Don't Mess with Israel

Devastation as "A Home for a Home" 13:50 Aug 31, '05 / 26 Av 5765

(IsraelNN.com) The leading Israel-based Christian Zionist website, Jerusalem Newswire, carried an editorial this week by Stan Goodenough linking the devastation caused to the East Coast of the United States to the American policies encouraging the expulsion of Jews from Gaza, Judea and Samaria.

Noting that two weeks ago "the monster Katrina was not on any radar screen," Goodenough writes that the hurricane is "the lifting of God's hand of protection... the implementation of His judgment on the nation most responsible for endangering the land and people of Israel."

A report from Louisiana in the same news outlet quotes a local Christian Zionist as saying that the hurricane and subsequent mass evacuations are "a direct 'coming back on us' [for] what we did to Israel: a home for a home."

***

I couldn't have said it better myself.

And They Wonder Why They Fail

This morning, as I do on most mornings, I pulled open the paper to see what was news. One page contained an article on the Disengagement; the page opposite contained an article focusing on Bush's stumping for the War in Iraq. Apparently, the ratings in favor of the war and of his presidency are waning.

Gee. I wonder why.

"All your allies [America] have deceived you [Israel], they have driven you to the border [Disengagement]; your confederates have prevailed against you; those who ate your bread have set a trap for you-- there is no understanding of it. ...For the day of HaShem is near against all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head." Obadiah 1:7,15 (emphasis mine)

Hineini

I'm listening to the Tamar Yonah Show on Israel National Radio. When asked by Tamar what listeners could do to prevent/end expulsion, the settler from Samaria she was interviewing said that, for anything to end, American Jews would have to speak up to their Congress men and women and to the government, to get them to stop putting pressure on Sharon and the Israeli government. There was nothing more Israeli Jews could do.

My G-d, we are failing our family. We are failing our extended mishpocha, maybe not individually, but collectively, American Jewry is failing to stand up for our own brothers and sisters. America will suffer for redrawing the boundaries and giving Jewish land to our enemies. As Jews living in America, we are going to suffer under the yoke of that punishment. There is no escape.

Yet, I could scream at the top of my lungs to every American Jew I know, every Jew on the street I walk past, and nothing would change. It is the curse Jewish people have placed upon their own heads, that they are not free to speak as Jews, lest they be considered different, lest they be considered threatening enemies.

When do you stop being a Jew and start being an Israeli? I read an article once that clearly defined the fact that "Jew" was an anglicized form of "Yehudi," a Hebrew slang-term for Jews who lived in the region of Judah in the land of Israel. Over the ages, it became a slang term for the people of Israel on the whole. Billy Crystal once remarked that he hated the term "Jew". It sounded nasty and was often used cruelly, he said. Today, many Jewish Israelis will joke with each other, referring to each other as "Yehudi" the way many American blacks refer to each other as "n*gger."

Before any Israeli was called an Israeli, they were called Hebrews. So, are you a Hebrew because your mother is? Your father? Your husband? Your wife? Your grandparents suffered through the Holocaust? Your child has decided to convert? The conversion was Orthodox? Black Hat? Hasidic? Conservative? Reform? Reconstructionist? Messianic? You study Kabbalah on the weekends? You pray to HaShem?

If there is one thing the Disengagement has taught us, it is this: The true line between being Jewish and being Israeli isn't sketched by a Rabbi at a bris, a bat mitzvah, or a conversion. It isn't sketched by the branch of your mother or your father's family tree. The line isn't just drawn by your prayers to HaShem. The moment when one stops being a Jew and starts being an Israeli is the moment when one overcomes fear, steps forward, and fights tooth and nail for Truth down to the last yod and vav.

I am an American no more.

CONTROL

You don't need to be Maxwell Smart to realize that Arab terrorists aren't about war or death to infidels; they're about CONTROL. Controlling land, controlling people, controlling minds, controlling money-- CONTROLLING EVERYTHING.

Hamas: 'Calm' to End December 31 Thursday, August 18, 2005 / 13 Av 5765(IsraelNN.com)
>http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=88167<

Hamas terrorist leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said Thursday that the period of 'calm' will end at the end of the calendar year because Israel has not lived up to "any commitment to any cease-fire agreement."

He accused Israel of not living up to agreements to release Arab prisoners and jailed terrorists and stop killing terrorist leaders. He did not comment on terrorist attacks and attempted attacks by terrorists against Israel since the calm was announced in February.

***

They think Zionism is dead. They think the Disengagement is the first step towards the complete destruction of Israel. Meanwhile, what do the Israeli refugees think?

