Only in Israel ...

Last night, I prayed the Shabbat services at the kotel, which is also known as the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall. I haven't prayed there in a long time, and as we were eating at a Rabbi's place nearby, I decided to daven there. I always enjoy praying there. It's a very spiritual & moving experience to open up your heart and your soul near the largest remaining artifact of the Second Temple. However, last night was even more special.

Near the wall itself, a large group of about 60 people were dancing and singing Shabbat Songs and religious Zionist songs. Now I know what you're saying, "What's the big deal?" Well, picture IDF soldiers with their berets on their heads, Haredim (ultra orthodox Jews), Settler youths and what seemed to be an Ethiopian group all dancing together. Despite their obvious differences in religious observance, traditions, dress and look, they all joyfully danced together and welcomed in the Shabbat. I've never seen something like that at the kotel, and to say that I was moved would be quite an understatement. What a kibbuz galuyout (In gathering of the Exiles) to witness. Things like that always give me hope that one day this nation will finally be united ...

144 Hrs in 45 minutes

Those 144 Hours in June 1967 forever changed the landscape of the Middle East. Here's a short documentary about the 6 Day War, one of history's most stunning wars ... Also includes a short segment about Elie Cohen, Israel's most famous spy.

Marking 30 years

A video conference marking 30 years since Operation Thunderbolt (The Raid at Entebbe) by talking with some of the event's participants ... If you don't understand Hebrew or the little French spoken, I do apologize!

The Enemy Within

In this past week’s parasha (Va’Yishlach), Yaakov prepares to meet Esau, his twin brother, for the first time since fleeing Cana’an due to the danger Esau posed to him. As he agonizes over the first meeting with his brother in 21 years, Yaakov continually refers to him as ‘Esau, my brother,’ (Genesis 32:18). Why would Yaakov refer to him as Esau and also as his brother? Those around him must have already known that Esau was his brother; couldn’t he just easily have said ‘Esau’ or ‘my brother’? Why both titles? Rabbi Abraham Twerski comments that Yaakov said this because he saw two potential threats: Esau, the man who swore to kill him and my brother, the man whose way of life could turn Yaakov away from the path he wanted to lead. He was wary of both threats and stressed it to those around him. Seeing the enemy, even if he's my brother, is an important part of survival, and this has been rather evident this week during the International Conference questioning the Holocaust in Iran.



On yet another stage where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that the “Zionist regime [will] soon be wiped out,” the people who stole the spotlight were 6 ‘Jews'. Yup, you read that right, 6 ‘Jews’. In a conference where European and American writers gathered to argue the validity of the Holocaust, 6 members of the ultra-orthodox anti-Zionist Neturei Karta stood out. Dressed in the typical ultra-orthodox garb, they refuse to exactly say what they were doing at the conference but nonetheless, managed to slip in their usual, hate filled, anti-Zionist rhetoric: “It is the work of Satan that Zionists are able to convince the world that they represent Jews and Judaism and everybody who speaks against it is anti-Semitic.” How on earth can Jews attend a conference that portrays the Holocaust as a Jewish/Zionist lie? Despite the presence of famous holocaust revisionists and anti-semites, like David Duke (a former Ku Klux Klan leader) or Michele Renouf (a supporter of "Holocaust skeptics”), the conference's credibility was seemingly legitimized by the 6 ‘Jews’. With their photographs “given pride of place in the Arab media.”, these ‘Jews’ are what really allowed this conference to be a ‘success.’ Still hard to believe that they’re standing with people who want to destroy the Jewish presence in Israel – where do they honestly think us ‘fake’ Jews will be going? Absolute idiots.

I couldn’t care less about Neturei Karta's views about Israel; It’s their actions that I find disappointing and extremely dangerous. Posing with Palestinian terrorists, the Hitler wannabe in Iran and holocaust deniers misrepresents the opinion of the dominant majority of the Jews in the world today. Their actions are dangerous not only because they give the Arabs extra fuel to hate Israel and justify any attempts to attack us, but because they also mislead an already misinformed world about the Jewish stance with regards to Israel & the Holocaust. I guess that’s what ‘Torah abiding Jews’ should be doing, increasing the danger to their ‘brothers’! Their utter hypocrisy is sickening (and rather infuriating to read about). Twerski’s comments about Yaakov’s awareness fit in perfectly here – our enemies are not only the 'taken for granted' ones, they are also the ones who claim to be a part of the Jewish nation and to know what’s best for us.

