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
BBC's shameless 'apology' for its biased reporting
I know - it's been a long time since I posted anything. I've been working - pays much better than blogging. But I don't want to let the blog die entirely, and I wanted to share with you what has to be one of the worst media bias stories from Western media in recent years.
I am sure that many of you saw the headline above. On Friday night, an Israeli policewoman, 23-year old Hadas Malka HY"D (May God Avenge her blood) was murdered by three 'Palestinian' terrorists who conducted coordinated attacks in two places along the outside of the Old City's wall. The headline above sat on the BBC's website and in its Twitter feed for many hours. The bias in the headline is obvious - the 'deadly stabbing' didn't happen itself. It was perpetrated by the three 'Palestinians' who were shot. A more appropriate headline would have been 'Israeli policewoman murdered by three Palestinians.' Even Maan's headline was less biased.
This morning, the Beeb 'apologized' for its headline. No, not really, but they posted a response to outrage in the virtual world that included Donald Trump Jr., the US President's son. Here's the Beeb's entire 'apology.'
BBC Response: We accept that our original headline did not
appropriately reflect the nature of the events and subsequently changed
it. Whilst there was no intention to mislead our audiences, we regret
any offence caused.
They don't regret the headline. They regret the 'offence caused.' They accept that it didn't appropriately reflect the nature of the events, but they don't apologize for writing it, nor for leaving it up for many hours.
Makes it sound like there's no connection between the Israeli's death and the 'Palestinian' attackers' assault - they just happened to occur around the same time.
And you wonder about the origins of the #FakeNews epidemic?
This was released today by the Prime Minister's Office.
You should share it as much as possible on social media.
Let's go to the videotape.
RETWEET THIS: The Palestinian Authority pays convicted terrorists hundreds of millions of dollars. The more they kill, the more they get. pic.twitter.com/onrhdNDvl6
It goes to the core of the question of whether there CAN be a 'peace process.' Right now, the answer is clearly 'no.'
And the Trump administration - unlike its predecessor - seems to get it:
If you want to stop terrorists, you shouldn’t be rewarding them or their families for their heinous acts.
The White House seems to get that: On Wednesday, Al-Quds
reported that Team Trump will demand the Palestinian Authority end its
practice of paying terrorists and their families and stop funding Hamas.
The demand is part of a White House plan to restart
Israel-PA peace talks — the subject of a May 3 meeting between Trump and
PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Peace talks or not, Trump is right to demand an end to
rewards for those who slaughter innocents. However fair Palestinians’
political gripes might be, it doesn’t justify terror.
Plus, as we’ve noted before, US taxpayers fund the PA — and they surely don’t want their cash rewarding terrorists.
Stopping those payments won’t be easy. The PA has dodged
past efforts to halt them, and Abbas himself regularly encourages terror
attacks.
If only American Jews got it half as much as the White House does.
NY Times publishes op-ed by terrorist, 'forgets' to mention his five murder convictions
A group of 'Palestinian' terrorists in Israeli prisons started a hunger strike on Monday. The group is led by mass murderer Marwan Barghouti, the former leader of the Fatah Tanzim terror group, who has been in an Israeli prison for the last 15 years, and who was considered toxic enough not to be released as part of the 'terrorists for Gilad' trade of 2011.
The New York Times considers this such important news that on Saturday - in the middle of the Passover holiday - it posted an op-ed by Barghouti on its web site, which made the print editions on Sunday. Barghouti refers to Israel's 'system of mass arbitrary arrests' as if there was no reason to arrest him. He complains that Israel has 'violated international law' for nearly 70 years, a period which goes back to independence and is clearly not meant to be limited to the post-Six Day War era. He refers to himself and his fellow terrorists as political prisoners.
There's one small part he left out, and which the New York Times did not bother to correct until late Monday, long after almost everyone who wanted to read the op-ed had (except for those who are keeping two days of Passover who would probably not find Barghouti persuasive anyway). On Monday, the Times posted this on its web site to correct the record.
Yes, that would be the same trial that Barghouti refers to in the editorial as a 'political show trial.'
I'm reminded of Gilda Radner's famous line upon being caught in a semantic mistake on Saturday Night Live.... "Never mind...." Too bad the Times took two days to fix the 'mistake.' But then, who would expect any better of them?
And again: 'Palestinian' stabs Christian British student to death on Jerusalem tram
A 23-year old Christian British woman was murdered by a 'mentally unstable' (is there any other kind?) 'Palestinian' terrorist on the Jerusalem tram this afternoon. The terrorist was a 57-year old (so much for 'only' letting 'over-50 Palestinians' move around freely) resident of Ras-al-Amud, the area near the Mount of Olives. The stabbing took place as the tram rounded the corner at IDF Square, just outside Jerusalem's Old City.
