Anglo Election Campaign

With Israel elections coming up on Tuesday, there has been a lot of campaigning toward Anglo Olim, and there is even a party, Ichud Le'umi - National Union, with an Anglo Oleh in a good position to get in! For those diaspora Jews who claim the excuse that Israel is not what they'd like it to be so they're not making aliyah yet, now is the time to come because you can make a difference!

It's refreshing to see how the different parties are working hard for our vote. It feels like we have arrived. Both the Likud (http://en.netanyahu.org.il/, http://www.new.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=70427785568) and Yisrael Beiteinu (http://www.yisraelbeytenu.com/, http://www.new.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=2227587808) have English language websites and Facebook groups. Likud had a convention last week for Anglos at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem. Yisrael Beiteinu has a Canadian Oleh, Danny Hershtal, running as #21 on their list, and that is becoming a more and more likely spot to make it in. They also have former Israel ambassador to the USA and Nefesh B'Nefesh co-chairman, Danny Ayalon as #7. However, the Ichud Le'umi has the most likely chance of any party to get an Anglo into Knesset with American Oleh Uri Bank of Moledet as #5 on their list. Here is more about him: http://www.scribd.com/full/11101480?access_key=key-trobab4j9zc4atroqrk, http://ichudleumiblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/at-jpost-debate-uri-bank-states-land-of.html, http://ichudleumiblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/ichud-leumi-revolutionary-reform-for.html. Ichud Le'umi is also trying to top the other parties in the Anglo campaign with online commercials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNPElFo5-bw and ,
comic books Ichud Leumi Comic Book

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work book learning

and blogs http://ichudleumiblog.blogspot.com/) aimed at the English speaking community. Its pretty exciting to be an English speaker in Israel right now!

Full post and comments...

The Guys Nobody Seems to be Talking About (But Maybe Should)

Lots of buzz is going around between people and definitely in the news about the big players in the upcoming election: Tzipi, Bibi, and Lieberman. Yet not nearly as much is attention is being focused on the forth alternative: Shas. Now before anyone wants to post a comment about how they're all a bunch of crooks I'd like ask why would you single them out? Do you think the other major Knesset parties people would vote for otherwise are squeaky clean? Kadima's head, our current prime minister has just gone through several rounds of indictments and the Prime Minister before him (Sharon) was also tied to some shady deals. And anybody who's had interactions with the government knows that in Israel things with the government are often not quite so "Yashar" as they should be. Plus despite some problems with members in the past, the current head Eli Yishai seems like a fine man and I am not aware of any bad report of him.

Other people want to complain that Shas are all sellouts, they are just interested in money for their causes and nothing else. Well let's take a look at those causes real quick. From what I'm aware of the majority of the money Shas funnels is into religious schools, ways to help educate non-Religious Jews in Jewish knowledge, and other general Torah learning institutions. Chazal says that Hashem created the whole world for the sake of learning Torah... so much so that if there was a moment in which Torah wasn't being learned anywhere in the world it would cease to exist. So for Shas to divert as much money into Torah learning as possible doesn't sound crooked to me, quite the opposite- I would think it would be the best investment this country could make.

Some want to criticize how they obey the directives of Rav Ovadia Yosef and seem to do whatever he says. Well if anyone has something bad to say about Rav Ovadia I would suggest you bite your tongue- for your own sake. This is because he is one our current generation's biggest Talmidei Chachim (if not THE Gadol Hador), and the Gemara's definition of a heretic is one who claims what do we need the rabbis and the Torah scholars for, what good are they?

I ask any right wing religious voter in Israel, or any religious voter for that matter, who would be a better choice? I don't even think I need to explain away Barak or Livni. Bibi? Last time I checked he doesn't sport a kippah on his head too often and he's already proven his diplomatic resolve and love of Eretz Yisrael and our religious heritage by giving away Hevron. If even Sharon didn't have the backbone to stand up against American diplomatic pressure do you really think he's going to?

