Super Bowl Champion to Dad's Champion

A really moving piece about Alan Veingrad's, a former Super Bowl winning offensive lineman, spiritual journey. A good read from aish.com:

In 1992, Alan Veingrad, former offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, made all the right moves to protect the quarterback and ward off the other team's advances, helping to secure his team a Super Bowl victory. Today, he's taken that same sense of discipline and strength of will to focus his sights on what he considers a significantly more meaningful "end zone" - observant Judaism.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Elizabeth, NJ and Miami, FL, Mr. Veingrad says he grew up like most Jews in America -- with a "very secular" background. "We lit candles Friday night and got together with family on Chanukah and holidays," he says. "The focus was mainly on the chicken soup, kugel and latkes." In order to ready their son for the required bar mitzvah celebration, his parents insisted on Hebrew school. "I just didn't connect," he remembers. "After my parents dropped me off, I'd walk in the building and go out the back door. I spent the time throwing stones into a lake."

By 14, he had fulfilled his Hebrew school obligation and devoted his free time to "hanging around with the wrong crowd." He noticed that his older brother, Steve, chose a different route, participating in football, wrestling, basketball, and the track team. "I realized I would get into trouble if I didn't start getting involved in after school activities," he says. Well aware of his then skinny frame, Veingrad promptly approached the school's training coach and asked him to instruct him in weightlifting. Soon thereafter, he went out for the high school football team.

One day, during track & field (discus) practice, Veingrad sensed a compelling need to flex his long atrophied spiritual muscles. "I was starving for inspiration," says Mr. Veingrad. "I sought motivation from tapes and books on winning, to find out how to improve myself, not only as a player, but as a person." That desire would follow him throughout his accomplished football career.

Veingrad went on to attend East Texas State University in Commerce, TX, with classmates hailing from the Bible Belt states -- leaving Veingrad the lone Jew on campus. "Most of my teammates had never met a Jew before," he says. "What little they knew they heard at home and in the movies." When he entered professional football, his teammates came to him with questions around the holiday time. "They asked me why Jews celebrate eight days of Chanukah and told me they read that Jews fast on a particular day and could I tell them why." Because of his limited background, he found himself hard-pressed to answer their inquiries. Throughout all the attempts at proselytizing and pre-game team prayer meetings, he never lost his sense of who he was and wanted to be. "I would say my own silent prayer," says Veingrad. "A Jewish prayer."

After he completed his undergraduate degree, the Green Bay Packers signed him on as a free agent. Upon hearing of the team's solitary Jewish Packer, a family in the Wisconsin Jewish community reached out to Veingrad. "I found a note in my locker that instructed me to phone Lou Weinstein, who turned out to be a local Jewish businessman calling to congratulate me for making the team and to ask if there was anything he could do to help me." The Weinsteins welcomed Veingrad into their home and brought him to their shul for Rosh Hashana. "When I heard the Torah, it connected to something inside me," he says. "Those experiences sustained me during my years with the Packers."

Over his seven professional ball-playing years, aside from some locker room ribbing, Veingrad says he rarely encountered overt anti-Semitism. However, he remembers one disturbing incident. A teammate informed him that he thought all stereotypes were based on truth. Veingrad asked him what he meant. "He said that Jews were cheap," recalls Veingrad. "I told him I'm a Jew so he's calling me cheap, when he knows I always pay my share. I didn't have a good answer for him. But, I do today. Jews are the biggest charity givers in the world. President George Bush recently told an audience from the Republican Jewish Coalition that American Jews single handedly saved the people hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans -- with all the money that poured in and the rabbis that came through in the crisis. When I speak around the country, I always talk about this [misconception]."

Prejudice never showed its face with the NFL's professional management. "The ownership and coaches don't care where you're from, what college you went to, or what religion or color you are," says Veingrad. "They only care about three hours on Sunday; that you perform on a level that helps the team win. I never experienced anything other than [the expectation to] work hard. I had to prove myself every single day."

After many months of relentless practice, pressure, meetings, and media exposure, winning the Super Bowl gave Veingrad and his teammates a hard-earned sense of relief. And the end-of-the-season team party offered them an appropriate forum for exuberant congratulations between team members, family and friends. Once the exultation wound down, Veingrad left the party and caught a flight home out of Los Angeles -- to start preparing for the rest of his life.