Another woman, who is pregnant, was injured when the train stopped, and a man was hurt while trying to flee the assailant. They are both lightly hurt, MDA said.
The assailant has been identified as Gamil Tamimi, 57, a Palestinian resident of Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem who was recently released from a psychiatric hospital, according to the police said.
Probably related to this Tamimi - at least distantly. Israel is holding this paragon of virtue - at least until the next Terrorists for X exchange.
The Shin Bet said that Tamimi had tried to commit suicide by swallowing a razorblade while hospitalized. In 2011, he was convicted of molesting his daughter.
"This is yet another case of a Palestinian suffering from personal, mental or moral distress choosing to commit an act of terror to escape his problems," the Shin Bet says.
So in 'Palestinian society' you can save your 'family honor' by murdering a Jew. Murder a Jew and and molesting your daughter is forgiven.
If you're seeing this post as a preview, it's worth clicking just to see the tweet I embedded in the top.
A 'Palestinian' terrorist slammed a truck into a crowd of soldiers near Jerusalem's Armon HaNetziv neighborhood today, killing at least 4 and wounding 16.
A truck rammed into a group of soldiers on a
promenade in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem, killing at
least four of them, in a vehicle-ramming attack on Sunday afternoon,
police said.
Police chief Roni Alsheich called the incident a vehicular terror attack.
The soldiers were getting off a bus at the
promenade, a popular tourist spot in southern Jerusalem, when a large
flatbed truck ran into them.
At least 16 more people were injured, two of them very seriously, according to Jerusalem hospitals.
The four soldiers — three women and one man — who died were in their 20s, the Magen David Adom rescue service said.
According to police, the terrorist accelerated as he struck the group.
Eyewitnesses said that after the driver hit
the soldiers with his truck, he put the vehicle in reverse and ran over
them a second time.
Footage of the incident taken from a security
camera showed the truck run into the group of soldiers as they stood
next to a bus. The driver then attempts to turn the truck around and run
over the group again as people scramble for cover.
The driver of the vehicle was shot by both soldiers and by a civilian guide, police said. He died of his wounds.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx) issued the following statement.
“Today we saw yet another horrific attack by a Palestinian terrorist in
Jerusalem. The United States stands unshakably with our ally Israel, and
with the Israeli Defense Forces soldiers who were the targets of this
attack. IDF soldiers bravely defend the people of Israel, protect them
and keep them safe. The terrorists targeting them are the enemies of
peace, which can never be achieved while terror groups like Hamas incite
violence and the destruction of Israel. Our prayers are with the IDF,
and with the victims of this attack and their families.”
Some of the newspapers in Europe are comparing this to an Islamic State attack. But we've had these kinds of attacks dating long before Islamic State.
Hamas drone engineer assassinated in Tunisia was working on undersea drone to attack Israeli gas platforms
Ten days ago, a drone engineer who worked for both Hamas and Hezbullah was assassinated in Tunisia. The Tunisian government accused 'foreign entities' of being involved in the assassination, and both Hamas and Hezbullah pointed a finger at Israel.
It now turns out that the engineer, Mohammed al-Zawahri, was developing an undersea drone that could be used to attack Israeli natural gas platforms in the Mediterranean. From Professor Jacobson.
Chief Hamas engineer Mohammad al-Zawahri, who was killed in Tunisia earlier this month, was reportedly working on drones and “remote-controlled submarines” for the Islamic terror group. A TV station in Tunisia recently aired footage allegedly presenting these projects.
Talk show Labes aired photos from al-Zawahri’s lab with host Rashed
al-Hiyari claiming one of them shows remote-controlled “submarines”
developed by the Tunisia engineer.
“Israel knew he was a real threat and that is why it assassinated
him,” al-Hiyari said of al-Zawahri. “There was a failed attempt to
assassinate him several months ago as well.”
Alzoari was an aeronautical engineer who specialized in
the manufacture of drones. For the last few years, he was employed by
Hamas and Hezbollah. According to sources in Tunis, he also designed an
unmanned naval vessel, apparently submersible and capable of attacking
targets at sea.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth (the Hebrew language version of Ynet), al-Zawahari was involved specifically in targeting the natural gas platforms.
Astounding: US Embassy has left terror victim's body in Israeli morgue for six years
Sorry for the lack of posting - I am totally swamped with work and has been all week. This will be quick.
