Billionare Looks to Help Fix Israel
A very nice article appeared in today’s Jerusalem Post about Billionaire Bernie Marcus, the founder and head of the mega-successful Home Depot chain. The article states that he is one of the “top charitable donors in the United States.”
In reading the article, I am struck by the contrasts in it. On the one hand, Mr. Marcus wants to see Israel self-sufficient and a constitutional democracy and so founded the Israel Democracy Institute. On the other hand, when speaking of chessed, the article instead refers to charity; “He gives primarily to Jewish charities, medical research, and organizations which help develop entrepreneurship.” Developing entreprenurialship is praiseworthy, but by no means unique. There are numerous others involved in developing entrenprenurialship. And it’s very nice that as a boy, he saved his ice cream money each week to buy a tree in Israel.
On Again, Off Again at The Temple Mount.
This morning, the High Court of Justice
Israeli Government “Expectations” of Dubya??
The Jerusalem Post reports that J’lem Expects Bush to Pressure PA.
The report states “Israel expects US President George W. Bush to take a firm stand against terrorism when he meets with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Washington on Thursday, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.” (The whole track record of the chemistry of Israel/US relations says that Israeli “expectations” are exceedingly excessive.)
The report continues; “The expectation comes despite calls from the State Department on Monday, following the death of three Israelis in a drive-by shooting by Palestinian terrorists, to continue making gestures to ease the lives of Palestinians.”
The Case of Yechezkel Chazani’s Burial
This is a story which just has to be told. I have been following this story since the untimely, unfortunate death of Yechezkel Chazani’s just before Yom Kippur.
On 12 October, 2005, Toby Klein Greenwald wrote Report #10: State of Evicted Residents of Gush Katif, Northern Gaza and Northern Shomron Communities; Victim of Disengagement: 30,000 IS to bury him “because he doesn’t live here.”
As a follow-up, I received the forwarded email below just after Yom Tov. As the email was forwarded to me, I am now putting it out for readers of this blog to review and act on. I am removing the sender’s names for their own security and protection. If there is anyone interested in helping, please contact me for contact information.
You heard it here first.
The Arabs will claim that Israel sabotaged Gaza. And the world, including the US, will buy this bogus claim.
Consider the words of Caroline Glick in her article last month, “Gaza’s Long Shadow.”
She wrote;
“In Gaza, now empty of all Jewish presence, the Palestinians lost no time in taking charge of events in their own special way. First came the firebombing of the synagogues. We were asked indignantly by such paragons of virtue as PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, “Well, what did you expect to happen?” As if it should go without saying that the Palestinians will exploit any opportunity to show us their contempt for all things Jewish.
Israel’s Blindness to Consequences of “Disengagement”
The following News links pound in yet again the absurdity of ceding Jewish Land to avowed enemies who seek nothing less than our destruction; Wake Up Jews!!
Unidentified Men Open fire on Passing Cars in South
Shoulder Held Rocket Found Near Yatir
Firebomb Attack in the Ramallah District
Vehicle With Bullet Holes Arrives at Arad Police
Shooting Attacks Without Injuries
Pipe Bomb Thrown at Border Police Near J’lem
Americans Frown on Travel Restrictions Following Fatal Terror Attack
Leave Lili Alone
The article Leave Lili Alone drives home the fact that a caste society exists in Israel; for Leftist effetes there is total democracy and for their opponents for which there is a police state. The current crop of corrupt, self-interested, agendized politicians have cast the Religious in total negative, sub-human terms. Why should Arik Sharon and his deceased wife be any more privileged than the 10,000 Jews he evicted at legalized gunpoint and now taunts and mistreats by withholding the compensation that they are entitled to? And why should his deceased wife be any more privileged than the deceased Gush Katif residents which he hard-heartedly uprooted from their graves? Leaders lead by example and the current prime minister is a poor example of a national leader!
Withstanding and Defying a Gezeira Rah
I followed up the previous word of Torah with the following;
Withstanding and Defying a Gezeira Rah
By Moshe Burt
I wrote previously regarding the contrast between the story behind the Unesaneh Tokef tefillah (expressing the seriousness of the day): the Gezeira Rah (evil decree) faced by R’ Amnon of Mainz and his Kehilla of forced conversion to Christianity dating back about 1,000 years, and the Gezeira Rah that we are currently living through regarding the forced expulsion of Jews from divinely ordained Jewish Land and handing that land over to avowed enemies bent on the eradication of the Jewish people. As previously stated, the Unesaneh Tokef tefillah is recited on both days of Rosh Hashana and on Yom Kippur.
The Sin of Expulsion: Background
During the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur , I wrote a word of Torah entitled “Unesaneh Tokef 5766: Emphasizing the Intense Kedusha of the Day” in which I spoke of the comparison of the recent government of Israel decree of expulsion of Jews from Jewish land and the handing over of these lands to an avowed enemy bent on our destruction, and the dire threats of 1,000 years ago made by the Bishop of Mainz against the Jews unless they complied with his demand that they convert to Christianity. This decree brought R’ Amnon of Mainz to ask the Bishop of Mainz for 3 days to consider the demand.