What's worse: if a certain type of terror attack hasn't happened outside
of Israel, for the most part, no one is prepared for it. So yes, my Red
Sox tickets for next week say "No bags or items larger than 16 x 16 x
8, coolers, cans, bottles, flagpoles, firearms or fireworks will be
permitted into the ballpark." (So much for the days of the picnic lunch
in the bleachers). And the ticket says that you are subject to search:
but they'll search my father and me, and they won't search a 21-year old
Muslim because that would be 'profiling'. And I will still walk into
shopping malls or large stores tomorrow, and no one will search my bags -
or anyone else's - because no American shopping mall has ever been
attacked by a suicide bomber. No one will search me on my way into a
movie theater until the first time someone with a political agenda
shoots up a movie theater. And no one will search me going into Sbarros
(which I cannot do here because they are not Kosher) or any other
restaurant until a suicide bomber blows up a restaurant. In Israel, you
cannot walk into an enclosed public space without being searched.
Ten years later, terror has come much closer to the United States. If the World Trade Center attacks can be looked upon as isolated in their times, during the eight years of the Obama administration there has been at least one major terror attack in the United States each year. But very little has changed. And ISIS is warning of more.
Titled "You Are Not Held Responsible Except for Yourself," the
Al-Furat Media Foundation release was distributed online with a
promotional banner featuring President Obama, Omar Mateen and scenes
from the previous weekend's carnage.
Al-Furat specializes in
Russian-language messages to Muslims in the Caucasus and beyond. Earlier
this year, for example, the media wing released the Philippine
terrorist group Abu Sayyaf's video pledging allegiance to ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The video opens with the tag "USA" in the
upper corner and shots of an unseen person assembling a bomb to put in a
suicide vest. The person buttons up a blue shirt, straps on the bomb
belt, and zips up a dark brown leather jacket to conceal it. He's
wearing a stainless steel wristwatch that reads 9:25.
That's
followed by scenes of Times Square and the torso of the leather-jacketed
man walking along the street. A TGI Friday's sign is shown.
In a close-up of the man with no location shown, he's pulling the ring on his detonator.
It appears to be mock-up footage from an Al-Jazeera segment, with the network's logo fuzzed out but still discernible.
News footage is then shown of the ABC News building banner in New York scrolling a headline about the November Paris attacks.
Then,
pictures of Mateen along with closeups of the weapons he used in the
June 12 attack on the Pulse nightclub: a Sig Sauer MCX .223 caliber
rifle and Glock 17 9 mm.
Footage of the attack from American and Arabic TV is shown.
A
black jihadist in fatigues with an outdoor backdrop that looks like IS
territory in the Middle East is identified as Abu Isamil al-Amriki; he
speaks perfect English and is referred to as an American, yet he speaks
with a slight accent.
"Do
you think you are at war with a small group of mujahideen in Iraq,
Syria, Libya and other places? You are sadly mistaken. And do you think
you will defeat us by bombing our homes with your drones and F-16s?" Abu
Ismail says.
"O America, indeed you are at war with ... sincere
Muslims around the world who yearn and desire to see the honor of Islam
returned," he adds. "And O America, indeed you are at war with the
people who wish to be killed and slain for the sake of Allah... you are
at war with the holy Quran."
Let's go to the videotape.
Will this warning be heeded? Given that the FBI has released partial transcripts of phone calls from terrorist Omar Mateen, who murdered 50 people in a gay nightclub ten days ago and has deleted all references to ISIS, things don't look very promising.
To maintain liberty, sometimes you have to compromise a little bit of liberty. Unfortunately, some people can only learn that lesson the hard way.
I was a firsthand witness to how these policies deliberately
prevented scrutiny of Islamist groups. The two San Bernardino jihadists,
Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, may have benefited from the
administration’s closure of an investigation I initiated on numerous
groups infiltrating radicalized individuals into this country.
