Kumah - Home of Neo-Zionism and the Aliyah Revolution

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ALIYAH IDEA

2008-08-28T21:45:00.003+03:00

So NBN has this new site called MyAliyahIdea.com, and I'm like: Great! Now I can start posting all my Aliyah ideas and get them out there for folks to see. Trick is, people need to vote on it so that it gets into the big leagues. So here is my first Aliyah idea - if you like it, make it count by clicking the voting icon!

Now for the idea: Aliyah Across America – Shabbat Lech Lecha

Every year Parshat Lech Lecha rolls around, bespeaking of Abraham's journey from Aram to the Land of Canaan. Abraham, the first Jew, the first Oleh, come to the land of Iisrael as a wealthy leader – he was not escaping persecution, but rather ascended to Israel to find spiritual fulfillment. This attitude towards Aliyah is exactly what American Jews need to hear: Aliyah is not running away from America, it is running to Israel to fulfill Jewish destiny.

It is for this reason that Shabbat Aliyah Across America will take place annually on Parshat Lech Lecha. On this Shabbat, Jews all over North America will celebrate the Jewish love for Israel and restate the commitment to our collective destiny.

On AAA, participating communities will host Aliyah speakers and hold events and discussions that call on Jews to strongly consider Aliyah as an option. Youth groups will congregate to spend a Shabbat dedicated to seeing themselves living in and building the Jewish State.

Such a fixed yearly Aliyah focal point will allow educators and professionals to target their audience for Aliyah messaging around that period. Throughout the preceding month ads will appear in magazines, and Aliyah activities will take place in schools. Each year, educators and professionals will get geared up to push the message of Aliyah, in connection with this beloved Torah portion.

Back From the US

2008-08-28T16:07:00.002+03:00

Yishai, Shalom,

Back from the US (SR) (United States Socialist Republic)

I just returned from my first trip to the US in 7 years.

It was great to see my friends and relatives, but everything else I found repugnant.

The US appears to me to be a country in decline. People still live in their McMansions, they handle laptops casually like notebooks, they are awash in IPods, IPhones, and other IGadgets, but there are worrying signs.

Americans always complain about the poor service in Israel. Yet in the US, I found myself being served by people lacking basic skills, who could hardly speak English, and when competent, they were rude. Whenever I called a 1-800 number for assistance, I reached a call-center in India.

In Israel, one can usually convince people to make an exception for extenuating circumstances, whereas in America, everything is by the book, if they are capable of reading it. Many American also complain about Israeli chutzpah and lack of manners. I have noticed some improvement since I have moved here, but I admit that there is room for more improvement.

On the other hand, I saw the famous American talent for waiting in lines in an orderly fashion, in an entirely different light. I found myself inadvertently behaving like an Israeli on several occassions, and the condemnation was swift. In addition, the same willingness to follow orders could be used for "other ends." Besides, the Torah was given to the Jewish people, a stiff-necked people, and not to well-mannered Lutherans in Minnesota.

As for the American dream, people spoke of declining real-estate values, many others lost a good part of their savings in the wreckage of Fannie Mae. Americans will not admit their attachment to "Gashimut" though. If "Gashmiut" were a shop at the mall, it would have a plastic faux-wood finish and would be called "Ye Olde Gashmiut" shop.

kol tuv,
Dan

Dangerous Threats?

2008-08-27T21:09:00.002+03:00

We usually don't post about American politics but I figured since there's already precedence why not?

Well this ad came out today:

It's supposed to appeal to Americans that care about Israel I guess... well it's nice to know at least someone thinks Americans care about Israel...

Rebranding Israel: FM Just Doesn’t Get It - Still!

2008-08-26T19:02:00.006+03:00

This is not the first time Kumah has written about this.

Last week I attended the Nefesh B’Nefesh First International Jewish Bloggers Convention along with the rest of the Jblog world. One segment of the program featured Zavi Apfelbaum, the Director of Brand Management of the Foreign Ministry. At the time I did not know that she represented the State of Israel. (I didn't read the program, okay?)

(Click the video for a transcript we posted on YouTube.)

Which is why when blogger Moshe Burt (“Israel and the Sin of Expulsion”) began screaming at the top of his lungs “this is a Jewish State!,” though I agreed with him, I thought he was taking the wrong approach. But now that I realize exactly what was going on I think he was exactly right and that might be the only way to keep making the point, as Burt wrote, “until it sinks irrevocably into their consciousness.”

