Please Pray for the Complete Recovery of Moshe Feiglin's Son, David Yosef Ben Faige Perel

UPDATE 6:15 a.m. EST

B"H

Everyone who cares for the future of Israel, please pray for DAVID YOSEF BEN FAIGE

PEREL.

May he have a full and complete recovery. May his family and friends be comforted by Hashm in their pain and sadness right now, may David Yosef Ben Faige Perel be strengthened by Hashm in his fight to regain his health, may Hashm guide the hands, hearts, and minds of the doctors, nurses, and other professionals who are caring for him at this hour.

M

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Moshe Feiglin's son hurt in  car crash
Likud member's teenage son seriously injured in West Bank accident 
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3912090,00.html
Ynet  reporters     

The 18-year old son of Moshe Feiglin, who heads the Likud-based Jewish Leadership Movement, was seriously injured Monday in a car crash near the Jewish settlement of Alfei Menashe.

Shin Bet Arrests Seven Terrorist Scum Accused of Murders, Plan to Kidnap and Behead Israeli on Tape

'This is one of the most dangerous cells we've uncovered' 
 7 Israeli Arabs nabbed for 2009 cab-driver murder; Shin Bet, police say Al-Qaida-inspired terror suspects planned to kidnap IDF soldiers, murder  Christians "heretics" for "insulting Muhammad." 
By YAAKOV KATZ, YAAKOV LAPPIN AND JPOST.COM   
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=179765 
 
Seven Israeli Arabs affiliated with al-Qaida and Global Jihad have been arrested for allegedly murdering a taxi driver last year, and carrying out a series of terrorist attacks, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency)  revealed on Monday.

In a joint police-Shin Bet operation, Ahmed Ahmed, 21, Jalib Janam, 26, Wassim Allam, 23, Khidar Ziddana, 22, Ahbed Abu-Salim, 19, Adi Azzam, 23, and Oman Kakhibi, 22, all Nazareth residents, were arrested between May 11 and June 21. All seven were indicted Monday at the Haifa District Court.

Dep.-Cmdr. Avi Elgrisi, Head of Amakim Police's Central Unit told The Jerusalem Post that "this is one of the most dangerous cells we have uncovered." The investigation was initially focused on two suspects, before being widened to include a total of seven suspects, he said, adding that police are expected to make more arrests in connection  with the investigation.

Hey Israel! Get John Paintsil's Brother Out of Jail in Time for The World Cup Match! (We Could Use Some Positive PR Right Now!!!)

B"H

As the world's eyes turn to the USA vs. Ghana match in the World Cup game set for Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET, those who love Israel will look kindly and happily for the Israeli-flag waving son of Ghana, John Paintsil.

Unfortunately, at the same moment that Paintsil is preparing for this huge match, his brother sits in an Israeli jail waiting for a decision on his asylum.

This is Israel's opportunity for some great PR.  Israel needs to move quickly to decide on John Paintsil's brother's asylum in time for him to watch the game with some of his friends in Israel.  It would make for some great TV coverage, and it would also play well in the print media.

I know it probably isn't technically a "legal move."  After all, some bureaucrat probably relishes the idea of dragging their feet on this case another few months, but it would be a brilliant PR move.  

Otherwise, you can bet the media will be all over this "anti-Israel" story about John Paintsil's brother sitting in jail--especially the EU media, who loves to paint us in the darkest shades possible.

So, Peres, why don't you do ONE thing right and give this guy asylum right now.  It certainly can't hurt your public image (what could hurt an image as low as it could go?), and it might really help Israel's.

After all, in case you didn't notice, Israel--the fight for our survival is as much PR as it is anything else.  Let's not give our enemies a win on the World Cup stage--let's take that win for ourselves!

M

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Ancient Israelis Imported Docile Bees from Turkey

B"H

Here is more evidence that the phrase "land flowing with milk and honey" was not metaphor, it was reality.

It wasn't date honey, either.  It was honest-to-goodness bee honey.

This makes a lot of sense to me.  Honey was really important for sweetening everything in ancient times, it was also required for the production of many important commodities like beer.

Beer was important to most ancient civilizations, and in order to brew the yeast for beer, it was important to have some sugar for the yeast to grow on.  Honey was an obvious choice.