While
working for the Department of Homeland Security for 13 years, I
identified individuals affiliated with large, but less well-known groups
such as Tablighi Jamaat and the larger Deobandi movement freely
transiting the United States. At the National Targeting Center, one of
the premier organizations formed to “connect the dots,” I played a major
role in an investigation into this trans-national Islamist network. We
created records of individuals, mosques, Islamic Centers and schools
across the United States that were involved in this radicalization
effort. The Dar Al Uloom Al Islamiyah Mosque in San Bernardino was
affiliated with this network and we had identified a member of it in our
investigation. Farook frequented that mosque and was well-known to the
congregation and mosque leadership.
Another focus of my investigation
was the Pakistani women’s Islamist group al-Huda, which counted
Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik, as a student. While the al-Huda
International Welfare Foundation distanced themselves from the actions
of their former pupil, Malik’s classmates told the Daily Mail she
changed significantly while studying at al-Huda, gradually becoming
“more serious and strict.” More ominously, the group’s presence in the
U.S. and Canada is not without its other ties to ISIS and terrorism. In
2014, three recent former students at al-Huda’s affiliate school in
Canada, aged 15 to 18, left their homes to join the Islamic State in
Syria.
We had these two groups in our sights; if the investigation
had continued and additional links been identified and dots connected,
we might have given advance warning of the terrorist attack in San
Bernardino. The combination of Farook’s involvement with the Dar Al
Uloom Al Islamiyah Mosque and Malik’s attendance at al-Huda would have
indicated, at minimum, an urgent need for comprehensive screening. It
could also have led to denial of Malik’s K-1 visa or possibly gotten
Farook placed on the No Fly list.
But after more than six months
of research and tracking; over 1,200 law enforcement actions and more
than 300 terrorists identified; and a commendation for our efforts; DHS
shut down the investigation at the request of the Department of State
and DHS’ own Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Division. They claimed
that since the Islamist groups in question were not Specially Designated
Terrorist Organizations (SDTOs) tracking individuals related to these
groups was a violation of the travelers’ civil liberties. These were
almost exclusively foreign nationals: When were they granted the civil
rights and liberties of American citizens?
Worse still, the
administration then went back and erased the dots we were diligently
connecting. Even as DHS closed my investigation, I knew that data I was
looking at could prove significant to future counterterror efforts and
tried to prevent the information from being lost to law enforcement. In
2013, I met with the DHS Inspector General in coordination with several
members of Congress to attempt to warn the American people’s elected
representatives about the threat.
In retaliation, DHS and the
Department of Justice subjected me to a series of investigations and
adverse actions, including one by that same Inspector General. None of
them showed any wrongdoing; they seemed aimed at stopping me from
blowing the whistle on this problem. Earlier this year, I was finally
able to honorably retire from government and I’m now taking my story to
the American people as a warning.
So glad I don't live in the US anymore. At least here in Israel, most of us recognize our enemies.
Welcomed POTUS to @StateDept this AM. Tackling threat posed by violent extremism has been a top priority for him since day one. #CVESummit
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) February 19, 2015
Yes, he tweeted that, and yes, President Hussein Obama went to the State Department on Thursday to talk about 'violent extremism.' And he actually mentioned Islam.
In Iraq and Syria, our coalition of some 60 nations, including Arab
nations, will not relent in our mission to degrade and ultimately
destroy ISIL. And as a result of a separate ministerial here yesterday,
many of our governments will be deepening our cooperation against
foreign terrorist fighters by sharing more information and making it
harder for fighters to travel to and from Syria and Iraq.
Related to this, and as I said at the United Nations last fall,
nations need to break the cycles of conflict -- especially sectarian
conflict -- that have become magnets for violent extremism. In Syria,
Assad’s war against his own people and deliberate stoking of sectarian
tensions helped to fuel the rise of ISIL. And in Iraq, with the failure
of the previous government to govern in an inclusive manner, it helped
to pave the way for ISIL’s gains there.
The Syrian civil war will only end when there is an inclusive
political transition and a government that serves Syrians of all
ethnicities and religions. And across the region, the terror campaigns
between Sunnis and Shia will only end when major powers address their
differences through dialogue, and not through proxy wars. So countering
violent extremism begins with political, civic and religious leaders
rejecting sectarian strife.