Let’s start at the beginning. The Foreign Ministry spent millions of shekel of taxpayer money to figure out that, guess what, the world thinks Israel is a bunch of thugs and a very cold (not weather-wise), dull, place to live or visit. Well obviously the world has branded us waaay wrong! Apfelbaum, again blaming the victim, claimed it was not the world that did it but we did it to ourselves. Perhaps I’ll grant that as a half-truth but that’s for another discussion.

So once again the Foreign Ministry plans to ~~spend~~ waste millions of shekel “rebranding” Israel.

Akiva, summarized it like this:

The future brand and marketing image of Israel:
1. Tel Aviv Fashion Brands
2. Tel Aviv Modern Dance Troupes
3. Tel Aviv Beach Life
4. Israeli High Technology Developments
5. Tel Aviv Night Life
6. Israeli High Technology Medical Developments
7. Israeli Wine

With the exception of 4 and 6, basically they are trying to brand Israel as Italy, France or Spain.

When will they learn? Israel is a Jewish Country!

Here’s what I wrote a year ago:

Once Israel becomes "a nation like any other" we are thrust onto a world scale we have no right being on. On that scale, Israel appears to be a pretty crummy nation with nothing special at all. Hence the post-Zionists. But if we stay on the scale we are supposed to stay on, the "light-to-the-nations" scale we are untouchable! When we promote G-d, no nation anywhere can come close in terms of history, culture, food, family life, beauty, and spirituality. Indeed we have something no other nation has.

To summarize, Israel already has an excellent – but discarded - brand. The powers-that-be in the government just don’t like it very much. But this brand has been around for over 3,300 years! Let me explain it in simple terms:

New York is to “The Big Apple” as Israel is to “The Holy Land.”

Gee, whiz. Brilliant! Why didn’t anyone ever think of that before? It’s a brand we have and it’s a brand we should use. It’s a brand that will stick because it already sticks, much to the dismay of the government. Basically the country is spending millions because we don’t want people to think of us as holy! Stop pretending to be the Europeans we are not, because the world is not dumb enough the fall for it. Start being yourself, Israel, and good things will happen. In the 60 years since she was founded Israel never got to be herself - not for one day.

And Moshe Burt is right. In terms of Holy we are talking Judaism. No Muslims are going to view Israel more favorable if we tell them Israel is important to them. And the Christians already know the real deal and love the Jewish people for it. Just talk to any Christians you meet. They know the Holy Land is G-d’s gift to the Jews and they are cool with that. Very cool with it.

So here is a small part of Pinchas’s plan for “rebranding” (that’s "re" as in repeating something not as in changing something):

Shabbat

Kotel

Jewish Tradition

Jewish Children

Holy Things

The problem is the government is working backwards. Instead of displaying the beauty of Judaism and Shabbat for the world, the government does everything it can to destroy our image as a holy nation by doing things like attempting to have buses run on Shabbat. Sometimes the only way to get the message across truly is to yell it, and to yell it again, again, and again!

Media Wrap Up

2008-08-25T17:41:00.003+03:00

Pentagon Finds Religious Bias In Army Probe - i.e. they are anti-Israel and anti-Jews-who-like-Israel. Washington Post

U.S. entrepreneur makes aliyah seeking 'next big invention' - cool guy! Haaretz

Presenting Matisyahu the model - is this guy cool and making a Kiddush Hashem, or is he just selling out? YNET

Utopia – Israel's Perfect Park - a beautiful picture essay of a nice place in Israel. IsraelNationalNews

Enjoy!

Way to Go, Blogs!

2008-08-24T12:42:00.004+03:00

For those of you who weren't aware, there was a big blogger's conference run by Nefesh b'Nefesh recently, in which English-speaking bloggers in Israel met, talked about who they are and why they blog. Because our very own Yishai Fleisher moderated one of the panels (go Kumah!), I had the opportunity to learn about some of the blogs, as we perused the musings of the nice Jewish boys and girls/men and women who were on his panel.

Confession time: I don't read blogs. I know that's lame, as there is an unspoken understanding that all bloggers are required to be loyal to the medium by reading other people's blogs. Which leads me to confession number two: I don't listen to talk radio. As a radio broadcaster, this is pretty treasonous, I know. I guess I just didn't get into blogging because of my love for blogs, or into radio for my love of radio.

