A Time for National Soul-Searchng

by Rabbi Eliezer Melamid

The days during the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av are days of soul-searching, in which the Jewish nation is required to correct the sins that led to the churban (destruction). This is especially true in light of the government’s weakness in dealing with Hamas.

In truth, the two fundamental sins that occurred on the 17th of Tammuz still require correction. Today, the continuation of the Sin of the Golden Calf which led to the breaking of the Tablets of the Law is the delusional vision of “peace”. And the continuation of the placing of an idol in the Holy Temple which led to its destruction is currently the religion of democracy, which holds that granting equal rights to all is the supreme value, upon whose altar the lives of people and nations should be sacrificed.

The coupling of these two mistaken beliefs is what leads the Israeli left to support the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Land of Israel. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is also corrupted by this concept, and as long as he does not renounce it, he will not be able to achieve victory over Hamas.

Who is being Logical?

There are leftists who arrogantly claim that their position is the rational one, whereas the right-wing position is based on religion and faith, and thus, irrational and impractical.

However, thus far Jewish history has proved that the Torah’s position was the most logical, but alas, due to our sins we did not act according to the Torah’s instructions, and were exiled from our Land.

In modern times as well, we did not act according to the Torah. When the gates of the Land of Israel were opened, many Jews failed to fulfill the Torah mitzvah of immigrating to Israel and remained in exile; their fate was the Holocaust, Communist decrees, and assimilation. On the other hand, the majority of the secular Zionist leadership did not follow the Torah, and relinquished Transjordan and Judea and Samaria. And with regard to the Arab citizens of the country, they did not attempt to deal with them in line with the principles of the laws of ger toshav (resident alien).

According to these principles, non-Jews who fulfill the Seven Noahide laws and recognize Israel’s sovereignty over its land can live together with us in dignity. And as for those who do not, we must try to remove from the country in internationally accepted ways, as could have been done immediately after the Six Day War. Today as well, we can moderately encourage migration to other countries.

Questions for a Rational Leftist (with the hope there is such a thing)

If there are leftists who are willing to contemplate the future rationally, they are invited to address a few questions I will present in a number of areas:

Morality or Rights

Do you support the establishment of a Palestinian state because, in your opinion, you believe that all Arabs should be given equal, democratic rights,and because you want their lives to be as good as possible (employment, individual freedom, religious and national expression)?

In other words, if you knew that in a Palestinian state within a few years a secular dictator the likes of Saddam Hussein would arise, or a religious ruler like Khomeini or an oganization like Hamas - who would suppress the people and violate their individual rights, would you still support the establishment of a Palestinian state?

If in such a situation you would not support the establishment of a Palestinian state, what would be your position if you knew that the chances of dictatorial regime taking power in such a state were fifty percent?

To illustrate this point, a similar question can be asked: 

Western countries imposed various types of boycotts on South Africa to force her to grant equal rights to the black population. 

Twenty years ago, the white regime in South Africa succumbed and gave the blacks equal rights; consequently, they came to power and overturned the previous administration. 

During those twenty years, the average life expectancy in South Africa fell approximately fifteen years, from 64.5 years, to 49.5 (with the decrease among the blacks even greater).

If the Western countries knew in advance about the expected heavy price in human life and their well-being, would they have pressured South Africa to immediately grant equal rights to the blacks even then? Perhaps they might have sought to implement an extended, gradual process leading to the granting of equal rights, even though doing so temporarily violates the sanctity of the principle of equality?

National Rights

You claim that all people have the right to self-determination, including the right to national sovereignty, and for that reason, the establishment of a Palestinian state is just and moral.

Apart from the basic question of how a nation is defined – for, by any objective criterion, Israeli Arabs do not deserve to be considered a nation – it is necessary to clarify: Who has the right to self-determination – all Arabs in the Middle East, or all Arabs residing between the Jordan and Mediterranean Sea? Or perhaps a distinction should be made between the Arabs of ’48, and the Arabs of ’67?

If you support the establishment of a Palestinian state for the ’67 Arabs (residents of Judea and Samaria), will they have the right to demand unification with the Arabs of the Middle East on the basis of their national rights? And will the Arabs of the Middle East have the moral right to gain control over the Palestinian state, as part of an Islamic or Arabic caliphate?

Also, does empowerment give the Arabs of the Galilee the privilege to demand national rights, or to merge with the Palestinian state? If not – what is the moral justification for preventing them?

Surely, a leftist would answer that Arab residents have the prerogative to decide what their national rights will be, and since they are presently demanding a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, this is what the State of Israel is obligated to grant them. However, the fundamental question is crucial, because chances are if given a state in Judea and Samaria, after a year or two they will claim their national rights also apply to Arabs in the Galilee and the Triangle, and some Arabs will argue that national rights includes all Middle East Arabs.

Rights in Terms of Demography

As a leftist, you most certainly assume and believe that there are two and a half million Arabs living in Judea and Samaria. What would be your position if you discovered there are only a million and a half, as various distinguished researchers from the right claim? Would you still believe they are entitled to a state? And what would you say if they number only a million (and perhaps we can achieve this by encouraging voluntary migration)?

To put it differently: How many Arabs must there be to entitle them to demand a state? And another important question: In your opinion, how many people (settlers) can be expelled justifiably in order to grant a state to a million and a quarter Arabs?

Another question: If it turns out that the demographic process is not as the left customarily believes it to be, but rather, the number of Arabs in Israel will not grow significantly in the future, while the Jewish population does grow quite rapidly (thanks to a high birthrate and and aliyah), so that within a generation the Jewish population, including those who identify with us, will number over 75% between the Mediterranean and the Jordan (including the Gaza Strip) – would you change your mind?

If you are a rational person, would you not agree that there is a further need to check the numerical data and the demographic process more thoroughly and accurately, and not to rely on conventional demographic beliefs which over the years were repeatedly discovered to mistaken?

Security

As a rational leftist, what do you think is the danger that if a Palestinian state is established, it will merge with other enemy countries and initiate a war against Israel? If you knew that the prospect this will happen within twenty years is greater than fifty percent, would you still support the establishment of a Palestinian state?