The making of beer and bread were closely related.  Both required grain, both required yeast.  In the baking of bread, done on a daily basis, the yeast was often taken from barm, the foam or scum produced during fermentation. 

Rabbi Angel on Parashat Balak

Unique, Unappreciated and Hopeful

Thoughts on Parashat Balak

June 26, 2010
By Rabbi Marc D. Angel   
http://www.jewishideas.org/angel-shabbat/unique-unappreciated-and-hopeful-thoughts-para
   
 “Lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.”
 
Bil’am is hired to curse Israel—but instead he showers blessings on the Israelites. Among his statements is the above-quoted phrase that has generally been understood to mean that Israel is fated to be alone, isolated from other nations.  Yet, if this is what the verse means—it doesn’t seem to be much of a blessing. Rather, it would be condemning Israel to permanent outsider status. It encourages Israel to self-pity and to righteous indignation; it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that can lead to a deep alienation and malaise.

Some have suggested that “outsider status” is indeed a blessing.  The outsider constantly prods the world to higher achievements; the outsider has a deeper, more spiritual existence than the “boring insiders”.

 Rabbi J. H. Hertz cites an interpretation by Marcus Jastrow that translates the verse as follows: Israel is a people that dwells alone; it does not conspire against the nations. Israel  minds its own business, and doesn’t hurt anyone; therefore, the nations should leave Israel alone.

Time for Shas to Dump Ovadia Yosef, Become More Than A "Wanna-Be Haredi Schnorrer Society"

B”H

Thanks, Jpost, for ALMOST saying what needs to be said about Shas.  Their editorial is subtitled “party’s voice is not being heard,”  and the Jpost has done something right with that subtitle—it is in the passive tense, almost as passive as Shas. 

As frequent readers of this blog already know, I am Sephardi, but I am not a supporter of Shas.

It isn’t that Shas “is not being heard”--it is that Shas has nothing to say.  The current crisis in Emanuel and the 100,000 strong chillul Hashm performed for the cameras of the world to demand the right to discriminate against little Sephardic girls doesn’t have anything to do with wheeling and dealing for a few more bucks for the Shas budget, so they have found themselves tongue-tied.

The reason is not, as the Jpost more politely argues, because they fail to have an independent voice from the Haredim (which is very true!); or that they have failed to support Sephardic Jews (which is also true), or that they have sent all their children to the “very best” Haredi Ashkenazi schools and avoided their own Shas schools (which is not only true, but scandalous).

The reason I have never supported Shas is because Shas has never supported Israel.  Shas doesn’t stand up for our rights to our land. 

I have learned, by watching what they do, that Shas only cares about Shas. 

100,000 Strong Chillul Hashm Demands Sephardic Girls Have No Right To Attend Public School in Emanuel

B"H

This is repugnant.  

Of course the state has a right to regulate the education of these Haredim!  It is a STATE SCHOOL!!!

As far as their "This is a religious difference," argument, I disagree!  The "stringencies" that these Haredim live by are not Halachic stringencies!  The chumrot that they insist upon is an interpretation, not a Law! 

Now, 100,000 strong, they cause the largest Chillul Hashm that can be imagined in the name of  . . .  discrimination against little Sephardic girls?

Disgusting!

Of course they will say that the Sephardim don't have the same "level of Torah knowledge" that they have.  This is a common and all-too-common and damaging lie that is put out there again and again.

Rabbi Angel on Parashat Hukkat

Truth, Compassion--and the Vindication of Humanity
http://www.jewishideas.org/angel-shabbat/truth-compassion-and-vindication-humanity-thou         
By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
   
"And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: this is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded..."

A Midrash tells that when the Almighty was about to create Adam, a debate broke out among the angels. Some advised Him not to create human beings, others urged him to create humanity. Hesed (compassion) said: let human beings be created because they will do acts of kindness. Emet (truth) said: let them not be created because they will be filled with lies. Tsedek (righteousness) said: create them because they will do acts  of justice. Shalom (peace) said: don't create them because they will be  filled with strife.

God then cast Emet down to earth. The angels objected: why did you treat  Emet disrespectfully, since Truth is Your hallmark? God replied: The truth will blossom forth from the earth. 

