Underdog Israel beats Cuba in baseball, is one win from semi-finals
If you've been in a cave for the past week, you probably don't know that Israel's baseball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic, defeating 3rd ranked South Korea, 4th ranked Taiwan and 9th ranked Netherlands to get there. Israel's team was ranked 41st going into the tournament, despite having ten major leaguers on its roster.
On Sunday in Tokyo, the Israeli team beat 5th ranked Cuba 4-1, and now needs just one win against top-ranked Japan or 9th ranked Netherlands (which they have already beaten) to advance to the semifinals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (If you're wondering, the US is ranked second).
Israel’s batters overcame an early 1-0
deficit, and the team’s pitchers kept the heavily favored Cuban team to
just five hits, continuing the squad’s unlikely Cinderella run.
Cuba inched ahead in the second inning with a
home run from Alfredo Despaigne, the player who singlehandedly sent his
country into the second round when he scored all of Cuba’s runs against
Australia on Thursday.
But after that, it was entirely Israel’s game.
Team Israel took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when
Zach Borenstein singled to right scoring Ty Kelly from second base.
Blake Gailen made it 3-1 with a two-out double to right that scored Nate
Freiman.
Israel tacked on another run in the eighth on a sacrifice bunt by Gailen that scored Borenstein from third.
Josh Zeid pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth when he got Willian Saavedra to ground out to third with two out.
The Israeli team has become the tournament’s unlikely darlings on its way to a 4-0 start in the international tournament.
Now we all know that there may not be 10 Israelis who aren't American born who know how to play baseball. So how does Israel have 10 major leaguers on its squad? It's a rule quirk.
Nearly all the members on Team Israel are American Jews. By WBC rules, a
player may compete for a country if he is eligible for citizenship
under its laws. Israel extends the right of automatic citizenship to
Jews, their non-Jewish children, grandchildren and the non-Jewish
spouses of their children and grandchildren.
Uh huh.
But they should have taken me along to read the Megillah for them (I've read it from a scroll more than 70 times to as many as 800 people). Let's go to the videotape.
Israel will face the Netherlands at Noon on Monday Israel time.
The win over Cuba gives Israel a strong mental boost ahead of games against the Netherlands and host Japan to advance in the quarterfinal round, which is played as a round robin. One win in those two games could be enough to bring Israel to Dodger Stadium for the semifinals.
...
[Manager Jerry] Weinstein rebuffed critics who have called Team Israel really a second Team USA. "The attitude in our clubhouse is we are representing Israel. We are not the Junior Varsity team for Team USA. We are Team Israel, and make no mistake about that."
After Sunday's win, starter [Jason] Marquis noted "We have quality baseball players on this team; guys who have big league experience, a lot of young prospects who have bright futures, and a good mix of veterans who can help these guys through these tournament games."
Marquis did revel a little in becoming a role model in the United States. "It's a great story for people back home who follow the game and who are in our shoes - have Jewish heritage - to look up to players like us who may not have otherwise had that opportunity."
I don't know about that. For most American Jews your Bar Mitzva is that time when you realize that you are far more likely to own a team than to play for one.
Russian plane brought down by 'external force' in Sinai
Russia is saying that a Kogalymavia Airlines passenger jet that crashed in Sinai on Saturday while enroute from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg was brought down by an 'external force.' ISIS has claimed that it shot the plane down presumably as revenge for Russian military activity in Syria. All 224 passengers and crew on the plane were killed.
"We exclude technical problems and reject
human error," Alexander Smirnov, a Kogalymavia airline official, said at
a Moscow news conference as he discussed possible causes of the crash.
He
added that the crew did not issue any warnings or communications during
the final moments, indicating that the flight crew must have been
disabled and not able to radio out.
However,
Smirnov said that while the plane's flight and voice data recorders had
been recovered, they had not been read or decoded.
But no one else wants to believe that ISIS is responsible. No one, that is, except Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates, Air Arabia and Air Dubai, all of which have announced that they will not be flying over Sinai until further notice. This is from the first link.
Officials have played down an apparent
claim by Islamic militants in Sinai that they brought down the Airbus
A321-200, saying technical failure is the most likely reason for the
crash.
