How Dare the World Question Israel's Legitimacy? What About, Say, Jordan's?!

Israel for some reason (we savants know why) is being dissed and dismissed by the entire world.  No other country's legitimacy is ever questioned.

Well, do you have any idea how Jordan came into being? Not by immigrants who traveled under terrible and dangerous conditions, to get to the land of their forefathers, a land which was underpopulated and a wasteland in the 1800s and 1900s during its time as part of the Ottoman Empire, with some areas barren desert and other areas malaria-riddled swamps.  These immigrants toiled night and day exhaustively to drain the swamps and till the land and make the desert bloom.

They re-created with their own blood, sweat and tears--and G-d's help--because the re-creation of the State of Israel is nothing less than a miracle--a civilized, thriving, rich land where the idea was that their people--the most maligned people in the world, victims of racism and hatred and expelled from many countries--could hopefully in the future live in peace and harmony, and escape the rampant antisemitism of most of the rest of the world.  But because Israel is surrounded by authoritarian, primitive barbarians (yes, Islamists) who want to annihilate her, that peaceful living hasn't totally happened yet...

So how did Jordan come into being? By Britain reneging on the original plan to grant the area now called "Jordan," on the East Bank of the Jordan river to the Jews as part of the Jewish homeland.  Jordan was Palestine.  Excerpted below:
                  

But instead, it was granted by the British to the Hashemite kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so that they (the British) could gain influence with the Arabs.  Now, it, too, is starting to succumb to the so-called "Arab Spring."  More like Arab Winter: the Arab decline...

The true legitimate country, is Israel.  And has been, for thousands of years.  Shiloh Musings writes about it right here, with such an apt title: Jordan, a Fake Country. 

Whose legitimacy is in question now?



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Rabbi Bar-Hayim of Machon Shilo on the London Beheading

Here I am, beating you over the head with the TRUTH...again (well, somebody's gotta do it).

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim of Machon Shilo states what other wise people (think Pat Condell, Brigitte Gabriel and others) are not afraid to say: Islam is barbaric.  Islam is primitive.  Islam is NOT the "religion of peace."  Take note.

"The Courage to Serve" and The Courage to Disagree with Some "Rishonim"

 A few tidbits and pieces of information from surfing the Web.  Perhaps they'll peek your interest...

Just read about a young Hareidi woman who insisted on serving in the IDF.  She apparently impressed others with the courage of her convictions, and was a role model for others, some of whom became interested in being more observant.  And to top that off--read the article--someone said about this girl that she should have died instead.  What is Judaism coming to??!  Sharia law, that's what.  We must nip it in the bud.

Have researched the issue of "Kol Isha" (the voice of a woman), and here is something interesting relating to this so-called 'halacha.'  The opinions have moved very far to the right from even when I was growing up.  I totally disagree with the machmir (stringent) view, as you can well imagine.  The 'rabbanim' have sexualized everything about women--everything, to the point where we must wonder why G-d created us at all?

I have copied some of this New Analysis here (and linking it a second time as well).  In my opinion, this entire subject is being taken to ridiculous proportions.  What do you think? (Do you have the guts to tell me?)

What manner of a woman's voice is considered erva?
The poskim that hold that it is forbidden to hear the voice of a woman in general, and not just during the recitation of the Shema and the core parts of prayer, are divided as to what type of voice is prohibited - is it forbidden only to hear a singing voice, or is listening to common speech proscribed as well? And what about a singing voice that people are already used to? Is every type of singing voice prohibited? Let us begin this discussion with a disagreement between the Rashba and the Raavad described by the Rashba himself:[17]
And the fact that Rav Yitzhak said that a handbreadth of a woman is erva, and that we hold that this applies to his wife during the recitation of Shema, the Raavad of blessed memory explained that it is possible that this refers to a normally covered part of her body, and Rabbenu Hananel commented on this, saying that the shin of a woman is a normally covered and sexually provocative part of the body, even to her husband, and even though it is not normally covered on men, but her face and hands and feet and the non-singing voice of her speech, and her hair that comes out of her braid that is not covered, one need not worry about these as he is used to them and not disturbed. And with regard to another woman, it is forbidden to look at anything, even her little finger and hair, and it is forbidden even to hear her speak, as we say we say in Masekhet Kiddushin: "'let your honor send a salutation to Yalta [Rabbi Nahman's wife]!' He said to him: ‘thus said Shemuel: "the voice of a woman is erva."'" And nevertheless it seems to me that this refers specifically to the voice of a salutation, because there is intimacy in it.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that even the Rashba did not prohibit hearing all speech of a woman, rather only speech that has "intimacy."
In any event, his position is not ruled as halakha by the Shulhan Arukh: "one must guard against hearing the voice of a woman singing." Even though this is said specifically in reference to the recitation of the Shema, the Magen Avraham applies it to general rules of modesty as well: "'The singing voice of a woman' - Even an unmarried woman, and see the Even HaEzer 21, which states that the singing voice of a married woman[18] is always forbidden to hear, but the voice of her speech is permitted."[19]