In 1993, a year into retirement from professional sports, he married and started a family. The Veingrads settled in the Fort Lauderdale section of Florida and soon welcomed Jeri Lauren, their first child, into their lives. "As we are her link to the Jewish past, she is our link to the Jewish future," wrote Veingrad about this joyous event, in a 1995 piece for The New York Times in a piece called, "What Being Jewish Means to Me." The local rabbis fortified that link with Shabbat meal invitations. Once again, the exalted Shabbat atmosphere and inspiring Torah discussions whet his yearnings for a more Jewish life.

Veingrad warily observed how many retired professional athletes fell into debilitating depressions. "All of a sudden they don't know what to do with themselves," he says. "I didn't prepare myself for life after football and went through four years of a difficult transition. One has a lot of energy as an athlete -- going from workout to a game to a practice to a meeting; he's in constant motion. When I stopped playing, I had all this downtime." He says he filled it with golf, fishing, and dabbling in real estate. On the golf course, he met up with a fellow ex-NFLer, Bernie Kosar, a former high-profile quarterback, who offered him a position as sales vice-president in a cooperate company that out-sources customer care. "I immersed myself in the industry," says Veingrad. "I learned the business; doing lots of traveling, preparation and attending meetings." Yet, a familiar internal nudge prompted him to seek out the true, deeper meaning to life.

His cousin and personal radiologist, Dr. Jonathan Rubin, who examined Veingrad's x-rays after each football injury, facilitated that goal with a friendly invitation to an "authentic Shabbat meal" at his Miami Beach home. "He showed me the power of reaching out to a Jew," says Veingrad. "My cousin asked me: 'Alan, will you come to my house for a Shabbos?' And I accepted. Then during the meal he asked me; "Alan, would you go to a Torah class?' I said okay, I'll go to one."

He informed Veingrad of a class given by a "traveling rabbi" who made a regular stop in his neighborhood. He attended the class and found the rabbi's topic particularly inspiring. "He spoke about envy and materialism," recounts Veingrad. "When I lived and breathed football, the guys made lots of money; I didn't relate to that aspect. I owned a pickup truck and lived in a one-bedroom apartment. It wasn't until after I retired that I lived around people who owned huge homes [and whose lives revolved around] vacations, boats, golfing, sports cars. I didn't like it. I realized I couldn't live in an environment in which everyone was a slave to materialism." He sees it as no coincidence that his first Torah class spoke directly to his core beliefs and gave him fuel to take him to the next spiritual step.

The Shabbat experiences and a telling article solidified some consequential decisions concerning Veingrad's life direction. He noticed a piece in The Fort Worth Star Telegram depicting the former NFL lineman's current milieu. "It spoke of my 'busy lifestyle' of kayaking, martial arts, biking, landscaping, and skateboarding with my children," he says. "I read it and thought: 'Something's missing.'" He decided to hold a family discussion about how they would be making some changes in their weekly routine together. "This Friday night, we are going to shul," he began. "And we are going to have Shabbat meals. My family was right behind me."

Veingrad's speaking engagements allow his family to experience Shabbat in communities around the country. When his daughter, Jeri, is asked if she misses the other life, she responds with a self-assured, "Not at all." Veingrad sees Shabbat as 25 precious hours to recharge. "We are pounded six days a week with email and cell phones. Shabbos is so important. I encourage people, who sit at home on Friday night, with the TV, to give themselves a chance to do a real Shabbos in a rabbi's home and compare the two experiences. I assure you they are going to change their lives."

His cousin continues to assist him in his quest to grow in Judaism by offering to learn with him. "He bought me a book and we learn every day," says Veingrad. "This is a very busy doctor with a family, who calls me from the hospital [during a free moment in his hectic workday] and asks me if I have five minutes. Then he says: 'Turn to page...and start reading."

The Veingard children, Jeri, Brooke, and Ryan, currently attend the Hebrew Academy Community School in Margate, FL and continue to admire their foremost mentor, their father. "My children watch me as I go to a corner of the house and quietly put on my tefillin," says Veingrad. "When I announce that it's time to go to shul, they wait at the door. They all feel this is a better life. I had a nice house one half-mile from the beach; I had all these things and didn't feel my life had much meaning. Living a Jewish life has so much more meaning. No one can argue with me; I've lived both lives."