But so far, they haven't been
able to give a definitive explanation for what happened, with the
Egyptian President suggesting investigations could take months.
This is not the first flight out of Sharm to crash since Israel returned the resort to Egypt as part of the Camp David treaty. In 2004, a Flash Airlines charter flight from Sharm to Paris crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff. A former work colleague of mine who had subsequently moved to France was aboard that flight.
You might recall that in 2006, El Al announced that all of its planes are equipped with the Flight Guard anti-missile system. In 2008, American Airlines decided that the system was too expensive for its planes. Given that this is the second time in the last 16 months that a commercial passenger jet has been shot down, perhaps the airlines ought to consider installing the Flight Guard system.
A fight for control of Samsung, the largest Korean conglomerate, has turned anti-Semitic.
One South Korean news site, Mediapen.com, has
been outspoken on the C&T-Cheil merger. At the time of writing,
Wednesday evening, the site had no fewer than five articles about
Samsung on its homepage, one a glowing profile of Samsung’s corporate
leadership and the other four expressing support for the merger.
“Jews are known to wield enormous power on
Wall Street and in global financial circles,” Kim began. “It is a
well-known fact that the US government is swayed by Jewish capital.”
Railing against Institutional Shareholder
Services, or ISS, a proxy advisory firm that published an analysis of
the merger that agreed with Elliott’s claims of C&T’s
undervaluation, Kim explained to Mediapen’s readers that ISS was moved
to side with Elliott because both represented “Jewish money.”
“The rationale for the assumption that ISS
will be supportive of Elliott’s claims is that ISS, like Elliott, is
founded upon Jewish money. Elliott’s CEO is Paul Singer, a Jew. ISS is
an affiliate of MSCI, which is owned by Jewish major shareholders,” he
wrote. And he added: “ISS’s opposition to the merger can be interpreted
along the lines of Jewish alliance. Jewish money has long been known to
be ruthless and merciless.”
The Times of Israel has not investigated
whether MSCI, formerly Morgan Stanley Capital International but no
longer affiliated with Morgan Stanley, is Jewish-owned, but it can
confirm that it does not own ISS, which it sold in April 2014.
The vitriol in Kim’s column is pervasive. In a
caption under Singer’s picture, the Jewish investor is described as a
“greedy, ruthless head of a notorious hedge fund.”
Samsung itself advertises on Mediapen, offers
interviews and media access, and receives almost total support from the
site’s reporters and columnists. But Mediapen is nevertheless not one of
South Korea’s major media outlets.
Seoul-based MoneyToday is.
In a June 22 report
(Korean-language link) about Samsung’s response to the ISS report, the
site explained why ISS might not be an objective party in the merger
dispute.
“According to the finance industry, the fact
that Elliott and ISS are both Jewish institutions cannot be ignored,” it
reported. “Elliott is led by a Jew, Paul E. Singer, and ISS is an
affiliate of Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), whose key
shareholders are Jewish. According to a source in the finance industry,
Jews have a robust network demonstrating influence in a number of
domains.”
The report on the mainstream MoneyToday was published almost two weeks before the appearance of the Mediapen report.
And there is no sign that the narrative of
Samsung being victimized by a global cabal of Jewish financiers is dying
down. The South Korean daily Munwha Ilbo followed up on Tuesday with a
report headlined: “‘Jewish ISS’ blatantly supported ‘Jewish Elliott.’”
“Doubts are being raised about a possible
‘Jewish alliance’ as ISS issued a report which ignored the domestic
judicial system and simply relayed Elliott’s claims,” the tabloid
reported. “Elliott is led by Paul Singer, who is Jewish. ISS is an
affiliate of MSCI, owned by Jewish major shareholders.”
South Korea is nowhere near Israel (and is often an ally on economic matters). But that doesn't stop the world's oldest hatred.
Korean Air Lines will suspend all
its flights to Tel Aviv over the next week in response to growing
tension between Israel and Palestine, the airline said on Friday.
In a statement, the airline said it would cancel flights scheduled
for July 19, 22 and 24 as part of its efforts to address concerns about
flight safety after a Malaysian airliner was brought down in Ukraine.
