, has dropped to .7 in 2009.

2) The proportion of Jewish births in Israel has grown from 69% of total births in 1995, to 75% in 2008

3) A generation ago, secular Jewish women gave birth to 2.1 children.  Their daughters are giving birth to 2.6 children

Aliyah (coming to live in Israel from other countries) has increased to an average of 16.000 in the past several years, and there are more returning Israelis than are leaving.

Retired Ambassador Yoram Ettinger of the American-Israeli Demographic Research Group (AIDRG), stated that the number of Arabs in the YESHA* area was inflated by 66%: it should be 1.55 million, not 2.5 million.  Because of this, the World Bank has documented a 32% inflation in the number of Arab ("Palestinian") births.  In addition to the decline of their fertility rate, there is an increase of Arab emigrants from the YESHA area, as well.


As Ettinger concludes in his piece, No Demographic Time Bomb (scroll down page for the article),

In 2010, there is a demographic problem, but there is no demographic machete at Israel's throat. Most importantly, the demographic tailwind is Jewish, not Arab.Refuted demographic fatalism should be replaced with well-documented optimism, thus expanding security, political, strategic, diplomatic and economic options for Israel.

This positive demographic news is critical to the survival of Israel as a Jewish State. Now it is up to the Israeli government to encourage and even financially assist those Arabs not willing to live in a Jewish state under Jewish jurisdiction, to leave.  They can return to any one of the 22 Arab countries of their choosing.  The state of Israel is here to stay.  Am Yisrael Chai*.

*YESHA: Hebrew acronym for "Yehuda, Shomron, Azza," which translates in English to Judea, Samaria & Gaza, known to the world erroneously as the 'occupied territories' or the 'disputed territories.'' 
They are actually "liberated territories," fairly won back in a defensive war.  Gaza was returned in 2005, and Israel was rewarded with Hamas' kassam rockets fired into her southern cities. Remember that. Perhaps it's time to take it back...


*Am Yisrael Chai: "The People of Israel Live." 

(hat tip for this aticle, my D. H.)

I Love My Nail Polish

(nablopomo day 23)

Was reminded about a topic close to my heart by Batya.  That topic is...nail polish!

I would be pretty upset if someone dissed me because of my nail polish.  Actually, a funny thing happened at my last job: I was sitting next to a 30-year old, and I think I caught what she had.  I am now a total lover of BLUE nail polish.  Wonder what would happen if the Iranian morality court saw these digits:

Red is for...wimps (and old ladies).  I now love BLUE.  And I think it's contagious. . .

Correction to Previous Post: Muslims Did Contribute

(nablopomo day 22)

I previously posted on President Obama's statement uttered in his speech in Cairo, that Muslims played a role in "America's story."  What I posted was An American citizen's response" to Obama's statement by Mr. Morris Sadek, supposedly refuting it point by point.  The refutation sounded plausible on the surface, and I did no research on it whatsoever. I Should've. Because the refutations themselves were done without research, and they were false (hat tip, my previous commenter, Friar Yid).  I am here to set the record straight.

Turns out In this case, Obama was right: Muslims did play a part in the discovering and building of America.  Even before the slave trade, there were accounts in pre-Columbus times of Muslims arriving in the 'New World', and in the 1500s, Africans were forcibly brought to this country and sold as slaves in Spanish Florida.  There are estimates indicating that 10-20% of the blacks brought as slaves were Muslim.

Here are just some examples of Muslim slaves in America in the 18-19th century:

Omar Ibn Said (ca. 1770-1864) was born in the Muslim state of Futa Toro in     Western Africa, in present-day Senegal. He was a Muslim scholar and trader who was captured and enslaved. He arrived in South Carolina in 1807, and was sold to James Owen of North Carolina.

Sali-Bul Ali was a slave on a plantation. His owner James Cooper wrote: "He is a strict Mahometan (sic); abstains from spirituous liquors, and keeps various fasts, particularly that of the Ramadan..."

Lamen Kebe was a slave who used to be a school teacher in Africa. He shared information about the texts and teaching methods used in the Islamic schools of his country.

Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Sori spent 40 years in slavery before he returned to Africa to die. He wrote two autobiographies, and signed a charcoal sketch of himself by Henry Inman, which was featured on the cover of "Freedman's Journal" and is on display in the Library of Congress.

It also looks as if the black Muslim slaves  were, similar to the Jews' persecution during the Middle Ages and other times, forced to convert to Christianity:

Many of the Muslim slaves were encouraged or forced to convert to Christianity. Many of the first-generation slaves retained much of their Muslim identity, but under the harsh slavery conditions this identity was largely lost to later generations.

 There are also records of  Muslims who served in America's wars, as far back as the American Revolutionary war, and the Civil War, as well as WWI and of course, WWII.

Read the true complete documented answers here.  Now that we're talking truth about America's history and the Muslims' part in it, how about shattering some myths about that venerable American holiday, Thanksgiving? 

And who knows--maybe even our founding father Alexander Hamilton, venerable author of the Federalist Papers, might have been. . . Jewish?

Naaah.

What Do Muslims Have to do with America?

 (nablopomo day 21)

Saw this on a chat board.  How true.  Read it all the way through.  Is it possible that the president of the United States actually said this?!

Barack OBAMA, during his Cairo speech,  said:  

"I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of  America 's story."

AN AMERICAN CITIZEN'S RESPONSE:

 Dear Mr. Obama:

 Were those Muslims that were in America when the Pilgrims first landed? 

Funny, I thought they were Native American Indians.

Were those Muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving  Day? 

Sorry again, those were Pilgrims and Native American Indians.

Can you show me one Muslim's signature on the   United States Constitution?

Declaration of Independence ?

Bill of Rights?

Didn't think so.!!!!

 Did Muslims fight for this country's freedom from England ? 

No.

Did Muslims fight during the Civil War to free the slaves in America ? 

 No, they did Not. 

In fact, Muslims to this day are still the largest traffickers in human
slavery.  Your own half brother, a devout Muslim, still advocates slavery himself, even
though Muslims of Arabic descent refer to black Muslims as "pug nosed slaves." 

Says a lot of what the Muslim world really thinks of your family's  "rich Islamic heritage," doesn't it Mr. Obama?

Where were Muslims during the Civil Rights era of this country?  Not present.

There are no pictures or media accounts of Muslims walking side by side with Martin Luther King, Jr. or helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights.

Where were Muslims during this country's Woman's Suffrage era?  Again, not present.  In fact, devout Muslims demand that women are subservient to men in the Islamic culture.  So much so, that often they are beaten for not wearing the 'hajib' or for talking to a man who is not a direct family member or their husband.  Yep, the Muslims are all for women's rights, aren't they?

Where were Muslims during World War II?  They were aligned with Adolf Hitler.  The Muslim grand mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops and accepted support from the Nazi's in killing Jews.

 Finally, Mr. Obama, where were Muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001? 

If they weren't flying planes into the World Trade Center , the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people on our own soil, they were rejoicing in the Middle East . 

No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the Muslim world celebrating on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other cable news networks that day. 

Strangely, the very "moderate" Muslims who's asses you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo , Egypt on June 4th were stone cold silent post 9-11. 

To many Americans, their silence has meant approval for the acts of that day.

And THAT, Mr. Obama, is the "rich heritage" Muslims have here in America .

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention the Barbary Pirates.  They were Muslim.

And now we can add November 5, 2009 -

The slaughter of American soldiers at Fort Hood by a Muslim major who is a
doctor and a psychiatrist who was supposed to be counseling soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan .

That, Mr. Obama is the "Muslim heritage" in America .

EVERY AMERICAN MUST READ THIS !!

Be sure to SEND IT to All .   Even Print it out and Send by Snail Mail !! 

"Muslim heritage, my A_ _!"

Jerusalem is a Jewish Emotion.

(nablopomo day 21)

This is going to be a short post, as there's no need for verbosity with this beautiful video.  It brings documentation which shows that Jerusalem historically belonged to the Jews, that the Jews have yearned for it from their places of dispersion in the diaspora for thousands of years, and that it belongs to the Jews, period.  Jerusalem will not be divided.

