In an attack reminiscent of the massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar in 2011, a 'Palestinian' terrorist knocked on the door of a Jewish family in the village of Halamish (Neve Tsuf) that was holding a Shalom Zachar (celebration of the birth of a boy) on Friday night, walked in, and started stabbing the residents. The terrorist murdered the grandfather - 70-year old Yosef Salomon, his daughter 46-year old Chaya Salomon, and his son, 36-year old Elad Salomon HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). The grandmother, 68-year old Tova Salomon, was seriously wounded. If not for quick thinking by daughter-in-law Michal Salomon, who rushed her five children into a room, locked the door and called the police, the massacre might have been much worse. An off-duty soldier neighbor shot the terrorist through a nearby window, wounding him. The entire attack, from the time the terrorist jumped the fence of the village until he was neutralized, took less than 15 minutes.
In Gaza, the terror attack triggered celebrations. This morning, Israel's Hebrew-English 'Palestinian' daily, Haaretz, publishes a column by Gideon Levy that dances on the victims' blood before they can even be buried. I won't sicken you by posting quotes from it.
The other group that's dancing on the victims' blood is the international media. Those include al-AP and al-Guardian.
And for those of you who are still foolish enough to believe that Muslims are 'just like us,' here's the terrorist's mother. Let's go to the videotape.
Watch:The mother of the terrorist who butchered 3 members of an Israeli family last night as they were having dinner says she's proud of him pic.twitter.com/85ZBDFZ8xI
Elihai Ben Yishai, the brother of Ruti Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge her blood), who was murdered with four other family members in a terror attack three years ago this week, told a Knesset committee on Wednesday that the State of Israel should execute terrorists like the two above rather than facing demands for their release.
Elihai Ben-Yishai, the brother of Ruti Fogel Hy''d, took part in the Knesset Interior Committee discussion Wednesday, debating the fourth release of Arab terrorists by the Israeli government. Ruti was murdered in 2011 by Arab terrorists in her Itamar home in Samaria, along with her husband and three young children.
"The problem would be solved if they would kill the terrorists,
that's the solution," argued Ben-Yishai. "If we would kill these
degenerates at the start we wouldn't be in this unethical situation (of
releasing terrorists)."
...
"From an ethical and Jewish standpoint" which seeks to preserve
innocent human life "we need to eliminate the evil. To turn the debate
from being value-based to being political, that in exchange for freeing
prisoners we'll get Pollard or construction in Judea and Samaria, that's
not related. We must not free terrorists," stressed Ben-Yishai.
"This is our cry as a bereaved family, a cry stemming from a will to
live," noted the bereaved brother. Just a few weeks ago the third anniversary of the Fogel massacre was held. The youngest of the murdered children was Hadas, a three-month old infant.
In his comments, Ben-Yishai stressed that in discussing terrorist
releases one should first of all focus on the factors leading terrorists
to "get up in the morning" and attack innocents. The releases, he
suggested, encourage more terrorists to make that decision to attack.
11-year old terror victim: Why are they releasing murderers?
11-year old Roi Fogel, whose parents and three siblings were murdered by 'Palestinian' terrorists in March 2011, is asking why his government is releasing murderers.
The 11-year-old boy, who survived the brutal terror attack, asked
this question over this past Sabbath, as he was celebrating his
birthday.
Elihai Ben-Yishai, Roi’s uncle and the brother of Ruth Fogel hy”d,
recalled his nephew’s remarks in a conversation on Sunday with Jerusalem
Mayor Nir Barkat. The conversation took place as Barkat visited the bereaved families protesting outside the Prime Minister's residence.
"My nephew asked why the State of Israel releases terrorists back to
Judea and Samaria, when half of them resume terrorist activities? Why do
they do it? The 11-year-old child understands what this government does
not understand. My nephew really does not understand the government's
decision,” Ben-Yishai told Barkat.
"It's a shame. The wheel is spinning and no one is stopping it,” he
added. “A terrorist who killed a family or a baby will do it again and
the State conveys the message that there is no problem with committing
murders. I have no words.”