Three last comments about the conference:
1) It is important that there is worldwide condemnation against the conference. Perhaps now the world can also realize why stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear power is so essential to world stability and Israel’s existence … Words are great and all:

“I think it is such a symbol of sectarianism and hatred toward people of another religion. I find it just unbelievable, really”
Tony Blair

“We absolutely reject this. Germany will never accept this and will act against it with all the means that we have”
Chancellor Angela Merkel

“Conference showed a resurgence of revisionist theories which are quite simply not acceptable.”
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy

“I want to state my firm condemnation of any attempt to deny, trivialize or minimize the Shoah. Anti-Semitism has no place in Europe; nor should it in any other part of the world.”
EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini

But actions would be far more meaningful

2) I think it’s also important to mention the few Arabs who actually spoke out against this conference. Several Arab MKs told the Knesset of their unhappiness with the conference taking place and that they were ashamed of their fellow Arabs for taking part in the conference. Nazir Majali, the Israel affairs commentator for Al-sharq Al-awsat, a daily published in Lebanon, rightly told Haaretz that Iran did a dangerous thing by “using the built-in hatred for Israel ... in order to deny the Holocaust. As an Arab and a Muslim, I am ashamed."

3) The conference actually marks a rarity as I find myself agreeing with Yoseph ‘Tommy’ Lapid, the former leader of the anti-religious Shinui Party. I’m sure those who know me well are surprised by this as I abhor Lapid’s racist and elitist stance on many issues. However, when Lapid called the Neturei Karta buffoons, how can I really disagree?

Pennies versus Positives

A wonderful article from the Jerusalem Post about Aliyah:

Aliya By Choice
Rabbi Stewart Weiss

Jewish Agency Chairman Ze'ev Bielski had it right - and wrong - when he urged the American Jewish community to come to Israel because "the penny will drop and they will realize they have no future in the United States as Jews."

Of course, he's right about the ravages of assimilation and intermarriage, which are decimating not only American Jewry, but the Jewish populations of virtually every Western community.

These "twin towers of tragedy" have been perpetrating a "silent Holocaust" for at least half a century, inexorably grinding down the Jewish presence in the Diaspora. The numbers don't lie, and they indisputably show that Jewish populations outside of Israel are stagnating at best, and on the verge of vanishing at worst.

America is a classic case in point; its Jewish population has been stuck at 5.5 million to 6 million for more than half a century. The influx of thousands of Russian Jews to the shores of the goldene medina, the best efforts of anti-assimilationists to stem the tide and the spirited struggle to woo non-Jewish partners to the fold has not significantly altered the equation.

Meanwhile, hundreds of smaller, outlying Jewish communities have vanished, their once-proud synagogues turned into churches, mosques or medical clinics, while many larger Jewish enclaves have circled the wagons and use every trick in the book to keep their numbers from falling further.

BUT MY fellow Ra'ananite Ze'evik was a bit off the mark when he suggested that American Jewry could - or should - be frightened into making aliya because of the specter of the vanishing Jew.

That is a strategy that did not work when Ezra the Scribe tried it in Babylon as the Second Temple was being built; it did not work in Germany as the Nazis gained power; and it will not work in 21st-century America, either.

For starters, to whom will this approach appeal? Half of American Jewry has already experienced intermarriage in their nuclear family, or has become assimilated and ever more distant from Jewish commitment. They are past the point - socially, intellectually and conceptually - of considering coming here.

And the other half considers itself doing so well in the States - financially and religiously - that it cannot drag itself away from the good life. To move an American Jew sitting around his pool in LA , surrounded by his kollelnik sons-in-law and planning his biannual trip to Jerusalem's five-star hotels, an awful lot of pennies have to fall.

I PREFER taking a totally different tack. I think the aliya argument we make to our fellow Jews must be of a positive, not negative nature. World Jewry should be coming to Israel not because they have it so bad in their own countries, but because they could have it so good here.