Our Father's Day Outing (Part II)

 (nablopomo day 21)

I posted yesterday on our indecision in where to go for an outing to honor my D. H. as a father, on Father's Day, the great American Hallmark holiday.  It was a tug of war between driving to the mountains for an al ha-eish--I mean, BBQ--or taking a hike.

So my D. H. basically told me to 'take a hike.' Just kidding.  He actually came up with a plan (called "plan B"), which would be a compromise, and the two of us would get a little of what each wanted (The compromise, by the way, was my idea...).

So we went to one of the nice big parks in our city, which has a lake with a path around it, almost one mile long.  There was a free concert scheduled for the early evening, at the bandstand right on the lake.  We arrived early enough for us to 'take a hike' around the lake, and then whipped out our camping chairs and blanket, sat down and listened to a wonderful blues and jazz concert with singer Hazel Miller.

Then after the two hours of the concert, we drove home (see, got the driving in, too--there, and back!) and my D.H. grilled us two delicious rib steaks.  Can't remember the last time I had rib steaks, it was so long ago.  We ate outside in our patio, under our umbrella and the stars...

All in all, a wonderful day.  Hope you all had a happy Father's Day as well.

Haveil Havalim #272 is Online

Great job by Frume Sarah in hosting and posting the latest Jewish Blog Carnival Haveil Havalim, number 272 (so they say), on her blog, here.

For the past two or three weeks I've been several days late in linking it.  Guess what?  It's only. . . 12:08 a.m., so I'm only late by eight minutes!!!

Read, and enjoy!

( hey, does this post count for nablopomo day 21?!)

Father's Day Outing

(nablopomo day 20)

We're going to do something for Father's Day.  It's just the two of us (we spoke to our older son in Israel, who is, G-d willing, days away from being a father).  Yesterday we spoke to our younger son, and wished him a happy father's day.

I don't know what we will do.  D. H. and I have different ideas about what's "fun."  I want to go hiking--a mild one, such as a walk, walk, walk around a certain park in town which has a lake. Or hike a mountain trail...

He wants to drive, drive, drive to the mountains, and have a BBQ with STEAKS.

I wouldn't mind that, if we walk first, you know--help work off the steaks we're gonna have.Wonder if we can come to a compromise.  Meanwhile, the day is passing. . .


Meahwhile, happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there!

 *Copyright alert: No infringement of any text or graphic copyright is ever intended on this blog. If you own the copyright to any original image or document used for the creation of the graphics or information on this site, please contact the blog administrator with all pertinent info so that proper credit can be given. If you wish to have it removed from the site, just say the word; it shall be, ASAP.

Good Company, Good Weather: A Lovely Shabbat

(for nablopomo day 19)

So last night I was exhausted, but in a good way.  We had a lovely Shabbat with guests for lunch, with their little kids and a practically newborn baby (2 months old, but very wise looking)--something I miss in my every day life.

Want to hear the menu? I knew you did!  We had just finished a meal of baked salmon with lemon juice (courtesy of our friends and neighbors), yummy cold gazpacho soup (courtesy of D. H.), lamb stew a la Shalom Park, chicken shnitzel, rice salad, corn salad, green vegie salad, pickled cucumber salad (my D. H.'s favorite recipe), and fresh fruit, strawberries and pineapple, on a bed of. . . pineapple--plus watermelon for dessert.

After lunch we sat outside in front of our town home, stuffed to the gills,  on our lawn chairs.  Three and a half families (only the kids were here from the "half" family) sitting and talking and drinking water (I considered making lemonade, but the thought of overdosing with sugar kind of turned me off), and the kids noshing watermelon pieces, which I brought out, our leftovers from dessert!  (Why is it that I love exclamation points?!) (--And run-on sentences?!)

It was much hotter earlier in the day, but as 5:00 p.m. rolled around we had some cloud cover, which lowered the temperature by 10 degrees, at least, and it was quite comfortable sitting outside.  Some of the older kids (girls are NOT wimpy!) were riding around on their Ripstiks. The little kids had their tricycles, and some of the boys, small and bigger, had their 'rocket launchers' which launch foam 'missiles' into the air.  They think it's fun, and it keeps them busy, active and getting fresh air.