What about Yisrael Beiteinu? Arutz Sheva recently reported an American diplomat has released a book of his experience dealing with Israel in which he tells that Lieberman once agreed to give in to the PLO's land demands and give away our precious Yesha. Even if he wants to deny this he can't deny things on his official platform like supporting civil marriage. Currently the Rabbinate controls who gets married in this country and Baruch Hashem there is a group responsible enough to make sure Jews are inter-marrying themselves into extinction like they are in America. Baruch Hashem I recently got married here and I can attest that as inconveniant as it may be having about 20 run-ins with the Rabbinut before getting your ketuba, at least they are making certain people are Jewish before letting them marry each other. Now what pray tell do we need civil marriage for in this country if not to allow inter-marriage and gays marrying each other? I asked a campaign worker for Yisrael Beiteinu the other day about this issue. He claimed it is one of the many issues being spun out of control to harm their image and that in truth Lieberman just supports some small concession to allow for tax breaks. This man wore a kippah as does Lieberman, so I ask them, do they believe in the Torah like their clothing suggests or not!?! If G-d explicitly forbids these types of marriages then why do we need to make even small concessions? Every concession one makes in his beliefs highlights a lack of faith in the Torah. And as far as Lieberman trying to advertise himself as the guy to get the arabs out of Israel? Doubtful. Not even Rav Kahane could do that after immeasurable blood sweat and tears, and this guys is no Rav Kahane.

What about Feiglin? I heard him speak at Tuesday Night Live this week and I must say he is about as much of a stand up guy as you'll find. The problem is he is number 36 on the list. In order to get him in you first need to get in 35 shall we say, "not so stand up" people first. He claims this is the only way to change Likud from the inside out. But changes like he is trying to accomplish take time, and in the mean time can we afford to put our hope in a 1 to 35 voting ratio while the future of the country hangs in the balance?

Then there is the Dati Leumi parties. Their hearts are in the right place but it appears as if they can't get their act together long enough to get along with themselves never mind lead the rest of the country. Plus there is the laws of probability that heavily weigh against them gaining enough seats to have serious influence in the government. One could counter that Shas doesn't have a chance of winning the prime ministership either yet that isn't important. Why? It doesn't really matter who is in charge, for we know that on Rosh Hashanah Hashem plans out of that whole following year who will go to war with who, which side will be victorious, and how much money every person and country will have as well as who will live and who will die. Therefore we could vote in the best party and prime minister in the world and if Hashem doesn't help us then we won't have a chance. Likewise we could have the most inept losers at the helm and if Hashem wills it then we'll be successful. Shas isn't going to be the biggest party, that's a given. But what is also almost guaranteed is that they will be big enough that whichever party does lead will have to take them in as a coalition partner. Therefore the stronger they are, the more muscle they have to get what they want- i.e. money to support Torah (something ever so vital now that much of the American philanthropy to Israel is getting hit hard from the world financial crisis). So if Hashem decides who successful we're going to be at war and diplomacy and the like who does it matter who "appears" to be in charge? What we should worry about is how we can affect thigns we do have control over like how many Jews are going to learn Torah or do Teshuva and have a support network to ease them into the religious world when they do.

Now at the end of the day I don't know how much my opinion counts because I am not yet able to vote here anyway. But I will say this, if you look around at all the political posters it's all attacks from this one on that one and counter-attacks the other way. Then you see the egged bus come by with a big picture of Rav Ovadia and it has a blessing to Am Yisrael or a quote from the Tanach, and always something optimistic. If nothing else, let's go with the "glass half full" people!

Full post and comments...

How Can We Help?

Shalom Yishai

I am a Christian Biblical Zionist, living in New Zealand and I listen to as many speakers on Arutz Sheva as I can, including you.

Today I heard the show where you focused on the MKs, the Knesset synagogue, pressing the politicians with a view alternative to theirs, and, most importantly, prayer.

I belong to one of many home groups that meet mid-week around the country (and around the world) to pray specifically for Israel. We are in the habit of imploring HaShem each week to speak His wisdom into the ears of the MKs, that their souls will be truly enlightened, and we ask that they will have ears to hear Him and the courage to do His will according to His Torah.

Now that I have heard you speak specifically on this subject, I write to ask for your suggestions and guidance: how best can we serve in this matter; what is the best way for us to pray so that Am Yisrael receives the blessing and benefit? We certainly sing to Him with joy (one of our songs is Hallelu et Ad-nai kol goyim) and praise Him for the wonderful things He has done, but we believe because He is limitless, infinite, that we can be bold enough to ask Him for more. We want Him to bless His chosen people and His land because ultimately, when the Jews are doing what they should be doing (if they can get the chance to do it, that is, when they're not having to fight off their enemies) then it is for the positive and practical improvement of the people of the world. We especially pray for the religious observant Jews in Israel that He will keep you strong and of good courage and emunah.

We read the Bible and follow the Parashat portion of the week (and Wow! how often events match the portion!), and ensure we keep up with what transpires as much as possible as well as keeping an eye on what could happen further down the track. Bearing this in mind, would it be in order for us to "press" the politicians as you mentioned in your show, and do you have any suggestions as to how we should do this? We desire to be accurate and always respectful.

Thank you for your show and the work you put into it, thank you for the time you have spent reading this, and thank you in anticipation of your response.

