"For Adonai-Tzva'ot has sent me on a glorious mission to the nations that plundered you, and this is what He says, 'Anyone who injures you injures the very pupil of my eye.'"
"Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do..."
Israel National Radio is currently in the midst of their 16-hour fundraising telethon. Check out the live broadcast and considering sharing some of your gelt with the "only major media network with headquarters in the disputed Israeli territories."
Arutz7 provides valuable insights from a G-dly perspective to a world full of listeners hungry for the truth behind the major media spin. Over the past year, I've learned about the disasterous North American Union from Dr. Jerome Corsi via the Tamar Yonah Show. I've also been fortunate enough to tap into the brilliant insights of Dr. Eugene Narrett via Tovia Singer, and Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel have focused their efforts on building Jewish-Christian relations on A Light Unto the Nations. These are only a few of the shows that come to mind when I think of how much I've learned from these Israelis, many of whom are recent olim from America!
Israel National Radio also broadcasts the annual Israel Day Parade and Concert in New York LIVE every year, which is how I learned about such awesome artists as Blue Fringe and Ahron Razel.
Israel National Radio is not only a great radio station, it's an immensely powerful resource for anyone seeking to learn the truth of what's going on in the world, how it correlates to prophecy, and how we as good, Torah believing Jews should respond. Definitely check them out by clicking on the title of this post, or going directly to: http://shevathon.israelnationalnews.com/
Thanks to everyone who replied to my previous post, asking for info on IDF-related tzedekah organizations. It looks like PizzaIDF is the charity of choice!
Todah Rabbah for the suggestions, and again, if anyone knows of any way to bless the IDF during this holiday season (or year round) please feel free to leave a link here in the comments section.
I like tzedekah. If I didn't, I wouldn't be Jewish. (Contrary to the popular belief of gentiles the world-over that we are cheap penny-pinching misers.) My gripe with tzedekah is the gross amount of waste that goes on in charities everywhere. I don't care how well intentioned they are; when the founder or manager of the charity lives in a house that's nicer than yours, and you're the one scrounging for pocket change to give to their cause, something is definitely wrong with the picture.
Besides, true tzedekah doesn't come from the checkbook; it comes from the heart. I don't mind giving someone some dough as long as I know it's getting to the right place, and I can send it with a verbal or written blessing for the recipient. Something inside me itches for that person/those persons to know that I didn't just consider them a tax deduction or an easy way out of a guilt trip; I really want them to know that I care and I pray for them to be blessed.
Anyway, my gripes and desires aside, I had a thought. There are tons of American organizations that do "write a letter to a soldier" programs for the US Armed Forces. Are there any such organizations for the IDF? Now, I know that the language barrier may be an issue in some cases, but I still think it'd be a fun idea. Tis the season of the Jewish warrior, anyhow, and the way things are in Israel, I'm sure the IDF could stand to get a few Hanukkah cards with some praises and words of encouragement along with their pizza and other goodies. After Googling for an hour I have yet to find an organization that collects letters for IDF soldiers. Before giving up, I thought I'd give the blogosphere a try and see if anyone out there knew of such an organization.
If not, at least give me a vote: Friends of the IDF or PizzaIDF, which one should I give a gift to this holiday season?
America just abdicated its responsibility to defend itself against Iran and so left Israel high and dry. Nevertheless, the Jewish people is far from powerless. And the State of Israel also is capable of defending itself. But we must act and act immediately.
This is where I begin to feel as if I am a broken record with a message that bears repeating: We are alone, we always will be alone, yet we aren't alone because we have Adonai Tzvaot!TRUST IN HASHEM, NOT IN THE WORDS OF MEN! Why? Because Salvation is of the Jews!
Forgive the complete lack of posts lately. What can I say? Life has been busy lately. If only I could make a career out of blogging...well, I could, but I'd need to become antiSemitic (or at least a good ol' fashioned self-hating Jew) to do it (*ahem* ArianaHuffington *ahem) Quite frankly, after the debacle that was the midterm elections, I haven't had much energy to post. There are plenty of other bloggers out there doing a better job of gatekeeping and ranting than I ever could. Besides, my message isn't going to change, so why should I bother to keep repeating it to a world with deaf ears? We are the smallest of minorities, we who know the difference-- I continue to seek ways to encourage and expand our numbers. Sometimes that means blogging, and sometimes that means remaining silent and waiting in trust for G-d to act.
In the meantime, however, I can pepper you with fun stories.
Has anyone else noticed a complete LACK of Hanukkah stuff in stores this season? Seriously, pre-9/11 you could pick up a dearth of Hanukkah merch pretty much anywhere. Since 9/11 the stock has dwindled to the point where, at most national retailers, nothing can be found. Last year, my gentile friend got extremely angry when a Wal*Mart employee informed her that they didn't sell menorahs. This year, we had a moment of ironic rejoicing when we found a mini-rack on the end of an aisle, stocked with a couple mini-menorahs, some dreidels, some gelt, and some Hanukkah-garland (dreidels and menorahs in glossy plastic). By mini-rack, I literally mean a cardboard shelving unit that hung on the side of the end of an aisle, about 6" wide and 18" high. If you didn't happen to look down on your way to the checkout, you would've missed it.
Today, my mother hit Linens n'Things, figuring she'd be able to pick up what she needed for our Menorah lighting party. (That's right, our gentile neighbors are coming over for a menorah lighting on the first night of Hanukkah. They're not only coming, they're actually looking forward to it! Baruch haShem for good neighbors!) Where was all the Hanukkah stuff? In the back. ALL THE WAY in the back of the store. My mother was so mad that she requested to speak to the Store Manager. She informed the manager that having a small display of Hanukkah merchandise hidden at the back of the store, far away from all of the overwhelming amounts of Christmas stuff displayed in the front, was both insulting and antiSemitic. The Store Manager was extremely apologetic and informed my mother that she has to display things according to corporate rules, and she would be sure to extend my mother's complaints to corporate.
Heh. Go mom.
Seriously, though, it's like Hanukkah doesn't even exist! I know it's not a High Holiday, and in Israel it's not even that big of a deal, but really-- what the heck? We listen to your crummy carols, we bear the smell of your cedar and pine, we view the world through red and green lenses for a month; the least you could do is stick a few menorahs and dreidels out there in between all your holly and mistletoe! What, does Larry David have to write a book titled "The War on Hanukkah"? Does Jackie Mason have to show up on Fox & Friends to talk about saying "Happy Hanukkah"? Does Joe Lieberman have to propose legislation allowing corporate retail employees to say "Happy Hanukkah" and schools to display large menorahs in their hallways? Is that what it's going to take for you to recognize that we're here, too?
Because I really don't want to be a goy about this.