We grown-ups sat watching them, talking, playing with the baby and enjoying the green area which the buildings and town homes surround, with its older-growth trees, burms and man-made "lake" with center fountain close by.  It really is a unique and idyllic setting, where we live.

After I view this video, I'm gonna borrow my friend's 11-year old daughter's Ripstik, and try it out. 



NOT. (Not yet, anyway...)

"The Three Terrors" - Another LatmaTV* Masterpiece

(nablopomo day 18)


If anything, this LatmaTV video (hat tip,Batya) is better and more cutting than their previous one about the Turkish-terrorist-flotilla called "We Con the World."  YouTube removed that one upon the pretext that it was a case of copyright infringement.  This is untrue.  Read the true background about this on Caroline Glick's blog,  and see why YouTube (owned by Google, by the way) committed its cowardly act.  Perhaps we should hit Google where it hurts: in the pocketbook, if this keeps up.  I wonder how many pro-Israel, anti-terrorist videos YouTube would remove then?

It is so odd that Jews, great at public relations and marketing in the private sector, haven't been able to 'market' the truth about itself being right and good, and Islam's being wrong and evil.  With these videos, maybe, just maybe--the world will begin to 'see the light.'

Underneath the latest parody, I am re-embedding "We Con the World," in case you couldn't find the one which YouTube missed removing.

Shabbat Shalom.









*למה שתתעצבן לבד?

"Go Back to Auschwitz?" These Are Your "Humanitarian Aid" Activists?

(nablopomo day 17)

Since when does a 'humanitarian peace activist' yell out to a Jew "go back to Auschwitz?"  See this telling clip of what actually ensued before, during and after the Israelis boarded the Mavi Marmara.  Thanks to Arlene Kushner for the link.

Mike Pence Stands Up for Israel

(nablopomo day 17)

Congressman Mike Pence, speaking at the House with regard to recognizing the Turkish massacre of the Armenians, has the courage to speak up about the flotilla incident and question Obama's attitude.  Whose side is president Obama on? The wrong side, which will bring the world instability and war, not  justice and peace.  President Obama is no friend to Israel.  And sadly, no friend to a strong and moral America.

KCC--Forgot to Tell Ya!

I linked the Haveil Havalim--the Jewish Blog Carnival--late, which was bad enough.  But I totally didn't link the KCC, Kosher Cooking Carnival, which runs every month.  Mea culpa.  Here it is, number fifty-five, in honor of Rosh Hodesh Tammuz--at Me'ander.  Read it, cook it, eat it all up, and don't leave anything on your plate!

Now It's Official: Gush Katif Disengagement a Failure

(nablopomo day 16)

I hate to say "As If," but now the Israeli government's investigative commission on the 2005 Gush Katif disengagement has just been revealed, and lo--wonder of wonders--it concludes that the evacuation of approximately 9,000 people from the Gush Katif communities in Gaza was a total governmental failure.

The state’s official investigative committee regarding the country’s treatment of the Gush Katif expellees has been issued, giving failing grades to the government. Gush Katif residents say they hope the report will lead to change,

The so-called "disengagement," which was really a total evacuation and expulsion of citizens of Israel from territory that was captured in a defensive war which was completely built up by these citizens from merely sand dunes to thriving towns, with a thriving economy and successful, closely-knit communities.  I will NOT use the term "settlers," because the truth is that the entire country of Israel has been built by settlers, who are citizens of Israel.  Gush Katif was no different than Tel-Aviv or Rishon LeTziyon or Jerusalem.

It turns out that this 'disengagement' was a political decision, not a militarily strategic one, with--according to some former supporters--very little thought given to the future of the 'disengaged' or the consequences in general.  Most of the uprooted families, close to 2,000, are still in temporary dwellings, and many of them have not been relocated to other jobs: the unemployment rate of these displaced families is high.

Instead of praising them, these people who developed the land, and had created something wonderful from the nothing they had moved to in Gaza, the government and army criminalized them--treated them as if they were in the wrong--and forced them out of homes they had built themselves, and which some of them had lived in for thirty years.  Put yourself in their shoes: how do you think you would feel, if the U.S. government forced you out of your home which you had lived in for thirty years?