Netzer Hazani Plans to Move to Western Wall 10:07 Aug 17, '05 / 12 Av 5765
>http://www.arutzsheva.com/news.php3?id=87992<

"...Every person there then said out loud and clearly that he wished to go to the Kotel - and so, if no solution is found for us, and if they take us out by force, we plan to go to the Kotel and set up a tent city there. If we have no home, we will go to pray outside Hashem's home that He finally build there His everlasting home." "

The Struggle of the Spirit

"The people of Israel are undergoing difficult and important days. Though the struggle seems to be progressing along the avenues of what we call the real and tangible world, the real struggle seems to be playing out in another dimension. While it seems that the issue focuses on the settlements of Gush Katif and northern Samaria , the battle is actually about the very soul of this people."

To read the full article, click on the title of this entry.

I Don't Know What Jesus Would Do, but Yeshua's Gonna Kick Your Ass

A recent interview with President George W. Bush in the Messianic Times:

"My faith is very important to me and I make decisions about my support for Israel prayerfully. Israel is important to me personally, obviously, because of my Christian heritage, because of my faith, but I think we have to recognize that it's a land that is important to many people, of many faiths, and our priority is to see real peace in our lifetimes. ...The road map is intact and valid for today. I think we can achieve a two-state solution and I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that I'm the first American president to articulate that as an option."

Oooh, oh quick, bow before him! He's the First, dammit, the first President to articulate that as an option! Tell me, what god did you pray to before you decided to redraw the boundaries of our G-d given land? Maybe the fool thinks allah will save him. Actually, somehow I think he's too busy praying to himself.

You know, the plot is just so freaking Biblical, you can't help but know G-d is in charge.

View the pictures!

The majority of Israeli news sources, and pretty much any other international news source that even dares to mention the events, are drastically skewing and underreporting the numbers of participants in the Kotel Prayer rally this past Wednesday, and the anti-Disengagement rally yesterday (Thursday) in Tel Aviv.

For video and audio of the events, check out:

www.israelnationalradio.com
http://www.israelnationaltv.com/

As you can easily surmise from the footage, an easy QUARTER-MILLION people showed up at EACH event! One article on Israel National News cited that crowds were gathered in the streets and alleys around Jerusalem, stretching from the Kotel in the Old City to the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood on the northern edge of the new city! This is not 70,000 or even 100,000 people-- THIS IS BIG!

Mass Prayer Against Expulsion Fills Jerusalem's Old City: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=87501

Photo Essay: 250,000 Attend Kotel Prayer to Annul Pullout:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=87555

Quarter-Million Demonstrate Against Expulsion in Tel Aviv:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=87581

You can't escape the fact that Israel is calling on our G-d for salvation. You also can't escape the fact that the majority of Israelis are ANTI-disengagement!

Meanwhile, the United States is capitulating with the enemy, believing that if they scapegoat the Jews and give Israel to the Arabs, they'll somehow suddenly be welcome in Iraq and more respected among the Arab nations. Yes, State Department, keep coloring in those jolly little Road Maps and teasing Iran with "sanctions" when you're hanging out with those punk friends of yours in the EU. Have fun while you can-- Israel's salvation is coming, but quick.

Baruch Ha Ba B'Shem Adonai

Prayer rally at the Kotel -- 6 p.m. 5 Av 5765/10 Aug 2005

To see live pictures of the masses gathering to cry out to G-d for their salvation, check out:
>>http://www.aish.com/wallcam/<< which updates on the minute (enlarged photo updates every 20 minutes).

News Coverage:

Live Radio: http://www.israelnationalradio.com
Print media: http://www.israelnationalnews.com or http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3089,00.html (Yediot Ahronot- Israel's largest newspaper)

We are crying out to our G-d, and He will answer us! Baruch HaShem, for our salvation comes from Him and Him alone!