"They kill civilians and are later released with a master's degree
into Jerusalem. They can reach anywhere in the city. I am concerned and I
am full of shame," said Ben Yishai with rage.
Roi, eldest son of Udi and Ruth Fogel, was at home during the 2011
massacre in Itamar. As the terrorists brutally murdered his parents and
siblings, Roi lay under a blanket in the living room.
The terrorists did
not notice that there was someone under the blanket, and his life was
spared.
There are a lot of smart 11-year olds who are much wiser than the Israeli government. I have one in my house too....
Mothers of terror victims oppose terrorist releases
The picture above comes from a story in Yedioth Aharonoth (and from its Facebook page) about mothers of terror victims who are opposed to the release of 'Palestinian' terrorists.
From left to right, the mothers are Shira Avraham, Chaya Rond, Sherrie Mandel, Ruti-Rina Ishran and Tali Ben Yishai.
For the Hebrew-impaired, Shira Avraham is the mother of Shaked HY"D (May God Avenge her blood), who was murdered in Negohot (home of Avigdor Liberman) at the age of seven months. Her daughter's murderer was released from jail before trial(!) and was subsequently liquidated participating in another terror attack.
Chaya Rond is the mother of Erez HY"D, who was murdered in 2002 in the Arab village of Senjal. Her son's murderer was sentenced to three life terms.
Sherrie Mandel is the mother of Koby Mandel HY"D (as in Camp Koby for terror victims' families). Koby was murdered with his friend and classmate Yossi Ish Ran in 2001 in a cave near Tekoa as they prepared a bonfire for Lag BaOmer. Koby was 13. His murderers were never caught.
Ruti-Rina Ish Ran is the mother of Yosef Ish Ran HY"D (see also above).
Tali Ben Yishai is the mother of Ruti Fogel HY"D, the mother-in-law of Udi Fogel HY"D and the grandmother of Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D, who were murdered in Itamar in 2011. Her offspring's murderers are serving 130 years each in jail.
While some of you might think that these ladies' actions are cathartic, there's more to it than that. A group called the Four Mothers, which was founded in 1997, managed to force Israel's (foolish) withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. If the Left can do it, why can't the Right? (Answer: The Left automatically gets sympathetic media coverage).
Tamar Fogel talks about her parents HY"D (May God Avenge their blood)
I am sure that many of you remember Tamar Fogel, whose parents and three siblings HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) were murdered in Itamar two and a half years ago. Tamar is now 14. This article by Tamar was published in Yedioth about two weeks ago (in Hebrew).
My mom and I were really good friends. I am the oldest child, and until Hadas was born I was also the only daughter.
All of my friends had problems with their parents, and I was the only
one who was different. Eema and I would go walking every evening and I
would tell Eema things about myself. One evening we went out on a walk;
it was winter and very cold. I had two friends and we were sort of a
trio together, but at one point we had started to fight. Eema told me,
“Friendships never work as trios.” It started to rain and we ran
together. We got home soaking wet and laughing.
My parents were a special couple. There was a strong love between
them that a child could simply see and feel. My mother was fire and my
father was water, and they both had a presence that influenced you even
without many words…
They real loved when we would get wild all together, and that’s how
our Friday night tradition got started. Every Shabbat, already in the
middle of the meal, the little kids would go to the room, and they would
take blankets and pillows out to the living room and start to get
wild, until everyone would fall asleep in the living room.
On Friday night there was a terror attack. My brothers were sleeping
in the living room when two terrorists came into our home. When I came
home already nothing was as it had been before. My Abba and Eema were
murdered with three of my younger siblings, and since then I have a
hundredth of a second of an image that I will never be able to forget.
Yahrtzeit (anniversary of death) of Aaron the High Priest
Today, the first day of the Jewish month of Av, is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of the High Priest Aaron.
I can remember in the mid-to-late '90's that there were organized trips from Israel to the tomb (pictured), which is located in southern Jordan. The trips left in the wee hours of the morning, and returned in the wee hours of the following morning. One of my sons claims to have seen notices of such a trip this year. I have not seen them in years.
In the meantime, some people commemorate the occasion by visiting the tombs of his sons.