What do you think the probability is that from within the area of a Palestinian state, rockets will be fired on all Israeli cities, like what has happened in recent years in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip? If the danger is greater than fifty percent, would you still support the establishment of a Palestinian state? If so, at what level of risk would you oppose its establishment?

The Security and Demographic Aspect

As a rational leftist, what do you think the chances are that a Palestinian state will absorb four to six million additional Arabs, funded by UNRWA and other Arab countries?

What do you think the chances are that a Palestinian state, with eight million citizens in Judea and Samaria, will continue to demand from the State of Israel compensation for its (third and fourth generation) "refugees", and the "right" of return? In your opinion, what are the chances that marches of tens of thousands of starving women and children will climb the fences of the State of Israel? Do you think there will be a way to stop them without committing mass murder?

What are the chances that this will lead to a cruel and prolonged war, at high and low degrees of intensity? Can the results of such a war be better than our present situation?

The Instruction of the Torah is the Logical Position

It seems that after outlining these questions, it is possible to see how the Torah’s position rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Land of Israel, is moral and logical.

I will summarize:

Regarding the question of morality, since the overwhelming odds are that the individual rights and quality of life of the Arabs will be adversely affected, as happened in Gaza – there is no moral justification to demand the establishment of a Palestinian state for them.

With regard to the question of national rights, the reasonable difficulty of defining Israeli Arabs as a nation obligates a return to the basic position that there is no “Palestinian people”, but rather, the Arabs living in Israel are part of the Arab nation that resides in the Middle East, and thus, they have no right to demand a separate state for themselves in portions of the Land of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people.

Concerning the demographic aspect in point of fact, there is a positive growth trend of the Jewish nation in Israel – since the establishment of the State, for sixty-six years, we grew tenfold. The predictors of gloom about Arab population growth compared to that of the Jews, always proved wrong and misleading. The Arab birthrate is declining. It turns out that the demographic threat is not critical, and we should reduce it by adopting a policy that will enhance the growth of the Jewish people in Israel, prevent Arab immigration into the Land of Israel, and if possible, even encourage emigration of those who alienate themselves from the Jewish state.

From a security perspective, the establishment of a Palestinian state is liable to endanger the existence of the State of Israel, since the chances of each one of the risks mentioned is over fifty percent. And no international guarantee will help prevent this risk, just as the U.S. and European countries failed to stabilize the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the rest of the Arab countries.

The Challenge before Us

In light of all this, we are charged with a twofold challenge:

1) to strengthen the consciousness of Torat Eretz Yisrael, from which comes the instruction of coping realistically with the difficult complications facing us. 2) In practical terms, to join the settlements in Judea and Samaria; this is the most effective way of fortifying the State of Israel, both spiritually and physically.

This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper, and was translated from Hebrew.

Obama "sanctions" Israel! Refusing to allow flights to Tel Aviv! El Al Will Fly!

Flights in and out of Ukraine, Russia and Kuala Lumpur, no problem!
USA helping Hamas by these "Sanctions"!

Israel, now all alone!

Question: How is Kerry going to fly to the Middle East?

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz is quoted saying “There is no reason why the US should cancel flights, thereby handing a prize to terrorists”.

Israeli airline El Al said it would not cancel any flights as air travel to Israel from all American carriers and several European ones came to a halt on Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Authority banned US airlines from traveling to and from Ben Gurion Airport for 24 hours.

"There is no chance we will stop operations," an El Al spokesman told the Post.

n labor disputes with the government, El Al has argued that it is the only airline the country can rely on to continue flying during tough security times, and that Israel should foot more of the bill for its security needs. During the 1991 Gulf war, every airline but El Al suspended service to Israel.

The FAA's decision followed the successful firing of a Hamasrocket into a house in Yehud, near Ben Gurion Airport, earlier in the day.

"The FAA immediately notified US carriers when the agency learned of the rocket strike and informed them that the agency was finalizing a [Notice to Airmen]" prohibiting the flights, an FAA statement read.

American aviation companies Delta, United said they were suspending flights to Israel "indefinitely," US Airways reportedly only suspended flights for the night.

Soon after the FAA decision, Lufthansa announced a 36-hour suspension that included subsidiaries Germanwings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss, and Air France announced its own indefinite suspension.

"As soon as the FAA gives such an order to US carriers, in most cases it's a domino effect, and most European carriers will be forced to suspend their flights," said an industry source.

Delta diverted flight 468 from JFK, which was already en route to Tel Aviv with 273 passengers and 17 crew members, to Paris-Charles de Gaulle "after reports of a rocket or associated debris near the airport in Tel Aviv," and said that it was working to re-accommodate its customers.

The European Aviation Safety Agency issued a "strong recommendation" that airlines should avoid Tel Aviv, joining action by US authorities as conflict continued on the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in the conflict, Korean airlines suspended operations for a week.

Transportation Minister Israel Katz called on American aviation companies to return to normal functioning, stressing that Ben-Gurion airport was safe from for take-offs and landings, and that there was no security concern for passenger planes.

"There is no reason for the American companies to stop their flight and give a prize to terror," he said.

Hamas has explicitly targeted the airport in hopes of stopping or slowing air traffic. Earlier in the conflict, it lobbed a handful of rockets in the direction of the airport, suspending traffic there for nine minutes.

"The armed wing of the Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression, and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben-Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," a statement by the group said at the time.

In an interview with Channel 2, Katz added that he believed the decision was an automatic reaction to the rocket landing, and hoped to convince them to reinstate flights on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, Ben Gurion Airport has rerouted flights landing and takeoff paths to the north in order to boost security in the face of rockets from the South.

Though the Iron Dome missile defense system has managed to shoot down about 90% of rockets headed toward populated or strategic areas, the FAA’s decision was likely fueled by the recent downing of a Malaysian plan in Ukraine, likely by pro-Russian rebels.

Should the suspension continue, it could have a significant impact on Israel’s economy.