Second, we have to confront the warped ideologies espoused by
terrorists like al Qaeda and ISIL, especially their attempt to use Islam
to justify their violence. I discussed this at length yesterday.
These terrorists are desperate for legitimacy. And all of us have a
responsibility to refute the notion that groups like ISIL somehow
represent Islam, because that is a falsehood that embraces the terrorist
narrative.
At the same time, we must acknowledge that groups like al Qaeda and
ISIL are deliberately targeting their propaganda to Muslim communities,
particularly Muslim youth. And Muslim communities, including scholars
and clerics, therefore have a responsibility to push back, not just on
twisted interpretations of Islam, but also on the lie that we are
somehow engaged in a clash of civilizations; that America and the West
are somehow at war with Islam or seek to suppress Muslims; or that we
are the cause of every ill in the Middle East.
That narrative sometimes extends far beyond terrorist organizations.
That narrative becomes the foundation upon which terrorists build their
ideology and by which they try to justify their violence. And that
hurts all of us, including Islam, and especially Muslims, who are the
ones most likely to be killed.
But Obama doesn't get that this is a threat to the West. He thinks it's only a threat to Muslims. He's totally unwilling to act against it. And ignoring the fact that it has been shown time and time again that terrorists come from all economic classes, he's trying to convince us that if only they could take constant luxury vacations like he and Mooch do, these Muslims wouldn't be terrorists anymore.
Third, we must address the grievances that terrorists exploit,
including economic grievances. As I said yesterday, poverty alone does
not cause a person to become a terrorist, any more than poverty alone
causes someone to become a criminal. There are millions, billions of
people who are poor and are law-abiding and peaceful and tolerant, and
are trying to advance their lives and the opportunities for their
families.
But when people -- especially young people -- feel entirely trapped
in impoverished communities, where there is no order and no path for
advancement, where there are no educational opportunities, where there
are no ways to support families, and no escape from injustice and the
humiliations of corruption -- that feeds instability and disorder, and
makes those communities ripe for extremist recruitment. And we have
seen that across the Middle East and we've seen it across North Africa.
So if we’re serious about countering violent extremism, we have to get
serious about confronting these economic grievances.
It's therefore not surprising to hear Obama's Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson come out with a statement like this.
We in the administration and the government should give voice to the
plight of Muslims living in this country and the discrimination that
they face. And so I personally have committed to speak out about the
situation that very often people in the Muslim community in this country
face. The fact that there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world and the
Islamic faith is one about peace and brotherhood.
And you wonder why Obama wants to let Iran have nuclear weapons? What could go wrong?
Oh my: 'Homeland Security' adviser tweets that US is an Islamic country
@1776son America and yes I do consider the United States of America an Islamic country with an Islamically compliant constitution. Move On!
— Mohamed Elibiary (@MohamedElibiary) October 31, 2013
The tweet above came from Mohamed Elibiary, an 'adviser' to the United States Department of Homeland Security (doesn't that make you feel secure?).... Adam Kredo reports.
The online argument began after Elibiary accused America’s “right
wing” of having an issue with Muslims and advised conservatives to
“evolve.”
Elibiary went on to say that “sociologically speaking” the Christian right is “similar” to the Muslim Brotherhood.
This is not the first time that his tweets, which he says are his personal opinions, have become the subject of controversy.
Elibiary argued earlier this month that the Muslim Brotherhood is not
a threat to the United States, according to the nonprofit Clarion
Project, which has tracked and documented Elibiary’s online activity.
He also has called former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi “Egypt’s Mandela,” a reference to South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.
Elibiary has expressed great support for the Muslim Brotherhood, claiming in a recent interview with Clarion that the organization is “pragmatic” and “non-violent.”
...
Elibiary has served
on the DHS’ “Countering Violent Extremist Working Group,” as well as
its “Faith-based Security and Communications Advisory Committee.”
Elibiary’s critics say that someone with his views should not be advising DHS, the country’s chief counter-terror agency responsible for advising local governments across the country.
“This isn’t just a foreign policy issue,” said Ryan Mauro, a national
security analyst for the Clarion Project. “Elibiary’s beliefs are reflected in DHS training guidelines that leave counter-terrorism personnel unaware that the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood even exists.”