Hundreds marked the anniversary of the passing of Aaron the High
Priest by praying, Sunday evening, at the tombs of his sons, Elazar and
Itamar, in the Samarian (Shomron) Palestinian Authority-assigned village
of Awarta.
While most of the worshipers were from the
hareidi-religious community, religious Zionists and secular Jews were
also represented. The visit was organized by the Samaria Regional
Council and the Shechem Echad organization, in coordination with the
Israel Defense Forces and other security services.
If the name Awarta sounds familiar, it should. It is the home of the murderers of the Fogel family from Itamar. The graves of Elazar and Itamar were desecrated a year and a half ago with slogans praising the murderers. No one thought to call it terrorism.
France honoring 'Palestinian' terrorist group responsible for Zeevi and Fogel murders
An event will be held in Paris on Wednesday to honor 'Palestinian' terrorism, and in particular the Popular Front for the Liberation of 'Palestine,' the group responsible for the assassination of Tourism Minister Rechavam Zeevi and for the murders of five members of the Fogel family in Itamar two years ago.This is from the first link.
A public event in support of Palestinian Arab terrorism will take
place next Wednesday, the 17th of April, at the chamber of commerce of
Saint-Denis, a popular district in the outskirts of the Parisian
municipality. Many well known 'anti-racist' organizations support the
initiative, including the "Ligue des Droits de l’Homme" and the
"Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l’Amitié entre les Peuples".
Salah
Hamouri, the member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) who planned to assassinate former Sephardic Chief Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef, Shas’ spiritual leader, will attend the event. Hamouri
was one of 550 prisoners freed to complete a deal in which Israel
released 1,027 prisoners for soldier Gilad Shalit.
"Rabbi Yosef
deserves to die", the French terrorist declared after his liberation.
The terrorist is an object of a worship in the French leftist press and
benefits from important support, to the point of being given the title
of honorary citizen in three cities in France.
Present at the
Saint-Denis event will also be a public official of the city of Bezons,
which just granted honorary citizenship to Majdi Rahima Rimawi, the
Palestinian PFLP terrorist who was sentenced to life in prison in Israel
for his role in the assassination of then-Tourism Minister Rehavam
Ze'evi. Fathya Barghouti, the wife of Rimawi, will also attend the
French initiative.
We must not forget that PFLP terrorists killed Jews in Paris itself. On
Friday October 3, 1980, the eve of Succot, a motorbike bomb exploded
outside the Copernic Synagogue, the liberal synagogue of the Paris
elite. Four people lay dead on the street and in the synagogue interior.
The bombing fell on the 39th anniversary of the “Jewish Decrees” of the
Vichy regime.
France is a really sick country. No wonder so many of its Jews are moving here. Read the whole thing.
Unarmed Jewish mother fights off armed 'Palestinian' terrorist
Remember the Fogel family (pictured above)? On Monday night, in Sde Avraham on the Gaza envelope, it almost happened again.
Yael Matzpun was sleeping in a room with her four-year-old daughter and
two-year-old son when she was awoken by heavy footsteps in the hall. She
knew that her husband, an IDF officer, was not due at home.
“Suddenly I saw a terrorist in a kefiyyeh [head scarf] standing opposite me,” she told Maariv. “I decided that if I didn’t fight, he would murder me and my four children, there would be a massacre like in Itamar, where the Fogels and three of their children were murdered in their home.”
The
terrorist turned on the light and said something in Arabic, she
recalled. He had a knife in one hand and a metal pipe in the other.
Suddenly he lunged at Yael, stabbing her in the face and shoulder.
What
the terrorist did not know is that Yael is an athlete trained in Krav
Maga, Israeli military hand-to-hand combat. She used her skills to drive
him back and into the bathroom, and locked him in. At the same time,
she pushed her young children to safety.
Once the terrorist was
locked away, she called for help. IDF forces arrived only to see the
terrorist escaping through a bathroom window. They gave chase and
attempted to arrest him, but were forced to open fire when he refused to
drop his weapons. The terrorist was killed.
