WikiLeaks And Israel

Erev Hanukkah 5771

So, everyone seems to be talking about WikiLeaks, the right, the left, and the in between. And, as well they should be.

Many government officials now have egg on their faces, because of WikiLeaks.

Personally, I fear for WikiLeaks founder Jullian Assange's life. You never can tell with some of these politicians. Everyone knows of the particular dangers involved with dealing with a wounded animal. But, such dangers pale in comparison to those stemming from a wounded politician!

Reaching across the world, not surprisingly, WikiLeaks has touched Israel, exposing some of the idiocy of the Israeli government, and its illustrious officials, such as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and opposition leader MK Tzippy Livni (Kadima).

Some of the scandalous, juicy bits are right on, and should not be an embarrassment to the speaker at all, such as PM Netanyahu describing Kadima as a "phony party." Good one, Bibi!

One juicy bit,...one disgusting, juicy bit needs to be mentioned here. There is too much of a risk that it will escape under the radar:

YNET News:
Netanyahu also said that President Shimon Peres had confessed to him that Oslo was based on a false premise.

The question about the Oslo Accords was never concerned with whether they would work or not. Anyone who was not naive, or entrenched in the idea that applying non-Torah, Western sensibilities toward the dealing with Arabs, KNEW that it would never work.

No. The question about the Oslo Accords was whether their architects really believed in it, or were really just evil, plotting Israel's destruction from within.

I believe that we now have final confirmation of the answer to our question.

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

Riskin Is Completely Nuts! ...Or Is He?

Rafi (via Twitter) asks the question "...Has Rabbi Riskin lost his mind?"

DovBear asks, "Who exactly is Rabbi Riskin attempting to flatter with this twaddle?"

The Jewish Fist asks, "With Chief Rabbis such as these, who needs enemies?"

But, what on earth are they talking about?!

They are talking about the recently released video of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efrat.

Yeshiva World News calls the video "shocking," which I personally believe is an understatement.

Jewish Israel has tried to knock some sense into him, but to no avail. (sigh)

Watch the video below, courtesy of Jewish Israel, so that you do not have to click on the Messianic Christian YouTube channel which uploaded it. Other videos on this channel include a Riskin Thank You video. (major eye rolling)

My Esser Agaroth (commentary) follows.

Find more videos like this on Jewish Israel


Rabbi Riskin obviously never read my post on so-called "Judeo-Christian Values." (...no such thing)

What do we call a Jew who identifies just way too much with Esau (...or Yishma'el, or both, or who forsakes the land)?

To paraphrase Rabbi Moshe Tzuri'el from his kontras "Rabbi A. Y. On The Erev Rav"

Just as Erev Shabbat is not yet Shabbat, Erev Rav is one who is not yet a rav....

So, is he nuts? Or is this some kind of calculated strategy to obtain money, attention, publicity, power (in his head, that is), or all of all the above?

You be the judge.

'Nuff said.

Whenever DovBear, Yeshiva World News, and I agree on something, even just partially, it is probably a good idea to pay attention.


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Update:
I am not entirely sure why Riskin made this video in the first place. (Well, actually, yes I am.)

You can read the report of Riskin's "retraction" on the Am Ha'Aretz news site, and watch his "video response" on YouTube.

Rabbi Dr. Shalom Gold (Har-Nof), a leading rabbi in the modern orthodox community in Israel had this to say...

“While recent clarification from Rabbi Riskin is welcome on this matter, I remain concerned. Rabbi Riskin’s consistently radical statements and ambiguous positions on interfaith dialogue and endeavors can be misinterpreted by both Jews and Christians and manipulated and twisted to fit the agendas of those who are trying to undermine the foundations of the Jewish faith and wreak confusion among our people.

Furthermore, it would be advisable for Rabbi Riskin to steer clear of mixing politics, history and Christian theological issues together with what is clearly a halachic matter. I imagine Rabbi Riskin’s revered teacher Rav Yoseph B. Soloveitchik, z”l would have been greatly distressed over the crossing of theological lines between faith communities which is currently taking place under the pretense of an Israel-evangelical alliance.”

Who knows what the real story is? I sure don't. You be the judge.

I do know one thing, though. Riskin's gotten a lot of attention in recent days....

Nonetheless, the next time he pulls a stunt like this, we all have to be there anyway, to call him on it, attention starved or not.

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

New Film - Israel: Rise of the Right

7 Tammuz 5769

Tonight, a couple of friends began alerting me about a film just released by Ilan Mizrahi, "Israel: Rise of the Right."