Tourism accounts for about 5% of Israel's exports and about 1.5-2% of GDP. Incoming tourism has already declined as a result of the rocket fire from Gaza, with organized groups canceling at a rate of about 30% July and August.

Yet the cancellation of flights, should it continue for a significant period of time, could have a greater impact on the economy. A May report by the Bank of Israel found that business travel to Israel tends to be more resilient than leisure tourism in the face of security problems.

Without ways to get into the country, however, business travelers, who have historically accounted for 12-20% of travelers to Israel, will also be kept behind. Worse, the precedent of flights canceled due to security may deter them from future business dealings.

On the other hand, the economic effects of a one-day suspension would be negligible, according to Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce Uriel Lynn.

"Is it affecting Israel's business now? No. It's 24 hours. It's not a big deal. We have telecommunications infrastructure that helps us get business done," Lynn told the Post.

The chances of a longer suspension seemed unlikely, he added, given Hamas’s inability to strike at the airport up until now. America’s political stance on terrorism and alliance with Israel, Lynn offered, would likely affect the FAA’s decision.

"The moment they forbid flights to Israel, they strengthen Hamas, who say, ‘Great, we're succeeding in isolating Israel, we're fulfilling our goals.' I don't think the FAA want to do that," he said.

On Monday, the US State Department issued a travel warning recommending "that US citizens consider the deferral of non-essential travel to Israel and the West Bank," but noted that "Ben Gurion Airport is currently open and commercial flights are operating normally, although delays and cancellations can occur." MK Dov Lipman (Yesh Atid) said that US demands for a ceasefire contradict its canceling flights and issuing travel warnings.

"If we are being asked to hold our fire, we must have already succeeded in restoring peace and quiet. If it is unsafe for flights and US citizens to come to Israel, then we clearly have more fighting to do to protect ourselves from Hamas. Some clarifications and explaining is certainly in order," Lipman stated.

MK Danny Danon (Likud) pointed out that many airlines from countries that are less friendly to Israel than the US did not cancel flights.

"I hope this decision will be changed and will not help Hamas' psychological warfare," Danon said.

400 People Take Off From JFK To Immigrate To Israel

Despite an ongoing and bloody conflict, hundreds of families left the United States to immigrate to Israel on Monday afternoon.
Nearly 400 people from across the United States and Canada gathered Monday for a farewell ceremony at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Before boarding the charter flight Monday, the group was briefed on security measures and what steps to take when air raid sirens sound to warn of incoming rockets.
“This is a celebration — a celebration of our people’s resilience, perseverance and determination,” said Israeli Consul General Ido Aharoni.

It was difficult for some people to part with their loved ones.
“I’m nervous. I’m really excited for them, because I know it’s really where they belong, but it’s hard,” one woman said. “It’s hard to let them go.”

The group included 100 children who were immigrating with their parents.


 

Video of Hamas Cowards Escaping in Ambulance!

The IDF released video images on Tuesday of what the military said were Gaza terrorists leaving a home and boarding an ambulance.

The video, taken from an aerial surveillance platform, contains the recordings of Air Force officials monitoring the situation.

“Two are leaving the home and going into an alley, in the direction of where you carried it [unknown] out,” says one intelligence scout.

“And now they are boarding and ambulance,” he adds.”

“Another one just entered. And he’s even dressed in white,” a voice says over the communications network. “It’s the driver.”

Twisted Minds of Jews who write on Vosizneias!

Below is a comment from a frum Jew writing to Vosizneias. 
Unfortunately this is the way the Yeshivishi and the Satmar oilem actually think!
That Israel  puts "the entire global Jewish population in danger" with "this Gaza operation."

They totally ignore the fact that rockets have been raining down on Israel constantly for over 10 year.

He writes: "Jews who follow Toras Moshe MiSinai are against the state of Israel "
I got news for you: I follow "Toras Moshe MiSinai" and am 100% totally for the State of Israel, as every thinking frum Jew should be.

Then to make nice, he writes "Neturei Karta (that) do hugging and kissing with Arabs is disgusting and despicable "
Tell me Mr. Maven, what's the difference between you and Neturei Karta?
I guess nothing, except you won't kiss those who kill our babies in pizza shops"


Maven Says
Nebach nebach 25 young Jewish lives cut short.
Off course there is no victory when Jews die and there is no victory when so many young Arab children are being killed. Even if Hamas is using them as human shields still killing women and children fuels anti semitism as never before.

Israel,with this Gaza operation is putting the entire global Jewish population in danger. Arabs worldwide are furious, angry in a rage at Jews all over the world.
Observant Jews must find a way letting the world know what Israel does is not the view of worldwide Jewry.The state of Israel does not represent all Jews.Jews who follow Toras Moshe MiSinai are against the state of Israel because Jews are not allowed to have their own Medina before the coming of Moshiach .

At the same time it must be said that what a very tiny minority of Jews who call themselves Neturei Karta do hugging and kissing with Arabs is disgusting and despicable

IDF blow up Sudanese weapons arsenal headed for Hamas

Arsenal reportedly held long range missiles for Hamas; Sudanese officials deny Israeli strike weeks after Sudan's president met with Mashaal in Qatar.

Sources in Khartoum claimed on Monday that Israeli forces struck a weapons arsenal which held long range missiles for Hamas.

The Arabic-language UK-based newspaper Al-Arab reported that the government in Sudan is not confirming the incident in order to cover up relations with the terrorist organization in Gaza. Such ties could entangle the country's president Omar al-Bashir with an accusation of supporting terrorism from the US and Western nations.

The attack came only hours after Israel accused the Sudanese government of storing long range missiles for Hamas.

Eye witnesses claimed to have seen a "huge explosion" and billows of smoke before ambulances and firefighters arrived at the scene. Six people were allegedly wounded in the attack.

Sudanese security forces stated that the huge explosion in a weapons arsenal was the result of a fire that broke out and took place on Friday morning in the al-Jili neighborhood of the capital.

The Sudanese Army Spokesman Khaled Sa'ad denied all connections in the incident to an attack by foreign forces.

