Yom Ha'Atzmaut is over, and we
return to "normal," whatever that means today. But first I want
to extend the theme of Yom Ha'Atzmaut for just a moment.
Credit: Dartmouth
Hillel
With all of the writing I did
two days ago, I have not yet, this year, done justice to what Israel means
for me, and for the Jewish people (even for those Jewish people who have opted
not to care).
With all of my being, I am
grateful to be an Israeli, and to be part of the stream of Jewish history that
leads us here. The hand of the Almighty is clear in our
ingathering: Today -- with over six million Jews -- we have the largest
Jewish population in the world. It is anticipated that within 20 years the
majority of the world's Jews will live here. More Jewish study goes on now here
than at any time or place in our history. Our people are happy -- every
poll indicates this -- and proud to be Israeli. And we choose life -- having the
highest birth rate of Jews anywhere. This is our Jewish
future.
The story of Pam Geller -- and her
talks this past Sunday on Sharia law -- is hardly over. It has many
layers, many ramifications, and information continues to come to
me.
I've been told by persons in the
know that the rabbi of Great Neck Synagogue -- Rabbi Polakoff -- is a mensch and
was not responsible for the decision to cancel Geller's talk. That
decision was made by the Executive Board of the synagogue. Background --
provided to me on a not-for-publication basis -- on the arm twisting they were
subject to is vastly complex and considerably obscene. Which is
not to say they should have caved.
Of the two rabbis who then
invited Geller to speak, I had focused on Rabbi Yosef Geisinsky of
Chabad of Great Neck because of the miracle of his return to health after being
pronounced dead.
But, having now received
additional information about him (with thanks to Gene S.), I want to return to
talk about Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg of Congregation Beth-El in Edison,
NJ.
~~~~~~~~~~
The good rabbi, age 65, who
received his ordination as well as a doctorate in education from Yeshiva
University, lost most of his family in the Shoa. He has dedicated his life
to "Never Again," and he means it. He speaks out when he needs to and is
unafraid, even in the face of threats. He says we are in 1938 all over
again.
Once he invited Pam Geller to
speak at his shul, the threats -- obscene verbal communication and even threats
of firebombing -- started coming in; swastikas were painted on his
house. The threats are on file with authorities and are being
investigated; he had police protection. But, he told me, it's just not
about inviting Pam Geller: he takes the same positions she
does, and he is frequently threatened. On at least one occasion, he
and his wife were physically attacked. But he is not frightened
into stopping.
We need a thousand Rabbi
Rosenbergs. Ten thousand.
I should add, he is the one who
started Rabbis for Romney, in the face of the Rabbis for Obama
movement.
Rabbi Rosenberg is looking for
paid speaking engagements anywhere in the US, and would welcome donations to his
shul to help sustain it.
If you think you can help
-- spreading word about him, offering a speaking engagement, or providing other
assistance -- please, be in touch with him directly: chaimdov@aol.com .
I salute him,
as should we all.
~~~~~~~~~~
And then, I add this: There
are two rabbis -- Reform rabbis -- in the region of Great Neck who have taken a
strong stand against Geller. She writes about this here:
The rabbis are Michael White,
senior rabbi of Temple Sinai of Roslyn (Heights) and Jerome Davidson rabbi
emeritus of Temple Beth El of Great Neck. Because Geller speaks the truth,
they label what she says "hate speech," and would deny her freedom of
speech. Shutting her up is more important to them than dealing with the
virulently anti-Jewish positions of some of those they are so eager to defend,
whom they refer to as "fellow Americans of a different Abrahamic
religion." They declare: "we cherish our relationships and friendships
within the local Muslim community," but they are mum about Islamic verbal
attacks on Israel.
~~~~~~~~~~
I invite you to see this
seven-minute video (which I thank Dan F. for bringing to my attention) that
neatly exposes the fallacy of criticism of Geller. The person speaking
here is not identified, but his position is so clear, so on-mark that I don't
hesitate to share it:
~~~~~~~~~~
My friends, I grow more and more
afraid for America. Not just because of the horrendous Boston attack, but
because of this: the fear among Jews, their reluctance to take a stand for
Israel, and their eagerness to defend the very Muslims who would do
Israel in if they could. Their stance is nothing but
mindless political correctness (a disease that inundates the US today).
It behooves each of us to
be well informed and to continue to speak out forcefully. Only then is
there hope.
~~~~~~~~~~
As to other news, it's difficult
to know where to begin:
Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he is going to Gaza next month. This,
after a delay in making the announcement, pending a visit to the White
House. This is a "counterproductive" move. declares the
State Department.