I am embedding a Facebook post by Kay Wilson, a terror victim, who describes the inaction of the US Embassy in Israel under both Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, with respect to the body of Kristine Luken. Luken was murdered in the same terror attack in which Wilson was injured.
This post is beyond shocking....
I have no words to describe my disgust with the United States government over this incident.
More good news: Trump to designate Hamas' parent a terrorist group
For those who don't recognize his name, Eric Trager is a fellow of the Washington Institute, a respected Washington think tank that researches the Middle East, and the author of 'Arab Fall: How the Muslim Brotherhood Won and Lost Egypt in 891 Days'.
This morning, he quotes Trump adviser Walid Phares as saying that President Elect Donald Trump intends to designate Hamas' parent group, the Muslim Brotherhood, a terror organization.
For those who read Arabic (I don't), you can find the full story here. (Hat Tip: MFS - The Other News).
Being a designated terrorist organization would severely restrict the Muslim Brotherhood's ability to operate in the US and abroad and is a step that is way overdue, but would never happen under an Obama administration. If this turns out to be true, it's great news.
'Palestinian' terrorist a Hamas member blessed by Hamas, mourned by Abbas' Fatah, and an Israeli citizen to boot
Two victims of this morning's Jerusalem terror attack - apparently a woman in her 60's and a police officer who gave chase - have been pronounced dead. Six other people were wounded, three of them seriously. The terrorist opened fire from a vehicle at the Ammunition Hill tram station, and then tried to escape into the nearby Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
According to an initial police investigation, a terrorist driving in a
car came to a nearby junction, opened fire and hit a civilian. The
suspect fled the scene, driving in the direction of the Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood. Police motorcycle forces chased after the suspect's
vehicle, stopping him in Sheikh Jarrah. When the terrorist saw the
officers, he opened fire in their direction. The officers shot back at
the suspect, successfully neutralizing him.
Three others were in
moderate condition following the attack. One was taken to Hadassah
University Medical Center on Mount Scopus, the second was taken to
Hadassah University Medical Center in Ein Kerem while a third was taken
to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
An additional three people were
lightly wounded, with two of them going to Shaare Zedek and one going
to Hadassah's campus on Mount Scopus.
The terrorist is Misab Abu Sbeih, a resident of the Silwan neighborhood just outside Jerusalem's Old City, and a Hamas 'activist.' The picture below is from Hamas' social media.
In a notice posted to its Facebook and Twitter pages, the 'moderate' Fatah terrorist organization, headed by 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen has called for a general strike in Jerusalem as a sign of mourning for the terrorist (link in Hebrew). And you thought they were 'rivals'....
The terrorist was indicted last year on 14 counts of incitement to terror and eight counts of supporting a terror organization, although according to Maan, the prison sentence he was to serve stemmed from his assaulting a police officer in 2013.
Given his long arrest record, the investigation will focus on how the terrorist was able to obtain/buy an M-16 rifle.
Unfortunately, terrorism is not dead here in Israel. We live with it daily.
And oh yeah, Abu Sbeih was an Israeli citizen. That's how he got into 'west' Jerusalem in the first place. (The tram station where the attack took place is within 100 meters or so of the site of one of the biggest battles of the Six Day War.
The rabbi of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, North Carolina announced on Friday that the trip to Arafat's tomb is off.
On Friday, August 19, 2016, 10:15 AM, Beth Meyer Synagogue wrote:
August 19, 2016
Shalom Beth Meyer Family,
I write to you with a very heavy heart.
The past few weeks have been
extraordinarily painful for me, Rabbi Jenny, our congregation's leaders,
and many in the Beth Meyer family and extended Jewish community. This
letter - which admittedly is quite lengthy - is designed
to provide a detailed explanation of how this situation came about and
how I have chosen to resolve it.
During my time at Beth Meyer, I have led
four "pilgrimage" trips to Israel that visited many of the historic and
spiritually-rich sites that lift the soul and build one's love for and
connection to the State of Israel. These tours
included stops at sites that illustrate the threats and precarious
security issues Israel faces on a daily basis. I will continue to offer
such tours in the future.
A few months ago, I invited Beth Meyer
members to participate in a trip to Israel and the West Bank under the
auspices of MEJDI Tours, a company that provides customized educational
tours in regions worldwide suffering from conflict.
In this case, the tour was to be a "dual-narrative" tour with both
Israeli and Palestinian tour guides that would visit Israel and the West
Bank.
This process began some two years ago
when I first heard of MEJDI Tours and began to look into the
organization. I learned that MEJDI, in the past, has partnered with the
Israeli Ministry of Tourism, the Israeli Foreign Ministry,
Israeli educational institutions and numerous American synagogues. In
addition, MEJDI has been featured in a range of respected media outlets,
including Haaretz, Forbes and National Geographic Explorer.