I am sure that many of you have already heard that the BBC has admitted that is coverage of the Arab spring was 'over-excited.' But what you're less likely to have heard, because it has not been as widely publicized, is that the BBC apologized on Monday for its coverage of the Fogel family massacre in Itamar in March 2011 (Hat Tip: CAMERA).
The BBC “got it wrong” by not giving prominence to the massacre of the Fogel family by Palestinians in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, the outgoing director-general has admitted.
Mark Thompson was quizzed by Conservative MP Louise Mensch, who made various complaints to the BBC about the coverage, at a Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee hearing on Tuesday. Mrs Mensch said the BBC’s decision not to include the story as part of its rolling news coverage generated “the most reaction I have ever had in all my time in politics.”
She said: “The BBC ran the story on Radio 4 and a lead item on the website but they never subsequently touched it in broadcast or on the 24-hour rolling news programme on BBC News 24. I only found out, after the event, from an American blog, called “Dead Jews is no news” and the more I went into it, the more shocked I was.
“I was overwhelmed by response from the Jewish community both here and abroad. There was a feeling the BBC just didn’t care and that, if a settler had entered the home of a Palestinian family, slit the throat of their children, that the BBC would have covered that.”
Mrs Mensch had subsequently received an apology from BBC News’s Helen Boaden but wanted Mr Thompson’s reassurance about the BBC’s “even-handedness” on the Middle East conflict.
Can you imagine what's in the unreleased Balen report?
By the way, let's hear it for Louise Mensch, who is simply awesome!
On Saturday, in the Syrian town of Houla, 108 people were murdered by forces belonging to President Assad (although he is trying to blame al-Qaeda), including 32 children.
In Houla, the videos show that some of the civilian victims—with pieces of their bodies missing—were probably nonspecific, by which I mean that, as in all wars, they were simply killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the men who pressed the “fire” buttons on the artillery piece, or on the tank that fired the shells that ripped them apart, meant them no specific harm, per se, as individuals. Others, though, seem to show the telltale traces of up-close murders—the result of guns pressed against people’s heads and fired, and of knives drawn deeply across throats.
These latter victims, who include some of Houla’s dead children, are the most troubling of the deaths that are occurring in Syria today. They raise the question of whether there is any kind of peace plan, at this point, that is viable, at least in the minds of the actors in the conflict. That is why Houla is such a watershed event (and why the regime is claiming it is a set-up, to make it look bad).
In this kind of a war, which involves one community—the minority Alawites, who rule the country, and fear extinction at the hands of the much more sizeable Sunni community (including residents of Houla)—the killers just keep on doing their work, whatever their politicians say.
Ban Ki-moon has said that there is no U.N. “Plan B” in Syria. Plan A, to sum it up roughly, relies upon goodwill and a change of heart on the part of the Assad regime and the rebels fighting it. The thing is: What does one do when men become capable of cutting the throat of a small child?
Indeed, what does one do when men become capable of slashing the throat of a small child? For example, what does one do when men become capable of slashing the throat of a three-month old baby? Goodwill and change don't seem likely, do they?
I'd like to introduce you to Colonel Nimrod Aloni, the retiring commander of the Samaria Brigade. You can compare him with the politician of your choice.
Outgoing Samaria Brigade Commander Colonel Nimrod Aloni said Thursday that he considers the massacre in Itamar as his own fault. "I failed in Itamar, and my failure led to the brutal murder of the Fogel family," he said.
Speaking at ceremony to welcome incoming commander Col. Yoav Yarom, Aloni said: "There are no words to describe the sadness and frustration I felt following the attack."
...
In response to the statements, Chaim Fogel, Udi Fogel's father, said the family has no claims against Aloni. "He's an excellent commander with a bright future," Fogel said. "A commander who takes responsibility is welcome as far as we're concerned. Sadly, the massacre happened on his watch, but not only do we have nothing against him, on the contrary, we support and respect him."
How many politicians take responsibility for their own actions as Colonel Aloni did? How many officers, leaders or even bosses at work take responsibility for their own actions? (And it's still not clear to me that there was anything Colonel Aloni could have done to prevent the Fogel family massacre, but he's taking responsibility because it happened on his watch).
I hope this officer has a bright future inside the IDF and beyond.