And then Adam was created.

Tribal Members Jonathan Bornstein, Benny Feilhaber, and Jonathan Spector Play for Team USA in World Cup

B"H

I guess all those soccer teams at the Jewish Community Center lead somewhere!  

The US is in Group C, playing Slovenia at 10 a.m. EST June 18, and Algeria at 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday.

M

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Jewish Players Score In World Cup
Three Jewish players compete for U.S. in the World Cup
June 18, 2010
http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/cover_story/jewish_players_score_in_world_cup/19246Emily Cohen
Special to the Jewish Times

Three  Jewish soccer players are on the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jonathan Bornstein and Benny Feilhaber, both 25, along with Jonathan Spector, 24, comprise what could be the largest Jewish contingent on a single team in the U.S. squad’s history.

Turkey Bans Israel Fly-Overs, Israel Declares IHH Terrorist Organization

 B"H

Very interesting!  It is funny how all we hear is the "Israel Eases Blockade" BS when this much more interesting and scary information is not reported.

I like that Jerusalem declared the IHH terrorists.  I am waiting to hear that the US is also accepting that definition.

Turkey is turning into a royal pain in the ass.  I hope Erdogan loses the next election before Turkey becomes the next Iran, but I doubt Erdogan will allow elections to proceed.

He has been making plans for months now in order to declare himself dictator of Turkey.  He has arrested secular leaders, especially military leaders, and let's not even mention the stories-high picture of him (very Stalinesque).  

I am sure he has some good buddies lined up to block the streets with tanks and shut Turkey down once he announces his real intentions to make Turkey a full Islamic State and declare Shariah.

He can attack Israel from Turkey and from Cypress.  Very scary--especially now that Greece is crippled and can't do much to help.

M

An Essential Glossary of Terms for Judea and Samaria by David Ha'ivri

B"H

Don't be fooled by the rhetoric of the Israel bashers and ignorant news reporters. Know your terms!

My friend, David Ha'ivri is one of the most amazing supporters of Israel I have ever had the pleasure to know. A family man, a gifted lecturer, a scholar of Torah and history--he is the perfect one to share knowledge about the essential grammar of Israel.

In this short article, he packs an enormous amount of information that each of us should familiarize ourselves with and use with confidence.

M

US Congressional Representatives Stand With Israel, Blame Turkey for Gaza Flotilla Deaths

 B"H

When I was working with the Regents, and Shelley Berkeley was a University of Nevada Regent, she always struck me as one of the nicest people you could know.

Yeah, yeah, I know . . . she is a Democrat, but I think she is a really decent human being anyway.  ;)

And here she is, standing up for Israel in a very real way.  Nice job, Shelley!! (I would Kvell, but I'm Sephardic . . . )

If you want to send her a nice letter for what she has done, here are her congressional contact addresses.  

I have also linked the other representatives we should thank:

Kudos go to Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana), Peter  King (R-NY), Adam Schiff (D-California), and Gary Ackerman (D-New York). 

We should make a habit of thanking those who help us, not just complaining to those who upset us.

M

Hating Hate is Not Hate Speech: PayPal Reverses Decision to Cut off Atlas Shrugs, Freedom Defense Initiative, and Stop Islamization of America Sites

B"H

I am glad that PayPal has come to the realization that hating hate is not hate speech!

PayPal had sent these bloggers letters to inform them that their sites were "hate" sites, and they would be ending their relationship with them.

Now, mostly because of all the negative publicity, PayPal has reversed their decision and reinstated these sites.

There is a significant difference between fighting against the hate speech of others and promoting hate.  The bloggers in question were fighting against the hate speech of others.  However, the pro-hate forces of terrorist Islam were quick to attack those sites as promoting hate speech, and they had a quick ally in PayPal.

We all must be constantly vigilant about the free speech rights of every American and how the terrorists are trying to use our own free society and our right to litigation against us in their psychological war against America.

We cannot let one violation of these rights go, or they will all soon fall.

M

Bloomberg Explodes Over "No Mosque at Ground Zero" Remark at Jewish Heritage Dinner

B"H

I got a first-person account of this incident just moments after it happened, and I have been scanning the news and the blogs since, waiting for it to be reported.