(AlJazeeraEnglish YouTube) Ilan Mizrahi has spent 16 years photographing and filming right wing Israeli settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron. His film, Israel: Rise of the Right, looks at the followers of Rabbi Meir Kahane, an American-born rabbi and politician who proposed the mass expulsion of Arabs from Israel before he was assassinated in 1990.

I immediately began asking around who this guy was, whether it was a hack job, or worth watching because [as has been said in Rabbi Binyamin Kahane's HY"D name] "We want everyone to think we are crazy. Then maybe they will leave us alone."

The answer I got from my friend, political activist, the "Kalashnikover Rebbe" was quite surprising:

There are a few facts wrong here and there, but it wasn't biased at all, shockingly so. He focused all on Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir. He did not acknowledge the other factions and Kahanists, but not to anyone's detriment.

Ilan Mizrahi has even given over footage which served to exonerate Jews in court. So, so it is clear he is not out to get us.

I think it was a nice job. He filmed us for years. He has even become a "part of the community," and a regular presence at all our "events."

The four parts of the film are embedded below, together totaling 46 minutes. The film is mostly in Hebrew with English subtitles, with narration in English.

Part 1 includes scenes of police treatment of protesters, the court battle to march in the Israeli Arab city of Um Al-Fahm, and the ironic appointment of Baruch Marzel to supervise the balloting in that cities during the Shevat 5769/February, 2009 Israeli Elections.



What I found interesting about Part 2 was that the accusations shouted by Arabs regarding a fascist [Israeli] state are much the same as I would hear [and sometimes say myself] in the [minority] Torah-loyal towns in the Shomron (Samaria). Also,...

1. Many of the "600 extremists" living in Hevron are actually somewhat mamlakhi (state-loyal) with a lot of cognitive dissonance. But, as the local saying goes, "A Hevron mamlakhi is nothing like an Ofra mamlakhi." Hardly extremists, they are simply pushed farther and more often than most other towns.

2. Purim is NOT the "Jewish Halloween." OY!

3. Like in Part 1, I got to see a lot of friends and acquaintances, like Gil'ad Pollack, who once described for me being [completely] strip-searched on the street and in front of female officers. Now, B"H, Gil'ad is married with children, but continues to be moser nefesh (self-sacrificing). Many "hilltop youth" get married young, like in many Haredi communities. Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D once said that the greatest weapon the Arabs had was,...babies. His followers got the message. Fortunately, leftist and "post-Zionist" secularists did not. The birthrates of religious communities continues to be greater than nonreligious communities.



Part 3 mentions Eden Natan-Zada HY"D. I, myself, did not get to go to Eden's funeral. I knew him, though, I remember him as a sensitive and kind, young man.

This part then shifts to singer Dov Shurin. Apparently, the courts cannot touch him for any "incitement," as he only uses p'suqim (verses) from Tana"kh (Bible). However, we must not get complacent. I believe that it is only a matter of time before the Erev Rav-controlled government of Israel (GOI) attempts to censor Holy texts. Think I am crazy? Former MK Yossi Sarid (Mere"tz) already proposed such a measure back in 1998, to cancel the reading of Megillath Esther on Purim, due to its "racism."

There is mention of the pogrom at Amona. Sultan Knish provides a comprehensive set of Amona videos, I recommend over the limited footage included in this film.

Later, Gil'ad (8:20) provides his perspective on the "Arab-Israeli Conflict."



Part 4 begins with the situation of those Jews who were forcibly removed from their homes in Azza, back in 5765/2005. The film shows their makeshift bomb shelters they have been having to depend on to protect them from the barrage of rockets fired from Hamas in Azza.

This part goes onto the elections, including the election of Dr. Micha'el Ben-Ari (National Union) to Knesseth. (By the way, the Likud Party is not, I repeat not, a right-wing party.*)

The film culminates with the "Flag March" in Um Al-Fahm, the court battle of which was presented in the beginning of Part 1.



Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

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*There is no such thing as "right" or "left," only Jewish and un-Jewish.

We're Coming...

Erev Shabbat Vayeitze 5769

A month ago, I received an e-mail from a fellow blogger, living in Central Israel. Here is a snippet,...taken out of context, yet the gist of the message is clear:

Why did the Israelis wear masks and throw stones at soldiers and cameramen on Friday? Do you condone this action? I found the image very frightening. Do you think these youths would use guns against the IDF in the future?