Three flights from Tel Aviv bound for Incheon in South Korea will be suspended, it said.
Korean Air said the decision to stop the flights to Tel Aviv was
prompted by the deteriorating political conditions in the region as
Israeli troops launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
I'm actually a bit surprised at this. South Korea isn't exactly in the most politically stable area of the world either.
The Malaysia Airlines plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala
Lumpur, was travelling at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 metres)
when it was shot down, Russia's Interfax reported.
An adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry said the Boeing 777 was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile.
All 280 passengers and 15 crew members who were on the plane are believed to have died, he added.
A spokesman for Malaysian Airlines, still reeling from the loss of
flight MH370 in March, confirmed it had lost contact with flight MH17,
which took off from Amsterdam at 12.15pm local time.
The flight disappeared from radar as it flew over Ukrainian airspace, the spokesman said.
A number of videos apparently filmed near the village of Grabovo,
Donetsk, where the plane came down, show plumes of thick, black smoke
rising high into the air.
TV channel Russia 24 broadcast similar pictures, while a Reuters
correspondent at the scene said he could see the wreckage of a burning
aircraft and bodies on the ground.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk ordered an immediate
investigation into what he described as a "catastrophe", while his
Malaysian counterpart Mohd Najib Tun Razak said he was "shocked".
Alexander Borodai, the eastern Ukraine separatist leader, claimed the
airliner was shot down by Ukrainian government forces, although
officials in Kiev denied any involvement.
There has been no official comment from authorities in Russia.
Sky's Katie Stallard, in Moscow, said media reports suggest the plane
came down in an area where there has been recent heavy fighting amid
continuing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Asia to replace Europe as Israel's biggest trading partner?
In light of last month's publication of Europe's Nuremberg guidelines, which seek to force Israel to declare that Judea, Samaria, 'east' Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are not part of our country, there are increasing calls in Israel to turn away from Europe toward Asia as its main trading partner. Here's former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold.
[Former Middle East expert for the US Vice President's office David] Wurmser concludes that Israel
make Asia its preferred export destination and not Europe. This is a
decision Israel will have to make as it influences how it builds its
energy infrastructure. If Europe begins to present itself as an
unreliable trading partner, then there will be many more Israeli voices
who adopt the idea of making Asia into Israel's preferred market for its
gas exports.
Professor Yisrael Aumann, Nobel prize winner in Economics, reaches a similar conclusion in an interview with Yisrael HaYom.
Is there an alternative to the West?
"There's an economic awakening in Asia --
China, Korea, India, Singapore, Kazakhstan. That's something new. It
increases global competition, and competition is good for the economy. I
see it as a good thing, not just for Israel but for the whole world."
Do you see it as the rise of a new civilization in place of the one we've known so far?
"I don't want to be that kind of prophet. It's
obvious that the Far East is waking up, but it's still too early to
talk about the decline of the West. The Chinese asked me what I
suggested for them. I said: 'Learn English now so that in another 50
years, the whole world will learn Chinese.' They're not interested in us
for nothing. Despite the political difficulties, there are games that
we, as a nation, are winning. Israeli scientific research is such a
victory. So are Israeli technology and the start-ups -- what the world
calls 'the start-up nation.'"
Gold believes that Europe needs Israel economically more than Israel needs Europe.
A
German adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel told The Jerusalem Post last
month that European cooperation with Israel in research and development
in the EU's Horizon 2020 program is a European interest and not just an
Israeli interest.
The background to the
EU's program with Israel is the need for Europe to improve its global
competitiveness and increase jobs and economic growth on the continent
after years of sluggish growth. The Horizon 2020 program is not a
European handout to Israel, but a joint initiative by which Israel puts
up funds by itself and receives 1.6 euros for joint research and
development for every euro it puts in.
Because of its
scientific prowess, Israel is the only non-European country to have been
invited to take part in this program. The Europeans knew what they were
doing by inviting Israel, which is no longer viewed as a country known
only for its Jaffa oranges, as it was in the 1950s. Clearly, both sides
benefit from this cooperation and both have much to lose by its
politicization by EU bureaucrats in Brussels.