An Open Letter to North American Rabbis

An Open Letter to North American Rabbis
Monday, August 8, 2005 / 3 Av 5765

An open letter is being sent to dozens of North American rabbis, reminding them that the Gush Katif/Shomron crisis is not just "politics," and that it leaves in its wake a host of critical problems.The letter states, inter alia: Despite the best efforts of Arutz-7 and others, the masses of Jews still don't really 'get it' when it comes to understanding the critical nature of the Gush Katif issue...[It is suggested] that local rabbis around the country call a "special non-political meeting" to which all synagogue members are asked to come, at which the rabbis, or someone else, will explain the following points:* This will be a non-political meeting (this must be emphasized over and over, because there are many rabbis who apparently don't want to take a stand on Gush Katif or against the Israeli government, etc.)*

We are now in the Nine Days, and in keeping with the times, we are certainly in trouble! No matter whether you support the disengagement or oppose it, Israel is facing the following dangers, tribulations and general suffering:

1. Possible violent clashes between Jewish soldiers and Jewish civilians, with no one at all certain that there won't be bloodshed, Heaven forbid

2. Increased rocket attacks of late at Sderot and Gush Katif, with the danger that it will increase as the uprooting continues. There are currently 10-12 terrorist incidents each day in and around Gaza! Army generals have said that the disengagement cannot be carried out under these circumstances.

3. The forced uprooting of close to 10,000 Jews - including babies, great-grandparents, terrorism amputees and other victims, bereaved parents, and regular families - from their homes

4. The suffering of thousands of Jews who are torn between their faith that they are doing the right thing by clinging to the Land of Israel and their concern for their hard-earned possessions and material results of decades of work. - Should they pack up or not? - Should they sign government forms for alternative housing or not? - Should they order a large container in which to hold their belongings (since most of them have no permanent alternative in which to put the stuff for the next couple of years), or will this signal weakness to their neighbors and themselves? - Should they assume that there will be rocket attacks while the soldiers are packing up their belongings, resulting in a panicky retreat, leaving everything behind as in Lebanon five years ago? etc. etc.

5. The destruction of flowering Jewish communities in the Land of Israel

6. The destruction of yeshivot, schools and synagogues in the Land of Israel

7. The possibility - feared even by the plan's supporters - that this traumatic move will not bring the desired diplomatic results, but will rather result in increased pressure on Israel to continue to make unilateral or semi-unilateral concessions

8. The possibility - similarly feared by all - that this traumatic move will not bring the desired military results, but will rather result in increased terrorism on the Negev and areas bordering the northern Shomron
9. The possibility of broken families, psychological and emotional problems, inability to find employment, childrens' inability to adjust, and even suicides (warned by psychologists and social workers who accompanied the expulsion from Yamit 23 years ago) among families who will not be able to adjust to the new reality
10. The intensifying rift in Israeli society between sectors

11. The religious crisis that many in Israeli society, particularly the youth, may face upon finding that their religious-national ideals appear to be collapsing. Disillusionment with their rabbinic leaders and teachers, and lack of motivation

12. The increasing lack of trust among many youth and others in institutions such as police, courts and government - a societal and national problem of major proportions* and other "minor" problems we now face, such as corruption in government, lack of faith in government leaders, violent crime, etc.

ALL THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER ONE FEELS THAT WE SHOULD REMAIN IN GAZA OR NOT, OR WHETHER ONE BELIEVES IN ERETZ YISRAEL HASHLEIMAH (greater Land of Israel) AT THIS POINT IN HISTORY OR NOT!

Rabbis must understand that this is no longer a political issue.

Each of the above points alone would be a reason to call for fasting and prayer!Please make this message clear - THIS WEEK! - with rabbis calling for EMERGENCY community-wide meetings or shul membership meetings to explain it. This might be the way to solve the problem of "lack of getting through to the masses". We are all in trouble, and we need Teshuva, Tefillah, Tzedakah (repentance, prayer, charity)! At the very least, there must be massive prayer services in every single shul. The effect of thousands of these all over North America can be staggering!

And of course, those who want to do more, will find the way...Can you please send this message out in any other way you deem fit to the rabbis with whom you are in contact?

Sincerely, Arutz-7 - IsraelNationalNews.Com

---Readers are encouraged to send a copy of the letter to their rabbi.

Do the Math

1. The US Geological Survey is reporting an increasing number of earthquakes in the Ring of Fire. From Japan, to Alaska, to California, to Mexico, to South America, the Pacific Islands, and back around, that tectonic plate is shakin' it better than the mop tops. <http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html>

2. "A bizarre freeway of fish swimming by the thousands along the shore of Englewood Beach in Florida Thursday morning left crowds of beach-goers agog and marine biologists bewildered. Beach-goers reported that a wide variety of sea creatures came swimming south in a narrow band close to the beach in about 18 inches of water at mid-morning. Included in the swarm were clouds of shrimp, crab, grouper, snapper, red fish and flounder. They were joined by more usual species, including sea robins, needlefish and eels. They were headed south, and the moving mass of sea life stretched a good mile long. All the species "were swimming amongst each other. They weren't attacking each other." "I have never seen anything like that in my life. " The event lasted until late morning, although the parade had thinned out by 11 a.m. A few scientists contacted were surprised to hear of the unusual fish behavior. It was not typical schooling, they said, because many varied species were involved. They agreed was A HIGHLY UNUSUAL EVENT, ONE THEY HAD NEVER ENCOUNTERED BEFORE." <http://sun-herald.com/Newsheadline.cfm?headline=6413&banner=%201> Animals know when disaster is going to strike-- no animal carcasses were found on the shore after the tsunami hit last December, because they sensed it was coming and fled.