My policy is to refrain from answering such e-mails until I receive confirmation of the identity of the sender. I recommend the adoption of this policy to my fellow bloggers. Initially, I thought this was to see if I was one of those "Hasbarah Fools," expressing love for all Jews (even the evil ones) and the desire that they love all of us in Yehudah & Shomron (Judea & Samaria) OR if I was one of those "violence-condoning extremists" OR somewhere in the middle.

I received what I considered to be valid confirmation, as well as enough information to indicate that the e-mail was not as provocative as I initially thought,...or at least not intentionally. It included the following sentence, which I simply could not leave without a response:

The image of masked Israelis throwing stones frightens me very much.

This was my response:

What frightens ME are the following....

1. The IDF lying to soldiers about the intended operations. This is nothing new. It occurred seven years ago when IDF Rabbanuth certification was falsified to convince religious soldiers to board a bus on Shabbath, and remove Jews from Havath Gilad. No punishments resulted, as far as I know.

2. "Rabbis" telling their students to obey orders [anyway], even if it apparently contradicts the halachah.

3. "Rabbis" believing that there is NO contradiction between halachah and Israeli Law.

4. So-called "religious" Jews who stand by and tolerate a governmental regime which denigrates the Torah left and right.

5. A government which allows its secret police free reign on Torah-abiding Jews.

6. A [deMOCKractic] government which cares more about what the goyim think than what its constituents think, let alone what HaShem thinks.

7. A [deMOCKractic] government which allows leftists and anarchists to do whatever they want (including property damage to settlers, and violence against the police and IDF), yet settlers who think the wrong way can receive administrative detention.

These things scare me. God-fearing, Torah-abiding kids do not scare me in the least.

The only "threat" I believe you should be worried about is this:

When and if we get removed from our homes (May God Forbid!), when are we going to live? Do you think we're "going quietly" to the Negev?

Nope. We're coming to Ramath Aviv, to K'far Shmaryahu, to Ramath HaSharon, and to Ra'ananah to live in your parks and on your street corners.

Frightened now?

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

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Tip credits:
Shiloh Musings for blogging on the "housing issue"
Jameel @ The Muqata for the information on Olmert's not-so-secret plan

Peace House Eviction Protests - From Jerusalem Through The Shomron

8 Kislev 5769

Here is a recounting of some of the protests occurring this evening in response to the surprise and very violent eviction of Jews from Beth HaShalom (Peace House) in Hevron.

Events personally witnessed by this blogger are in bold; events reported in are in italics.

My 10 agaroth (commentary) follows.

Afternoon - Arab satellite dishes and water heaters were broken. Even laundry put out to dry was set on fire in Hevron.

4:00 PM - Reports of road blockages and attacks on Arab cars at the top of the Ma'aleh Levonah road. Northbound Arab traffic had been diverted to this parallel route from Route 60 to avoid the road blockage at the Shiloh Junction (See below). The Arab vehicles escaping damage were few to none. Protests then moved to the junction of the winding road to Ma'aleh Levonah with Route 60. The protests reportedly included setting various things on fire.

4:50 PM - Traveling through Jerusalem in order to leave through the northeastern neighborhood of Pisgath Ze'ev, we passed through the Bar-Ilan Junction, where traffic seemed usual for a Jerusalem Thursday.

5:05 PM - Leaving Jerusalem through Hizmah, traffic was almost at a stand-still until Adam, where several police officers and Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] were stationed to monitor incoming and outgoing vehicles. (Jews appearing "too" religious, beware!)

5:30 PM - At Assaf ("T") Junction, there were maybe 20 Jews. No action. They seemed to be semi-corralled in by IDF. Further up the road, the street was lined with teens, blocking the road to Arab traffic, with bodies and with large stones. There were a few scuffles between the youths and the IDF.

5:40 PM - At the entrance to the [notoriously mamlachti] town of Ofra... absolutely no sign of any activity. (Surprised?)

5:54 PM - As we approached Shiloh Junction, Arabs were backed up, and turning back, knowing that the good Jews of Shiloh would not allow them through.

At the junction, Jews were being allowed through. Cars blocking the various routes in and out of the junction were moved immediately upon seeing our bus coming through. There weren't just kids. There were teachers and farmers, young couples and grandparents. (Kol HaKavod to Shiloh Area residents!)

6:20 PM - At the entrance to the [notoriously mamlachti] town of Eli... absolutely no sign of any activity. (Surprised? Well, in all fairness to Ofra and Eli, it is certainly possible that there was some sort of strategy implemented, leaving some points on the main road through the Shomron, Route 60 jammed, and others clear. Quite frankly, though, I doubt it.)