His parents had only positive things to say about their son's turnaround. "Before he passed away, my father called and told me that he's prouder of me with the yarmulke on my head than with a Dallas Cowboy or Green Bay Packer helmet," says Veingrad. "This is a Jew who went to shul [a total of] ten times, all within the last year of his life, because I dragged him with me. He saw what it did for my family." When the Veingrads visit his mother, she gladly accommodates their kosher needs. His older brother, Steve, whose powerful example motivated Veingrad to pursue more productive after school activities back in junior high, is currently reaping the rewards for his favorable influence. He attends local Shabbatonim with his younger brother and has heard him speak. "He told me just a few months ago: 'I was never proud of being Jewish, but I am now.'"

Although Veingrad and his son participate in recreational sports, he doesn't encourage him to follow in his father's cleat-steps. "It is better to learn the Torah, to make something of oneself; not by using one's body," he says. "As a professional player, the body gets pounded. I can still feel its effects."

Veingrad readily admits that he developed his keen discipline and focus from his football days and applies it to Judaism. "Some of the rabbis laugh because I have to get to shul before they start, with tallis and tefillin on, ready to go" says Veingrad. "When Jimmy Johnson, the great football coach, called a meeting at 7:00 a.m., if someone walked in late, he would look at him and say: 'Is there something more important in your life than preparation for a football game? If one takes those extra minutes to prepare oneself, it gives a greater lift to one's davening."

According to Veingrad, when Jews, resistant to becoming more involved in their Judaism, hear his story, they surmise that he was able to change his life around because professional football players can more facilely go from 0 - 60. "I'm not suggesting that everyone should grow as quickly as I did," he says. "I felt this is what I wanted to do. I liked the way the waters felt, so I jumped in with both feet. I didn't like being in that in- between space of okay this week we'll go to shul and next week to Disney World."

In 2004, an Israeli friend from Veingrad's shul approached him and stated: "You're going to go to Israel with me this May." Before boarding the plane, Veingrad placed a yarmulke on his head. While in Israel, he bought tzitzit and davened three times a day. "I was a sponge," he says. "And I was growing." On the way back to Florida, the former football pro found himself tackling an unexpected dilemma. "I've got this yarmulke and tzitzit on me," he thought. "What am I going to do once I get back to the US?" For a few weeks, he tucked the tzitzit in and wore a hat. Feeling increasingly uneasy with that solution, he removed the hat and put his yarmulke back on. It hasn't come off since. "I said: 'This is it! This is who I am.'"

After that long-ago Super Bowl victory party, Alan "Shlomo" Veingrad knew he needed to return home to prepare for the rest of his life. And he did.

Brothers in Arms

In dedication to our great army, whose soldiers risks their lives on a daily basis to protect the civilians of Israel, here is a nice clip I found on YouTube. They are often slandered, even by their own, but nonetheless continue to do their job with the courage and devotion to the mission at hand.

Dissecting Warrior

Although I'm only up to 1965 in Ariel 'Arik' Sharon's autobiography, Warrior, the book has already given me such a different understanding of one of Israel's most controversial military and political leaders. From his tough upbringing in Kfar Malal to his rise in the Haganah and the IDF, David Chanoff narrates a fast paced book with Sharon's in-depth descriptions of some of the major battles and operations that shaped Israel's struggle to survive. I have found that as I progressed through the book, I have come to respect Sharon more and more but at the same time, it has also left me with many questions regarding the Sharon that led Israel over the last few years.


The book's first few chapters detail Sharon's upbringing in Kfar Malal, a small moshav near the modern cities of Kfar Saba and Ra'anana. The hardships he talks about are the 'usual' ones we read about from this era - difficulty with cultivating the land and the increasingly violent relationship with the Arabs. However, Sharon focuses more on how his father was always an outcast for try ing to grow new vegetables and fruits on his patch of land. Despite constant objections from the moshav, Samuil Sharon continued to follow his ideas and develop fruits, which nowadays are grown throughout Israel. Easy to see where Arik's ability to always stay true to his beliefs (be it the settlements or the disengagement) comes from. Sharon also candidly opens up about his relationship with Gali, the woman that would become his first wife and would tragically pass away in a car accident within five years of giving birth to Gur, their first son. Reading these chapters is always 'difficult' as the Israel Sharon describes is the Israel I would have loved to be a part of - a young, passionate, hard working and ideological people building a country from scratch.