So what were the
Europeans thinking when they got Israel involved in the first place?
Economists have long recognized that knowledge-based industries are the
fastest-growing portion of the global economy, and serve as engines for
economic growth. These are precisely the technological fields in which
Israel leads and which Europe needs.
In their book "Start-Up
Nation," Dan Senor and Saul Singer quote an American high-tech
executive who admits that for companies like Google, Microsoft, and
Intel, "the best-kept secret is that we all live and die by the work of
our Israeli teams."
Why should Europe
jeopardize its cooperation with Israel, which has served as such an
important partner for the U.S. companies? To go down the path of
limiting its scientific cooperation with Israel seems to be, ultimately,
a self-defeating policy for Europe itself.
Then there is the issue
of Israel's offshore gas fields. Europe presently imports most of its
gas from Russia and from North Africa. David Wurmser used to serve as a
Middle East expert for the U.S. vice president's office and later
advised Noble Energy, which is involved in Israeli gas exploration. He
points out in a paper for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs that
there are today five existing or planned pipelines connecting Europe
with the gas of North Africa. Four of the pipelines come through
Algeria, which is facing growing threats from al-Qaida affiliates.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, as in Sinai, they have shown their
readiness to sabotage such pipelines. Having another source of gas from
Israel could be critical for Europe if some of its current energy
sources do not come available.
Aumann, whose specialty is game theory, believes that Israel doesn't need European money for scientific cooperation.
"The scientific cooperation
doesn't depend on money. It doesn't depend on grants. On the contrary.
The grants depend on the scientific cooperation. Here at the Center for
the Study of Rationality, we had long-term cooperation without European
money. The money doesn't create cooperation, so it doesn't look like it
will be affected."
Aumann's manner is calm even when I mention
things that should be upsetting -- not just to him, of course, but also
to the entire institution of higher education. This is how he responds
to Hebrew University Professor Shai Arkin's statement that severing
research relationships would damage the universality of Israeli research
and make it provincial:
"I don't share those concerns. It seems to me
that there was good cooperation with the Europeans and the Americans
before, and it will go on afterward, too. The Europeans aren't
threatening to sever scientific connections. Scientific connections
aren't money. I had a case where I had a close scientific connection
with one of the European researchers. He visited us in Israel often. One
day, he joined the boycott of Israel. We were shocked and acted in a
way that resulted in him losing more than we did. We continued to
thrive. Now it's different. I'm afraid of what could happen if we give
in."
What do you mean?
"We're opening a door here for worse things to
happen -- for there to be no scientific cooperation at all. The next
stage could be a threat that if we don't leave Judea, Samaria and
Jerusalem now, a scientific boycott will be declared against all of
Israel, not only on the institutions in Judea and Samaria. The thought
that concessions bring calm is inaccurate. If we agree to a boycott of
Judea and Samaria and don't resist it, thinking that we'll be left alone
if we consent, we'll get the opposite result.
"The thing is that the people who are shouting
that it's bad for Israel's scientific community are the same ones who
have it in for Judea and Samaria anyway. So they're not exactly acting
out of pure intentions toward Israeli scientific research. I admit that
this applies in the reverse situation, too -- as far as people who
support living in Judea and Samaria, as I do. The question is not
entirely political, but politics are involved, at least partially. Most
of the people who are terribly worried about the future of Israel's
scientific research are on the left side of the barricades anyway, and
those who aren't so concerned hold different political opinions."
Is Israel's scientific research dependent on Europe?
"Israeli scientific research isn't dependent
on Europe. Still, scientific cooperation with Europe, and mainly with
the United States, is an important factor. But that's scientific
cooperation; we're not getting any money from the Europeans.
Incidentally, cooperation isn't important just to us, but to them too."
What's unmentioned in either article is the increasing Islamization in Europe, which is likely to assure (as if Europe's anti-Semites needed the push) that these sorts of initiatives from Europe will continue. In 50 years, Europe may well be a backwater to western civilization, but a center of Islam. Israel should start pushing for Asian markets now to get in on the ground floor. Perhaps the next President of the United States will similarly stop that country's euro-centrism.