Two weeks before the alleged Israeli strike, Sudan's President al-Bashir was seen meeting with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal in Qatar. 

UN Chief discovers his mouth, calls IDF offense in Shejaiya "Atrocious Actions"

Kock' im' Moon, the UN Chief who recently gave back rockets to Hamas, that were found in the UN School in Gaza, has the Chutzpah to call the IDF operation in the murderous city of Shejaiya an "atrocious action"! 
This city is the hotbed of all Hamas activities against Israel, it's the city where most of the rockets hurled at Israel come from.
This guy doesn't say one word to ISIS that is presently threatening to annihilate  all Christians in Mosul Iraq!

UN General Kock im' UHN

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urges Israel to “exercise maximum restraint” and spare civilian lives in its campaign in Gaza, where the reported Palestinian death toll on Sunday alone passed 100.
He also condemns the “atrocious action” of Israel in Shejaiya, near Gaza City, where a blistering assault that started at dawn killed 62 people and wounded at least 250.
The United Nations chief makes his remarks in Doha, Qatar at the start of a regional trip aimed at pushing for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“While I was en route to Doha, dozens more civilians, including children had been killed in Israeli military strikes in Shejaiya. I condemn this atrocious action,” he tells a news conference.
“Israel must exercise maximum restraint and do far more to protect civilians,” he says, adding that it also “must respect the humanitarian law” as it presses ahead with a deadly offensive that began on July 8.
“Too many innocent people are dying…(and) living in constant fear” in the narrow coastal strip controlled by Hamas, he says.
“Gaza is an open wound. We must stop the bleeding now,” says Ban, adding that beyond a ceasefire the “root causes of the conflict” must be addressed.

Two IDF Soldiers from U.S. Among The 13 Israelis Who Fell In Gaza

(R-L) Max Steinberg and Sean Carmeli

Two U.S. citizens were among the 13 Israeli soldiers of the Golani brigade who were killed since Saturday night fighting in Gaza during heavy combat with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Sean Carmeli with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship of South Padre Island, Texas and Max Steinberg of Los Angeles, California.

The two were part of a team of seven Israeli soldiers, who were all killed when an explosive device reportedly detonated on their armored vehicle according to the official IDF blog. In the second incident, terrorists opened fire at two IDF soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one soldier while the second returned fire. Later, two IDF soldiers were killed in an attack by a terrorist squad in northern Gaza and three IDF soldiers lost their lives trapped in a burning building.

More information about Sean Carmeli and Max Steinberg was given by The Michael Levin Lone Soldier Center, an organization that assists lone soldiers throughout their IDF Service. Founded by a group of former lone soldiers who came to Israel on their own to serve in the IDF, the center is named after Michael Levin, an Israeli paratrooper originally from Pennsylvania who was killed in the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

According to the center’s post, Sean Carmeli was a returning citizen who came from a small town in Texas. “Everything may be bigger in Texas, but the beaches and parties could not distract a native-son from returning home to defend and protect his people…” the center posted on its Facebook page in honor of Carmeli’s memory.

Steinberg came “from a proud Zionist home” in LA and “did everything he could to stand up and fight for what was right,” the post continued.

“They made the ultimate sacrifice, in an attempt to rid the world of one of the most evil, unimaginable and horrible organizations to ever exist,” the post concluded.

IDF FUNERALS IN PHOTOS

The son of IDF Major Amotz Greenberg (res.), 45, seen on the grave of her father during his funeral at the military cemetery in Hod HaSharon on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Greenberg was killed after Gazan militants who had breached into Israeli territory opened fire on a army vehicle in the Israeli Gaza border. (Credit: Flash90)

 

 

Friends and relatives of Major Amotz Greenberg (res.), 45 mourn during his funeral at the military cemetery in Hod HaSharon on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Greenberg was killed after Gazan militants who had breached into Israeli territory opened fire on a army vehicle in the Israeli Gaza border. (Credit: Flash90)

 



 family member seen crying over the fresh grave of the late Sergeant Benaya Rubel, at the Holon Military Cemetery on July 20, 2014. The 20 year old paratrooper was killed yesterday during clashes with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, on the second day of the IDF ground invasion and the 12th day of Operation Protective Edge. (Credit: Flash90)

 

 



Fellow IDF soldiers seen mourning during the funeral ceremony of the late Sergeant Benaya Rubel, at the Holon Military Cemetery on July 20, 2014. The 20 year old paratrooper was killed yesterday during clashes with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, on the second day of the IDF ground invasion and the 12th day of Operation Protective Edge. (Credit: Flash90)

 



Uri Greenberg (C), the son of killed Israeli soldier Amotz Greenberg, is embraced by his grandfather during the military funeral ceremony in the cemetery of Hod Hasharon, Israel, 20 July 2014. Israel announced it has lost 13 soldiers, including officers, in the past 48 hours of the incursion into the Gaza Strip to locate and clear Hamas tunnels. (Credit: EPA)

 



Uri Greenberg (C), the son of killed Israeli soldier Amotz Greenberg, is embraced by his grandfather during the military funeral ceremony in the cemetery of Hod Hasharon, Israel, 20 July 2014. Israel announced it has lost 13 soldiers, including officers, in the past 48 hours of the incursion into the Gaza Strip to locate and clear Hamas tunnels. (Credit: EPA)

 



The family of Major Amotz Greenberg (res.), 45 mourn during his funeral at the military cemetery in Hod HaSharon on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Greenberg was killed after Gazan militants who had breached into Israeli territory opened fire on a army vehicle in the Israeli Gaza border. (Credit: Flash90)

IDF Confirms: 13 Golani Soldiers Killed R”L in Gaza Fighting Since Last Night -

Military announces that 13 Israeli soldiers from Golani Brigade were killed since Saturday night in fighting with Hamas terrorists in Gaza; IDF completing identification process of fallen troops

The IDF announced on Sunday evening that 13 Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade were killed since Saturday night in fighting with Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of military fatalities so far in the campaign against Hamas in Gaza to 18.