From the moment Sharon turns 17, the book starts following Sharon's rise in the Haganah, his commanding of Unit 101 and his leading of the Paratroopers, who were responsible for every mission in those years. A few interesting things that are worth mentioning involve the Palmach and Latrun.

• The Palmach was the premier force within the Hagnah and Sharon never even attempted to enlist with them. His reasoning was his father, who begged him to never join any group that betrays the Jewish people, as the Palmach did so proudly during The Season (handing over Irgun and Lechi fighters to the British).


• The battle for Latrun was the most costly of all the battles fought during the 1948 Independence Day War. Sharon's unit was amongst those who were decimated during one of the numerous attacks launched on the Jordanian held fort. Sharon's unit was left alone, while other retreated, due to lack of communication between the units and the commanding officers (who were not on the battle field). With the help of others, the seriously injured Sharon managed to retreat with all his injured troops and the dead. Mostly due to his event, Sharon would stress, and rightly so, throughout his army career that the single most important element of the army is to never leave any soldiers behind. Any soldier who thinks for a second that he might be left behind during battle will not fight with his maximum abilities.

The above points raised difficult questions for me. If Sharon wouldn't join the Palmach due to his father's advice, why then when he decided on the disengagement did he not make the adjustment to life out of Gaza easier on the evicted? The harsh realities they're facing now have left many feeling as if they were betrayed by their government. What changed in Sharon that allowed him to at least not ensure that once their towns were destroyed, those that were moved would have a good opportunity to try and rebuild their lives wherever they were moved to? The next few questions have been bothering me for years. When 3 soldiers were kidnapped and killed by Hezbollah in 2000, why did Sharon not command the army to launch an operation to retrieve their bodies? Why did Sharon not take a document signed by 112 MKs (members of the Israeli Parliament) to George Bush asking for the release of Jonathan Jay Pollard? There are many more questions likes these that a man who stressed that 'a soldier should never be left behind' should have never left unanswered (perhaps they will be answered later on in the book)

As I've only reached 1965, I really cannot comment on other interesting aspects of Sharon's life. I'm looking forward to reading his take on the Six Day war, the Yom Kippur war (which Sharon is credited for turning around with his remarkable demolition of the Egyptian army) and the Sabra & Chatilla massacre (which Sharon has been blamed for till this very day). Until then, I will leave you with one quote that has struck out to me from the book. On his deathbed, Samuil Sharon told his 28 year old son, "It's a pity I'm going to die. You still need my help in so many ways." Sharon comments on his disbelief at the statement, and how later on in his life, he realized how right his father was. It's quite a simple lesson for all of us to really learn. Our parents are a fantastic source of information and understand us far better than most. We should take advantage of that while we have the chance ...

The End of Borat

After the incredible success of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen has decided to end the career of the fictional Kazakh report, Borat. Due to the movie's success worldwide, Cohen acknowledges that it would be "impossible to do Borat again." With his fame reaching such high levels, it seems that it would be highly unlikely for Borat to ever do something unscripted again. So unfortunately, it seems to be the right time to end one of the funniest characters I've ever seen ...

This is one of my favorite Borat moments:



Jak sie masz? My name-a Borat. I like you. Chenkwee!

Well I'll be 'Dan'ned

The aftermath of the Yom Kippur war (1973) forever changed Israel. Despite winning the war, the Israeli public had its self confidence severely shaken by an army that did not seem prepared for the war. With over 2000 dead and 4000 injured, there was major doubt cast upon the competence of the Labor elite, who had been ruling the country since 1948. Although the public was especially critical of defense minister Moshe Dayan, the Agranat Commission wrongly laid the blame on IDF Chief of Staff David 'Dado' Elazar's shoulders. This despite the fact that prime minister Golda Meir was warned by army intelligence of a potential strike, as well as also receiving a 'delivered in person' warning from King Hussein of Jordan days before the war. Golda Meir, who actually accepted full responsibility for the debacle (In her autobiography, Meir expresses extreme remorse for not authorizing a preemptive strike similar to that of 1967), would resign the next year and within a few years, Israel's political establishment would forever change with the Likud's Menachem Begin being elected as prime minister.