From a religious perspective, Israel is at least the partial fulfillment of billions of prayers uttered over thousands of years. We beseeched God to return us to Zion, and so He did. He gave us another chance to build a Jewish homeland in the land of the prophets, on authentic Jewish soil, to control our own destiny and carve out a nation in the Jewish image. Do we not have a sacred obligation to try?

And we haven't done so badly, to be quite honest. We make our share of mistakes, to be sure. But we still have a thriving democracy, a dynamic economy and a courageous and devoted army whose morale remains sky-high despite the severity of the Lebanon war. Not to mention a 1,000 percent growth rate since the founding of the state.

For an observant Jew, Israel can be a paradise: The proliferation of learning opportunities for men and women, the kosher restaurants and hotels, the low cost of Jewish education and the ease with which we observe Jewish holidays at a fraction of the cost in the US are just some of the pluses.

Even for the non-observant, Israel is definitely where it's happening on the global Jewish scene. The arrow of Jewish history points here. Jewish destiny will be decided not in Joberg, but in Jerusalem; not in Teaneck but, yes, in Tel Aviv.

Israel is the engine that drives the Jewish nation, and anyone who wants in on the action needs to be here, not there. While stellar Jewish communities do indeed exist - even flourish - in the exile, they are, after all, still in the exile.

It's time our Israeli emissaries stopped accentuating the dismal state of Israel's economy, its dangerous neighbors, its precarious existence, blah, blah, blah. While this ploy may play upon Jewish emotions and enhance fund-raising, casting us in such a negative fashion does irreparable harm to Israel's image. Who would want to live in a place where the people are starving and terrorists lurk around every corner?

Instead, we ought to emphasize the miracle of Israel, its gritty determination to survive and its ability to defy all the odds and prosper.

Let's urge every Jew to seize the opportunity to be part of this amazing enterprise - not only financially, but also physically.

Over the years, we have characterized our role in the Jewish world as a place to run to when things turn bad out there. This has certainly been the motivating factor for immigration from North Africa, Russia, Ethiopia and, more recently, South America and France. But it doesn't have to stop there.

There must also be a concerted effort to encourage privileged Western Jewry to engage in aliya by choice - to make a free and focused decision to join the ingathering of the Diaspora because it makes sense.

Those who do opt for Israel will be making the right choice.

The writer, a rabbi, is director of the Jewish Outreach Center of Ra'anana.

So ... What are YOU waiting for?

On The Comeback Trail

Stellar Return by Veteran Not Enough For Colors

JERUSALEM, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Thousands cheered on the Colors team today as veteran playmaker Avram Piha made his return to the playing field. A severe ankle sprain had rendered the South African born player inactive for 2 months, and his absence was heavily felt. Despite pleas from his parents to pursue a physically less demanding career, Piha remained true to his heart and made his highly anticipated comeback tonight. Sporting a heavy ankle brace, Piha looked a few steps off the pace. This however did not stop the player from scoring a goal within a few minutes and settling into his favored midfield role rather comfortably.

The game was close for 60 minutes before the White team turned it up a gear and demolished an injury depleted Colors team. Despite the loss, Piha will be pleased with his goal and 3 assists tonight. He spoke briefly after the game: "It's nice to get back in the swing of things with a goal but I would have liked to win the game. This is just another step in my long journey back to fitness, and I want to thank my fans for sticking through me during this tough time." As he walked away, I could not stop but think that Wednesday night football will soon be seeing the best of the lad.

Olmert ... Wake Up

My first stint in miluim (reserve duty) was the week the Lebanon War started. It was during one of the breaks we had from the urban warfare drills that we gathered around one of the Army trucks to hear Ehud Olmert’s passionate speech to the Knesset. I have never been so moved by a speech before in my life. Olmert’s words were moving, powerful and struck a chord with all of the soldiers huddled around the one radio. We all wanted in, we all wanted to be a part of this war – to return our boys home. Some of the lines which still stick out to me today are:

On the Palestinian front, we will conduct a relentless battle until terror ceases, Gilad Shalit is returned home safely and the shooting of Qassam missiles stops.

We will search every compound, target every terrorist who assists in attacking the citizens of Israel , and destroy every terrorist infrastructure, everywhere. We will persist until Hizballah and Hamas comply with those basic and decent things required of them by every civilized person. Israel will not agree to live in the shadow of missiles or rockets aimed at its residents.