Neither Elibiary nor a DHS spokesperson responded to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment.
What will it take to get rid of American delusions about the Muslim Brotherhood being a benign organization?
Glenn Beck reports that Saudi 'person of interest' Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi was involved in the Boston Marathon terror attack alongside the Tsarnaev brothers.
“This week has changed me,” [Beck] said at
the top of his radio program on Monday. “The events in Boston changed
me….The events in Washington around Boston changed me.”
We crossed an “extraordinarily disturbing threshold” last week, Beck said, but we know “exactly who we’re dealing with now.”
...
Beck proceeded to put the issue in a larger perspective, noting that multiplenews outlets reported after 9/11 that prominent Saudis were allowed to leave the country, even as all flights were grounded.
“The Bush administration would later
block the investigation into Saudi involvement into 9/11, even though 15
of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, and would eventually force the
redaction of a 28-page chapter of the 9/11 Commission report regarding
foreign, specifically Saudi, support for some of the Al-Qaeda
hijackers,” Beck said, noting that the questionable relationship between
Saudi Arabia and the United States goes back further than the current
administration.
But, he said, we have now taken that relationship to a whole new level. “On
January 14, 2013 President Obama met with Saudi Minister of Interior,”
Beck remarked. “Two days later Janet Napolitano signed agreement with
Saudi minister allowing ‘trusted traveler’ status on Saudi student
visitors, meaning greatly reduced security checks and scrutiny.”
“This is trusted traveler status that
we don’t give to some of our most trusted allies, and we gave it to
Saudi Arabia last January?” Beck said. “So they can just walk into our
country no questions asked?”
“There is a pattern,” he said.
“There is a relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia the American
public doesn’t know about. The case of Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi is only
the latest example.”
What's puzzling about this is why the Saudis have such a hold over the United States. Why is an 8th century Kingdom able to dictate policy to the world's greatest democracy? It's not oil anymore. The US doesn't import that much, and the prospects for the coming years are that it ought to need even less oil from Saudi Arabia. Obviously, the Obama administration is enamored with their Islam, but why are other people (like the American media, for example) still under the Saudi spell?
Priorities: Obama cut domestic bomb prevention budget by 45%
President Hussein Obama has asked to maintain funding for the 'Palestinians,' to increase the amount of funding given to the United Nations, and has asked Congress to agree to reinstate funding to UNESCO. But when it comes to preventing terror attacks on the United States' homeland, he's a real budget cutter. President Hussein Obama has cut the budget for preventing domestic terrorism by a whopping 45%!
Under President George W. Bush, the Department of Homeland Security had $20 million allocated for preventing the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists working inside the United States. The current White House has cut that funding down to $11 million.
That assessment comes from Robert Liscouski, a former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 that killed three Americans and injured at least 173 others.
He told MailOnline that the Obama-era DHS is, on the whole, about as well-positioned as it was during the Bush administration to handle the aftermath of the April 15 bombings in Boston, 'but the Obama administration has continued to cut the budget for offices such as the Office for Bombing Prevention from $20 million started under Bush, to $11 million today.'
'Comparatively,' he added, 'the Defense Department's Joint IED Defeat Organization had a budget of $1 billion per year focused on preventing IEDs in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters.'
'Clearly more money needs to be focused on countering domestic IEDs,' Liscouski concluded.
OMG: US to put 'our friends the Saudis' on trusted traveler list
You might recall some of the stories that came out after 9/11 about how easy it was to get a visa to the US from Saudi Arabia, the country that was the birthplace of 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers. The US is about to make the same mistake again. The Obama administration is about to put 'our friends the Saudis' on the trusted traveler program, the program that does not require a visa for entry into the United States. This is Michelle Malkin:
According to a new report released this week by the Investigative
Project on Terrorism (IPT), President Obama’s Department of Homeland
Security plans to bestow “trusted traveler” status to travelers from
Saudi Arabia. Yes, the home of 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers will soon
enjoy the exclusive privilege of new entry shortcuts into the U.S.