Samsung has condemned an Israeli television ad for its Tablets after an Iranian legislator threatened to introduce legislation to ban Samsung's products from Iran. The video may be seen at the second and third links above; this is from the first link.
Samsung Electronics on Saturday condemned an Israeli commercial featuring a Samsung tablet, expressing dismay at Iran's threat to ban its products over the apparently anti-Tehran teaser.
The South Korean electronics giant said it had not been involved in production of the TV spot, produced by Israeli cable TV channel HOT.
HOT offered Galaxy tabs as gifts to attract new viewers and the advert was part of the station's subscription campaign, Samsung said.
"We have absolutely nothing to do with this television spot," a Samsung Electronics spokesman told AFP.
The commercial was produced by HOT "without Samsung's knowledge or participation," the company said in a statement.
"It should be noted that HOT cable network utilised a GALAXY Tab in its advertisement solely as a promotional gift," Samsung said.
"As a member of the global community, Samsung is committed to demonstrating respect for all people and cultures around the globe," it added.
The dhimmis shouldn't be trading with Iran in the first place.
Solving a great mystery of life: Why are the Jews so smart?
A South Korean television crew visits the Ponovezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak. Sorry - the Hebrew is not translated because it's a report from Channel 2 television news. I will translate one small part of the Hebrew into English because it's important to understand what goes on in Israel. And yes, I know some of the people in the video.
Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Debbie R).
In the last segment in Hebrew before they switch back to English, the announcer says that it's ironic that at the same time that Israelis look down on the yeshivas because they will 'never' produce anything 'scientific,' the Koreans are convinced that the yeshivas specifically are the source of all the Jews' wisdom.
All I can say is that the Koreans are getting to be smarter than the Israelis.
A competition to sell the Israel Air Force’s new advanced combat trainers is heating up as a Korean defense delegation plans to arrive in Israel next month to sign an agreement paving the way for increased cooperation and potentially $5 billion in sales for Israeli companies.
The agreement is part of a South Korean effort to persuade Israel to select Korean Aerospace Industries’ (KAI’s) T-50 advanced trainer as the replacement for the IAF’s aging fleet of A-4 Skyhawks, which are currently used to train cadets in their advanced pilot training.
Competing against the T-50 is Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master.
KAI alone has offered Israel over $1b. in industrial cooperation if its aircraft is chosen.
The remaining deals are expected from the Korean government.
One of the keys here is that the Italians have become financially unstable, while South Korea is a lot like Israel in that it's under constant threat from a heavily armed neighbor and it's become an economic powerhouse despite that threat.
The United States and South Korea are reported to be interested in purchasing units of Iron Dome, Israel's defense system against short-range missiles.
The US Army has expressed interest in the system to be deployed outside forward bases in Iraq and Afghanistan that could potentially be targeted by Katyusha rockets. The US military has discovered 107 mm. Katyushas in Iraq in the past.
Another potential client is South Korea, which is interested in using the system to defend against rocket attacks from North Korea.
...
In August, Rafael announced it was partnering with Raytheon to market the Iron Dome in the US. The system is said to be capable of working together with the US Army’s Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) system as part of a layered defense for military bases.
I wonder if they have solved the problem of rocket barrages.
I have mentioned before that Israel has become South Korea's largest arms supplier. On Tuesday, it was announced that Seoul has purchased 67 Spike NLOS rockets which it plans to deploy to defend itself against North Korea (Hat Tip: Daily Alert).
South Korea will deploy 67 Spike NLOS rockets on Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands in the Yellow Sea as early as late this year, a South Korean government arms procurement official said. Four South Koreans were killed on Yeonpyeong when the North shelled it last November.
The official, who declined to be identified, citing policy, said the deal was made in July after the Israeli weapon received the best performance review from South Korean military officials. Another South Korean arms procurement official confirmed the information.
Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems says the rockets can fly up to 15 miles (25 kilometers) and hit hidden targets. South Korea has been struggling to find ways to take out North Korea’s hidden coastal artillery should it attack again.
South Korea’s efforts to boost weapons systems on the front-line islands follow intense criticism that defense officials failed to respond strongly and quickly enough after the North’s attack last year.