It is a difficult battle! It may become even more difficult. It is a painful test, and we may have to bear more suffering. Such a battle is never easy. It is strewn with pain and suffering, sacrifice, and casualties.

We will do everything and make every effort to bring them home.

We will defend all of them, on behalf of all of them we will fight, and with all of them before our eyes – the civilians in the line of fire, the kidnapped fighters and their families – we will continue, without hesitating, without capitulating and without fear, until our goals are achieved.

Reading today’s Haaretz headlines, I realized yet again how we had been duped. Our ‘leader’, if you can call him that, had yet again proven his fine ability to talk but his failure to act accordingly to his words. Nope, I’m not talking about Olmert’s government's botched handling of the war, I’m talking about the fact that our leader is a slimy, cowardly politician who doesn’t back up his tough words and decrees with actions. Today, Olmert remarked:

What should we have done? Keep fighting and maybe create dozens more bereaved families to accelerate the return of two people, and I hope they are still alive, for whom it's a question of spending a little more or a little less time in captivity in the face of the possibility or certainty that many dozens more would be killed in the continued fighting?

What should we have done? What kind of statement is that? You ‘declared’ war on Hezbollah and Hamas. Did we stop after the first few days in 1973? Did we stop when our citizens were kidnapped before the rescue missions of Sabena and Entebbe ? Perhaps Olmert wasn’t really interested in a war, but in using the army and the situation as pawns in an attempt to validate himself as a leader. Let’s face it, a leader who was “a little disappointed by the continuation of Kassam rocket fire at the South by the Palestinians,” is obviously living in La La land. Wake up Ehud. You made promises about getting our boys back, about stopping rocket fire about ‘achieving goals’ and you’ve done nothing. You’ve failed – do the right thing, step down and allow the country to regain faith in her government.

If only Olmert was actually that man that July speech made him out to be ...

World ... Wake Up

David Ben Gurion once said that when Hitler threatened the Jews with extermination, the Jewish people did not believe him. But when Nasser made the same threats, they believed him (and we know what happened to him in '67). Can we please learn from history before it's too late?

Congrats to my Cousin!

Congratulations to my cousin, Simone Petousis, for being the top student in the Centre For Film and Media Studies, one of the schools of UCT (University of Cape Town). She received the 'Gold Medal' for her incredible few years, where she graduated with distinction in Media, Film Production and Script.

Mazel Tov and Good Luck!

Glenn Beck presents Exposed

Thanks to Gilly for this link. Shocking stuff. Why is this stuff always ignored by the main stream media?

Was it so long ago?

Truly hard to believe that it's already over 10 years since my Granny passed away after a long battle with cancer. It was an incredibly difficult time for all of my family. Nothing we could do would help this wonderful woman as she fought a losing battle against this killer disease ...

Alone as I sit and watch the trees
Won't you tell me if I scream will they bend down and listen to me
And it makes me wonder if I know the words will you come

The first 3 'deaths' that truly affected me all somehow involved Gran. It was on her porch in 1991 that my mother told me that a close family friend in Istanbul had been shot down by Dev Sol militants. Andy Blake, a young father of 2, was gunned down in the prime of his life for no good reason. All I can remember was the shock, the difficulty of dealing with the fact that his two young children would be fatherless. To this day, I still find it extremely hard to look at the few pages in one of our family albums that has articles about his death. Only a year later, I would seek comfort from Gran as I dealt with the loss of my great grandmother, Nonna Lea. 'Alone' in England, I only felt comfortable breaking down with her - she would console me and assuage my fears that I hadn't taken advantage of having this woman in my life for over 12 years.

And I know I'll never see you again

It was a few weeks after my Bar Mitzvah (early 1994) that my Granny discovered she had cancer. I struggle to remember what exactly I was told - but even as a 13 year old, I knew that her time was limited. It didn't stop me from praying every night though, begging for a miracle as I contemplated a life without a woman who's mere presence put such a smile on my face. Granny was a special special woman - full of life, always smiling and helping. We spent hours watching cricket (Still remember going crazy with her after Jonty's famous run out of Inzamam Al Haq during the 1992 Cricket world cup), tennis and any other sport that was on the Telly . She would always have her cabinets stocked with my favorite treats, be it fudge, meringues or peppermint crisps. It was her, along with Gramps, Nonnou & Nonna, that made Cape Town what it was to me. It just couldn't be taken away from me ...