On Saturday, Erdogan announced
that Turkey would not be sending an envoy back to Israel until Israel completely
removed the blockade on Gaza. Return of the envoy was supposed to be
part of the "normalization of diplomatic ties" that followed Netanyahu's
apology.
This is in addition to the fact
that Turkey has voiced objections to Israeli participation in an upcoming
Mediterranean Dialogue group (a NATO event); this would have been the first time
that Israel participated since 2008.
An Israeli negotiating team is
scheduled to be in Turkey soon to discuss compensation for the Turkish dead
on the Mavi Marmara. But according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet,
Turkish officials are warning that:
"Israel should perfectly know that
this is not a process of bargaining. Compensation talks should not be turned
into horse trading or dirty bargaining."
In other words, Israel should
immediately and without discussion provide the very substantial sums
(reported to possibly be as much as million dollars per person) that Turkey
demands.
Reconciliation with Turkey is
going smashingly well, isn't it?
Reminder: Gestures that can be
read as weakness do not work with Muslims.
~~~~~~~~~~
PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has
submitted his resignation to PA putative president Mahmoud Abbas, and Abbas has
accepted it. (Putative? His term ran out in January 2009 but he's still
called president.) This is in spite of efforts by the US (specifically Secretary
of State Kerry) and European nations to convince Abbas not to accept
it.
Fayyad, who is not a member of
Fatah, had been tolerated by Abbas because he is the darling of the Western
world, the one considered most moderate and most trustworthy. But in fact,
there has been bad blood between the two for some time and many members of Fatah
have, over time, urged Abbas to get rid of Fayyad.
~~~~~~~~~~
Barak Ravid -- who asks if
Fayyad's resignation is "The beginning of the end of the PA?" --
explains:
"The resignation of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on
Saturday is a dramatic development. Its ramifications won't just reverberate in
the part of the West Bank under Palestinian control, but also affect Israel and
the Obama administration's efforts to renew the peace process, as well as the
European Union's policy towards the Palestinians.
"...the U.S., and the EU, which both regularly provide economic aid to the Palestinian Authority, Fayyad was the go-to man. The former International Monetary Fund economist was educated in the U.S. and was a symbol of good governance and the war on corruption. ...
"But it was this success that itself bore within it the seeds of his demise. Fayyad, who served as prime minister since 2007, resigned after his relations with PA President Mahmoud Abbas deteriorated, reaching an unprecedented low. The crisis of confidence between the two leaders was sharp and irreparable. Abbas and the Fatah party's old guard that surround him saw Fayyad as a political rival who needed to be eliminated."
"...the U.S., and the EU, which both regularly provide economic aid to the Palestinian Authority, Fayyad was the go-to man. The former International Monetary Fund economist was educated in the U.S. and was a symbol of good governance and the war on corruption. ...
"But it was this success that itself bore within it the seeds of his demise. Fayyad, who served as prime minister since 2007, resigned after his relations with PA President Mahmoud Abbas deteriorated, reaching an unprecedented low. The crisis of confidence between the two leaders was sharp and irreparable. Abbas and the Fatah party's old guard that surround him saw Fayyad as a political rival who needed to be eliminated."
~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary editor Jonathan Tobin, who sees in Fayyad's leaving the
bankruptcy of Oslo, has written (emphasis added):
"Fayyad’s tragedy was not just that both Fatah and Hamas wanted to be rid of
him but that he was a man with virtually no support among ordinary
Palestinians. So long as shedding Jewish blood is the main factor that gives a
Palestinian political party credibility, men like Fayyad will have no chance no
matter how much they are applauded by Americans or Israelis. The
collapse of his effort to change Palestinian politics is therefore a key moment
that should signal to the world that it must dispense with the theories of both
Peres and Rabin and cease ignoring reality in favor of illusions."That is something that groups and governments determined to keep funneling cash into the coffers of the PA and to push Israel to make concessions to it must understand. Until they do, the discussion about the peace process will continue to be a tragic waste of time and effort."
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/04/14/salam-fayyad-exit-signals-oslo-bankruptcy-palestinian-authority/
~~~~~~~~~~
Khaled Abu Toameh, a courageous Muslim Arab Israeli journalist
who knows his stuff, gave a slightly different slant here (emphasis
added):
"The Fatah leaders are yearning for the days of Yasser Arafat, when they
were able to steal international aid earmarked for helping Palestinians. The
Palestinians' problem with Fayyad is that he did not sit even one day in an
Israeli prison. For them, graduating from an Israeli prison is even more
important that going to any university."