After thoroughly researching MEJDI's
credentials with rabbis and Jewish leaders across the U.S. and Israel, I
was comfortable that MEJDI was, in fact, a non-partisan tour operator
that offers individuals unique immersive experiences
to learn about complex issues first-hand. MEJDI does not preach or
support any specific agenda or form of hate, violence or terror. Rather,
it is an apolitical organization that believes increased education and
understanding can help build bridges across cultures
and stimulate peace.
While studying in Israel in the summer
of 2015, I took the opportunity to tour the West Bank in a group that
had with it a Palestinian MEJDI guide. It was, to say the least, a
profound (and often surprising) experience that allowed
me to hear perspectives few of us ever hear. For example, the guide was
highly critical of the Palestinian Authority and its leaders, both past
and present. He condemned violence by Palestinians and emphasized that
he "despises Hamas." When I asked challenging
questions, his responses recognized weaknesses in Palestinian
positions. Moreover, he mocked the backwardness of the Arab world, as
well as its lack of support for human rights and democracy. And, while
he did criticize a number of Israeli government policies,
his words were balanced, thoughtful and nuanced.
After reviewing this idea with Beth
Meyer's leaders and securing their approval, I invited the Beth Meyer
family to participate in a MEJDI tour next spring. I wholeheartedly
believed I was helping to provide a rare opportunity
for seasoned Israel travelers to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict in a broader, deeper way. With expert guides who would be both
supportive and critical of their own government's policies, I hoped
participants would gain new insights and hear from
peace-makers working on the ground to make a difference. I thought,
perhaps naively, that this MEJDI tour would offer a different kind of
experience for Zionist, Israel-loving Jews who want to explore the many
intricacies of this terrible conflict.
For some in the congregation, there was
immediate interest in participating and many quickly submitted their
deposits. For others, there was no interest at all. Some congregants
asked thoughtful questions, and others criticized
my attempt to organize such a trip due to their belief that the
itinerary was unbalanced. And there were some who expressed serious
concerns about the potential damage the tour could cause the Beth Meyer
community and the image of the State of Israel.
While my intentions were pure, my heart
broke as I listened to the pain my actions had caused some congregants. I
listened carefully to this feedback and discussed what I heard with
Rabbi Jenny and synagogue leaders.
After deep reflection and
soul-searching, I have decided to cancel the trip. To anyone who feels
confused, hurt or upset on account of my actions, I sincerely apologize
and ask your forgiveness.
Please know my decision was not made
because I don't believe in the tour's value - I do. Nor was it made
because a handful of individuals outside of our holy congregation - none
of whom have ever talked or met with me - spread
inaccurate and misleading information about Rabbi Jenny and me that
spawned threats of personal violence. In this season of Tisha B'Av when
we remember the many tragedies of our people, personally experiencing
this kind of sinat hinam (baseless hatred) was
especially painful.
Rather, I made this decision because I
deeply love Beth Meyer and what we, as a family, have built these past
11+ years. And I want to emphasize that my love embraces each and every
one of you, regardless of where you land on the
spiritual, social or political spectra. I am touched that so many
congregants pleaded with me to move forward as planned, but I cannot -
and will not - do anything that jeopardizes the integrity of the Beth
Meyer family.
I want to thank everyone who has shared
their thoughts with me about this issue. Most particularly, I want to
acknowledge the input and guidance I received from our President Eric
Lamb, the Beth Meyer Synagogue Executive Board,
lay leaders and, of course, my wife and partner, Jenny.
Just as the Torah teaches that God
created the world with immense variety, so too my vision of our
congregation is one where we accept and celebrate both the common bonds
and differences among us. Civil discussion, respectful debate
and honoring diverse opinions are Jewish values that our people have
embraced for millennia. They are the values that form the foundation of
my rabbinate, and they are the values that make Beth Meyer such a
welcoming community.
When appropriate and rooted in Jewish
values, I will continue to take public positions on issues where I
believe my contribution can be constructive. I want to stress, however,
that I do not and never will expect to have consensus
across our membership on any issue, least of all, the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (In fact, if all I heard was a unanimous
"Amen," I would think something was wrong. It wouldn't be Jewish, and it
wouldn't be the Beth Meyer that I cherish!)
At some point in the future, perhaps,
our congregation may again consider an educational initiative such as a
MEJDI tour. But that would happen only after there has been ample
opportunity for all interested members to learn about
the opportunity and discuss it thoroughly with input from a broad
cross-section of our members.
