Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem

121220

20^th 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.org/3508/economic-intifada

“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?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ac2DDR6zlFA

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/national/amnon-lipkin-shahak-the-last-of-the-army-s-princes.premium-1.485921

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/2012/11/22/not-enough-israelis-killed-by-home-made-contraptions-for-bbcs-mishal-

husain/comment-page-1/#comment-1948

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/columnists/frankgaffney/2012/12/13/a-turkish-trojan-horse-for-loudoun-n1465972/page/full/

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/Sans-titre,10514.html

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?feature=player_embedded&v=Wl98UNnQEfU

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.php?lang=en&sub=0&cat=1>

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.

090120 Update and assessment and Mazal Tov America

Gaza Update 13 - Reflections and assessments



At the Lord Mayors Mansion on November 10th 1942, Sir Winston Churchill, describing the Allied victory at the famous battle of Egypt

"Rommel's army has been defeated. It has been routed. It has been very largely destroyed as a fighting force."

He did not say we were victorious he said

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

So it could be said of the battle of Gaza, so close physically to that other battle which turned the tide of WW2 and gave the Allied troops back their lost confidence.



I have a dear, caring, highly intelligent friend who loves Israel with all her heart but whose information is filtered through Haaretz and Israeli television Channel 1 news. Based upon that information she is convinced that all decisions were made by the PM alone and he over-rode everyone else in "his usual arrogant fashion". The writings and words of news people on both the left and the extreme right who prefer to create "uvdot" facts and ignore the truth that Foreign Minister Tsippi Livni has announced time and again that all decisions were made in consultation of the three major players – the PM, herself and Minister of Defence Ehud Barak, under constant the advisement of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Some news people are unable to admit they got it wrong and Israel actually did a good job! The Chief of Staff accepted all decisions made based upon the information he presented from the front until he came to the decision that it was time to withdraw and see clearly the results. It was he, the Chief of Staff who felt it was time to assess our next moves. These are not the words of the press who were shut out of those decision making meetings, but of the Foreign Minister who was privy to and part of every single judgment.



Incidentally, what was perceived by the press as a snub by the PM when the FM flew to Washington was in fact an essential information meeting with Condaleeza Rice, who, unlike many, does not feel that the PM's gaffe was of any consequence either to the present or the future!


Zvi and I sat last night and thought of what, under the most extreme of circumstances which would have broken any other man, the Prime Minister has achieved in his term of office in general and his premiership through this war in particular.

Our right to self-defence is recognized;

Egypt is within (of sorts) the group of allied countries prepared to fight extremism and was given the "kavod" of having their plan adopted. Egypt and Jordan sat at the Sharm Summit with the European leaders and expressed a desire to play an essential part in fighting evil.

We have Europe behind us; do not minimize the effectiveness of the warmth and friendship of this Prime Minister and his ability to make friends with those who have been Israel's biggest deriders and bring them inside.

When told of the Iranian ship off the coast of Gaza, filled with arms and waiting to land, the European leaders, at the suggestion of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, decided to put together a fleet of ships which will patrol that source of arms running and they also recognize our need to solve the gun-running tunnels between Gaza and Egypt – putting Egyptian President Mubarak on the spot.

World leaders, if not the press and thus the simple people, have come to understand what we face and that Hamas caused uncountable suffering to the people of Gaza- killing and maiming thousands and thousands of ordinary folk.

The people of Gaza will not be tricked again, they finally see Hamas for the bunch of killers, bullies and cowards they really are – they talk of Hamas giving aid only to those who swore allegiance to their terror tactics; of killing their detractors and exposing ordinary folk and their families to unbearable danger while their leaders and mentors, in the words of one resident of Gaza who lost his home and family "hide in bunkers and behind the skirts of their women and children. They hid and we suffered the results of their actions. Every Hamas home is now empty – they all ran to Egypt escaping like the cowards they are"

Hamas cause dunbearable and unconscionable suffering to the people of GAzaH

Syria is exposed as a major funder of Hezb-Allah and Hamas and lost all credibility while losing their nuclear potential;

Finally and most dramatically, the apparently impossible happened. Recent events, and Israeli diplomacy, succeeded in splitting the unbreakable "brit", the covenant, of the Arab States, sidelining Hamas, Hezb-Allah, Islamic Jihad, Syrian and Iranian interests and achieving recognition of their evil - quite a conquest I would say!!!



Our hearts go out to the Gazan families who lost everything because their leaders goaded and provoked Israel into a war she did not want. Israel has already set up the mechanism to treat the wounded in Israeli hospitals and is also preparing a plan to rebuild. No matter how it looks on the surface – we didn't want this, we avoided it at all costs for 8 years because we knew that it would be the ordinary people who would pay, and they did. Care WAS taken to protect the ordinary people but it was not enough – however in the words of Colonel Richard Kemp CBE, former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, and a senior military adviser to the British government "Never, in the history of warfare has an army taken so much care to ensure the safety of civilians as the IDF". If only this had not happened but it did.



If the very fragile cease-fire will hold then, with the help of the Europeans, aid for the people of Gaza will finally reach those for whom it was always intended. It will be filtered through Abu Mazen, not because we love, or trust him but because we want to eliminate any opportunity for Hamas to feed and educate the children of Gaza, with money and the tyrannical doctrine of Iran, which is how they got their initial foothold, after the corrupt Fatah leadership stole all the former monies. This time every penny will be monitored and aid will finally get to the people.

This article by the excellent Ehud Yaari explains the current situation in Gaza

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232275660144&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull



Most of the jokes about Israel concern the fact that Moses led us to a desert with no natural resources and lousy neighbours…. Well, think again - Huge gas reserves have been found in the sea near Haifa – apparently it wasn't Moses who got it wrong – we just didn't know where to look!!!

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232265973374&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull



and now to something completely different and monumental in importance.



Today, January 20th 2009, President Barak Obama stands before his country in to be sworn in as an estimated 3 million people stand in the freezing cold of the Mall in Washington DC. For the first time ever a man of colour will become the 44th President of the United States; The definitive confirmation of the American dream.



As an Israeli I wish the outgoing President, Mr. George W. Bush, a gentler time of reflection and warmth in the knowledge that history will be much kinder to him than the present; and to President Barak Obama, I am confident that you will allay the fears of those who are fearful of what is new and different; that you will continue your path of accepting advice and trying to follow a straight path which will be the most productive and effective for your country. We watched last night as you embraced and included Senator John McCain in your celebrations, showing yet again your ability to seek the good in people despite their political affiliation, which you showed in your choice of advisors too. Mr. President please know that whoever our next Prime Minister will be, we, the ordinary Israelis, know, recognize and accept your country's leadership, support and friendship with humility and warmth. Our countries have so much in common, our values and our aims; we can only walk side by side, the colossus and the magical sprite who share a Bible and a future.

With love from Jerusalem, heart of our world and my home

Sheila