Fast forward to July/August 2006 and Israel is embroiled in a month long war with Hezbollah. Despite Ehud Olmert outlining the goals of the war as being the return of the kidnapped soldiers (2 from Lebanon and 1 from Gaza) and the ending of Quassam rockets from Gaza, neither target is achieved. The Israeli public again loses faith with its army and government. The government-appointed Winograd committee is set up to determine responsibility for the wartime debacle. And that brings us to today, where the headlines this morning finally read, 'IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz announces his resignation.' It's not that I'm happy, but I'm relieved that someone is finally accepting responsibility for the pathetic way our country was run during the war. This however, should only be the first stage of what needs to be a major shake up for this country.

Dan Halutz was the first pilot and non infantry soldier to be given the honor of being Chief of Staff. He was appointed by Ariel Sharon to replace Moshe 'Bugi' Yaalon, who was fired for rightly speaking out against the disengagement. It seemed to many that Sharon's reasoning for picking this decorated pilot were more due to political considerations than military ones. Halutz supported the disengagement and never spoke against it, despite the army's warnings of what would happen if we were to leave Gaza in the planned manner. In 2 years, he did little to improve the army and when confronted with the major challenge of war, it seems that he had no clear objective to help achieve the stated goals of the war. In his letter of resignation to Olmert, Halutz wrote:

"For me, the word responsibility has great meaning. My view of responsibility is what led me to remain in my post until this time and to place this letter on your desk today...Since the echoes of battle ceased, I decided to act responsibly according to the best traditions and values from home and from my service in the IDF. I feel proud that I completed what I set out to do. After these thorough processes, I am sure the IDF will be ready to meet the challenges ahead."

Exactly what he's proud of, I don't know. I just hope that a strong candidate replaces him who can reinvigorate our army, and prepare her for any potential future challenges that lie ahead of her. Halutz has made the right decision, and for the sake of the country, I hope Olmert and defense minister Amir Peretz follow in his footsteps ...

... and on the Bus

The first bus I take to work is the #7, which is usually packed. Today was no different. However, half way though the journey, a seat became available. As I saw an elderly looking man standing, I tapped him on his shoulder and offered him the seat. Smiling, he refused the offer and said, "I am not old, I am just an adult." As we started chatting, he continued to explain why he preferred to remain standing, "I sit all day, so why not enjoy some time to stand up?" As he prepared to get off the bus, he told me his age ... 80 years young. Impressed to say the least, I thought to myself that if I get to that age, I hope to have that same positive attitude that he displayed in the brief few minutes our paths crossed ...

That's Life

Flip Flopping, IDF & other thoughts

Gone are the days when I can use the word ‘surprised’ for anything Ehud Olmert, our bumbling Prime Minister, says. Olmert, whose disgraceful handling of the Lebanon war forced him to ditch his Realignment plan, has now stated that he thinks the Disengagement and withdrawal from Lebanon were failures:

A year ago, I believed that we would be able to do this unilaterally. However, it should be said that our experience in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip is not encouraging. We pulled out of Lebanon unilaterally, and see what happened. We pulled out of the Gaza Strip completely, to the international border, and every day they are firing Qassam rockets at Israelis.

If only Arik (and his chief backer, Olmert) had listened to the host of army and security officials who warned of the impending dangers of 2005's disengagement. Everyone saw what had happened with the potent guerrilla force on our northern border, why on earth would anyone want to create that on our southern borders? Sadly, it took two kidnappings and a ‘war’ to convince Olmert that unilateral moves are bad.

I sometimes get so frustrated with the stupidity of our elected officials. It was so obvious the disengagement would backfire – and both societies are still feeling the after effects of the catastrophic move. The Palestinian society rewarded us by electing Hamas to run their government, and besides the difficulties that that has provided for their society with the international community, it’s also put them on the verge of a civil war. Our society has suffered too. The faith in the government is at an all time low, and to make matters worse, the number of teens receiving draft deferments on the grounds of being full time yeshiva students has risen steeply.