Fox News points out: “Only an exclusive handful of countries enjoy
inclusion in the Global Entry program: Canada, Mexico, South Korea and
the Netherlands. According to the IPT, some officials are questioning
why Saudi Arabia gets to reap the benefits of the program, when key U.S.
allies like Germany and France are not enrolled.”
Saudi suck-up Janet Napolitano, head of the Department of Homeland
Security, hailed “the bond between the United States and the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia” and pledged to work with the government to facilitate
“legitimate trade and travel.”
This foolish move is astonishing but not unprecedented. As I noted in
the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration
had created its own fast-pass system for Saudi elites called “Visa
Express.” Thanks to this GOP idiocy, three of the 9/11 hijackers skipped
the usual consular interview process and bypassed long lines in the hot
Saudi sun.
Throughout the jihadist-coddling Saudi kingdom, applicants could
simply file their visa paperwork through travel agencies and courier
companies for a small fee — without having to appear in person or submit
to extensive background checks. The U.S. embassy in Riyadh bragged
before 9/11: “Applicants will no longer have to take time off from work,
no longer have to wait in long lines under the hot sun and in crowded
waiting rooms, and no longer be limited by any time constraints.”
Here's Soccer Dad's Middle East Media Sampler for Wednesday, November 14.
1) Will Hezbollah pay the price?
News stories about Hamas frequently include the disclaimer, "Hamas is
considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel."
It's as if Hamas by its own behavior - targeting civilians - isn't the
definition of a terrorist organization. However soon, Hezbollah may no
longer get a similar benefit of the doubt.
Last week Douglas Murray asked Where would Hezbollah be without the EU?
It will be amazing to many Americans – and indeed to many Europeans –
that the group remains able to operate, recruit and raise funds within
the EU. In America, which like France, felt the full brunt of Hezbollah
activities in Beirut in 1983, the organization has long been banned in
any and all of its guises. This last August Washington, which already
sanctions and classifies Hezbollah as a foreign "terrorist
organization," additionally put the group on a list of organizations
under sanctions for involvement in the slaughter being carried out in
Syria by Bashar al-Assad's regime. As Brennan added, in addition to its
involvement with terrorist activities carried out by Iran, Hezbollah "is
training militants in Yemen and Syria." Even that does not do justice
to the scope, range and history of Hezbollah's ambitions.
In the EU however, the group is able to fundraise unhindered. This
appalling fact has come about because of an entirely false distinction
which the EU continues to observe. It is a distinction entirely of its
own invention. For the EU claims that there is a difference between the "political"'
and the "military" wings of Hezbollah. Therefore as long as the
"political" side of their activities is being pursued the EU considers
it legitimate activity. Of course there is a striking fact here: nobody
outside the EU believes there is any such internal distinction within
Hezbollah. The American government does not see it; the Canadian
government does not see it. The governments of Iran and Syria do not see
it. The people of Lebanon do not see it. And of course Hezbollah itself
certainly does not see it.
In deciding whether to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group, the EU
will consider as a key factor the outcome of the Bulgarian inquiry into
the July suicide bombing that killed five Israeli tourists and a
Bulgarian bus driver, French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot told
The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
“Our British friends would like to put Hezbollah’s military wing on the
terror list,” said Bigot, adding that the “main element is what is the
outcome of the inquiry in Bulgaria,” he said in a telephone interview
with the Post.
He added that Bulgaria has not yet reported the results of the investigation and the EU has had to wait for the process to end.
Why isn't this bigger news?
2) Ridge on Israel
Former Secretary of Homeland Security and Governor of Pennsylvania was recently in Israel for a conference. He made the following observations about Israel:
As far as Ridge is concerned, the best ally for the US to work with
on security matters is Israel. Ridge, in Israel to attend the
conference, was heading a 15-company mission organized by the US Chamber
of Commerce. Ridge is the chairman of the organization’s National
Security Task Force, and he sees increasing cooperation with Israel as a
good idea for both countries.