Shalom shalom
Judy

Full post and comments...

Kick Shas' Fax

Here are the fax numbers of the Shas Knesset members. Thanks to their continued participation in the Olmert coalition, we all get to enjoy the painful, sluggish path downward that is comprised of unchecked rocket attacks, threats against Jewish communities, mass releases of convicted terrorists, and various other acts bespeaking corruption and soul sickness.

I hope that you will take 5 minutes, pick three (or more) of these people, and make it your mission to show them that their presence in the government has not gone unnoticed, and that it is not looked upon favorably by potential voters and their friends.

For you, it's 5 minutes. For Israel, it's the future.

I am writing the numbers with the international dialing code at the beginning, for all of you in the exile who are desperate to be involved in what's going on in Israel. For those of you already here, you already know how to dial.

Avraham Michaeli - 011-972-2-675-3961
Eli Yishai - 011-972-2-6662923
Amnon Cohen 011-972-2-640-8927
Ariel Atias - 011-972-2-562-1599
David Azoulay - 011-972-2-675-3908
Chaim Amsalem - 011-972-2-649-6527
Yaakov Margi - 011-972-2-675-3759
Yitzchak Cohen - 011-972-2-531-1308
Meshualam Nahari - 011-972-2-569-5360
Nissim Ze'ev - 011-972-2-649-6549
Roi Lachmanovitch - 011-972-2-666-6209
Shlomo Benizri - 011-972-2-675-3747
Yitzchak Vaknin- 011-972-2-649-6079

Full post and comments...

Israel @ 60: A Jewish 7 Democratic State? - Part I

In anticipation of Israel's 60th anniversary, taking place this spring, I was approached by a Israel education organization and asked to take part in a 3-way written debate on the theme of Israel being a Jewish & democratic state.

The basis for the debate would be a section of Israel's Declaration of Independence (see below), and each of the three contributors would have 300 words to write they're thoughts on the topic, and then another 200 words to respond to one of the other positions.

Over a series of posts I will be sharing the various contributions with you, beginning with my own.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

Having suffered in Exile like no other nation, the Jewish people are sensitive to the suffering of others and expect the Jewish State of Israel to serve as a model in how a nation-state can treat its minorities fairly.

It is for this reason that the founding fathers of the State of Israel took pains, in the very paragraph within Israel’s Declaration of Independence stating that the State of Israel will be open to every Jew in the world, to balance that with the assurance that despite being a Jewish state, “complete equality” will be assured to all.

However, does this accurately reflect the vision of the prophets of Israel?

In this paragraph, two distinct values are expressed. First, that Israel should be a Jewish State, and second, that there should be “complete equality” for everyone living in the State of Israel.

Did the Jewish people, for millennia, yearn for a return to Zion merely to create “the only democracy in the Middle East”? Did they dream of granting “complete equality” to strangers, enabling them to turn the Jewish State into a state of its citizens, or decide on issues such as “Who is a Jew?” or “Land for Peace?”

No.

Throughout the long Exile, the Jewish people were sustained by the “vision of the prophets” – of the eventual ingathering of the Exiles. Upon returning to their ancient Homeland the Jewish people would live as proud, strong and sovereign Jews," creating an “exemplary society” and serving as a "light unto the nations," thus sanctifying G-d’s name throughout the world.

Any non-Jew accepting Israel as a Jewish State without seeking to undermine that premise would be granted full individual rights. Issues concerning the national character and policy of the Jewish State would be decided upon exclusively by the Jewish people residing in Israel.

Treat the stranger kindly? Certainly, but the Bible didn’t intend this to be taken to the extreme of giving the stranger the keys to our national home.

Full post and comments...

Analysis: Left Is Running Out Of Time

(Photo: AP)

Last week a very important, but easily overlooked story was reported in the Israeli media. Arutz Sheva reported it as well. I am pasting it below. I have written about this in the past. In a nutshell, the powers that be on the political and religious left realize they will not remain in power much longer as their population dwindles.


In March 2005 the Jewish Observer quoted a CBS Machon Yerushalyim study that found 50% of the Charadi population to be below the age of 8. The Dati Leumi population was likewise as young and growing just as fast. Simply put that means in 10-18 years, the voting power of these two demographics will double. Actually the hard number of legal voters in this population will double but the voting power may triple or even quadruple when you combine that fact with the statistic that shows non-religious couples were have a birth rate of only 1.2 per couple. A significant power shift in the next generation is obvious.