It’s a very difficult situation religious Zionist youth find themselves in. As Eran Sternberg puts it, "This is a natural response for many young people who, on one hand, were raised to love the army, but on the other, are really horrified by what the IDF has become.” The disengagement has pushed away one of the most important contributors to our army. I am really unsure how to react to the news. On one hand, it is very disappointing and to a degree, infuriating. It is an honor and privilege to defend and serve this country and people shouldn’t find ways out of it. But on the other hand, I understand the move. It was an emotional blow for many people who lived the event, and their only reaction was to turn their back on the medium that caused the pain. Only time will tell how long this phenomenon lasts – but I’m hoping it’s short lived.

Quick Points:

* Ehud Barak will be in the running to be the head of Labor again. I’ve long said that I would seriously consider voting for this man if he was one of the candidates for Prime Minister. I sincerely believe he learned his lessons from Camp David (2000) and this country needs a leader with a strong military background to direct the next few years. I highly doubt there's anyone in the political scene with a background that can rival the former Chief of Staff and commander of Sayeret Matkal.

* Nigerian born Mushi Salem Jawher, the Bahraini citizen who won last week’s Tiberias Marathon, has had his Bahraini citizenship revoked. Jawher, the first athlete from an Arab country to compete in an Israeli marathon, was quoted as saying he was "’very proud’ to have run in Israel”. Is it really surprising that Bahrain's Athletic Union "deeply regrets what the athlete has done”? I mean just think of the crime he just committed! He did after all participate in a race in Israel. He got off rather lightly I might add too!

* In Bolton’s 4-0 demolition over Doncaster on Saturday in the FA Cup 3rd round, Iranian Andranik Teymourian and Israeli Idan Tal scored their first goals for the club (Teymourian bagged a brace). I wonder if any punishment awaits Tevmourian for congratulating and hugging Tal, a citizen of the Zionist entity, after his goals?

Ok I was wrong ...

Iran is actually doing it for peaceful purposes ... Arf!

'We' call it Sylvester

Although the day is just 'another day' here in Israel, people do get excited for it. However, instead of calling it New Years, it is commonly referred to as 'Sylvester'. Interestingly enough however, most people have no clue as to how the day (or event) acquired this name. Well, I decided to do some research on the name, and let's say, I'm slightly surprised at what I found out. The day is actually named after Pope Saint Sylvester I, a rabid anti-semite who labeled us Jews 'a perverse, dangerous and criminal sect'. Furthermore, Sylvester convinced Constantine, the Roman Emperor at the time, to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem. Wonderful ... Only in Israel, eh?

Coming soon to the world's only Jewish state, a day named after Pope Pius XII, the Nazi sympathizing pope.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion ... Explored

chilling documentary about the rise of Anti-Semitism since 9/11.

Presenting ... Pallywood

Pallywood, "According to Palestinian Sources..." - A film by Richard Landes. International news media extract a few convincing instants of staged scenes and present them as news...

Time to Bring him Back Home

To: Dr. Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria

Eli Cohen was tortured, tried and convicted as a Mossad Agent by the Syrian Military Court, without legal representation, despite the intervention and protests of the international community. He was hanged in Syria on May 15, 1965.

For 38 years the Cohen Family has been waiting and suffering, unable to visit Eli's graveside nor pay their last respects, as his body remains imprisoned somewhere within Syria. To this date, no last rites have been performed for Eli Cohen after his death, a right that every human being deserves.

We, the undersigned voices from all nations, without distinction of race or beliefs: religious or secular, beseech you to rectify this tragedy. Return the remains of Eli Cohen to his family in Israel for proper burial. This would be a humanitarian gesture of good will, understanding, and another step towards world peace on behalf of Syria.

Sincerely,

Your Name



The creater of this petition, Maurice Cohen (Eli's brother), passed away in his sleep on Saturday Dec. 1, 2006. May his memory be blessed.

Here we go again

Yesterday’s proceedings in Somalia have yet again stressed how close the world is to World War 3. After Somalia’s Council of Islamic Courts declared holy war on Ethiopia, Ethiopian fighter jets bombed various targets in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi explained his country’s act of self defense:

Our defense force has been forced to enter a war to defend against the attacks from extremists and anti-Ethiopian forces and to protect the sovereignty of the land. Our intention is to win this war as soon as possible.