The fallen soldiers took part in exchanges of fire against terrorists in Gaza. Seven soldiers were killed when Gaza terrorists attacked their APC on Saturday.

The military was still completing the process of identifying the fallen soldiers. The families had been notified of the soldiers' deaths.

Additionally, Col. Rasan Alian, commander of the Golani Brigade, was moderately injured in an exchange of fire in Gaza. He has been hospitalized at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva Dozens of wounded IDF soldiers were brought from the fighting in Gaza to a number of hospitals across Israel on Sunday morning.

In total, 53 wounded Israeli soldiers have been hospitalized from the fighting in Gaza.
Fifteen soldiers were brought to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva. Four were in serious condition and eleven were in light to moderate condition.
Two lightly injured soldiers were brought to Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem.
Three soldiers were brought in moderate condition to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Two others were brought to Soroka with light wounds.

Since the ground operation in Gaza began, eleven wounded soldiers have been evacuated to Soroka.
Four wounded soldiers were brought to Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. Two of the evacuees were in serious condition, one was in serious to moderate condition and another was in moderate condition.
Since the beginning of the ground operation twelve soldiers were evacuated to Sheba.

Large numbers of Ground Forces entered the Gaza Strip overnight between Saturday and Sunday as Israel expanded its operation against Hamas. The increased presence in Gaza is aimed at destroying Hamas infrastructure, the IDF said.

It came after the government decided to move into the next stage of the operation, and after the units sent into Gaza completed intensive training and preparations.
Earlier on Saturday, two soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced.
Staff Sergeant Bania Roval, a 20-year-old soldier from Holon, serving in the Paratroopers 101st Battalion, was shot dead by a terrorist in Gaza who emerged from a tunnel shaft and opened fire at soldiers. The terrorist was shot dead in return fire.
"Controlling tunnel shafts doesn't give us full control of the entire tunnel," a senior military source said.

The second soldier, 2nd-Lt. Bar Rahav, 21, from Ramat Yishai, from the Engineering Corps, was killed in an attack in Gaza.
Also on Saturday, two soldiers were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade while thwarting the attempt to murder Israeli civilians. Their names were Sgt. Adar Barsano, 20, of Nahariya, and Maj. Amotz Greenberg, 45, of Hod Hasharon, the army said.
On Friday, in the IDF's first casualty, twenty-year-old Sergeant Eitan Barak from Herzliya was killed in Gaza under still unclear circumstances.

Military sources said Hamas gunmen have increased their attacks on soldiers who are searching and finding tunnel entrances in Palestinian homes near the border with Israel. Simultaneously, Hamas has ordered its members to use remaining tunnels for immediate cross-border attacks against Israeli civilians and military targets. Thirteen cross-border tunnels have been destroyed since Thursday night. The air force had struck some 500 targets since the start of the ground operation.

The IDF feels it has gained "significant control" of cross-border attack tunnels, and that this development is "upsetting Hamas," the source added. Hamas is doing its best to hamper the army's efforts, and attempts to send a donkey with explosives and a suicide bomber on a motorcycle on Friday are part of those attempts. Hamas is also trying to kidnap soldiers.

Additionally, two terrorists attempted to attack a D-9 armored bulldozer used in uncovering tunnels by the Engineering Corps. In the attack, two terrorists emerged from a tunnel entrance. One, a suicide bomber, detonated his explosives, and the second fired an anti-tank missile. Both were killed in the incident.

Satmar Yiddish newspaper Dee Zeitung says the biggest threat facing Judaism is ....... כוחי ועוצם ידי

The Satmar Rebbes are terrified that the Jewish World is looking at the IDF with admiration and respect, and are worried that their irrelevant "Shita" is now being looked upon by their own Chassidim with ridicule.

This week's edition of the Dee Zeitung, a Satmar Yiddish newspaper, writes that Rabbonim are "worried about the Hashkafa part of the situation now in Israel"

They are not worried that many people, may G-D Forbid, be killed by the thousands of rockets from  Hamas, Nooooooooooooooo, they are worried that after the war, thinking Jews will attribute the success of the campaign on the greatness of the Jewish Army proclaiming         כוחי ועוצם ידי    ,  and forget that there is a G-D up there doing all the work.

I would like to ask my fellow Satmars, don't all the biographies of the Satmar Rebbe , proclaim the same   כוחי ועוצם ידי
 Don't they attribute hundreds and thousands of miracles to the Rebbi?

Don't they say that this lady, and that lady, couldn't have children, and the Rebbi promised them children? Isn't that כוחי ועוצם ידי

Don't they say that the Rebbi gave them parnassah? Isn't that כוחי ועוצם ידי
What about their attribution to the founding of the town of Monroe to the Rebbe, isn't that כוחי ועוצם ידי?

Why is it ok for the Rebbi to have כוחי ועוצם ידי
and not the Zionists?

State of Israel a "Medina of Hell" writes Satmar News Der Blatt

We are now in midst of the "Three Weeks" and I was debating whether to post this.

People who know that I write this blog asked that I refrain from writing negative stories during these weeks. So I skipped reading the editorial in this week's Yiddish Satmar Newspaper Der Blatt, run by the Aronie faction of the Satmars, and decided to read an article in  an insert in Der Blatt, which featured a story  about the  historical city of Gaza.

I was totally blown away! Here, I thought I would read a parve story about the Jewish settlements in the ancient city of Gaza, and what I got, was the most disgusting Satmar anti-Zionist propaganda embedded in the article.
You would think that they would give the readers a bit of fresh air, but nooooooooooo, they insert Zionism even in an historical piece about the old Jewish settlement in Gaza.

I will loosely translate the introduction to this article.

"During these days, when the entire Jewish World is busy with the war that the evil Zionists, may they be obliterated, again forced upon the Jews, a war that happens again and again every couple of years, and even though there is a ceasefire, on and off , every Jew residing in Eretz Yisroel knows that this will not endure too long, since the Zionists will again start to tease and antagonize the Arab murderers and the war will continue.