You see I'm tired of feeling this pain

No matter how difficult this was for me, I can't possibly even begin to contemplate what my mother went through. She was extremely close to Gran - talking to her daily it would seem. Gran was one of her 'pillars'. I know that Gran would always comfort my mom with regards to her worries about me and my 'problem child' ways - she had faith in me and I know that helped my mom (raising me must have been a right pain!). How can I even try to put into words what my mother was going through? The pain must have been unbearable - but credit to my wonderful mother; she managed to still raise 3 kids in another foreign environment while dealing with the situation ...

Does he realize he came down here
And he took you too soon

Leicester, 1996. My cousin's bar mitzvah. The effect of the chemo had left Gran exhausted but yet again, she showed her strength of character by making the 12 hour flight with Gramps to be with all of us for the occasion. The only thing I remember about those few precious weeks were when we said goodbye. My mom, dad, sister and I were crying. It was extremely difficult to say goodbye. And in this moment of sadness, my little 8 year old brother innocently asked, "Why are you all crying?" We all smiled despite our drenched eyes ... As we drove away, I knew I'd never see her again ...

I lay down with memories of you keep that keep me going on, going on
It makes me wonder as I sit and stare
Will I see your face again

October 14th, 1996. I awoke on Monday morning to the sound of my sister crying. That's all I had to hear to know she was gone. Seeing my mother that day was difficult. I don't remember her crying or anything, obviously just as strong as her now departed mother was. I don't think my mom has ever 'truly' been the same. While I can't see it as my mom has remained the same loving, happy, caring mother she's always been, losing such an integral part of your existence obviously changes you. I think in death, you can tell a lot about how a person lived. Nelson Mandela once said, "When we were born we cried and the people around us smiled. Live life so that when you die you are smiling and the people around you are crying." At least I know she's smiling from up above ...

(All the quotes are from Hootie & the Blowfish's Not Even the Trees)

The Palestinian ceasefire

held for exactly ... brace yourself ... 57 minutes.

Yup, within 57 minutes of a ceasefire 'brokered' by Israel and Hamas, a quassam rocket struck one of our towns. Shocking really ... I mean, who would have expected it?

Elders' logic?

It was the last thing I thought I'd hear out of this Indian girl's mouth. While having a chat in the office, she told me that the reason why Israel was allowed to bomb Lebanon was because of pressure exerted on the US by the Jews who control the US's financial institutions. Her 'simple' logic kinda startled me and I smiled and said, "You don't honestly believe that, do you?" To my dismay, she was being dead serious. Not sure if she was weened on any Elders of Zion literature or it's just the 'norm' nowadays to think this way, but it rather disappointed me.

While dining tonight with French Mike, a good friend, yesterday's event came up. His reaction was the polar opposite of mine; he commented, "I'm proud that relative to our numbers, we do have so much power." Come to think of it, although I do think our level of 'power' is vastly exaggerated, I'm also rather proud of how such a small percentage of the world's population has always managed to push itself so far ahead in so many fields.

And while we're on this topic of us 'in control' Jews, a joke:

Rabbi Altmann and his secretary were sitting in a coffeehouse in Berlin in 1935. "Herr Altmann," said his secretary, "I notice you're reading Der Stürmer! I can't understand why. A Nazi libel sheet! Are you some kind of masochist, or, God forbid, a self-hating Jew?"
"On the contrary, Frau Epstein. When I used to read the Jewish papers, all I learned about were pogroms, riots in Palestine, and assimilation in America. But now that I read Der Stürmer, I see so much more: that the Jews control all the banks, that we dominate in the arts, and that we're on the verge of taking over the entire world. You know – it makes me feel a whole lot better!"