And militarily it also collapsed.  Instead of a peaceful Arab-controlled area, a precursor to the 'bigger' Palestinian state to be created later, Gaza turned into a cesspool of terrorism, led by the terrorist organization Hamas, which rained kassam rockets on southern Israeli towns, especially Sderot.

So now, even those who initially were in favor of this plan are now admitting that they were very much mistaken.  Many of them were idealistic in their hopes that Israel, by showing good faith in removing itself from territory which it had "occupied," as they put it, would convince the Arabs to move forward towards peace.  Sometimes I truly believe that these supporters could not see the forest for the trees.  They did not see the true reason behind the conflict, which is that the Arabs will simply not tolerate a Jewish Israel in their midst.

The enactment of the disengagement turns out to have been both a military and societal failure, which those who face the facts about the reasons for the Arab conflict, including yours truly, knew from day one.  Here is some of what both military and non-military former supporters are saying now (from the Arutz Sheva article, linked above):

Maj.-Gen (ret.) Yiftah Ron-Tal, IDF ground forces commander at the time of the Disengagement: In the year preceding the Disengagement, the army trained mostly for dismantling communities, and that prevented it from preparedness for the war in Lebanon. The training for the Disengagement not only prevented preparedness for such a war, but dragged it away from the consensus as a people’s army. It is nearly certain that the excitement of those who led the decision and implementation of this is directly tied to the big failure in Lebanon…I still cannot understand how Israel gave up parts of its land willingly and with abandon, and how the residents connected to that land were turned into criminals, instead of raising their dedication as a banner of preserving the Jewish identity of the state of Israel.
- Kfar Chabad weekly, October 6, 2006

And from the 2004 Nobel Prize winner for chemistry:

Professor Aaron Ciechanover, 2004 Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry, vocal Disengagement advocate: I supported the idea of Disengagement last year, which seemed to me an act of unilateral volunteerism toward the Palestinians. I hoped our kindness would be returned, but I was mistaken. After our unilateral withdrawal we received only terrorism and more terrorism. The unilateral idea is bankrupt and along with it the party soap bubble of a party that was established on its basis.
- Yediot Acharonot, October 27, 2006

 And from the left-wing author who supported refusing to serve in the army:

Yehoshua Sobol, author and prominent left-wing spokesperson and proponent of left-wing refusal to serve in the IDF: Nothing is being built there [in Gaza] these days. Nothing – nothing but destructive activities. This assumption, that it is enough or us to leave territory in order for the other side to stop its attacks has proven false…I do not want to see a situation where we once again fold, in Judea and Samaria, and the next day Kassam rockets begin to be fired on Kfar Saba, Raanana and Herzliya.
- Reshet Bet, July 27, 2006

Did you read that last one? Did you see the key element here? It is this: the assumption, that it is enough for us to leave territory in order the other side to stop its attacks, has proven FALSE...

Do you think the Israeli government and the military will learn from its mistake? We have proven time and time again--like the fool who continues to beat his head against the wall, thinking that maybe next time the wall will break--that you can't trade land for peace.  It doesn't work, and why? Because the truth is the Arab leaders in the region do not really want peace and do not really want another state, Palestinian or otherwise.  What they want is plainly, for Israel to disappear.  And that won't happen.

So maybe it's time for our strategy to change, don't you think?

Haveil Havalim Latest Edition

(nablopomo day 15)

Haveil Havalim, the latest edition #271, is up and running at Ima's blog, right here.  Again, forgot to link it on Sunday, even though yours truly is in it! Oh well.  Posting this Tuesday is not too late. . .I hope.

Time for Some Israeli...Rock!

(nablopomo day 15)

An interesting cultural Israeli mix.  Have to put this stuff, each song in its entirety, on my MP3.  I love just hearing the Ivrit*, and the beat (I'm a poet!).  And in my opinion, good Israeli RAP music is much better than American rap--and this from someone who dislikes rap intensely.

A Mosque at Ground Zero? What Chutzpah!

(nablopomo day 15)

Pat Condell says it like it is.  I don't agree with him on everything he says (he is an atheist), but good for him on this one: say NO to political correctness, and to mosques at ground zero.