Welcoming June with Naming the Enemy: It is Islam

Even after this horrific, barbaric murder of a British soldier in London, the fact that it was another jihadist atrocity was not emphasized.

Even Tony Blair, who actually was forced to feebly state that there is a "problem within Islam," tempered it with "Of course there are Christian extremists and Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu ones."  He's kidding, right? When was the last time a Christian,  Jew, Buddhist or Hindu viciously attacked someone, stabbed him to death and beheaded him in the name of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism or Buddhism?

Leave it to Pat Condell to call a spade, a spade.  People, listen to him:  this is what it is, and if you don't speak out against it--then you're for it.  Simple as pie. (Seen first on Daled Amos).

Latma: Getting Better and Better (Know Your Sarcasm)

Latma TV is producing more sophisticated and satirical videos these days.  Ridiculing everything from Europe's' not facing the truth about their increasing terrorism by radical Muslims to the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, Latma has outdone itself. Hat tip to Batya at Shiloh Musings for posting it.

Facing Reality, Moving Forward

There is a serious problem unfolding within religious Judaism, which seem very apparent to non-observant Jews, but which many observant Jews are afraid to address. It boils down to the rapid movement towards a Sharia-like fundamentalism prevalent in the Ultra-Orthodox and even in some more modern Orthodox Jewish communities.

Non-observant Jews cry out against what is happening, because they see these fringe and not-so-fringe groups of Ultra-Orthodox as representing all Jews, or maybe it's more correct to say all observant Jews.  And they use these terrible behaviors--and I do believe they are terrible--to reinforce their secular way of life, and to reinforce their rejection of the Jewish religion as "fanatic."

Here are two articles addressing these issues, both published in the Forward, the authors of which express views 180 degrees opposed to each other.  There are elements of truth in both, but I personally believe that the problematic issues are not being addressed by Jonathan Rosenblum in his rebuttal article in the Jewish Daily Forward.

The first, by  Jay Michaelson, talks about the dangers of Jewish fundamentalism--and the fact that the mainstream Jewish community is supporting them--to Judaism in general:

American Jews are actively supporting a demographic trend that threatens the fabric of American Jewish life: the unchecked growth of Jewish fundamentalism.
Call them what you will — ultra-Orthodox Jews, “fervently Orthodox” Jews, Haredim, black hats. They will soon become the majority of affiliated Jews in the metropolitan New York area, and the religious majority in Israel. The results will be catastrophic.
We’ve read stories recently of Haredim in Israel comparing Israeli politicians to Hitler and throwing stones at women praying at the Kotel; of Haredim in New York fighting to restrict the prosecution of sex abuse claims...

And that is just the tip of the fundamentalist iceberg. In recent months, the Forward has depicted the coercion and ignorance prevalent in American ultra-Orthodox communities: in brilliant essays by Judy Brown and Shulem Deen, in exposés of Hasidic money laundering and longer ago in its award-winning coverage of the Agriprocessors meat processing plant. And of course, “fervently Orthodox” leaders have defended, justified, covered up and explained away sexual predators in a way that would make a Vatican official blush.
What has emerged from all this is a picture of a subculture that looks more like “The Sopranos” than like “Fiddler on the Roof” — a world in which a small elite maintains power at the expense of thousands of serfs.

And the response by Jonathan Rosenblum was that Hareidim--the Ultra Orthodox--are role models for how to be a human being, and bring vitality to the Jewish people:

Let me try to describe the attraction of the community that induced my wife and I to dramatically alter our life trajectories. Though I admired various qualities of my professors at Yale Law School, it never occurred to me that any of them was a model for what a human life could be.
I had not yet been exposed to role models whose lives were of a piece, and not divided by all the familiar dichotomies of modern life — work and play, work and family, public morality and private morality. That quality of living a unified life, which I could not define but found lacking in everyone I knew, most of all myself, has its source in the knowledge that whether we are in solitude or among a multitude, we are before God.