Of course, it isn't reported (except at Shelomo's own blog, here, and at Atlas Shrugs).

There is an overwhelming and dangerous silence surrounding the Mosque project at ground zero.  No politician wants to go on the record against it.

Why?

Don't they understand that this mosque is the victory dance for Jihad?

M

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Confronted over Mosque at Ground Zero, Mayor Explodes 

By  Shelomo Alfassa 

http://www.alfassa.com/mayor.html

While  attending the June 15, 2010 annual invitation-only  Jewish Heritage Dinner at Gracie Mansion, the New  York City mayor's symbolic home, this writer had  an astonishing and unforeseen run-in with Mayor  Michael Bloomberg regarding the proposed controversial  mosque at Ground Zero.

(June  15, 2010) New York's Jewish establishment gathered  for a pleasant kosher barbecue held on the  lush  back lawn of the mayor's graceful 19th century mansion  on New York's Upper East Side. 

When the dinner and  program ended, I walked over to the west side of  the stage, along with a dozen or so others  which  were hoping to get a photo of the mayor. As the  mayor came off the stage, both uniformed and plainclothes  policemen demanded that everyone step back. 

The New Face of Hip Hop is Halachically Jewish, Black, and Canadian

B"H

Calling Matasyahu!  Can you PLEASE help this kid remember he is a Jew as he is faced with millions of temptations?

Sure, he has been around show business for years, starring in a very popular television series . . . but that was nothing compared to where he is headed now.

The way this article starts, with some girl trying to get a date with him (a NOT Jewish girl!), makes THIS Jewish mother cringe.  (Yeah, OK, she's probably beautiful, no-doubt.  But, seriously?  Relationships are hard enough!  Don't try keeping a relationship with someone whose best childhood memories come from holidays you don't celebrate!)

Anyway, back to the subject . . .

Drake is a sensation, and if you don't know who he is--it is time you met him. 

Here is a beautiful article from the NYT, and here is a link from Youtube (even though I am still mad at them about removing "We Con the World!")  Hmph.

M

Shas Makes Zionist Teshuvah, Becomes Formal Member of WZO, Pushes to Change WZO's Doctrinal Document, Wants to Declare the Obvious: "Jews Indigenous to Israel!"

B"H

This is fascinating.  Shas has never been Zionist.  

In fact, if you asked me to describe Shas's position on Israel, I would have answered, "Shas supports anything and anyone who will give more money to Shas."

This "political philosophy" has allowed every PM from Sharon to Olmert to Bibi to buy support from Shas to destroy Gaza, raze Jewish communities in  Judea and Samaria, seal homes, and give our Holy City of Hevron away to terrorists.

Now they want to be Zionists?  Seriously?

I think it will take more than membership in the WZO to do this.  Do they know that Zionists have scruples?  Do they know that Zionists want Jews to live in the land of Israel?  Do they know that we expect them to keep that ideology even when some politician offers them more child allowances?

I am very skeptical that Shas can make a full Zionist teshuvah.

Meanwhile, I like the declaration of the obvious--especially if it puts the UN in a pickle.  I guess we all assumed that the Torah's declaration that Hashm gave us Israel was enough.  

Silly us!

We forgot that the UN is run by a bunch of thugs that could care less about G-d.

M

"No one can seriously doubt that Hamas has genocidal intentions."

B"H

Wow.  This is one of the most concise, accurate, and chilling pieces I have seen.  

In it, Clifford May lays out exactly what Hamas wants from Israel, and exactly what those who support Hamas are supporting:  Genocide.

M

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Beyond Bigotry
Clifford May, Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Beyond+Bigotry/3150541/story.html#ixzz0qqbgxN1G

Israel is at war, and if Israel were to be defeated, much of the world would not shed wet tears. What would happen after such a defeat? No one can seriously doubt that Hamas has genocidal intentions.

Abdallah Jarbu, Hamas's Deputy Minister of Religion, recently asserted that Jews "want to present themselves to the world as if they have rights, but, in fact, they are foreign bacteria -- a microbe unparalleled in the world." Jarbu then offered this prayer: "May He annihilate this filthy people who have neither religion nor conscience."