6:40 PM - At the Rehelim Junction, a group of Jews were standing on the western side of Route 60, accompanied by IDF. A few tires were burning in the middle of the street.

6:45 PM - The Tapu'ah Junction appeared to be clear of protest activity.

8:45 PM - Reports of road blockages returning to Tapu'ah Junction have come in. The movable plastic dividers were apparently been piled up in the middle of the kikar (round-about), next to the Hanukkiyah, and lit on fire. Yama"m (anti-terrorist police) arrived on the scene, in fits of high drama, to extinguish the make-shift plastic bonfire.

(Click Map To Enlarge)

The map is not even close to scale. It is only here to clarify events by providing town and road locations. Cities and towns currently under Arab control are in italics. The direction "up" is north. Tel-Aviv can be reached by driving in a straight line westward from Tapu'ah; the opposite direction will take you to the Jordan Valley.

10 ag. (Commentary):
I have already gotten into several fights today regarding the "settler" response to the eviction of Beth HaShalom. I have only two things to say:

1. Beth HaShalom is a laboratory. The powers that be are gathering information which they believe will be critical in their development of strategies for the next, and the next, and the next evictions.

2. The good Jews of Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria) are showing the government that there will be consequences when it acts in such a fashion. There's nothing much to read into here, save for any "rabbis'" calls for restraint (was there any?). You can have a field day, and read into that as much as you'd like.

Who will be next?

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

Shabba"k Encounter Update

Erev Shabbat Toldot/Rosh Hodesh Kislev 5769

Here is a brief follow up to My Encounter With The Shabba"k which I have been meaning to write for quite some time. I was prompted to post this by a response to the way I handled the encounter by Talking Loud, Saying Nothing.

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At the conclusion of my meeting with the Shabba"k (General Security Services) agents, a couple of days before Yom Kippur, they asked me not to say to tell anyone that they wanted to see me again. They seemed a bit surprised that I had already mentioned to people that they wanted to meet with me. I simply said that I had to tell my boss at work, in case I was late coming in.

They then said that I should only mention anything else if asked, and if asked, that I should tell people that the meeting was about the announcement found near the attack on Prof. Sternhell.

Obviously something was up. I doubt that I part of any greater plan, but rather just being tested to see if I could be "turned," and be of some use to them.

I followed the advice I had received ages ago, which was to tell anyone and everyone. And now, I am of no use to them.

These agents never ended up calling me in for a follow up meeting. Whether they ever intended to or not, I don't know.

Now as to why I met with them in the first place, everything happened so quickly, that I didn't have the opportunity to seek any guidance. I feared that if I called anyone on the phone I would be compromising them. I even thought that my phone was bugged, as I received my first phone call from them just when I began using a cell phone I borrowed, I later discovered had been in the Shabba"k's possession at one time.

After discussing the various events with those having experience with such matters, it seems more likely that the Shabba"k simply knew who I was, from living in K'far Tapu'ah and from my associations, and if anything tapped into my line.

After failing to obtain advice, I decided to go into the meeting. The main reason I decided to do so was an attempt to feel more in control than by not going in. This was one strategy I learned in Tapu'ah from seasoned Shabba"k targets. It felt better to me than worrying about when they were going to come and get me. Not everyone agrees with this strategy. Although I believe it worked for me. I added to this by mentally preparing myself to accept the worst case scenarios.

I have known people to lose their jobs due to a Shabba"k interview, lose security clearance and thus job opportunities, lose a weapons license, to undergoing sleep deprivation for a few days. Yep. Most people would call this a form torture.

Now, I believe the next time, when and if they decide to "invite me" in for another "visit..." involuntarily, I will be more level-headed to deal with the situation because of my past experience with them and with police.

Talking about my experience helped in a lot of the traditional ways. I discovered that many more Jews were "invited" into meet with the Shabba"k. The more I talked about my experience, the less anxious and isolated I felt. I didn't realize just how people I knew who were interrogated over the same presenting issue. It was as if they were trying to make some sort of quota.

Several Ramba"mim, Jews who hold by the Ramba"m, were some of those also targeted this time around. Some have claimed that Ramba"mim and those with Breslover influence in Yo"Sh (Judea and Samaria) are numbers one and two on the Shabba"k's "most dangerous" list. Whereas "Kanahists" and "Chabbadniks" seem to be farther down on their list. Who knows? But what all of these groups have in common is that their loyalties do not lie with the "almighty state" leHavdil; they lie elsewhere. And this both disturbs and perplexes the powers that be.