Read both articles (click on the links above).  I believe there are many elements of truth in both of them.  There is definitely loving-kindness,  goodness and spirituality in the ultra-Orthodox way of life, but I am a strong believer in "live and let live," and many are not practicing that at all.  Instead, they are policing their fellow community members and adding stringency on top of stringency.  And the terrible problems written about by Mr. Michaelson, such as the tzniyut police (written about on sites such as this one) and covering up yeshiva rebbeim who are pedophiles are real and they need to be addressed.  That in and of itself, is a sign that some of the Ultra-Orthodox have themselves lost sight of their purpose--gone off the derech while still ostensibly religious, so to speak.  But in the opposite meaning of that term.

In my opinion they have lost the forest for the trees; they obsess about checking for bugs with bug lights and magnifying glasses, condemn women for having a hair show out of their tichels, refuse to allow them to sing in public (or even zemirot Shabbat at the Shabbat table) because it's like "nakedness," throw plastic bags of garbage on modestly dressed 15 year old girls (as they did to my daughter and her group on their first visit ever to Me'ah She'arim in Jerusalem) because there were two boys in the group from a slightly more modern religious school in Yavneh, Israel--but hide pedophiles in their midst, defraud the government by lying in order to get funding for yeshivas, and ostracize their own who try to report these crimes. 

This, to me, is a far cry from true Judaism.  It is approaching radical Islam and its treatment of women, and its disregard for humanity in general.  It is fanatical, authoritarian, and obscene.  In my view, those guilty should read and reflect on the last line in Jonathan Rosenblum's article:

                  whether we are in solitude or among a multitude, we are before God.

 But then again, if you really want to, need money, and you haven't been guilty of any aveirot such as those mentioned above, you could always auction off your portion in the world to come, Olam Habah, as this man did.  Or tried to, on eBay...

Rock Concert

Got off the phone with my daughter in Israel just three hours ago.  Problem with that is, that it was 2:45 a.m. for her when she called me.  She had just arrived home from a rock concert in Petach Tikva in honor of Yom haStudent (Student Day).  She was on a 'high' from having gone out with friends, and getting a ride all the way home--so that she didn't have to call a cab or worse, wheel herself home the rest of the way in the dark.

Here are some of the bands which played there.  Infected Mushroom, a psychedelic band, was the featured one.  I had never heard of them before speaking with my daughter a day or two ago.  What do I know?
Here are two songs of one of the opening bands, Mashina.  Below, Infected Mushroom (...why am I not hungry anymore?).  Personally, Mashina is more my style...

Date Night

So tonight my D.H. and I went to a movie--first time in a long time--and had Menchies' frozen yogurt at a little outdoor table near the theatre, watching a central fountain spew forth graceful arcs of water, on a beautiful, mild spring day.
                                                       

 I actually 'asked him out.' A little unusual? Not really.  We're married 43+ years and I can do whatever I want, heheh.  As a matter of fact, he had asked me several times over the past few weeks if I wanted to go to a movie, and each time I answered in the negative: feet hurt, knees hurt, too tired, etc.  I'm kind of a homebody; when I get home from work, I just want to vegge out.

But today, my D.H. went to the VA doc to have his pacemaker checked out, and it was fine (thank G-d), and then he did the laundry (I had asked him to ) and took care of the last pot from Shabbat, the cholent pot (slow cooker to you), which he put in the dishwasher after having emptied it out of its load of clean dishes and utensils from Shabbat, and putting those away.

So he was such a good boy, that I asked him out.  I knew he'd love to go to a movie because he had been so disappointed the previous times I declined.
                                             

We saw the new Star Trek movie in 3-D.  And I had my favorite snack: buttered popcorn (at $6.75 a pop; but you get a free refill, so it actually comes to $3.37 or so.  A little more reasonable highway-robbery.).  It being a Tuesday night, there were not huge crowds.  It was so nice to get out with someone dear to you, and just relax.

Next week we have 2 for 1 tickets to a concert, The Art of the Baroque, featuring concerti and other works by Bach, Handel, Corelli and Vivaldi.  Here's a small sample of the Vivaldi (this is quite a post; you get the popular movies and, at the opposite end, a concert of good music--note that "baroque" is not classical, so I'm not using that term).

What can I say? I have eclectic tastes.).







*Copyright alert: No infringement of any text or graphic copyright is ever intended on this blog. If you own the copyright to any original image or document used for the creation of the graphics or information on this site, please contact the blog administrator with all pertinent info so that proper credit can be given. If you wish to have it removed from the site, just say the word; it shall be, ASAP.