Pogrom 2010: 75,000 Uzbeks Flee Kyrgyzstan. Women, Children, Elderly Slaughtered in Border Towns. Mobs Burn Uzbek Villages. Osh Falls to Kyrgyz Mobs.

UPDATE 6/15/2010:  UZBEK BORDER CLOSED.  REFUGEES TURNED BACK.

B”H

This is HORRIBLE news!!  

At this point, although most of the news is about Kyrgyzstani mobs murdering Uzbeks, we can't be sure exactly what is happening or what to think about it.  The news is just too confusing and too new.

But no matter who is fighting whom, and no matter where the blame eventually falls, this is a giant and tragic story.


I do know that city of Osh is filled with Jews, as are a lot of the smaller towns on the border; but there are also a large number of Kyrgyzstani Jews--and both populations move between those two countries and have a lot of connections.

There are both Bukarian Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews (including a lot of Chabad) in the both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Right now, it is reported that Kyrgyzstani mobs are attacking, but at this point it is unclear which ethnic groups are fighting.  I know that people along the border of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbek are close.


I also know that there have been a lot of murders of Jews in these towns. 


Right now, innocent women, children, and elderly people are being attacked, and the situation is chaotic, at best.


May Hashm be with the innocent people of both Uzbekistan and Kyrgystan.  May they find peace and safety in the coming days, and may Hashm comfort those who have lost loved ones in this terrible event.

M

Intellectually Challenged Richmond, San Francisco, and Berkeley Council Members Consider "Condemnation of Israel" on Local Agendas

B"H

The most disgusting part of this story is that, in Richmond, it was a Jewish politician who sponsored the resolutions.  His Dhimmitude is complete!

Do these people not understand that Israel has been under attack?  Do they not understand that the "Gaza Flotilla" was a terrorist infiltration under the guise of a "humanitarian mission"?  

Do they understand that terrorists are trying to infiltrate Israel to kill our citizens on a DAILY basis and that Iran is working hard to establish a base of operations there?  

Do they not understand that, according to International Law,  Israel was well within its rights to board the ship, that there was NO humanitarian aid aboard the ship, and that IDF members weren't even properly armed?  

If the IDF hadn't been attacked, the IDF would never have fired their weapons.

I think they are aware.  It is just that their hate of Israel has overcome the need to actually find out the facts before making a resolution to condemn Israel.

Youtube Shows It's Anti-Israel Bias, Removes "We Con The World" Parody

B"H

Youtube can make the excuse that there is a copyright infringement with "We Con the World," even if the makers of the song were making money on the song (which they aren't).  

This is clearly established in the Supreme Court Case Cambell v. Acuff-Rose Music Inc.  In that case, the Supreme Court established Parody fell under the Fair Use law.  

A parody is clearly protected speech and is NOT an infringement of copyright.  This is clearly established in case-law, so clearly established, that there is NO WAY Youtube could even think that they are in danger of being sued.  They aren't.

More likely, Youtube has bowed to pro-Arab pressure and/or threats. 

Even more disappointing is that Youtube waited until Shabbat to pull the video so that the Shabbat observant Jews who created this video wouldn't know it was missing for a full 24 hours.

Parshat Korach by Naftali Kassorla

B"H

This is one of my favorite parts of Torah because, like most people, I really like it when the good-guys win.  

This story really should be on the big screen.  It has everything!  Passion, scandal, dispute, and a WOW ending when Hashm opens the earth to swallow the bad-guys whole!

It is also a parshat that speaks to our times.  We are constantly confronted by those who would try to find fault in Torah rather than looking to understand it.  When we are confronted by such an attitude, we must follow Moshe's lead.

Fault for Gaza Flotilla Deaths, Injuries Can Be Traced to White House Stupidity

B"H

So, Israel's "failure" on the Gaza-Bound ship of terrorist fools can be linked directly to the biggest fool of all:  President Obama.

Why am I not surprised?

Israel knew there were terrorists aboard the ship.  Israel knew they might attack.  Israel has more than enough knowledge in crowd control--yet, Israel didn't use crowd control methods because, yes, you guessed it, the US "pressured" Israel, and Israel gave in to that pressure.

Seriously, Israel knows its business, and Israel should have taken care of this business without the US "helping."  Why can't Israel just act like a sovereign nation and stop worrying about what the world community thinks?  After all, they will hate us no matter what we do, so we might as well do what we want!