U.N. Sliding into Giant Sinkhole

(nablopomo day 14)

The United Nations is sliding into a giant sinkhole,  much like the one in Guatemala recently.

Only the U.N. Watch spoke up against Syria's hateful speech repeating the horrible lies of the traditional antisemitic blood libels.  Watch this, and then the speech which was banned by the U. N. Council and ordered "taken out of the records."

This is the so-called 'humanitarian' body which 'unites' all the world for peace? The United Nations has actually become an organization of Israel-bashers and promoters of--by ignoring them--"torture, persecution, and violence against women":  In other words, the United Nations is a sick joke, and basically useless.





Pay attention to the U. N. response to this speech.

Israel's Positive Impact: But College Students Clueless

(nablopomo day 14)

My blogger friend's friend's cousin actually made this video at U.C.L.A.  It shows how little the average college student knows about Israel's impact on the United States, and on their everyday lives.  Watch this, learn, and please support Israel.

Time is Passing...

 (nablopomo day 13)

Jimmy Dean passed away today (remember him?).  He was 81.  His hot dogs weren't kosher, but I remember this song well.  He was definitely a self-made man.  May he rest in peace.

I am a Proud Member of Am haSefer*

(nablopomo day 13)

I love books.  I come from a family of book lovers, avid readers, writers and scholars.  My parents, (zichronam li-vrakhah*) were intellectuals, my mother got her degree in biology, and was talented in the arts, drawing and music.  My father was a Torah and Hebrew teacher and scholar, as well as a Hebrew poet and writer.  He published a book of poetry and many articles in HaDoar, Bitzaron, Ma'ariv and other Hebrew literary magazines and newspapers, as well as translated Shakespeare's Measure for Measure into Hebrew.

Me, I'm just an avid reader and writer of run-on sentences.  And I just discovered something called Library Thing!  I recently embedded its widget right here on my blog (scroll down the sidebar).  I remember the days when I kept long lists of books I was reading, had read, and wanted to read.  I kept having to transfer these lists from personal planner to personal planner (in the days of, yes--personal planners, before computers were so ubiquitous).  In the process, I lost lists, forgot what I had read, forgot what I wanted to read--in short, it was a longhand mess.

And then, voila!--In came the digital age, and the personal computer.  It has changed the world.  I now can write my entire list of books read, reading, and to be read--on one site, in neat little categories.  It is wonderful!  And, unless I upgrade, it's free--a key element in my current position.

Although I have not achieved the scholarship of my father and mother, I am proud to to be a card-carrying member of Am haSefer*, continuing humbly in my people's great tradition of study and exegesis. 

*Am hasefer: the People of the Book
*zichronam li-vrakhah: may their memory be for a blessing

*Copyright alert: No infringement of any text or graphic copyright is ever intended on this blog. If you own the copyright to any original image or document used for the creation of the graphics or information on this site, please contact the blog administrator with all pertinent info so that proper credit can be given. If you wish to have it removed from the site, just say the word; it shall be, ASAP.

Shavua Tov

(nablopomo day 12)  Gotta post because I signed up for this.  Really.  So I'm posting.

Had a pleasant, restful Shabbat.  Went to good friends for the seudah sheniyah.  The food and company were lovely. I held the baby and spoke to him in Ivrit.  We had a lovely conversation (he's two months old).  We talked about Jewish history.  We talked about the reasons for G-d's tzimtzum in this world. We talked about...Boy Scouts.  We sang z'mirot.  I sang z'mirot with their toddler on my lap, she, bouncing away.  It was great.

Then, whilst clearing the table for dessert, my friend, Reb Y., accidentally tipped over the cholent in its heavy glass bowl off the refrigerator shelf, it fell into the fridge door and knocked the bottom shelf out with all the jars and bottles and yogurts which were on it onto the floor.  Meanwhile, the cholent, potatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. exploded onto the bottom of the fridge, under the fridge and all over the kitchen floor.

He spent the next half hour frantically cleaning it up (with my D. H.'s help, and also his young son's) while his wife, Rebbetzin S. was upstairs, clueless as to what happened.

All in all, it was a lovely and memorable Shabbat.  Shavua tov.

cholent...yummmmm

Marching to the Beat of a Different Drummer...