In that spirit, I invite anyone who has
questions about this situation or would like to share any other
concerns to contact me via e-mail (rabbi@bethmeyer.org ) or phone (919.848.1420).
I will be delighted to sit down and hear your thoughts and ideas.
This episode, though challenging, has
been a valuable learning experience for all of us. I pray that we use it
to deepen the bonds we share and inspire us to continue nurturing the
Beth Meyer family and strengthening our commitment
to and love of God, the Torah, the Jewish people, the State of Israel
and one another.
At this moment, perhaps more than ever, I
thank God and each of you for the privilege of serving as Beth Meyer's
rabbi. Rabbi Jenny and I, along with our entire family, look forward to
welcoming the New Year with our holy, hamish (warm)
congregation at the High Holy Days.
B'ahavah (With love),
Rabbi Eric Solomon
Something tells me there may still be a trip in the future....
The problem with trying to 'understand the other' is that it only works if it's a two-way street. In Israel, much of our population spent 1993-2000 trying to 'understand the other.' Unfortunately, it was never a two-way street (and we suffered plenty of terror attacks during that period) and it ended in a full-blown intifadeh that left hundreds of Israelis dead, wounded, widowed and orphaned.
The 'conflict' is insoluble because only one side is interested in a solution. Most Israelis now have had enough pain inflicted on them that they get that. I hope the rest of world Jewry comes around without suffering all the pain that we suffered.
Wednesday the Rabbi threw in the towel - visit to Arafat's tomb is off the itinerary
Greetings from Boston.
Earlier today, the following email from Rabbi Blumofe in Austin, Texas (the subject of yesterday's post) was forwarded to me:
> Dear Friends,
>
> Thank you for being in touch with me personally regarding the
unfortunate insinuation, opprobrium and personal defamation that has
surfaced based on the inaccurate and reckless premeditated judgments
from a member in our community about the draft of an itinerary
to Israel in June, 2017. The refusal to have communicated directly
with me has added hate and peril into this world.
>
> I very much appreciate your requests to help.
>
> Here's where things stand -- if you can communicate this
information to expanding circles and to folks who have reached out to
you, or whom you know would be interested to have a fuller/current
briefing, this would help to bring accuracy to a volatile and
distressing situation.
>
> 1. The draft of the itinerary that has gone public is no longer accurate. That itinerary was cancelled.
>
> 2. There will be a trip to Israel in June, 2017 that will be
planned with a different itinerary in the coming weeks, with the input
of the leadership of Agudas Achim. I believe that the goals of
exploring Israel as it wrestles with its status as a democracy
and Jewish state can be achieved in alternative, affirming ways -- and
rest assured, the new itinerary will not stop at the grave of Arafat.
>
> Please do not hesitate to be in touch as we continue to strive to
build engagement, literacy, and positive excitement for Israel within
our community -- and as we look to keep each other safe and well.
>
> Am Yisrael Chai.
>
> Neil Blumofe
> Rabbi. > ___________________ > Neil F. Blumofe, Rabbi
> > Congregation Agudas Achim > P.O. Box 28400 > Austin, Texas USA 78755-8400
The emphasis added was mine - not in the original.
Raleigh, North Carolina is not the only place where a rabbi thinks that Judaism requires him to go worship at the tomb of the father of terrorism. I'd like to introduce you to Rabbi Neil Blumofe of Congregation Agudas Achim (it's Conservative - contrary to what some of my Orthodox friends might conclude from the name) in Austin, Texas.
Below is a letter written by Richard Brook, a congregant of Rabbi Blumofe, who vehemently objects to Blumofe's idol worship.
Yes, the visit to Arafat's tomb is on Day 11. But it's only the start of the problems with this tour. This is how people are being educated to Judaism?
As it happens, I was in Austin two years ago on business, as some of you might recall. Congregation Agudas Achim is located in a huge gated complex that was donated by Michael Dell, the chairman of Dell Computers, who donated $1.8 million to American Friends of the IDF in 2014. The complex includes a day school, a community center, and Orthodox, Conservative and Reform synagogues (although when I was there in November 2014, the Orthodox synagogue was meeting in a classroom in the school). One has to wonder whether Mr. Dell is aware of what is going on at his campus, and whether visiting Yasser Arafat's tomb violates the terms of the land grant to Congregation Agudas Achim (I have no way of getting a copy of that grant - just raising the issue).
For the record, Mr. Brook has been in touch with me directly, and gave me permission to publish his letter (Hat Tips: Richard Allen and Sloan Rachmuth).