Today, the city is an exclusive Arab city, a city that has absolutely no Jews. It is interesting to note, that just 80 years ago, there was a beautiful Jewish Community and that the reason there are no Jews there now, is because of the terrible "Hisgarous B'Umois" what the evil Zionists did 80 years ago way before the existence and founding of this Medina of Hell in Eretz Yisroel."

So they are blaming the Zionists for "teasing the Arabs" and blaming  the Judenrein Gaza on the Zionists , even though they themselves admit that there was no State of Israel then.

So, I ask you guys, should I let something so evil go, and ignore it, or did I do the right thing to let my readers know that we have the devil incarnate living amongst us, and  tell you why Moshiach isn't coming!

During this tragic time, when the Jewish people are under attack throughout the entire world; to have these ingrates take an innocent historical story and twist it into evil propaganda is beyond the pale of decency!

A Gutta Voch, Mama

Last Video of passengers on Flight MH-17 prior to take off in Amsterdam

IDF starts Gaza ground invasion

Netanyahu's office says purpose of mission is to destroy terror tunnels and seriously harm the infrastructure of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza.

IDF ground forces began to move into the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, the prime minister's office confirmed.

The purpose of the operation was  to destroy the Gazan terror tunnels leading to Israel, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.  

"Israel is committed to act to protect its citizens. The operation will continue until its goals are reached: To bring quiet to the citizens of Israel for a long period of time, and to seriously harm Hamas and other terrorist organizations' infrastructure in the Gaza Strip," the statement read.

Prior to the commencement of the ground invasion, the IDF launched a massive wave of combined air and artillery strikes on Thursday night.

The ground invasion comes hours after a Hamas assault squad of thirteen highly armed terrorists attempted to carry out a massacre of civilians at Kibbutz Sufa, near the border, before being blocked by the IDF.

Infantry, Armored Corps, Engineering Corps, artillery, and intelligence units are taking over various areas in Gaza, and are all working with one another and the air force. They are operating in central, and southern Gaza, where Hamas has dug an extensive terrorist tunnel network.

The IDF's Southern Command is overseeing the ground offensive.
The units involved have undergone intensive training recently ahead of their missions, Brig.-Gen. Moti Almoz, IDF spokesman, said on Thursday night.
"The operation has reached its ground phase," Almoz said. "Large numbers of forces began a focused effort to destroy tunnels in Gaza.

We are in a new stage," he stated. At the same time, the air force is contintuing with air strikes against Hamas and Islamic Jihad around Gaza.

The Ground Forces are currently engaging terrorist infrastructure, and the operation "will be expanded as needed," Almoz said. "They're moving now in various areas of Gaza. We will continue to attack in every location we think needs to be struck," he warned.

The IDF is currently calling up more reserves, Almoz added.

Palestinian sources said strikes occurred up and down the Strip, adding that one strike targeted a motorcycle apparently carrying members of a rocket launching cell on their way to an attack on Israel.

At around 10:00 p.m. rocket sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv area, and in the Shfela. Iron Dome made a number of interceptions in the Tel Aviv area.

Hamas bombarded Israel on Thursday with rockets after the end of the humanitarian truce, firing over 100 projectiles after 3 p.m. Eighty one rockets landed in open areas, two fell inside villages, damaging two homes, and 20 were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.

Also on Thursday, a drone from Gaza was detected in Israeli airspace, over the Ashkelon area. The IAF fired a patriot surface-to-air missile at the aircraft, shooting it down. It was the second Hamas drone to be shot down in recent days.

The IDF on Thursday warned citizens of Gaza to evacuate their homes and make their way from less populated areas to the Strip's major cities.

Close to 100,000 leaflets containing the message were dropped over the territory and hundreds of thousands of citizens from all over Gaza received recorded phone messages warning them to vacate villages.

Air raid sirens sounded throughout southern and central areas during the day. Ashkelon and Ashdod were targeted by Hamas repeatedly in the evening, and were successfully defended by Iron Dome.

Iron Dome intercepted two rockets over central Israel and the Sharon district in the evening, and one over the city of Ashdod. Several rockets landed in open areas.

The Gaza-border region of Eshkol came under continuous rocket barrages. Some ten rockets in open areas, and one damaged a home.
Between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Hamas fired 40 rockets at Israel, and Iron Dome shot three down Two rockets were fired at Beersheba, with one falling in an open area and a second intercepted over the Negev city.

Within a minute of the ceasefire ending, rockets were fired from Gaza at the Ashkelon industrial area and Hof Ashkelon region. Most fell in open areas.

The humanitarian ceasefire was violated when Hamas fired 3 projectiles at the Eshkol region. The rockets exploded in open areas.

On Thursday morning, one rocket was intercepted over the greater Tel Aviv and Sharon district, and one rocket fell in an open area. In Beersheba, Iron Dome intercepted an incoming Gazan rocket.

Satmar Rebbe's Huge Mistake in WW2, Part 2

This is the second of a two-part investigation into the life of the Satmar Rebbe.

Here Read Part 1

 

***

During his stay in the Cluj ghetto, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum hid rather than position himself as a leader. On the rescue train, he avoided the other passengers, failed to encourage or to comfort them, and did not share the precious commodities provided by his followers with them. In Bergen-Belsen, too, despite the preferential treatment accorded him in the camp, he refrained from assuming a leadership role, even among the observant inmates.

After his release, Rabbi Yoel elected to run a rescue campaign from the safety of Switzerland. His efforts to rescue Jewish children raised by gentiles were restricted to fundraising, and even in that task he failed abysmally.

Once again, his conduct stands in stark contrast to that of other rabbis, who returned to their hometowns to lead their surviving flocks or worked relentlessly in the DP camps. All the sources describing the rescue activities of the Haredi community during the Holocaust, including archival sources, indicate that compared to other rabbis who survived the Holocaust, Rabbi Yoel’s contribution was negligible in both scope and significance.