South Korea currently has self-propelled guns, vulcan cannons, multi-rocket launchers, radars and other advanced weapons deployed on the islands, as well as thousands of marines. In June, Seoul set up a separate defense command in charge of troops on the islands.
It's not likely South Korea will give the Air Force a place to train, but at least sales to South Korea could replace some of our lost sales to Turkey. And we likely don't have to worry about South Korea going Islamist.
In the Middle East, my enemy's enemy is my friend. North Korea, which has sold nuclear technology to both Syria and Iran, has made itself into an enemy of Israel. And so it is fitting that Israel has become the largest arms supplier to South Korea.
During 2010-2011, ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea [South Korea] awarded a contract worth US$ 280 million to Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd, for developing and supplying the EL/M 2032 Multimode Fire Control Radar system for the ROK's FA/TA-50 training jet. The radar was chosen by the customer for its advanced system compared to other competitors. The second contract is for advance air defense system to ROK. The radar enhances a fighter jet's air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-sea capabilities, enabling long-range target detection and high-resolution mapping, among other features. The TA/FA-50 aircraft is being developed in the ROK by Korean Aerospace Industries [KAI], and will become operational with the radar system, which is co-produced with the Korean company LIG Nex1.
Now South Korea is willing to expand the defense cooperation with Israel and Kwon Oh-bong, the vice commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration [DAPA], South Korea hinted that his country is planning to turn Israel into its main arms supplier, following recent border incidents with its northern communist neighbour.
Kwon Oh-bong, who recently visited Israel, met senior Defense Ministry officials. In his visit to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the South Korean official expressed an interest in the Irom Dome rocket interception system, which was activated successfully in southern Israel recently.
"The security situation and threats faced by Israel and South Korea are very similar," says Kwon. "We are constantly boosting our readiness against North Korea, and we're exposed to the types of incidents and local provocations Israel is familiar with too.
"We too are under a major threat of artillery, missiles and rockets, and we were briefed on Rafael's air defense system. It's a very interesting weapons system and we'll consider it."
Two months ago, the Korean embassy in Israel honored Jewish War veterans who fought in the Korean War. I've had that page open for two months. My Dad fought in the Korean War (he was part of the US Army signal corps from 1951-53), and I would love to see him recognized.
But the bigger question is whether Israel's cooperation with South Korea can go beyond military sales. For example, how will South Korea vote on the question of the unilateral declaration of 'Palestinian' statehood next month and will South Korea participate in the Durban III conference? As far as I am aware, both of the answers to those questions are currently wrong answers. Let us hope that they can be changed. Israel and South Korea certainly do have a lot in common,
Close to 50 million people live in South Korea, and everyone learns Gemara (Talmud) in school. "We tried to understand why the Jews are geniuses, and we came to the conclusion that it is because they study Talmud," said the Korean ambassador to Israel. And this is how "Rav Papa" became a more well known scholar in Korea than in Israel.
It is doubtful if the Amoraic scholars, Abbaye and Rava imagined their discussions of Jewish law in the Beit Midrash in Babylon would be taught hundreds of years later in East Asia. Yet it turns out that the laws of an "egg born on a holiday" ("ביצה שנולדה ביום טוב") is actually very interesting to the South Koreans who have required that Talmud study be part of their compulsory school curriculum.
Almost every home in South Korea now contains a Korean-translated Talmud. But unlike in Israel, the Korean mothers teach the Talmud to their children. In a country of close to 49 million people who believe in Buddhism and Christianity, there are more people who read the Talmud - or at least own their own copy at home - more than in the Jewish state. Much more.
"So we too will become geniuses"
"We were very curious about the high academic achievements of the Jews," explains Israel's ambassador to South Korea, Young Sam Mah, that was a host on the program "culture today."
"Jews have a high percentage of Nobel laureates in all fields: literature, science and economics. This is a remarkable achievement. We tried to understand what is the secret of the Jewish people? How they - more than other people - are able to reach those impressive accomplishments? Why are Jews so intelligent? The conclusion we arrived at is that one of your secrets is that you study the Talmud."