I received this by email this week from One Family, an organization that helps families of terror victims. I'm sure many of you recall the story of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, the 13-year old who was murdered in her bed by terrorists on June 30.
Let's go to the videotape. Explanation below.
Hallel Yaffa Ariel was murdered on June 30th, 2016 (Sivan 24th) by a vile man while sleeping in her bed, at the age of 13.
Her
family wishes to commemorate her life at the place where she was killed
- by turning it into a Visitor Center to the family's winery in Kiryat
Arba. So they launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise the money.
This is a Headstart campaign run by the Ariel family, endorsed by OneFamily.
The Ariel Judea Winery is
a micro-winery producing wine from the Ariel family's vineyards near
their home. Hallel used to enjoy working there with her father. The Hallel
Winery Visitor Center will establish a living connection between Hallel
and the winery, vineyards, and the Kiryat Arba area - where Hallel
spent her childhood.
The Hallel Winery Center will promote Jewish-Israeli identity, personal growth, prosperity, and love. Help the family plant roots in the spot where it was hit by Israel's enemies.
Please join the project and help make the Hallel Visitor Center a reality. With your help, they will achieve their vision! All
of your donations to this campaign go directly to the Headstart
crowdfunding campaign helping the family realize this project.
Good
morning. We are a young Jewish family
here in the Triangle and recently learned of Rabbi Solomon's Behind the
Scenes Tour of Israel. The rabbi says his goal with the trip is to
raise the awareness American Jews to the realities on the ground in
Israel so they can form their “own positions that
are based on fuller, more complex information.” However, according to
the online trip guide, most of the sources of information during Rabbi
Solomon’s trip, will come from the most radical proponents of
BDS, and even pro-Islamic terror sources.
I
hope that Rabbi Solomon is
being honest about his intentions with this tour and it’s objectives.
As you will see below, it will appear to most that the Rabbi intends to
stir hatred for Israeli Jews and fro the IDF, who is sole guarantor of
the Jewish State.
To begin, the most troubling
aspect of MEDJI Tours is that they partner with the Holy Land Fund, a designated terror group who
has provided funding and support to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood according
to the U.S. Justice Department. That a Rabbi from Raleigh is partnering with a Hamas terror
financier is alarming and it must be investigated by the community and others.
Parents’ Circle Families Forum -An active and vocalsupporter
of the International
Solidarity Movement, a pro-terror group that recruits American students to
pose as peace activists while they abet terrorists in the
West Bank and Gaza, the center routinely launches rhetorical attacks on
Israel and denigrates the American presence in Iraq. Many
bereaved families in Israel have spoken out against PCFF for its
demands of an acceptance of the Palestinian narrative of exclusive
Israeli guilt, a corresponding rejection of the legitimacy of Israeli
narratives, and the political messages that are transmitted,
explicitly and implicitly, through PCFF activities. http://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/parents_circle_families_forum/
All that’s Left -They
report to be a collective unequivocally opposed to the occupation and committed to building the diaspora angle of resistance. taking to the streets with visual and educational strategies to reshape how visitors
think about Israel, which includes total, one-sided demonization of the IDF.http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.528285
Tent of Nations - notorious
for lying about the IDF supposedly ruthlessly confiscating the property
of innocent Palestinians, never mind these lies disproven in court. The
libelous narratives of Tent of Nations has fueled the Presbyterian Church USA’s boycott of Israel.This
organization raises money by claiming “Israeli Military Destroys Orchards at Tent of Nations – Please Act Now!" https://rabbibrant.com/2014/05/21/israeli-military-destroys-orchards-at-tent-of-nations-please-act-now/
Mahmoud Darwish Museum
- who partners with BDS group IACHD to sponsor anti-Israel propaganda tours to gin up hatred of Israeli Jews.http://www.summerinpalestine.org/2015/blog.htmlIn
fact, Mahmoud Darwish was a poet who not only called for all living
Jews to leave "Palestine" , but to take with them also their dead
ones!!!
Yassar Arafat's Tomb - the father of modern
terrorism deserves respect with a visit to his gravesite? Arafat
is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Israeli
citizens,
the deaths of untold numbers of Arabs and the killing of more than 100
U.S. citizens and the Rabbi pays his respects thereby validating his
muderous acts??
Combatants for Peace – partner of pro-BDS movement, anti-IDF
activists who
utilizes highly demonizing language, accusing Israel of “ethnic
cleansing,” “genocide,” “collective punishment,”
and “apartheid”; promotes BDS campaigns against Israel; and explicitly
advocates for the end of the state of Israel as the nation state of the
Jewish people.