Fast-forward three and half years. What we see today is the geometric change is in fact occurring. This means not only will the change happen but the rate of the change will increase dramatically as each year passes. Today the latest statistics show just about half the population considers themselves traditional, a third religious, and only one in five call themselves secular - just half of what it was 35 years ago. It is no stretch by any means to say in another 35 years the secular population will consist of less that 10% of Israel, while the religious population will make up well over 50% of the country.

These statistics, nor their clear predictions, are a secret. And so this is why we are finding the left trying to inflict as much "damage" as they can while they can. For they know if their ideological goals are not realized now, today, they most likely will never be - ever!

The Arutz-7 article follows:

Israel Becoming Less Secular
15 Kislev 5768, 25 November 07 02:44
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) An Israel Democratic Institute (IDI) demographic survey finds religious growth and secular decline - but most significant is that the proportion of religious in the public is highest among the youth.

The percentage of Jews describing themselves as secular has dropped sharply over the past 30 years, while the religious and traditional proportions have risen. The annual survey finds that the secular public comprises only 20% of the Israeli population - compared to 41%, more than twice as much, in 1974.

Nearly half the population, 47%, describes itself as traditional, while the hareidi-religious and religious-Zionist together comprise 33% of the public.

The numbers were compiled based on a survey of representative sampling of 1,016 Israelis Jews.

Tradition Reigns
Over the past seven years, according to IDI statistics, the proportion of secular Jews has dropped sharply from 32% to 20% today. The "traditionalists" have traditionally had the lead in polls of this nature - except for one year in 1974, when they trailed the seculars, 41% to 38%.

Other findings show that the Sephardic population is much more traditional and religious than the Ashkenazic sector. Ashkenazic Jews are those originating from European (Christian) countries, whereas Sephardic Jews lived in the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal), African and Middle Eastern (Moslem) countries. Only 7% of the Sephardim describe themselves as secular, compared to 36% of the Ashkenazim. At the same time, 56% of the Sephardim are religious or hareidi, compared to only 17% of the Ashkenazim.

39% of those under age 40 are religious - more than those in their 40's and 50's (32%), and much more than those aged 60 and over (20%).

It can be inferred from the numbers that Israel is a traditional society, and that it will become even more so as the years go by.

Country is Right-Wing; the Religious - Even More So
Politically, the religious are more right-wing, but so are the others. Among the religious, many more identify with the right than with the left, by a 71-8 margin; among the traditional, it's 49-21, and among the secular, it's 43-27. In total, 55% of the population view themselves as right-wing, and only 18% are to the left.

Full post and comments...

Family Values - Not Just an American Issue

MK Rabbi Chaim Amsellem

Mazal tov! A new subcommittee has been formed in the Knesset: the Subcommittee for the Examination of Claims of Legal Severity Against Men in the Areas of Welfare and Family. The subcommittee is expected to change its name to the Subcommittee for the Family.

It is headed by MK Rabbi Chaim Amsellem of Shas, and its members include MKs Rabbi Avraham Ravitz (UTJ), Moshe Cachlon (Likud), Marina Solodkin (Kadima) and Nadia Hilou (Labor).

If you look very carefully at the names of the people present in the July 4th session of the Knesset's Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee, in which Committee Chairman Moshe Sharoni announced the formation of the subcommittee, you may see some familiar ones.

Why is this subcommittee important?

It is important because family is the basic building block of society, and of Jewish society in particular. And it is precisely this basic cell of our national tissue that has come under violent attack by marxist-based ideologies in the past 30-40 years. These ideologies pose as chivalrous defenders of the rights of women, just as their predecessors, the socialist and communist movements, posed as defenders of workers' rights. But the leaders of these movements care about women just as much as Stalin cared about Russian peasants.

The subcommittee will try to understand why the divorce rate among secular Israelis has reached 50%, and whether this truly is a necessary evil of modern times. It will examine whether government policies are designed to encourage divorce. It will find out who profits from the divorce industry and try to understand the logic behind a plethora of laws and regulations, written and unwritten, which have taken away basic rights - such as the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the right to love and raise your children and the right to be loved and raised by both parents, the right to live in your home, the right to freedom, the right to live free of unjustified financial persecution - from countless men, women and children of both sexes in our generation.

If anyone has a good idea as to how to convince dati-leumi leaders that this is an important issue, please let me hear it.

Full post and comments...

Caption Contest

Fox News is running a caption contest. This is the photo:



Fox uses this caption: "Maybe the taco wasn't the best idea for lunch, Tzipi."

Lots of readers have submitted their own. My favorite so far came from a reader named Heather who sent in:

"Man tough crowd... its not like I gave away our land geez!"

Read them all here.

And submit your own right here in our comments!

Full post and comments...