Radical Islam is declaring war on another nation that refuses to adhere to their beliefs. Ethiopia is taking a bold stand against an Al-Qaida backed militia, and hopefully, they’ll manage to destroy the threat in its entirety. I just hope that the world's leaders don’t continue to try and fool themselves; these events will continue to rear their ugly heads across the world and when they do, the destruction of the groups that perpetrate them is a necessity.

In other news, Egyptian legal authorities have basically threatened “to make non-citizens of an entire religious community [Bahai], solely on the basis of religious belief.” Judge Saved Nofal explains why this faith is a problem:

The constitution promotes freedom of belief for the three recognized heavenly religions and they are Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. As for the Bahais, Islamic jurists have all agreed that the Bahai faith is not one of the three recognized religions. Those who belong to this religion are apostates of Islam, because the faith's principles contradict the Islamic religion and all other religions.

Not that I’m surprised, but the world should be considering Egypt is a moderate Islamic nation. Oh well, 2000 Bahais are now “unable to receive national identification cards without writing that they belong to one of three religions recognized by the Interior Ministry: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Without such documentation, they cannot register births or receive essential government services such as health and education. Additionally, they cannot apply for jobs, buy property, open bank accounts, or register their children in school.” Very moderate indeed ...

Look no further than Jerusalem

Yossi Mizrachi, Beitar Jerusalem's current head coach, was quoted as saying this morning that Beitar is in need of a high quality forward. Despite the inability of the past 3 striking purchases (David Agnazo, Christian Fabiani & Joano Pinto) to acclimitize to the Israeli league, Mizrachi still feels it's best to find a solution abroad. After a short scouting trip to see Santiago Solari's brother in Cyprus, Mizrachi is on his way to England to watch Coventry's Stern John. Nothing against either player, but Mizrachi just needs to open his eyes to the current team in order to find a solution.

Mizrachi currently has two of the best young strikers in Israel in Amit Ben-Shushan and Toto Tammuz. Both strikers, who are fixtures in the international set up after starring roles in the u21's victory over France, are finding it hard to get on the pitch consistently. While Ben-Shushan (1 goal, 4 assists) has been firmly entrenched on the bench all season long, Tammuz (4 goals) has actually recently been starting games. It's rather disappointing that they are not on the pitch together more often. Ben-Shushan is a gifted dribbler, who has a knack of scoring important goals and creating them too. Tammuz is a stronger, faster version of Yakubu, a Nigerian born striker who dominated with Maccabi Haifa before becoming a fixture with two English premier league teams (Portsmouth & Middlesbrough) and the Nigerian national team. Both boys need to be on the pitch now, where they can grow as players in a potentially lethal partnership. Mizrachi, by ignoring their talents and looking elsewhere for striking talent, is doing a disservice to Beitar and the future of Israeli football.

A Classic from Sanremo '83

One of my favorites: Toto Cutugno's L'Italiano ... Enjoy.

A Syrian Engagement?

The more time one spends in this region, the more one is perplexed by the weekly happenings. Take for example this past week’s interactions with Syria. The week begun with Syrian President Bashar Assad making overtures that he was ready for a peace treaty with Israel, this despite his country’s obvious involvement with Hezbollah, Hamas, the instability in Lebanon and Iran. Considering the amount of comments Assad directed at Israel after the Lebanon debacle about a possible confrontation with us, I wasn’t taking him so seriously. However, then some high ranking Syrian official said there were no preconditions to start the talks, which is odd considering the Syrians always demand the Golan as a ‘starter’ for talks. It’s going be a tough call for a nation which claims not to negotiate under fire, which it will be considering Syria’s active sponsoring of terror. However, going by Olmert’s recent comments of not responding to Syrian’s overtures due to American opposition, I doubt we’ll be seeing negotiations any time soon.

Olmert has yet again disappointed. Instead of acting like the leader of an independent nation, his comments make it seem as if America dictates all that we do. Olmert should have said something along the lines of: ‘If Assad is willing to stop instigating terrorism, I would be willing to discuss a potential treaty with Syria.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m not supporting peace talks with Syria (not yet at least), especially not when Mossad chief Meir Dagan recently said that Syria is “’more prepared than ever before’ to take military action against Israel,” but we must at least try to see if Assad is being serious. We shouldn’t be guilty of, as Abban Eban put it with regards to our neighbors, missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity for peace. Let’s put the ball back in Assad’s court, let’s see if he’s serious. If he’s doing it because of international pressure or because of some master plan, he’ll be found out rather quickly I assume. If he’s being serious, Israel should immediately ask for Eli Cohen’s bones as a showing of good will and start discussing a way of making our North Western border peaceful. Let’s call Assad on his proposal – bluff or not, we have nothing to lose.