Stopping the Rockets

The period leading up to the disengagement was heavily peppered with criticisms that warned of a mini terror state on Israel's border. Despite these warnings, with the most notable one coming from the Moshe 'Bugi' Yaalon (Chief of Staff at the time), Arik Sharon proceeded with the disengagement. It has now been over a year since the move and all the warnings are becoming harsh realities. Despite Egyptian forces 'patrolling' the Sinai/Gaza border, smuggling has drastically increased and Hamas and their ilk now have copious amounts of ammunition and weapons. This harsh reality will only be felt when we face a similar confrontation to the one we handled terribly in Lebanon a few months ago. To add to this already daunting future confrontation, Sderot and other towns close to the Gaza border have been pounded non-stop with quassam rockets - at higher rates than the previous 5 years. Our fellow brothers have become target practice to quassam rocket units (teams of 2 to 4 Arab terrorists) and our government has done very little besides the occasional incursion into Gaza to offset this danger. The ruling brass has led us to believe there is no real way to stop this unless we further capitulate to Arab terror and leave Yehuda and Shomron (commonly referred to as the West Bank).

There is a solution however. Instead of taking action that falls into their hand, Israel should attack this by playing to the IDF's strengths. Normally this would mean sending in our jets, however, our air force strikes have been proven ineffective as the F-16s are not scrambled quick enough to get to the quassam rocket launch sites. With the air force option being ruled out, DEBKAfile makes excellent points in advising that Israel uses commando units to ambush the quassam teams. DEBKAfile suggests that the IDF have commando units undercover at the suspected launch sites waiting to ambush these terrorists. Unlike any other viable options, terrorists would be eradicated before even finishing the set up of the quassam rocket launchers. This also needs to be used on the Gaza-Egypt border. If our 'allies', the Egyptians, refuse to combat the weapon smuggling, we need to assume the responsibility. This tactic can work - and collateral damage will be minimized, which is important to our count, our army and our code of values.

The IDF is blessed with some of the best commando units in the world. There are quite a few benefits for Israel if DEBKAfile's plan is implemented by our government and the IDF:
1) By allowing them to be constantly in action, we'd allow our commando units to be sharp and ready for any other potential conflict.
2) After a few successful strikes on the Gaza-Israel border, quassam rocket launchers won't bother with the tactic anymore. The facts that they'd know the IDF is waiting for them on their territory and the damage they can do is nil (assuming they're intercepted before launching the quassams) would deter terrorists from continuing this tactic.
3) The pyschological effects from such a tactic would alter the mindset of both nations. The Palestinians would yet again realize that 'violence' will not get them results against a stronger, more resolute people. Hopefully that would force their population to weigh a 'change in approach' to their dealings with us, and would lead us to more quiet interactions in an attempt for peace. As for the Israelis, stopping the quassam rocket threat would change the 'scenery' quite a bit. The people of Sderot, Ashkelon and the 'border' towns would feel that they haven't been forgotten. The Israeli population would regain some confidence in our government and the army's morale would also bounce back after the difficulties in Lebanon.

I think this is the time to act. We are facing a very difficult few months now due to a new European iniative (which doesn't require Hamas to recognize the Jewish State), a 'U-turn' Tony Blair (can he be trusted when he says Syria and Iran could play a “constructive role” in the Middle East?), and the return of James Baker to the region (Famous for his 'F**k the Jews' statement, and a member of the the first Bush government that forced Israel into Oslo). Just think, I haven't even mentioned our dear friends in Iran and their continual talk about wiping out Israel. As always, Israel needs to make a stand and show the world 'how it's done'. Talking to supporters of Radical Islamic terror tactics is as idiotic as was the appeasement tactic employed by Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier in 1938 with Adolf Hitler. If only the world could wake up:

Addressing a Harvard University audience Saturday, Army Gen. John Abizaid compared the rise of militant ideologies such as the force driving al Qaeda to the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s and said: “If we don’t have guts enough to confront this ideology today, we’ll go through World War Three tomorrow.

If not stopped, said the general, “extremists would gain an advantage to gain a safe haven, to develop weapons of mass destruction, to develop a national place from which to operate. And I think that the dangers associated with that are just too great to comprehend.”

Odd but True ...

Thought I'd share the following article I found on Yahoo! News ...

Pair Use The Force For Jedi Religion

Two self-styled Jedi Knights are stepping up an intergalactic campaign for formal recognition. Umada and Yunyun, also known as John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law, want the UN to acknowledge "The Force" is worthy of being called a religion. The couple claim to be part of the UK's fourth largest religious group, after 400,000 people recorded their faith as "Jedi" in the 2001 Census.