Yom HaZikaron 5767

You can feel the heaviness of the day. It's nothing at all like Memorial Day in America - which to most Americans is simply about sales and the beginning of Summer. Here almost all Israelis know of one (or sadly more) soldier personally that fell so that Israel could be. Here it's personal.

The flag on the Knesset is lowered to half staff (above.) And the nation grinds to a halt to remember who made this all possible as the siren sounds (below.)

Full post and comments...

Olmert, Beware of the Ides of March!

"Et tu, Tzipporahtus?"

These signs went up all over the country this week. They say "Tzippi Livni For Prime Minister" and boast about her clean, non-corrupt record.

Now Livni, for those of you that don't know, is Foreign Minister and Vice PM and basically number two to Olmert in the Kadima party. (Peres is actually number two on the slate, Livni is three.)
But you know you're having a bad day when your own number two is already campaigning as if the early elections caused by your impeachment are in full swing.

That's loyalty - which always was the hallmark of Kadima.

Full post and comments...

Enjoying the View Mr. Defense Minister?

The government needs changing - not just this government but the model in general. The way it's set up today every minister is also a member of Knesset. Did anybody stop for a second to think just how ridiculous that is!?

Let's compare this with the American government. The President's cabinet (which is the equivalent of all the ministry positions) is made up of exactly zero members of Congress. And why do you suppose that is?

Maybe it's because America wants someone knowledgeable about finance and economics heading up its Treasury Department, someone skilled in diplomacy heading up its State Department, and someone experienced in war heading up its Department of Defense. And it's an undisputed fact that politicians are no good at anything but getting people to vote for them.

So what happens when you put such individuals in positions they are woefully unqualified for is you get your Minister of Defense on the cover of papers all over the world looking through binoculars with the lens cap on! And the politician is too full of pride to bother asking someone why his binoculars aren't working. Someone more concerned about his ego than his soldiers is not someone I want anywhere near my country's defense forces.

The Knesset needs to pass a law that sitting MKs can not serve ministry posts. That's the only way to ensure a slight chance they may be filled by qualified individuals. And yes, I know the Prime Minister is a ministry post too.

Full post and comments...

Have You Ever Played the Game of RISK?

Have you ever played the classic board game RISK? You know, the game where you get into countless arguments and make shady deals with sole purpose of best asserting your own personal position in a quest to take over the world.

And of course you know that the only way to actually take over the world is by rolling the dice. Well, Israel's government got together for a similar foray (aka meeting), as they do regularly. Israel's top brass sat down for a friendly Israeli game called RISK: The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

For those of you that missed what went on during the game, let me review.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asserted that there is no problem with the working or non-working relationship between his office and the office of Defense Minister Amir Peretz. This despite repeated press leaks that the two never speak. Olmert assured the committee that it is not necessary for the relationship between the two offices to be rosy.

Olmert accused Opposition Leader and former (and potentially future) PM Benyamin Netanyahu of establishing the Hamas terror group by releasing Sheikh Yassin, former Hamas spiritual terror leader in 1997.

Olmert went on to assert that he would in fact take part in a 3-way summit between PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, US Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice and himself in less than a week, to discuss the conditions for the creation of a rogue Palestinian state in the holiest provinces of biblical Israel.

Olmert added that if the PA will release Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit, then Israel would be forced to reconsider the terrorist nature of the Palestinian Authority "Unity" Government featuring warlording factions Fatah and Hamas.

On the northern front, Olmert opined that any peace deal with Syria would have to include returning the entire Golan Heights which was officially annexed by Israel under international law in 1981. Olmert asserted that every government between 1993-2001 secretly opened negotiations with our northern enemy on the notion that we would return the Golan.

Netanyahu, PM in '93 intelligently interjected during Olmert's briefing, "That's not true!" Olmert, a lawyer, who is quite slick with his own tongue countered, "Yes it is, don't try and hide the truth."

Netanyahu, not wanting to keep the game going too long, said in response, ""This is a failed government, and there is only one thing it must do and that is to go home."

Well, not one concrete idea for strengthening the defense of the state was raised. The only thing left to do right now for the committee is to roll the dice, because the entire Jewish Nation is at RISK.

Full post and comments...

Government of Losers, Go Home!

Here's a sign I saw posted on a bunch of bulletin boards around Jerusalem over the weekend. Apparently the English word "loser" has been adopted into Hebrew. The sign reads, "Memshelet HaLoserim, HaBaytah!" which means, "Government of Losers, Go Home!" The faces pictured are (from left to right) Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz. As a Neo-Zionist, it pains me to see the government of Israel not seem to care about its land and its people, and especially be as corrupt as this one. Losers, go home, and let's pray for some true Jewish leaders to take their place!

Full post and comments...