The Shin Bet said on Sunday that "the organization's recommendation mainly relies upon the need to strengthen the aspect of deterrence among potential terrorists.
"In this case, the general need for deterrence is strengthened by a concrete consideration that stems from the fact that several of the terrorists' family members offered them assistance after the terror attack – by hiding the weapons stolen during the attack and by covering up the act through the destruction of evidence."
The Shin Bet denied that there are legal officials who are opposed to the move and mentioned a number of verdicts from the last decade where it was determined that the demolition of houses was legal and that there was no room, from the High Court's perspective, to intervene in these decisions.
"That was the case in the ruling over the destruction of the house of the terrorist responsible for the Merkaz Ha Rav yeshiva attack in 2005 and the destruction of the home of the terrorist who carried out the terrorist attack in Jerusalem in 2008," Shin Bet officials noted.
A meeting on the matter is set to take place over the next few weeks at the Attorney General's office with IDF and Defense Ministry representatives.
Maybe they ought to also seal the homes of the Machsom Watch traitors who felt it necessary to go comfort the murderers' families.
But yes, the terrorists' homes should be destroyed. Maybe then they won't consider them such heroes.
Video: The Book of Esther goes Western (in memory of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D)
Here's a seasonal video, which has a deeper meaning. The deeper meaning is after the video, but first, let's go to the videotape.
"The Good, The Bad & the Ugly" -an animated video based on the book of Esther, in memory of Udi Fogel. Commentary is based on traditional Jewish sources and an essay written by the Rabbi Jonathan Blass: "Pluralism, Antisemtism, and man's strive to divinity".
And here's the essay (Hat Tip: Judy B):
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
One year ago, just before Purim, Udi Fogel, his wife, and three of his children were murdered. The murder, which shocked and devastated many people, has led over the past year to many initiatives to commemorate the family, and this week in Itamar, where the Fogels lived, a Bet Midrash named Mishkan Udi was dedicated in their name.
After Yair Peled, Udi’s childhood friend from Neve Tzuf, put out a song in his memory, Shlomo Blass, another classmate of Udi from Neve Tzuf, produced an animated film clip. The clip, which is 4:30 minutes long, is based on an essay written by the rabbi of the community where Udi grew up, Rabbi Jonathan Blass (the producer's father). The clip begins with a lighthearted recap of the Purim story - which is disguised as a spaghetti western - and continues on to a more in-depth interpretation based on Jewish classical sources.
Blass: “The murder struck me hard. Although over the years my class has scattered to different places and our meetings became haphazard, the sense of friendship based on shared childhood memories and experiences has remained strong.”
“I know that many people have done good things in memory of Udi and his family. Some big, some small, some well-known and the vast majority, not. I look at Udi’s family and neighbors and am astonished at the enormous spiritual strength that they have channeled to adding good to the world, when it would be so easy to fall into despair and anger.”
“I also looked for something to do that was in my field. Udi was an educator who always worked out of a sense of love and belonging to the Jewish collective. He served as an officer in a combat unit in his regular service as well as in the reserves. He was in touch with the Garinim Torani’im in the cities . His decision to live in Netzarim before the uprooting and then in Ariel and Itamar sprang from a sense of mission.”
“In the clip I tried to take a Torah subject and make it accessible to the general public in a light-hearted way that does not impinge upon the meaning. I had help from a talented animator and illustrator, Ofer Winter. My decision to use Purim was not just because the holiday falls close to the date of the murder but because the main message of Purim is “Na’hafoch’hu” . That means that it is God who is running the world, even at times when everything looks black. The wisdom, of course, is not just to know that but also to live it. To me, Udi embodied that powerfully, with a smile and a natural humility.”
One of the nice things that came out at Wednesday's dedication of a new study hall in Itamar in memory of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) is the fact that 20 Jewish children have been named after the Fogel family martyrs over the course of the last year.
"People keep calling us to tell us of another baby boy or girl," says Tali Ben-Yishai, Ruthie's mother. The perpetual commemoration keeps growing stronger."
Of the 20 babies, five were born to the extended Ben-Yishai family, five were born to Itamar residents and at least 10 babies were born throughout the country – mostly to people who didn't even know the Fogels but decided they could not remain indifferent.