If Israel had done what Israel does best, there probably wouldn't be any dead terrorists on the "humanitarian" ship.  

The deaths of the terrorists AND the injuries to our courageous IDF troops can both be traced to the same address:  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So, get to it!  All those arabs festooned in Hamas green, all those fat chicks with mullets dressed in shorts and peace sign tee-shirts, all those white guys in dreadlocks, and skinny girls with no makeup wearing kefiyahs can unite with our modestly dressed mothers, our black-and-white penguin-suited yeshiva boys, our militant knit-kippah Zionists, and our sundress-clad university girls in one giant protest against Barak Obama's stupid meddling.

And, while we are at it--maybe someone can bring a muzzle for Rahm Emmanuel.  I'm sure he had a lot to do with this mess.

M

Reuters Admits Cropping Gaza "Flotilla" Photos, Denies Political Motivation (Yeah, right!)

B"H

There have already been countless examples of Reuters changing their news to go against Israel, so the only thing that is surprising is that they would admit they changed the photos. 

Their claim that they didn't do it for political reasons rings hollow.  They knew what they were doing!  No photojournalist would crop a knife out of a photo unless they had a very good reason to do so--and that reason wouldn't be journalistic!!

M

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Reuters Admits Cropping Photos of Ship Clash, Denies Political Motive
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/08/reuters-fake-photos-ihh-gaza-blockade-commandos/?test=latestnews 
By Ed Barnes
The British-based Reuters news agency has been stung for the second time by charges that it edited politically  sensitive photos in a way that casts Israel in a bad light. But this time Reuters claims it wasn’t at fault.

The news agency reacted to questions raised by an American blogger who showed that Reuters' photo service edited out  knives and blood traces from pictures taken aboard the activist ship Mavi Marmara during a clash with Israeli commandos last week. Nine people were killed and scores were injured in the clash.

The pictures of the fight were released by IHH, the Turkish-based group that sponsored the six-ship fleet that tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Iran doesn't want to miss out on this Israel-bashing, PR propping, Islamogasmic Good Time. Planning To Send Navy to Escort "Humanitarian" Ships to Gaza

B"H

Iran doesn't want to miss out on this Israel-bashing, PR propping, Islamogasmic good time, so "I'm-a-nut-job" has decided to send Iranian vessels to "guard" the next "humanitarian flotilla" to Gaza.

Whoopie.

The Iranian madman, like Erdogan, is tanking in the polls, unpopular with his own people, and in need of a great deal of support from the masses.

And, in the great tradition of Arab incitement aimed at having the masses forget the troubles at home and blame everything on Israel, Iran is jumping on the bandwagon with gusto.

Spoof of Flotilla "We Con the World" Gets 1.3 Million Hits on YouTube, Accidentally Sent Out By Israel's Government Press Office

B"H

I think a little humor is called for . . . 

M

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‘We Con the World’ Big Hit on YouTube with 1.3 Million Clicks
 by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137922

The “We Con the World” spoof of the Flotilla  attackers has passed the 1.3 million mark on YouTube after making the rounds on dozens of web sites and blogs. The Government Press Office apologized to foreign media for accidentally sending it on its email list as if it were an official PR piece.

Complaints were heard about the line "There are no dead bodies" in the song from viewers that did not realize that it does not refer to the fatalities on the flotilla, but  is a spoof on the reasons the flotilla was sent, one of which is that it is a long time since Israel invaded Gaza and they could  claim civilian deaths.

Click here to see the video on YouTube.

Hakham Mordehai Eliyahu (1929-2010) ZS”L Former Chief Rabbi of Israel

by  Shelomo Alfassá
http://www.alfassa.com/me_zsl.html

NEW  YORK, NY (June 7, 2010) - The State of Israel lost a powerful  voice of political reason and religious rationality on  June 7, 2010 (7 Sivan 5770) when Hakham Mordehai  Eliyahu,  former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, succumbed to advancing  health problems he had been suffering for the past two  years.