They say that as a religion, they deserve tolerance and respect. November the 16th is the annual International Day for Tolerance.

And as part of a global battle worthy of Luke Skywalker's efforts against the Empire, the band of self-styled Jedis want the UN to re-name the day as Interstellar Day of Tolerance.

More people claim their religion to be Jedi in England and Wales than those who follow Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism. And the cause has global support.

There are also 70,000 Jedi knights in Australia, 53,000 in New Zealand, and 20,000 in Canada.

This is Umada and Yunyun's letter to the UN Association:

To whom it may concern,

For the last ten years the United Nations has marked today as the International Day of Tolerance.

While we support this important work, we feel the UN needs to move with the times.

In the 2001 UK census, 390,000 people identified themselves as Jedi Knights, making us the fourth largest religion in the country.

We have a proud heritage dating back 195,000 years to our first Jedi, the blue haired, blue eyed Kaja Sinis, who was born on Coruscant.

Like the United Nations, the Jedi Knights are peacekeepers, and we feel we have the basic right to express our religion through wearing our robes, and to be recognised by the national and international community.

We therefore call upon you to change the 16th November to the United Nations Interstellar Day of Tolerance, to reflect the religious make-up of our twenty-first century civilization.

Tolerance is about respecting difference where ever it lies, including other galaxies. Please don't exclude us from your important work.

May the Force be with you.

Culture Shock!

One of the things that I'm really having a fun time getting used to in England is the etiquette here when coming off the metro or the buses. The people waiting to board the bus/metro will queue near the door and wait for all the passengers to exit before actually boarding their ride. This is the complete opposite of Israel, where the 'rush is on' when the doors open on buses and trains. I thought that I'd prefer the 'jolly' good manners of the Brits - but I somehow find myself missing the aggressiveness of the Israelis. Perhaps I find that more 'human' or 'real' ...

I can just imagine my first conversation with an Israeli on the subway about this phenomenon:

Avram: Can you believe these people?
Israeli: friarim (suckers)

Until next time ...

From Up Above

Landing at Heathrow on Thursday night was amazing to say the least. I was truly taken aback by the gorgeous view - disappointed me that for such a beautiful world, we still remain the only species who continually destroy it.

The reason for being in London is actually ... business! My new employers, IDT Europe, have sent me here for 2 weeks of training. The first three weeks on the job as a wholesale pricing analyst have been challenging and fun. I've actually started coming to work with a smile on my face, eager to learn and continue on the learning curve. Quite a change, needless to say. Training starts tomorrow ...

As for my first weekend in London since the turn of the millennium - I spent it in Golders Green with my sister (who lives in London) and my 'rents (who made the 6 hr trek from New York). It was really nice to catch up - and just a pity we couldn't have Eitan with us. Golders Green is quite a nice place, heavily influenced by the Jewish & Israeli world. I actually felt quite at 'home' with the food and atmosphere in the area.

That's about it for now - I'm off to get my stuff ready for my first day of school, I mean training. Should be fun -

Kashtan's Statement

The 'Golden Generation' of Israeli football bought a lot of optimism to Israelis in the late 1980s and early 1990s. With names like Haim Revivo, Eyal Berkovic, Avi Nimni, Tal Banin and Itzik Zohar, Israel finally had the 'star power' they needed to compete on the international level. All these players performed well domestically, and were equal to the task abroad (Revivo was part of Spain's Team of the Season in in 98/99, Banin played in Serie A & Berkovic was a mainstay for West Ham, Celtic and Pompey), however, they failed to make an impression on the international level. From the games I watched, it seemed that it was the players' attitudes, and not their abilities, that hampered the team's progress. The players' attitude seemed to be that Israel was 'lucky' to have them playing for her, and not visa versa. Not surprisingly, with the exclusion of Avi Nimni from Dror Kashtan's first squad for the Euro 2008 qualifying, the 'Golden Generation' left Israelis wondering yet again 'what if?'

And so, this brings us to today's national team. This team seems different - not because of the undoubted talent, but because of their attitude on and off the pitch. Compromised of the youngsters who grew up idolizing the 'Golden Generation', these boys are well on the way to shining brighter, both abroad and internationally. With an influx of players from the talented U21 team, the ever improving national team could very well be the first Israeli team to compete in an major tournament in 38 years.