The first baby, Yair Silver from Itamar, was born three days before the massacre. Ruthie Fogel was the one who helped his mother Chana recuperate after giving birth. After the massacre Chana decided to name her son Yair – using the Hebrew initials from Yoav, Elad, Udi and Ruthie's names.
"There is no consolation for what we lost, but each of these new babies show that our children have left a mark, meaning, and strength," said Tali Ben-Yishai.
May the surviving Fogel and Ben Yishai family members know only joyous occasions, and may they be privileged to greet the Messiah together with all of the Jewish people, speedily and in our time.
In memory of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D
Wednesday is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). A few hours ago, I received an invitation by email to the dedication of the Beit Medrash (study hall) in memory of the Fogel's, which is taking place in Itamar on Wednesday, and I am going to post it below.
But first, I'd like to show you a video that was made in memory of the Fogel's by Dalia L, who describes herself as a high school student in Melbourne, Australia (which means she's probably only a couple of years older than Tamar Fogel, the oldest of the three surviving Fogel children), and who co-moderates a blog here.
Get some tissues out - I was crying by the end.
Let's go to the videotape.
And here's the invitation to the dedication Wednesday (Hat Tip: David H).
A year ago this coming week, Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) were murdered in cold blood in their own home.
For the most part, the West has ignored the Fogel murders. The 'human rights' groups have ignored the murders entirely. Jewish lives don't count. Giulio Meotti explains.
Yet there is something even more horrible than Awad’s sadistic hatred: Western’s complacency. In recent years we have seen plenty of saccharine movies about Jewish children killed in the death camps in their pajamas, but the same public opinion reacted with indifference to the images of the Fogel babies dismembered by terrorists.
...
The Fogels, right down to the decapitated baby, were less human than the Arab victims and therefore less deserving of Western outrage on their behalf. The “settler kids” are invisible, as the northern Israel towns were during the 1970s, when Yasser Arafat’s terrorists murdered Israeli babies in Ma’alot, Kiryat Shmona, Misgav Am and Avivim.
...
Itamar’s massacre has been excused, as the “anger” of the perpetrators is fully justified in international eyes. PA President Mahmoud Abbas said many times that “I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us on Palestinian land.” Such state would be the first to officially prohibit Jews or any other faith since Nazi Germany, which sought a Jew-free country.
That an Arab movement should call the presence of Jews an obstacle to peace is one thing. It is quite another for an enlightened and so-called liberal world to do so. But this is the precise reason why Itamar didn’t cause any global scandal. Because in a world less surreal than the one we live in, the act of bursting into a Jewish home and slitting the throats of babies would be the cause of moral and religious outrage.
Multiply this act by thousands and one might think it would prompt an international uproar. Yet in the world we live in, Itamar was just a footnote. The Vatican made no reference to the Itamar massacre; nor did UNICEF raise its voice against the slaughter of innocent Jewish children.
The media then fabricated the justification: Because Itamar’s babies were “settlers,” they brought the crime upon themselves. Indeed, after any killing spree of “settlers,” we all read the same comment in the mainstream media: If the Jews hadn’t been there, they wouldn’t have been killed. If Israel took this approach seriously, it would dismantle the entire Israeli state.
The Head of the Itamar Yeshiva, Rav Avichai Ronsky, said at the planting ceremony: "The construction of the yeshiva opposite the village from which the murderers came – that is our victory. Construction in Judea and Samaria is our response to all those who try to hurt us."
Ancient Jewish graves near Awarta desecrated with praise of mass murderers
The graves of Elazar and Ithamar - the two sons of the first High Priest, Aaron - were desecrated near the Arab village of Awarta in Samaria, along with the graves of the 70 Elders who acted as a court/legislature when the Jews entered Israel. The graves were desecrated with slogans praising the mass murderers Hakim and Amjad Awad, who murdered five members of the Fogel family in the nearby Jewish town of Itamar. The Awad's used to live in Awarta.
Recently, official 'Palestinian Authority' television - operated by our 'moderate' 'peace partner' - praised the Awads.
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