3. "A three-day prayer/Tehillim (Psalms) rally is scheduled to get underway on Monday, 3 Av (8 August) which will include the total recitation of the 150 chapters of Psalms every three hours. The event will conclude on Wednesday with a large prayer assembly at the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem at 6pm." <http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=87143>

4. A Hamas militant is calling for all Muslims to ascend to the Temple Mount on August 14/9 Av to "protect" the site from Israelis. Revava, the Jewish group whose focus it is to reclaim the Temple Mount as a Jewish holy site, plans to rally there the same day. The 9th of Av is a holy day of mourning for Jews worldwide; celebrated by a 25-hour fast, the holiday commemorates the destruction of both the first and second temples, as well as a series of Jewish persecutions, all of which happened or began on the 9th of Av. <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45642 >

5. The Worldwide Headquarters to Save the Land of Israel has decided to dedicate the Torah scroll written in honor of the Jews of Gaza and Northern Shomron on August 16/11 Av. ""The Torah scroll will bring victory to the struggle for the Land of Israel, just as in the days when the land was first conquered and the Ark of the Covenent would 'march at the head of the camp,' " Wolpe said. " <http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=87254>

What Would Jesus Do?

From the Messianic Jewish Israel Fund:
(Full text @ http://www.mjif.org/resources.html#adns1)

"While the disengagement is on the minds of the Israeli society as a whole, other pressing issues are paramount in the daily lives of the Messianic Jews in Israel. The goal of the Messianic Jewish Israel Fund (MJIF) is to help alleviate some of the problems that constantly plague the believers there. We want to help make the pain of their hardship more bearable by providing prayer and financial support (both are necessities)."

Yeah, all that money and those well wishes will provide a nice cushion to sleep on when they're LIVING ON THE STREETS and RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES FROM THE NEWLY IMPOSED ARAB GOVERNMENTS! Yeah, who needs to worry about leaving Biblically promised Lands, anyway? As long as we have a chicken in every pot, right?

Pathetic. But it gets better.

From Maoz Ministries
(Full text can be found @ http://www.maozisrael.org/db/detail.asp?ID=191)

"Let me conclude with the clear statement that we believe with all of our hearts that one day Israel will occupy all the land that God promised to us, but military occupation of the land is not the answer. God promised us much more than today’s reality in Gaza of 8,000 Jews living in the midst of 1.3 million Palestinians who are committed to their destruction. Those who hate Israel wil be driven out and the Jewish people will live in the cities and villages that were once the homes of its enemies. This is the fullness of God’s promise and God alone will achieve this promised end at the right time."

Military occupation isn't the answer? Quick, quick, where's my guitar... I'm feeling a riff of Kumbaya coming on! Have all Messianics suddenly morphed into John Lennon? Are we bedding-in for the duration? Military occupation? Wait... okay, what? Those settlements, with all those kids going to school, and moms tending gardens and dad's building houses don't exactly add up to a military occupation in my mind. (Then again, I haven't dipped into the Kool Aid lately, either.) Aw, G-d will achieve His promises at the right time. That's funny, but I don't recall anywhere in scripture where it says "And G-d sayeth to the people of Israel: Get outeth thy doobies and chill, whilst I swoopeth in and kill thine enemies for y'alleth." No; when G-d acts for His people, He acts WITH and THROUGH His people. Moshe, Joshua, and David didn't exactly get famous for sitting on their tuchuses in the middle of a crisis; we know who they are today because they chose to honor G-d with ACTION.

I would love to include some quotes from other Messianic organizations, but when reached for comment, the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (http://www.mjaa.org) was busy blathering on about Bishop T.D. Jakes heading their annual conference.

Jews for Jesus (http://www.jewsforjesus.org) (if you can even begin to call that a Messianic organization) is busy in Berlin this month and was, therefore, unavailable for comment before this article went to print.