"Jews study the Talmud at a young age, and it helps them, in our opinion, to develop mental capabilities. This understanding led us to teach our children as well. We believe that if we teach our children Talmud, they will also become geniuses. This is what stands behind the rationale of introducing Talmud Study to our school curriculum."
I can't guarantee it will help them, but I can tell you that it's something we Jews have suspected for years.
North Korea is threatening South Korea with nuclear annihilation. If the United States or some other power were to pre-emptively attack North Korea, or were to threaten to attack North Korea if it attacks South Korea, do you think anyone would object? Do you believe that the United States would threaten to attack or attack North Korea? If you say, "no because of Obama," do you believe the answer would change with a Republican in office.
Now, substitute Iran for North Korea and Israel for South Korea. Do any of your answers change? Why or why not?
It could be Jerusalem or Tel Aviv or Haifa, all of which have lived under similar conditions for decades with the exception of the nuclear threat. And soon, unless something is done to stop it, all of those cities are likely to live under a nuclear threat from an apocalyptic regime. But this story is not about any of those Israeli cities. It's about Seoul, the capital of South Korea, a country that came under fire from its northern neighbor earlier this week.
Seoul is just 40 miles from the border - about the distance of each of Israel's major cities from at least one of its countries borders. Like Israel, South Korea fought a war that neded in neither military victory or defeat, but in a truce. Were the problems just put off to a later date? That's how it seems. And like Israel, South Korea has become an economic powerhouse despite constantly contending with the possibility of war.
When South Korea came under attack earlier this week, Israelis could only think, there, but for the grace of God, go I.
On the surface, Seoul, the capital of economic powerhouse South Korea, is one of the most impressive cities in East Asia: Sprawling and prosperous, hi-tech and self confident.
But eight times a year, the traffic comes to a halt and crowds disappear from the streets as an eerie wail resounds across the city: The sound is a siren, and this is the minbangui, or civil defense exercise, designed to drill the population against a possible strike.
Seoul is a metropolis that lives in the gun sights of North Korea, one of the most dangerous states on the planet and just 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of downtown, yet Seoul residents have learned to live with the threat.
In recent years, North Korean provocations -- nuclear tests, missile firings, naval clashes -- have been more a subject for conversation in barbeque restaurants and late night pubs than lifestyle changers. Financial markets are barely moved by the latest threats; nobody is digging bunkers among their backyard kimchi pots. A blasé attitude has infiltrated the public consciousness after six decades of living with the North.
On Tuesday that attitude was rudely shaken after North Korean shells slammed into the South Korean island of Yeonpyong in the Yellow Sea.
The sight of columns of smoke rising from an artillery strike sent a frisson of real fear through this city of 12 million. It was the first such attack since the Korean War ended at midnight, July 27, 1953, and Seoul itself lies in range of massed, long-range North Korean artillery dug into the Demilitarized Zone.
...
The Korean War, which ended with a truce rather than a peace treaty, is a distant memory for most Seoulites: few know the details of the savage street combat that racked their city, or the fact that the capital changed hands four times. The only remaining signs of combat are the bullet and shrapnel damage in the masonry of ancient palaces, for most of the city has been built and rebuilt.
It is easy for the younger generation to overlook these scars, and the prominent U.S. military garrison -- headquarters of the 27,500 U.S. troops still stationed here as insurance against another invasion -- at Yongsan in the very heart of Seoul, is now an established part of the cityscape.
And whether the Cheonan and Yeonpyongdo incidents will permanently change attitudes is uncertain.
"Normally when the North Koreans misbehave, people don't care, but yesterday, people got nervous," said Robert Koehler, a 13-year expatriate and author of a Seoul guidebook. "People tend to get very angry, but then they settle down -- it is easy to get jaded."
But with the memories of one of the century's most devastating wars seared into their memories, the old generation cannot forget.
In case you're wondering, Korean Air flies nonstop from Seoul to Tel Aviv. El Al does not fly the route.
One of the pictures on my dresser is a photo of my Dad dressed in his US army uniform in what looks like a forest. It was taken in Korea during the Korean War. Dad was in the signal corps and he gave me the picture after Mom passed away.
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