After the Holocaust, Rabbi Yoel also turned his back on all those who had helped to rescue him. After settling in Palestine in 1946, he refrained from expressing any gratitude to the people and institutions that had been instrumental in his rescue and had endeavored to obtain certificates for him, among them Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Herzog, Agudath Israel leaders Rabbi Yitzhak Meir Levin and Rabbi Moshe Porush, and Ha-Mizrahi’s Rabbi Joseph Yitzhak Rotenberg.

 He scathingly attacked the institutions they headed and, unlike other Hasidic rebbes they helped rescue, refused to make even the slightest symbolic gesture of gratitude. Moreover, it seems he repudiated his benefactors on a personal level, too. As far as we know, Rabbi Yoel never sent any letters of gratitude or appreciation to any of the people or institutions involved in his rescue.

Once settled in the United States, he spurned most of those who sought to assist him there, as well. He criticized Agudath Israel and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, whose leaders had headed the Rescue Committee that endeavored to rescue the Hungarian Jews, including him.

He treated Rabbi Elimelekh (Mike) Tress (1909–1967), leader of Tseirei Agudath Israel (the youth division of the Agudath Israel), and Rabbi Abraham Kalmanovich (1891–1964) somewhat more kindly, but then he ignored them when he no longer needed their assistance.

When asked to testify on Kasztner’s behalf during his trial, Rabbi Yoel, whose inclusion on the Kasztner train was raised during the proceedings, refused. Thus, Rabbi Yoel repaid with ingratitude even the man whose name became most closely associated with his rescue from the extermination camps.

Criticism concerning his flawed conduct hounded Rabbi Yoel during the Holocaust and persisted thereafter. Therefore, Rabbi Yoel found himself compelled to explain, to himself possibly as well as to others, his objection to emigration to the United States and Palestine, his flight from the town of Satmar, and his participation in the Zionist Kasztner transport.

His views on the Holocaust were never consolidated into a single contemplative text but rather were recorded in many of his works. The following are some examples:

• The Holocaust is God’s punishment of the Jewish people for its sins, and primarily for the sin of Zionism. The Zionist concept implied a denial of God’s ability to deliver his people and disrupted the natural place of the people of Israel, destined to remain exiled until the true deliverance.

• Zionism’s ultimate, undeclared goal was the spiritual annihilation of the people of Israel. Therefore, collaboration with those trying to cause the people of Israel to sin, that is, Zionist institutions, is strictly forbidden, even under threat of death.

• Zionists are the descendants of the Erev Rav (mixed multitude) and the Amalekites, so it is no wonder that they have caused the people of Israel such trouble.

• Any collaborators with Zionism, even the religious members of Ha-Mizrahi and Agudath Israel are also guilty of its sins. Therefore, the Zionist and the Haredi rabbis also bear part of the blame for the Holocaust.

• The Zionists bear the blame for the Holocaust not only because of their ideological concept, but also because of their actions, which included:

provoking Hitler and causing him to take revenge upon the people of Israel, obstructing emigration to other countries so as to force Jews to settle in Palestine, and the closure of their borders to immigrants following the demand to establish a Jewish state. Particular blame falls on the Zionists for deliberately preventing the Haredim from immigrating and thus saving themselves.

• The sin of Zionism was so grave that even its bitter opponents, Rabbi Yoel’s anti-Zionist followers were punished for it.

• The Holocaust was part of the redemption process. The Messiah’s advent, destined to occur during its course, was impeded by the Zionists’ actions and the intervention of Satan.

The author of the single, brief biography of Rabbi Yoel written during his lifetime completely ignored the Holocaust period. Several posthumous biographies, authored mostly by his Hasidim, were required to explain the rabbi’s conduct during the Holocaust. The subject was not dealt with in a coherent or deliberate way, and the various authors found different solutions to a number of issues. Over time, the coping modes changed, and in recent years, apologetic attempts to conceal or ignore difficulties have been replaced by a “counter-offensive,” designed to undermine what the authors perceived as “Zionist claims.”

The following are some of the modes and claims used in addressing Rabbi Yoel’s decisions and actions during the Holocaust:

• Rabbi Yoel merely opposed organized immigration to Palestine, not the immigration of individuals wishing to lead a Haredi lifestyle. Jewish settlement in Palestine prior to the Holocaust would not have prevented the danger, as the German army was already on its way and only by a miracle never reached it.

• The Zionists took advantage of the dire straits in which the Haredi Jews found themselves, forcing them to join their ranks and thus to corrupt their souls.

• Rabbi Yoel had never sought to flee and abandon his congregation, yet his capture by the Germans would have been disastrous for his followers. He encouraged many to flee the ghettos, and the purpose of his escape was to continue his rescue efforts outside of Hungary.

• Rabbi Yoel was among the initiators of the negotiations with the Germans, and his inclusion on the Kasztner train was the result of a demand made by Haredi leaders, rather than a generous offer by the Zionists.

• The Zionists collaborated with the Germans by failing to publicize the danger threatening the Jews in Hungary. Moreover, they impeded the implementation of rescue plans and discriminated against the Haredi population in the allocation of certificates by making the signed acceptance of Zionism a prerequisite for the granting of certificates.

• The Zionists covered up Haredi rescue initiatives and in particular their role in the rescue of Rabbi Yoel. They accused Rabbi Yoel of opposing settlement in Palestine, although they themselves permitted only selective immigration and blamed the Haredi leadership of endeavoring to save the rabbis alone.

Rabbi Yoel founded his congregation in Williamsburg, New York, shortly before the establishment of the State of Israel. His anti-Zionist attacks and delegitimization of Israel by blaming Zionism for the Holocaust served to consolidate the congregation’s unique identity.

Within a few years, it attracted hundreds of Hasidim and became known for its reclusive lifestyle and radical religious views. Unlike other Haredi communities in the United States, Rabbi Yoel supported the Edah Ha-Haredit of Jerusalem, whose institutions were on the verge of bankruptcy after donations from Eastern Europe dried up during the Holocaust. In gratitude, it appointed him its first president and subsequently ga’avad (chief rabbi of its Rabbinical Court).