The fine folks over at Jewish Jewels (http://www.jewishjewels.org) who host the only nationally syndicated Messianic Jewish TV show in America, are also unavailable. However, for the low low price of $19.99 plus your soul, you can receive a kiss a day, a prayer rose, or an inspirational sea shell.

Jewish Voice Ministries International, headed by Jonathan Bernis, (http://www.jewishvoice.org) is another popular Messianic organization known for a widely syndicated TV show and international missionary trips to Jewish communities in the diaspora. Their bi-monthly magazine focuses on America for its July/August issue, with such articles as: "America's Jewish Heritage Revealed," "In 1492 Columbus was a Jew," "Guess Who Finance the Revolution," and "Does America Have a Future?" an article in which the main character is a Christian Judge from Texas. I don't know about you, but I personally find it very reassuring that the editors at Jewish Voice Ministries have chosen to focus on the future of America right at the exact moment that 8,000 Jews are being forceably evicted from their homes in ERETZ YISRAEL!

Diaspora Jews are classically silent. Six million of them were silent as they were led into gas chambers; G-d only knows how many millions more were silent over the centuries of bloodshed. But for American Jews to be so blind, deaf, and dumb at this juncture is nothing short of unforgivable, let alone downright absurd. For the community of Jews who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah, turning a blind eye to the occurance of prophetic events is damn dangerous and scary-- for them! How pathetic, to choose to succumb to fear when we are living in the greatest age in human history, the period of time we have been waiting for as a people for over 5,000 years. How sad that the ones who should know so much, who should be so ready and so willing, are knowingly running the other way.

"Jew Kills 4 Arabs; Media Links Murder with Protests" can be found @ >>http://www.israelnationalnews.com/print.php3?what=news&id=87126<<.

"A Jewish soldier who went AWOL from the Border police a month ago killed four people and wounded 12 others when he opened fire inside a bus in an Arab town in the Galilee.Angry residents killed the 19-year-old killer in a lynch. He was identified as Eran Tzuberi from Rishon Le'tzion, south of Tel Aviv. Israel media said he recently moved to the Kfar Tapuach community in northeast Samaria after turning to religion and became involved in extreme political activism, but the administrator of the community said he never heard of Tzuberi. ...initial reports indicated that the soldier shot because of a dispute over a seat on the bus." **

Not that I'm condoning random shootings of people, but I swear-- can you blame the guy? He grows up in a country that is part of his heritage, but where he is under constant threat of death. He gets drafted into a military that goes from being one of the greatest fighting forces of the western world to a divided team forced to pull their fellow Jews from their homes. Then, seeking some sort of spiritual answer, he gets fueled by a group of ultra-Orthodox hill dwellers who are sick and tired of being treated like shit in their own country, and are convinced that G-d wants them to fight against this political idiocy and not keep giving away every square inch of their New Jersey-sized plot of land. So he protests, and prays, and protests, and prays, and sees his fellow Jews give away their weapons in order to convince their own people that they aren't going to shoot at anyone when they are forcibly evicted in the name of "peace". One day, he boards a bus that is primarily filled with Arabs, and let's say someone makes a smart-ass remark, maybe about Jews having to sit at the back of the bus, or maybe about how in a few weeks no Jews would be on the bus at all. I'd probably go fucking ballistic on the asshole too! In fact, if I had a weapon, I'd shoot the sonofabitch right between the eyes!

But, already, millions of Jews in Israel and around the world are decrying the man as a "terrorist" and saying how horrible his actions were. Yeah, death sucks. Tell that to the thousands of victims of the Intifada, or to their families and friends. Tell all the millions of Jews that died in the Babylonian invasion, the Roman invasion, the massacre of York, the Inquisition, the Pogroms, the Holocaust, the War of Independence, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Oslo Wars, and the Intifada that meaningless murders are a bad thing. And when all of their ghosts rise from the dead and stroke your heads and tell you that it's okay, they know, they understand, and they forgive, you can tell G-d that the millions of meaningless deaths of His people over the past 5765 years were and are bad things, and you know, He'll agree with you.

Then He'll kick your lousy, two-faced, scared-shitless-of-Arabs, give-away-land-in-political-deals asses. And He won't feel one bit sorry for doing it, suckers.

**Note: The last portion quoted was removed from a later version of the story linked. The original version that I quote from can be found on the Revava Forum at: >>http://www.revava.org/forum/index.php/topic,758.0.html<<

This Says it All....

Israel National News' "Fundamentally Freund" comments on the incredible lack of American Jewish response to the Disengagement in his latest op/ed, "Why is American Jewry Silent" @
>http://www.israelnn.com/special.php?id=freund<.