Even the Bait al Karama Culinary School and the Birzeit
Brewery company travelers will visit for pleasure are known anti-Israel BDS activists whose companies were created for this purpose
Rabbi Solomon’s ittenerary also includes a stop where travelers will “Learn the story of Open
House Ramle where the non-fiction story Lemon Tree took place.” According to Stand With us, “Lemmon Tree” is pure fiction and it’s a propaganda piece that presents
the extremist Palestinian case against Israel and says we should be
“deeply concerned” that some secondary schools are using the book. https://www.standwithus.com/news/article.asp?id=256
These
are but a sampling of the details of this trip, which promotes hatred
towards Israeli Jews from beginning to
end. This tour should be led by either the Palestinian Authority,
Hamas, or the Muslim Brotherhood; not by the Rabbi of a Conservative
synagogue in Raleigh, North Carolina.
I am
asking today that you look into this trip further and to ensure that
all consumers understand clearly the pro-BDS
and anti-IDF education this trip will offer. And above all, consumers
should be well informed of the Islamic terror-supporting partners of
this trip. Many
are now researching whether it's legal to financially partner with
foreign terror sponsors and with companies who organizes boycotts
against Israeli Jewish citizens.
Thank you for your consideration in this troubling matter.
Police said the man, a resident of the West Bank,
had been questioned by guards who said he raised suspicions as he tried
to board the light rail.
During the questioning, the man told the guards that he was carrying explosives.
Large police forces arrived at the scene and a police bomb squad found multiple pipe bombs in his bag.
King
George and Jaffa Streets were closed to traffic and the light rail was
stopped along the same line for some time before resuming service.
The security guard who stopped the terrorist from boarding the train was Druze. The light rail operates throughout the city, going through some Arab neighborhoods of 'east' Jerusalem.
Oh yes, almost forgot to mention. The corner on which the terrorist was arrested was where the Sbarro pizza shop was blown up by a 'Palestinian' suicide bomber in 2001. Fifteen Israelis were murdered in that terror attack.
If you were expecting State Department spokesman John Kirby to say something about terror attacks in Israel last week, you were disappointed with Tuesday's State Department briefing. Here's the sum total of what they had to say about Israel.
QUESTION: Do you have a comment on the Israeli settlement construction announcement?
MR KIRBY: We’re aware of reports that the Government of Israel
intends to advance plans for hundreds of housing units in Israeli
settlements in the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem. If it’s true,
this report would be the latest step in what seems to be a systematic
process of land seizures, settlement expansions, and legalizations of
outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state
solution. We oppose steps like these, which we believe are
counterproductive to the cause of peace. In general, we’re deeply
concerned about settlement construction and expansion in East Jerusalem
and the West Bank, and the design – and the – I’m sorry, the designation
of land throughout the West Bank for exclusive Israeli use.
As the Quartet report highlights, since the beginning of the Oslo
process in 1993, the population of settlements has more than doubled,
with a threefold increase in Area C alone. Currently, there is at least
570,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Moreover, approximately 100 settlement outposts in Area C have been
built without formal Israeli Government approval, making them illegal
even under Israeli law. Again, as the Quartet report makes clear, these
actions risk entrenching a one-state reality and raise serious questions
about Israel’s long-term intentions.
QUESTION: Given that you raise the idea of this as a
systematic process of land – land expropriation or land seizures or
however you put it, what is the U.S.’s systematic response beyond just
saying this is bad every time? Do you have a systematic approach to
counteracting this trend that is blocking peace, in your opinion?
MR KIRBY: Our approach has been consistent throughout. First
of all, calling it like we see it and not being afraid to do that;
having tough discussions with Israeli leaders about this and being
willing to continue to do that; working inside the Quartet, and the
Quartet report addresses this pretty clearly as I just said; as well as
working with other members of the international community to try to see
if we can advance a two-state solution.
QUESTION: Do you – do you – the way I understood it was this
is a response to the violence. Do you see the notion of settlement
expansion as a consequence of violence as an appropriate countermeasure?
MR KIRBY: Look, I’m – I really am loath to get into analyzing
cause and effect here in terms of connecting that particular dot. We’re
obviously deeply concerned about violence and we condemn the recent
attacks. There’s – and we’ve said this before – no justification for
terrorism, no justification for the violence, no justification for the
taking or maiming of innocent life. And so we’re going to continue to
look for leaders in the region to do what they need to do, take the
affirmative steps that are required, and act – demonstrate leadership to
take down the tensions to reduce the violence to get us to help create
the conditions for a two-state solution. That doesn’t change, however,
at all our opposition to settlement activity, which we believe is
illegitimate.