“Both politically and economically, Israel is one of our most
significant allies globally and our most important ally in the Middle
East,” Ridge said in a statement before the event. “Ensuring an
environment of shared information and integrated technologies that have
defense and security capabilities is crucial to the economic cohesion
between the United States and Israel and between companies that operate
in both countries.”
Ridge reiterated his thoughts during the event. “I met with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year and he suggested increasing
cooperation between the US and Israel in the area of homeland security,”
which turned out to be an excellent idea, he said, because of the many
innovative technologies Israel has developed for homeland security —
many of which were on display at the conference.
Great news: US utilities and chemical plants warned of terror attacks by insiders
Evidence uncovered at Osama Bin Laden's hideout indicated that al-Qaeda had plans to attack the United States again around 9/11. On Tuesday, the US Department of Homeland Security (the proud sponsor of the Transport Safety Administration's strip or grope airport security) issued a warning against attacks by insiders at US power plants and nuclear and chemical facilities. Insiders. You know, the ones who might be flushed out if Americans weren't so allergic to profiling.
Let's go to the videotape.
Here's part of the statement that accompanied the report.
"Based on the reliable reporting of previous incidents, we have high confidence in our judgment that insiders and their actions pose a significant threat to the infrastructure and information systems of U.S. facilities," the bulletin reads in part. "Past events and reporting also provide high confidence in our judgment that insider information on sites, infrastructure, networks, and personnel is valuable to our adversaries and may increase the impact of any attack on the utilities infrastructure."
But Homeland Security is insisting that there is no specific threat (translation: They don't even know where to look).
"DHS routinely shares information with its state and local partners on a wide-range of potential threats, and as part of this responsibility, DHS issued an intelligence note to its federal, state, local, tribal and private sector partners on July 19 regarding potential threats to private sector utilities. While DHS has no specific, credible intelligence of an imminent threat posed to the private sector utilities, several recent incidents highlight the on-going threat to infrastructure in the utility sectors from insiders and outsiders seeking facility-specific information that might be exploited in an attack," DHS press secretary Matt Chandler said. "We will continue to work closely with our state and local partners, including our partners in the utility sector, to take steps to best protect from potential threats – including protecting our nation's infrastructure. This includes sharing information as well as best practices."
I didn't know that America's airports closed for Yom Kippur (as Israel's do). If America's airports don't close on Yom Kippur, I'd like to know what day TSA is closed so that I know what day not to fly. On the other hand, maybe it doesn't make a difference anyway given how incompetent they are.
There's more to this interview too. Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).
She also says 'we won't stop all the attacks.' Funny. The Israelis don't approach airport security that way.
The system is working? Incompetent. Simply incompetent.
So does this make you feel safe? (Hat Tip: Atlas Shrugs). Yes, the picture is real and not a photoshop. I believe it's Newark Airport.
By the way, I'd say a third to a half of the security agents at London Heathrow look like this. Doesn't that make you feel secure? On the way over here, after a flight from Tel Aviv to London and a seven-hour layover, I got pulled aside for questioning. The moron asked me if I had any checked bags, and I said I had checked one. They then asked me if I had packed it myself. A little late for that, isn't it, given that the airport authorities had it from 4:00 am to 6:00 pm London time and it had already flown over 2,000 miles. They then opened my laptop and showed that they were totally clueless about what to look for (stared at it, but did not turn it on, which is what an Israeli security agent would have done if s/he were suspicious).
With these people in charge, all Americans should feel secure
Someone who wishes to remain anonymous forwarded to me an email received from a Jewish organization whose name I won't mention with information about a conference call being held later in the week by the Secure Community Network (SCN), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Incredibly, the email came with a button to view it in a web browser (whose URL I will not post) and with a button for forwarding it.
The email announces an important call for key Jewish leaders concerning the UPS incident. It's meant for leaders of Jewish community organizations to hear reports and ask questions from senior homeland security officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal law enforcement agencies. On the call, the Department of Homeland Security will also discuss resources, tools and security considerations for improving awareness and security. They ask that each organization to limit its participation to a maximum of (2) participants per organization. (I redacted that in the hope of making it a little more difficult to find on Google.
What the.... I wonder how many al-Qaeda representatives will be on this call.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