In 1954 he founded the Central Rabbinical Congress of the United States and Canada (Hit’ahdut Ha-Rabanim), uniting rabbis whose religious views were anti-Zionist. In the provocative demonstrations it held in New York and Washington, the organization vilified the State of Israel for “trampling religion” and accused its government of “Nazi” treatment of the Haredi community. Following the publication of Rabbi Yoel’s anti-Zionist polemic books, he emerged as Zionism’s bitterest ideological opponent.

The demonstrations triggered a public discussion of Rabbi Yoel’s conduct during the Holocaust. One of the criticisms leveled against him, both within the Haredi community and in the Israeli press and academic literature, focused on his rescue aboard the “Zionist” Kasztner train. This main argument was that at a time of crisis, with his own life at stake, Rabbi Yoel availed himself of the Zionists’ help to save himself.

Historical perspective suggests that Rabbi Yoel warrants even harsher criticism, beyond the issue of his escape on the Kasztner train. Toward the end of his stay in the Cluj ghetto, he probably assumed that he had already lost the majority of his Hasidim. He was not familiar to most of the ghetto’s inmates and had no moral obligation to them. Thus, the issue of his obligation to his congregation was no longer relevant, and the question of whether to save himself by any means possible was irrelevant, both morally and by halakhic ruling. In such circumstances, the halakhic principle of piku‘ah nefesh, the obligation to save a life in jeopardy, as well as his human instinct, left him with no other choice.

Yet the true moral issue regarding Rabbi Yoel’s conduct during the Holocaust pertained to his earlier escape attempts. When he first tried to obtain certificates, he was already aware that the lives of Hungarian Jews were in danger. At that point in time, the question of whether it was permissible, both from a halakhic and an ethical perspective, for a spiritual leader of a large congregation to abandon his flock in its hour of need to save his own life could have been considered sensibly and in a level-headed manner. With the passing of time, and as the danger became ever more palpable, it became easier to make excuses for Rabbi Yoel’s flight.

Another moral issue is presented by the fact that Rabbi Yoel, who forbade emigration to Palestine and all the more so through Zionist organizations, did not apply the same strict prohibition to himself even though his economic and public status enabled him to emigrate to other destinations.

Additionally, one cannot help but wonder why Rabbi Yoel did not alert the public about the dangers to which he became privy during the early 1940s. Moreover, he opposed all initiatives to prepare for the imminent danger and failed to set either a practical or moral example to his numerous followers.

Another moral issue concerns the fact that despite his fierce opposition to Agudath Israel, even during the Holocaust, he availed himself of the help of the Agudah’s members and supporters. After the Holocaust, ignoring his moral indebtedness, Rabbi Yoel turned his back on his benefactors of all camps.

The answers to these moral issues cannot be found in the explanations and excuses provided by Rabbi Yoel himself and his Hasidic biographers. Yet during other periods in his life, one can trace clues that may explain his behavior.

On previous occasions, such as World War I and during the Goga regime, Rabbi Yoel had abandoned his congregation and moved to a safer area, where he stayed until the danger passed. This conduct corresponds with other accounts that describe him as a fear-ridden, anxious individual. This fearfulness of his manifested itself during the war years, when he refused to cooperate with other rabbis’ and the Central Bureau’s attempts to set fast or prayer days. He likewise refrained from making any clear pronouncements on halakhic matters when he thought doing so could endanger him. Therefore, it appears that his conduct stems, at least in part, from his fearful nature, rather than from any pertinent or halakhic considerations, introduced post-factum to justify this conduct.

Rabbi Yoel’s personality may also serve to explain his treatment of his congregation, closest associates, and saviors. From an early age, his relations with his family were strained. He was angry with his brother for not allotting him a share in the inheritance left by their father, which consisted of the town’s rabbinate, management of the yeshiva, and leadership of the Hasidic court.

After his brother’s death, he considered his relatives traitors for not appointing him in his place and choosing his 14-year-old nephew instead. His life circumstances further hardened his character: His parents, brother, first wife, and two of his daughters died before the Holocaust. His wives failed to bear sons and his daughters, grandsons. His rigid, uncompromising character was well reflected in the bitter, relentless campaigns he waged against political opponents, against whom he schemed and whom he slandered both openly and surreptitiously.

Rabbi Yoel’s interpretation of the Holocaust and the accounts of that period of his life in posthumous Hasidic biographies have surrounded his character with numerous excuses and explanations, all of which seek to refute criticisms of him.

Upon examination, these arguments, many of which are based on the demonization of both Zionism and Zionists, show that the principal questions remain unanswered:

Why did Rabbi Yoel fail to warn his followers before the Holocaust?

Why did he try to immigrate to Israel after forbidding his followers to do so?

Why did he thwart attempts at cooperation, which could have saved so many lives?

Why did he not set a personal example for his Hasidim?

Why did he abandon his congregation, incarcerated in ghettos, and flee in the middle of the night?

How did he come to abandon his closest friends in the Cluj ghetto?

Why did he board the Kasztner train, which was organized by the abhorred Zionists?

Having survived, why did he never return to rebuild his congregation in Satmar?

Why did he refrain from assisting in the spiritual and religious rehabilitation of the Holocaust survivors in the DP camps?

 Why did he alienate himself from Agudath Israel and the Zionist organizations that had helped to extricate him from the Nazi horrors?

And why did he adopt such radical stances, such as blaming the Holocaust on the Zionists, to justify his actions and decisions during the Holocaust?

Apparently, these questions are fated to remain forever unanswered. Regardless, no postfactum claims and explanations can cover up Rabbi Yoel’s incompetence in leading his community during the early stages of the war, his escape efforts during the Holocaust, and his subsequent failure to assist those who survived it.
***
This article, the second of a two-part series, is adapted from an essay that appears in Dapim 28:2 (2014), available here, and in Menachem Keren-Kratz’s forthcoming biography, The Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum.

Menachem Keren-Kratz, a researcher of Hungarian Orthodoxy and of contemporary Haredi society in the State of Israel, is the author of Maramaros-Sziget: Extreme Orthodoxy and Secular Jewish Culture at the Foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.