QUESTION: I have a last one, tangentially related. The wife of
a man killed in a West Bank attack was an American citizen. I think the
car was shot at and it was just another American – I think it might
have been Hebron – another American who almost died in this case. Are
you having conversations with the Palestinians about the rising American
death toll in this wave of violence?
MR KIRBY: Obviously, we’re – any death and any injury is
significant when it results from this sort of violence. And so our
conversations with leaders on both sides are about, again, taking steps
to reduce the violence so that innocent people can go about their lives –
all innocent people can go about their lives.
Okay, so the last question mentioned Chavi Mark (whose husband Rabbi Mickey Marc HY"D was murdered last Friday), but it didn't mention Hallel Yaffa Ariel HY" (May God Avenge her blood).
There was NO condemnation from the State Department - and certainly none from Hussein Obama.
And then there was a little more, but still no condemnation:
QUESTION: Do you think that that --
QUESTION: But your first job’s to protect Americans --
MR KIRBY: And we take that very --
QUESTION: -- and there are --
MR KIRBY: And we take that very seriously.
QUESTION: Well, a lot – there’s been several now, I think, killed in this wave of violence --
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: -- more than in a lot of places where you have --
MR KIRBY: We take that – no, we take that very seriously, but --
QUESTION: -- deeper engagement.
MR KIRBY: Well, I’m not going to --
QUESTION: Even military engagement in some places.
MR KIRBY: I’m not going to detail the specifics of diplomatic
discussions we may be having on this. I can tell you obviously we take
that responsibility very seriously. But more broadly speaking, we want
to see all innocent life protected.
QUESTION: And do you think that the Palestinian attackers are
attacking Americans on purpose? Do you think that they are targeting
Americans?
MR KIRBY: As I said, I’m not going to analyze each and every specific act here from the podium, Said.
QUESTION: Just to follow up on Brad’s question, do you ask the
Palestinians to investigate whether there’s actually been deliberate
attacking or deliberate targeting of Americans?
MR KIRBY: We want – first of all, we want the attacks to stop.
QUESTION: Right, I understand. But things that have already taken place.
MR KIRBY: And obviously – obviously we would – we – and we’ve
said this before – we welcome thorough, complete investigations on these
matters, transparent investigations by all sides. But I’m not going to
get into a discussion of each and every one.
QUESTION: According to the Israeli press, the Palestinian
Authority is getting ready to cut off all relation with the Quartet
because they feel that the report was completely biased towards Israel.
First of all, are you aware of these reports? And second, are you having
a conversation with the Palestinians on this very issue?
MR KIRBY: I think what we’ve seen is a PLO statement that
takes issue with some aspects of the Quartet report, and that’s our
understanding, is that this is more a statement of their concerns and
objections to the report itself. And as I said last week, we fully
expected that there would be objections, that there will be concerns,
that not everybody would like everything that they read in there. But
I’ll say it like I said last week – I’ll say it again – both sides had
input and we valued – welcomed and valued that input.
QUESTION: Okay.
Again, no condemnation of 'Palestinian' terrorism.
And in case you missed it, look at Kirby's opening statement.
MR KIRBY: I have some comments here at the top that I want to
make, certainly regarding what happened over the weekend. We strongly
condemn the recent spate of deadly terrorist attacks that have been
focused on civilians, including women and children, and which have
brutally taken hundreds of lives from Istanbul to Dhaka to Baghdad to
the attacks in Saudi Arabia. These acts have shown no respect for human
life, whether young or old, male or female, Muslim or non-Muslim. These
terrorists murdered without discretion. We cannot say whether these
attacks were coordinated or whether they were conducted by independent
opportunists. As you know, investigations are still ongoing, and I’m not
going to get ahead of those processes. I’d refer you to those countries
to talk about it.
But what we do know is that the goal of these attacks was to attract
attention and to spread terror and to spread fear. They occurred during
and at the end of Ramadan, the holiest time of the year for Muslims.
Indeed, a Daesh spokesman himself called for targeting during this very
holy month. So what’s obviously evident is that Daesh certainly has no
respect for Muslim life, life in general, or any respect for Islam
itself.
Notice what's missing (added emphasis is mine).
Bottom line: No condemnation of the terror attacks against Jews. The message to the 'Palestinians' is clear.
This the home of the terrorist who murdered 13-year old Hallel Yaffa Ariel HY"D (May God Avenge her blood) in her bed last Thursday morning.
This is Barack Obama:
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.
Anyone still wonder why the US has no effective answers for Islamic and 'Palestinian' terrorism?
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