During last month's 1-1 tie with Russia, there was one surprising omission from the starting line up. Yaniv Katan, Maccabi Haifa's captain and a mainstay of the national team over the past few years, had pulled out due to an injury. Despite the 'injury', he managed to play against Hapoel Tel Aviv only a week later, showing no ill-effects whatsoever during his team's 2-0 loss. Dror Kashtan didn't make any statements regarding the incident until Sunday night when he announced the squad for the November clash with Croatia. Yaniv Katan had been dropped - and although he didn't refer to him directly, Kashtan still made it obvious why the striker would not be lining up next week against the Croats:

Players have to do everything to represent the country, the national team is above all. If we talk a little about Zionism, we live in a country that the representation and defense of her are a necessary value in all. The point is people are always being called up for the country. I have expectations of every player; when he is called up to the flag, he is required to appear. Players to have to be willing to sacrifice themselves for the team.

I like the statement Kashtan is making despite the fact Katan's average start to the season is reason enough for his exclusion from the squad. It should be the pinnacle of any Israeli player's career to be able to wear the blue and white uniform, to sing the national anthem and to play in front of 40,000 cheering Israelis. This loyalty and pride needs to be ingrained in every Israeli player (not to mention any regular citizen) - and if players don't feel that it's a necessity, then they can watch the game, like us fans do, from the comfort of their homes.

Obsession

A 'short' 12 minute movie about the scary reality facing 'The West'. I don't think enough people understand how real this threat is to our very existence (and I'm not just talking about Israel here) ...



To learn more, check out Obsession - The Movie

November 4th, 1995

I can remember that day quite clearly. It was basically a normal weekend except for an event that transpired thousands of kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean. At around 2 o'clock, my mother answered the phone and after putting it down, announced, 'Yitzchak Rabin has been assassinated'. Needless to say, we were all in shock. I couldn't believe it. Turning on the TV that night shocked us even further - the man who 'pulled the trigger' was Yigal Amir, a 26 year old law student from Bar Ilan (After reading a few books, watching the 'Kempler' footage and observing the obvious contradictions in this case, I am rather convinced that Yigal Amir was not the only man involved in this - and is most likely not the man who fired the shots that actually killed Rabin.). I cannot really remember my feelings or thoughts during that day besides the shock - Although I didn't really know anything about the man and his role in the country's past, I think I felt a deep loss, a loss of a man who was important to me.

Those feelings of loss & pain haven't changed, but I never thought that my feelings towards his 'memorial day' within Israel would change so drastically. I actually cannot stand the day anymore. This should be a day where we can remember a man who defended this country for decades and strove to lead it to peace. He was a leading figure in the Palmach & the IDF and his decisions as the Chief of Staff (during the 6 Day War) and the Prime Minister (presided over the Entebbe Decision) were critical to our country's safety and standing in the region. Despite the long list of military successes, Rabin also strove for peace as he pushed for dialogue with the Palestinians as early as the mid 1970s and then pushed (or was pushed by George Bush as he told ABC News & William Safire) the Oslo peace process and a peace deal with Jordan. However, despite the fact we should all be united in remembering a towering figure in our short history (one only surpassed by David Ben Gurion and Menachem Begin), the day has been completely hijacked for selfish, political & personal gains by the Israeli left. Finally, the left has a day where it's 'ok' to bash the Right and blame them for Rabin's death and a day where it's 'ok' to bash religious Jews as if we were all to blame. Sadly, this day has veered off the path and lost its supposed meaning. Instead of uniting us in mourning for a man who tried to do what he saw as best for his country, it further widens the obvious cracks between us. While I can never forgive Rabin for his statements regarding the suicide bombings of 1995 ('the price of peace'), I feel he wanted what was best for Israel. So, despite the day's often hateful and cruel rhetoric, I still take the time to pay my respects to a man who did so much for this country.

Below is a nice clip with pictures of Rabin's life, with the song Ha'Reut in the background:



The rather famous eyewitness report - "Rabin put his right leg in the car, and suddenly there were shots", "Rabin was not hit":