On another note, for an interesting take on the Holocaust Conference in Iran, read Rachel Talshir’s ‘And Thanks to Ahmadinejad.’ Didn’t really LIKE the ending, but all in all, a solid editorial.

Have a Good One!

Chag Chaunkah (or however you spell it!) Sameach to all of you ...

Here are Adam Sandler's famous Chanukah Songs:

Part 1:



Part 2:

All the links to the song are no longer working. Apologies!

Part 3:

Satmars ... Thank You

from Haaretz.com:

Satmars: Jews at Iran Holocaust conference 'reckless outcasts'
By Shlomo Shamir , Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press

NEW YORK - A half-dozen Neturei Karta followers who attended a Holocaust denial conference in Iran have come under intense criticism over the visit, with one of the world's largest Hasidic groups denouncing them as "reckless outcasts."

The Jews who went to Iran "trampled on the memory of their ancestors and people. They embraced the disciplines and followers of their murderers," said a statement from the Satmar leaders of Congregation Yetev Lev in Brooklyn.

The Jews who attended the conference are often confused with the Satmars, who also are anti-Zionist but acknowledge that 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. Aside from their shared anti-Zionism, Neturei Karta followers and the Satmars both wear long, dark coats and wide-brimmed hats, and have beards and sidelocks.

The Satmars say there is no connection between them and Neturei Karta, a group that sent six delegates to the conference under the banner "Jews United Against Zionism."

They were led by a rabbi from the New York area, Yisroel Dovid Weiss. He said that while his group does not entirely deny the killing of Jews in World War II, the figures for how many people who died in the Holocaust are exaggerated. He said that "Zionists are using the Holocaust to brazenly and offensively oppress a people."

The Satmars from Congregation Yetev Lev responded, in their statement, that "the unavenged blood of the millions of Jewish victims cries out in pain and abhorrence, to these reckless outcasts, 'How can you sink so low?'"

The position of the Jewish delegates, the Satmars said, "is contrary to the teachings of our venerated Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the founder and leader of the Satmar movement."

The Satmars, who claim about 100,000 followers worldwide, were founded by the Hungarian-born Teitelbaum, who died in New York in 1979. He was succeeded by his nephew, Moses Teitelbaum, who died last April.

Teitelbaum laid out the anti-Zionist doctrine that forbids Jews from creating a Jewish state until the Messiah comes and leads them to the promised land.

Hamodia, an English-language Orthodox Jewish daily in New York that is not affiliated with either the Satmars or Neturei Karta, published an editorial this week that said: "While we are speaking of insanity, it is impossible to report about this so-called conference without making mention of the handful of deranged men in Jewish garb" who attended. "These few individuals - who represent no one except themselves - are playing into the hands of our nation's archenemies."

Estimates of Neturei Karta followers range from several hundred to thousands, with dozens living in Monsey, New York, a community about 25 miles north of New York where some attend a house of worship called Yeshiva Beis Yahud.

There was no telephone listing for the house of worship. Calls to Moshe Beck, another Neturei Karta leader, rang busy for hours on Friday afternoon.

Another community of Satmars, based in the village of Kiryas Joel, about 50 miles northwest of New York, has also condemned Neturei Karta members for attending the conference.

Despite their anti-Zionist stance, at least the Satmars have stood up and taken the right stance on Neturei Karta's sickening display of unity with the Jewish nation's enemies. As I said in my earlier blog about the subject, I was never upset about the anti-Zionist stance of the Neturei Karta. It did however infuriate me that yet again, their words became actions that could potentially endanger Jewish lives, and that crosses a line that can never be crossed. At least one positive came from this conference: the low, sick move by Neturei Karta united the Jewish people ...

Stevie G's Top 10 Goals

Can words define the most influential midfielder in England and the world? Here are his top 10 goals ... Take a bow Stevie G!