 (nablopomo day 11)

I want one!  (My son was a great drummer, once.)

(Drumbrella.)

Michael Savage for...President?

(nablopomo day 11)

Michael Savage has the guts to say what most people don't.  Did anyone suggest that Helen Thomas go back to Lebanon??

"Living on a Thin Line." Applies to Our Times.

(nablopomo day 11)
 
The lyrics are all the words needed for this one (hat tip RonMossad).

The Truth About the American Relationship with Israel

 (nablopomo day 11)

Unlike the world viewing reality with a film over its eyes, the truth about Israel's extreme importance to the United States is spelled out--in bright light--point by point, by Caroline Glick in her article, The Plain Truth About Israel.  Glick correctly assesses these times as those of Israel-hatred, which is really Jew-hatred in a flimsy disguise.  Read the entire article at its source.  Enlighten yourself.  Do not be afraid.  In the end, truth, and right, will prevail.

In other times, Hearst Newspapers White House Correspondent Helen Thomas's demand that the Jews "get the hell out of Palestine," and go back to Poland, Germany and America would have been front page news in every newspaper in the US the day after the story broke. 

In other times, had the dean of the White House Correspondents Association expressed such hatred for the Jews, the White House would have immediately removed her accreditation rather than wait three days to criticize her. 

In other times, the White House Correspondents Association would have expelled her. 

In other times, her employer - Hearst Newspapers - would have fired her. 

But in our times, it took days for anyone other than Jews and conservatives to condemn Thomas's vile statements to Rabbi David Nesenoff. And she was not fired. She was allowed to retire.

Our times are times of Jew hatred. Our times are times where hatred breeds strategic madness. Our times are times when we need to recall basic truths about Israel and the Jewish people. Specifically, we must remember that the US is privileged to count Israel as an ally - whether Americans like Jews and our state or hate us. 

Come Out of the Cave, America: It's Dark in There

(nablopomo day 11)

I have said time and time again on this blog, that we cannot take at face value what an Arab says. He will say one thing to his people, and another to the world. The Arab mentality is not llke the Western mentality.  There is not the same honesty and integrity, or the "I gave you my world." Because their world view is different than ours, and allows duplicity for their purposes.

Watch this, and learn.

Reb Gutman Locks: Read Between the Lines

 (nablopomo day 11)

Reb Gutman Locks answers a pastor's questions at the Kotel, seen on Jewish Israel.  Listen closely at the end to the "miracle" he promises to perform.  Remind you of something? Do you understand what he is saying?  And throughout, he is polite and respectful; a true mentsch.

Israel's Water Desalination Plants: Another Example of Jewish Ingenuity

(nablopomo day 10)

Back in May, the largest reverse-osmosis water desalination plant in existence was opened in Hadera.  It is owned by IDE Technologies and Shikun and Binui, the third of five plants being built in Israel.  They are slated to supply  750 million cubic meters of desalinated water to Israel a year.

Israel's main natural sources of water are underground acquifers, and the Kineret, or Sea of Galilee.

   -- Just another example of Israeli ingenuity.

Assessment of the World, in a Nutshell

(nablopomo day 10)

This has been going around, but an end has been added which now includes the people who were recently in the news (hat tip, Debbie), as seen on One Jerusalem.  Food for thought. . .


What happens when a fly falls into a coffee cup?

The Italian – throws the cup and walks away in a fit of rage.

The Frenchman – takes out the fly, and drinks the coffee.

The Chinese – eats the fly and throws away the coffee.

The Russian – drinks the coffee with the fly, since it was extra with no charge.

The Israeli – sells the coffee to the Frenchman, the fly to the Chinese, Buys himself a new cup of coffee and uses the extra money to invent a device that prevents flies from falling into coffee.

The Palestinian – blames the Israeli for the fly falling in his coffee, protests the act of aggression to the UN, takes a loan from the European Union to buy a new cup of coffee, uses the money to purchase explosives and then blows up the coffee house where the Italian, the Frenchman, the Chinese, and the Russian are all trying to explain to the Israeli that he should give away his cup of coffee to the Palestinian.