121220
20th December 2012
Shabbat Shalom dear friends.
Christmas in nearly here and the world is singing of peace and goodwill unto all mankind. Sadly our world is not at peace and goodwill tends to be a one way street. Sad, so many Christian values are decried, so much goodwill extended and I am sorry to say, the spirit is being sucked out of me. I feel like Tevyeh the Milkman, “NO there is no other hand”..... I cannot keep turning the other cheek.
Some feel I exaggerate when I say that we are close to the despair of 1938 as the world turns ethics and moral turpitude upon itself in a strange race for political correctness toward all but the Jews and the Jewish State. I could only think of what Winston Churchill said upon Neville Chamberlains “Peace in our time” - "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war." and 'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile,hoping it will eat him last.'
Salaam Fayad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority is cross because Israel finally demanded payment for the electricity bill which his exchequer refused to pay. Israel simply refused to pay the taxes due to the PA and used the money to pay the multi-million dollar bill! Reactions below http://www.gatestoneinstitute.
“Stop building in the settlements” “Building in the “settlements” means Israel is not prepared for peace” Are the usual cries from the Eu and sadly from the USA as well of late. Well let's put it into perspective shall we? First of all the PLANNED housing is in or around Jerusalem including Arab neighborhoods such as Beit Tsafafa and the much vaunted Ramat Shlomo is situated between Ramot and French Hill – hardly out in the middle of Arab land eh? One is deafened by the lack of voices raised in anger at the Arab building on the same disputed territory. See for yourselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The world is aghast and horrified at the slaughter of tiny innocents and their teachers in a sleepy American dormitory town called Newtown at the Sandy Hook School. So many questions rise out of that atrocity, not least of all how did a clearly unstable Mother and son acquire so many firearms and how on earth did he get into the school without a guard or someone stopping him? Violent insanity created in a sick man encouraged by his sick mother and the asinine ease with which one can buy firearms. My heart goes out to the families of the children who died and to the children who saw what happened and survived, never to be the same.
Amnon Lipkin Shachak was Chief of Staff of the IDF, an officer and a gentleman. Sadly he lost his battle with cancer two days ago and Israel is sad. We mourn the loss of a hero and a fine and genuine man.http://www.haaretz.com/news/
According to the BBC's Mishal Hussein we shouldn't protect our citizens because that way not enough Israelis die to create sympathy. This interview is disgusting even beyond BBC standards
http://bbcwatch.org/2012/11/
http://bbcwatch.org/2012/11/
Good news for a change! Loudon County, Virginia School Board has refused to allow highly suspect Turkish group to be part of their school. Write and commend them lcsb@lcps.org. Frank Gaffney explainshttp://townhall.com/
This week, for some reason, we were on the road back and fore to Tel Aviv. We began with a marvellous ceremony at the French Ambassadors home which displays exquisite balance between very modern art, fabulous Art Deco furniture and an old Moorish house in Jaffa. Ambassador Bigot (pronounced without the t and most certainly not apt) presented awards to two Israelis, one was to Dorit Beinisch, former President of the Supreme Court of Justice, and the other to our friend and a very special man called Jean Claude Niddam. Jean-Claude was born in Morocco of parents who imbued in him a sense of justice. Jean-Claude studied law in Morocco and his ability in Arabic and French have proven invaluable in his constant legal negotiations with the PA. Jean Claude is the Director of the Ministry of Justice and it has been my absolute delight to get to know him as the Chairperson of IMPACT-SE where his humility and brilliance are constantly apparent. A true mensch and a fine Jew. I felt great pride at his receipt of the French honour. http://www.ambafrance-il.org/
We went fo rdinner at our friends the Gerstners and Ronit decided to make the evening “interesting”! Oh boy, politics were the topic of conversation but the central characters were three men, Zvi, Mayor and Rami who were the three wise monkeys...... they didn't hear each other, didn't see the others viewpoint and each of them claimed that they didn't have the chance to speak although they didn't stop. Three wise men who basically shared a love of country, a recognition of common problems yet..... boy were they loud!!! One woman kept tu tutting, and I knew she was far left wing and unable to recognise that we all wanted peace more than anything but some of us realise that we are not to blame for the lack of peace! She wanted us to behave in a way that appeased the harsh voices of Europe and the USA yet when I offered to show her where the new building would take place she declined.
I asked her if she had any Arab friends, of course not. I asked her if she had any Moslem friends, of course not. I asked her if she had ever been to Maaleh Adumim and she had not.............. I had the feeling that a very intelligent woman could not see beyond her own shame at being Jewish. Maybe I am wrong but that is what I felt. In the end the food was amazing and all three men hugged each other before we left to the usual question “Are you seriously going to drive back to Jerusalem at this hour?” 45 minutes later we were at home!!!!!
The very Tel Aviv attitude of some friends caused me to find this wonderful quote from the inimitable Winston Churchill in 1936 ‘They go on in some strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent…Owing to past neglect, in the face of the plainest warnings, we have entered upon a period of danger. the era of procrastination, of half measures, of soothing and baffling expedience of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences…We cannot avoid this period, we are now in it.’
As a special Jewish treat for all my Christian friends, I just couldn't resist this irreverent video of Chassidim wishing you a wonderful Christmas season - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A message from Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, "In Haifa we don't have co-existence but one existence. In Haifa we celebrate the Festival of Festivals with complete equality between all religions and that is my wish for Christians across the Middle East this Christmas." <http://haifahag.com/index.
Shabbat shalom dear friends, Shabbat shalom. Stay safe and remember to tell those close to you how much you love them. I must go now to be in time to see may fabulous grandchildren in Givat Zeev.
I am thrilled to tell you that my beautiful daughter in law Stephanie is home safe and sound and deep in the loving atmosphere of the family. Love you darling.
No comments:
Post a Comment