Hakham  Mordehai Eliyahu served as Chief Sephardic Rabbi  of Israel  from 1982 to 1993 and was member of the Bet Din Harabani  Hagadol (Supreme Rabbinical Court) based in Jerusalem.  He was considered one of the leading Zionist rabbis and  certainly one of the most popular and charismatic rabbinical  leaders in all of Israel for many decades.

The  rabbi was born in the ‘Old City’ of Jerusalem  in British-occupied Palestine during the dark year of  1929 when Arabs attacked, killed and maimed over  100 Jews  throughout Hebron, Jaffa, Safed and other towns.  A consequence  of these sad events was an increased growth in Jewish  nationalism and intensification of Jewish self-determination  for Jews all over the holy land.Hakham  Eliyahu's upbringing was one imbibed with a rigorous love  of the land of Israel which helped him become a staunch  defender of such, first inspired by his father, the Iraqi-born  rabbi, Hakham Salman Eliyahu (1878-1940). His father was  not only considered a respected rabbi and mekubal   (kabbalist) of Jerusalem, but he also had been secularly  educated in London. As a result of his Western education,  he later served as personal secretary of the British High  Commissioner of the Palestine British Mandate, Lord Herbert  L. Samuel (1870-1963) -- the first Jew to govern  the historic  land of Israel in 2,000 years.

The Difference Between a "Peace Activist" and Supporter of Terror Explained In NYT by The Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren

An Assault, Cloaked in Peace

Many who were aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla had one goal it was to aid terrorists, not to help civilians.

By MICHAEL B. OREN

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/opinion/03oren.html

PEACE activists are people who demonstrate nonviolently for peaceful co-existence and human rights. The mob that assaulted Israeli special forces on the deck of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara on Monday was not motivated by peace. On the contrary, the religious extremists embedded among those on board were paid and equipped to attack Israelis — both by their own hands as well as by aiding Hamas — and to destroy any hope of peace.

Millions have already seen the Al Jazeera broadcast showing these “activists” chanting “Khaibar! Khaibar!”— a reference to a Muslim massacre of Jews in the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century. YouTube viewers saw Israeli troops, armed with crowd-dispersing paintball guns and side arms for emergency protection, being beaten and hurled over the railings of the ship by attackers wielding iron bars.

What the videos don’t show, however, are several curious aspects Israeli authorities are now investigating. First, about 100 of those detained from the boats were carrying immense sums in their pockets — nearly a million euros in total. Second, Israel discovered spent bullet cartridges on the Mavi Marmara that are of a caliber not used by the Israeli commandos, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. Also found on the boat were propaganda clips showing passengers “injured” by Israeli forces; these videos, however, were filmed during daylight, hours before the nighttime operation occurred.

Who Wants To Build The Mosque at the Site of 9/11? The "Cordoba Initiative." What Does Their Name Mean? Shelomo Alfassa Explains:

Shelomo Alfassa: Beware the Cordoba Initiative

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/127499.html

Shelomo Alfassa is the former US director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries and a scholar of Judaic life in Islamic Spain. He lives in New York.

The world should know that the ‘Cordoba Initiative,’ the New York City based organization desiring to construct a massive Islamic house of prayer at ‘Ground Zero,’ has posted on its website, a peculiar and disingenuous statement indicating the desire to bring back the atmosphere of, “interfaith tolerance and respect that we have longed for since Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in harmony and prosperity eight hundred years ago.”

I point this out because contemporary scholarship has clearly demonstrated that there was no ‘harmony’ or ‘prosperity’ for non-Muslims in Islamic Spain. The Cordoba Initiative is attempting to revisit some sort of mythical “tolerance and respect” which never existed.

What is irrefutable is that living under Islam, the non-Muslim population was always mandated to submit to Islam, accept discriminatory laws, and make payment of a mandatory Quranic tax imposed upon every non-Muslim. For a period of about 800 years, most of Spain was ruled by Muslims and this area was known as ‘Al-Andalus.’ Islamic rule ended in 1492, when the city of Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in Western Europe, capitulated to the Spanish Catholics.

The Cordoba Initiative is an organization whose very name makes reference to what was, 1,000 years ago, one of the world’s most advanced cities, Cordoba, Al-Andalus (Spain). This was a city that was politically and religiously dominated by Islam, and a city that was conquered by jihad (holy war). Today, there are