~~~~~~~~~~
Hopefully, you're duly noting the
nature of our "peace partners." And this can be added to your store of
information:
Amalia L., a reader from the US
who was visiting in Efrat [in Gush Etzion] this week, wrote the following
to me:
"And as the siren went on to honor
the fallen [Israeli soldiers on Yom Hazikaron] in [the Arab village]
al Khadr on the hill in back of us, fireworks were set off to celebrate their
demise."
What was it that Tobin wrote,
above, about shedding Jewish blood?
~~~~~~~~~~
The latest word from Syria is that
Assad should not yet be counted out. Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah has
written a briefing on this for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He
says:
"On the second anniversary of the
Syrian civil war, those who hurriedly announced the demise of the Assad regime
realize that the existing power structures are strong enough to endure a war of
attrition with the rebels...
"...the pillars of the regime
remain in place. Assad has proved that he has the resolve to conduct effective
campaigns against the rebels in a very hostile international environment, while
continuing to rule and provide for the daily life of the population under his
control...
Information on events in Syria has
come from mostly biased sources. The Syrian NGO known as the Syrian
Observatory of Human Rights has become a privileged source of information on
Syria. Yet, in fact, it is an arm of the Muslim
Brotherhood..."
~~~~~~~~~~
At the very same time that it is
becoming apparent that Assad is not going so quickly, there are now second
thoughts about whether it would be beneficial for Israel, and the Middle East
more broadly, to see him go down after all. We are engaged in one of
those scenarios in which the choices are either awful or more awful.
What is happening in Syria is that
it is growing obvious that those who would take over from Assad would
likely be radical Islamists -- jihadists. While Assad has kept the border
with Israel quiet, the jihadists would turn towards infiltration into Israel and
attacks upon Israel.
Just days ago, the Jewish Policy Center
addressed this growing concern (emphasis added):
"Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) declared a
merger with Mohammad al-Julani's Jabhat al-Nusra (JN) or the al-Nusra Front, a
Syrian Salafi rebel group. Both groups, with the urging of al-Qaeda central
leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, seek to make an Islamic state across the
region.
"JN..[since January 2012] has
continued to be one of the most prominent groups leading the fight against
President Bashar al-Assad. Their status is the result of AQI's help and the
sponsorship of wealthy sheikhs from Gulf states who have been providing money
and weapons. Washington designated the group as a terrorist organization last December for carrying out nearly 600 attacks, primarily against
regime targets that also resulted in the deaths of many civilians. JN members
are often suspected of, or claim responsibility for, large car bombings and
suicide attacks, especially in cities."More moderate forces, such as many in the Free Syrian Army, distanced themselves from JN. 'We don't support the ideology of Al-Nusra, said an FSA spokesman..."
"But what is becoming clear is
that unless Washington can find the right rebels to support and has a proverbial
dog in this fight, Syria's future will be determined either by al-Qaeda
franchises or Bashar
al-Assad..."
~~~~~~~~~~
And then there is Iran. Over
Yom Ha'Atzmaut, we heard from two military leaders here on this
subject:
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny
Gantz gave an extensive interview on Israel Radio that was aired yesterday
(emphasis added).
Asked if Israel had the capacity
to attack Israel by itself, he responded:
"Unequivocally,
yes.
"The Iranian challenge is a
meaningful one. We must look at it strategically long-term. We will do
what needs to be done, when it needs to be done."
Denying that top military and
political leaders argue about hitting Iran, the general said:
"There are long, continuous
discussions, and I presume we'll have more of those in the future."
Credit: Michael
Fattal/Haaretz
~~~~~~~~~~
For his part, speaking at a
Yom Ha'Atzmaut reception at the Defense Ministry yesterday, Defense Minister
Moshe Ya'alon said (emphasis added):
"We may
yet have to independently neutralize the Iranian nuclear
threat.
"The world must lead the battle
against Iran, but Israel must take into account the possibility that it may be
forced to defend itself, by itself."
Credit:
TimesofIsrael
~~~~~~~~~~
While from the US Senate -- bless
them -- we are getting support. Yesterday the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee adopted "Senate Resolution 65," which stipulates that
the US will assist Israel diplomatically, economically and militarily if the
Jewish state is compelled to take military action against Iran “in its defense
of its territory, people, and existence.”
Sponsored by the Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator
Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Resolution has secured the bipartisan support
of 79 co-sponsors. It must now be adopted by the full Senate, a
technicality.
~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~
Two rockets from the
Sinai exploded in Eilat at about 9 AM this morning; no injuries were
caused.
~~~~~~~~~~
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Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner,
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