There is no question that the Shabba"k's recent interrogations will add to their research data base of settler profiling, to assist them in dealing with any resistance to future attempts to Jews from the homes and towns. Yitzhar and Hevron, as well as smaller towns such as Adei Ad near Shiloh, are their current laboratories, where they observe the reactions to various strategies.

How do settlers react to leftist provocation? How do they react to police entrapment? How do they react to Arabs who are egged on by [un-] Jews? These are some of the questions being asked during their research.

There is, of course, also the greater issue of general state loyalty. As the religious population increases, and attempts to infuse the country with goyim from the Former Soviet Union and the U. S. are running out of steam, new strategies are needed to combat what the Eruv Rav government sees as a threat to their control: The Torah. Shabba"k laboratory experiments will be considered useful in their pursuits to maintain power.

Observations are made at Haredi protests against grave desecration, the gay parade, and autopsies. Once the government feels it has a handle on the settlers, the Haredim will be the focus of their next targets. It's too bad that they don't realize this.

To conclude, I would like to pass on some advice from the Honenu Legal Defense Fund, when confronted by the Shabba"k. It was relayed to me by one of my Ramba"mi friends. According to him, it is advised only to say the following four things, in order:

1. I have not committed any crime.
2. I do not trust you.
3. I do not believe in you.
4. And so, I will not speak with you.

They emphasize the importance of providing the reasons why you will not speak with them, before you actually say that you will not speak to them.

I also consulted a lawyer with experience in these matters, who, after chastising me for speaking to the Shabba"k in the first place, said that I was under no legal obligation to talk with them.

Anyone, leftists included, still believe that we don't live in a police state? Sure, leftists may agree with their actions, but what if the shoe were on the other foot?

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

Rabinism Wrap-Up

Motza"ei Shabbath Wayera 5769

So many bloggers have covered this, I am not sure why I am bothering.

Actually, yeah, I do know why. There never seems to be enough coverage. If there were, then people would start to wake up, right?

Probably not, but I'll give my 10ag anyway.

So, Rabinfest this week included the relatively new Ta'anith Rabin (Fast of Rabin), which some Am HaArtzim have decided is more important that Tisha b'Av. What? Do you think these people fast on Tisha b'Av?

Settler-bashing was on the agenda. It started particularly early this year, probably due to the impending national elections. Baraq and Livni have to do something to get votes. So, they have decided to strike the "fear of settlers" into the electorate. Olmert is standing in for Livni in this regard, sort of. That way she can always disavow herself of his statements when she campaigns in the more conservative areas of the country.

The truth is that Olmert is gambling that a good dose of settler-bashing could gain him some sympathy in the leftist higher courts, when he appeals his all but certain conviction. After all, it worked for Sharon. He sold out Azza, even though his own Likud Party members voted against it. In exchange his son Gil'ad got off scott-free, and son Omri got off with a short stint in jail.

But, I digress...

Many bloggers and journalists have made mention that Rabin's last policy speech has been conspicuously absent from any of the latest publications and Rabin worship services.

It's good that they mentioned this. Even though it will no doubt fall on deaf ears,...an annual custom. However, it is still important to make mention of the Alta Lena,...you know that ship carrying weapons to Israel so that Jews could fight against the British? Well, "someone" gave an order to shoot at the crew of the Alta Lena, murdering 16 Jews. The Wikipedia entry on the Altalena Affair does not even mention his name. Surprised?

Here is rare footage of the attack on Altalena, along with eye witness accounts of the shooting of Jews while they were struggling in the water, courtesy of Voice Of Judea (Tip credit to The Jewish Fist).



The Left, of course, uses that old hat, "he was just following orders."

The man was, at the very least, complicit in the murder of Jews, not to mention the Jewish lives lost in recent years due to the Oslo Death Accords and the providing of weapons to the PA so-called "police" squad.

And we're supposed to mourn his loss?

Why some might even say that's forbidden. But, who am I to suggest such a thing?

A soldier gets 21 days in jail for yawning during a memorial ceremony. Settlers and other religious Jews get demonized for not wanting to participate.

What punishments are in store for next year?

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

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The "forbidden" link may also provide you a hint as to why his face is partially blacked-out.

Read "On Assassinations and Attempted Assassinations" by Rav Binyamin Kahane H"YD, posted at The Jewish Fist. He wrote it shortly after after Rabin's death.

See Tamar Yonah's piece for your Questions Still Unanswered surrounding his death.