In any event, I want to thank Nefesh b'Nefesh, whose conference I did NOT attend, for opening my eyes to how truly fun and interesting Israeli Jewish blogging is (the ynet article called it "kosher", but I'm not sure all the blogs apply for that status. Not to say that treifish blogs aren't really entertaining, Jewish, or Israeli, they're just not necessarily, well, kosher).

I'd like to feature one particular blog: What War Zone.

Benji Lovitt, who started blogging in 2006, basically caused me to fall crying into a half sitting, half floor-lying mass of streaming tears as I engaged in one of the best and longest laughs I've had in a long time.

I'm not saying I'm going to be "a blog reader" now. But I'm definitely going to be reading this one. I don't know if he likes or dislikes what Kumah stands for or writes (he hasn't linked to us), but I like what What War Zone is all about - noting the hilarity of Israeli life, and therefore loving even those things that we all tend to hate. The post that got me hooked was about secular Israeli weddings.

Thanks Benji.

And by the way - if there's an Israeli blog that YOU love, let us know about it! Preference will be given to blogs which don't use the words "occupied territories", "friggin' settlers" or "just once I wish that I could show everyone what's what by eating a pork sandwich on Har HaBayit".

This Week's Torah Portion in Deuteronomy

2008-08-22T15:00:00.004+03:00

Chapter 11:
10. For the land to which you are coming to possess is not like the land of Egypt, out of which you came, where you sowed your seed and which you watered by foot, like a vegetable garden. 11. But the land, to which you pass to possess, is a land of mountains and valleys and absorbs water from the rains of heaven, 12. a land the Lord, your God, looks after; the eyes of Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year....

Chapter 12
22. For if you keep all these commandments which I command you to do them, to love the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him, 23. then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will possess nations greater and stronger than you. 24. Every place upon which the soles of your feet will tread, will be yours: from the desert and the Lebanon, from the river, the Euphrates River, and until the western sea, will be your boundary. 25. No man will stand up before you; the Lord your God will cast the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land upon which you tread, as He spoke to you.

Temple Temptations

2008-08-17T16:39:00.002+03:00

From the Economist?!?! Looks like the Temple is making waves:

The issue of Jerusalem’s holiest site may again be dividing Jews

THE lead singer, with yarmulke, beard and guitar, appears with a sheep on the cover of the latest record by Lechatchila, a religious-rock group popular among Orthodox young Israelis. “Don’t stare at me,” the lyrics go. “The Temple is sure to be rebuilt right now. We’ve got to prepare, to believe, to make the redemption happen.”

For two millennia, ever since the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Jews have continued to study, write and indeed sing about the intricate rituals of service and sacrifice, in the belief that one day the Messiah would come and the Temple would be rebuilt. Meanwhile, the faithful were forbidden even to walk on the Holy Mount, let alone worship there.

This suited the regime instituted on the Temple Mount by Moshe Dayan, Israel’s then defence minister, after the 1967 war. He ruled that the mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (or Noble Sanctuary), where the golden Dome of the Rock has stood since the seventh century after Christ, would remain an exclusively Muslim place of worship, administered by the Waqf, or Muslim religious trust. Jews and Christians could visit but not worship there. Rabbis of all religious and political stripes agreed.

This arrangement broadly endured, between periodic bursts of violence. But it never allayed Arab fears that the Jews had designs on the mount. In 1984, the Israeli authorities arrested a group of fanatical Jewish settlers for plotting to fire rockets into the mosque. Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, infuriated Bill Clinton (then America’s president) and Israeli negotiators by repeatedly denying there ever was a Jewish temple on the site and rejecting proposals to share sovereignty over it. In September 2000, a walk on the mount by Israel’s then opposition leader, Ariel Sharon, prompted bloody clashes which turned into a six-year Palestinian intifada (uprising).

Recently the rabbinical consensus has been fraying. Nationalist rabbis close to Jews who have settled on the Palestinian West Bank are permitting—even encouraging—their followers to visit the mount. Separately, the energetic and well-endowed Temple Institute in Jerusalem’s old city has been diligently recreating ancient Temple vessels and priestly garments to be ready when needed. The institute runs guided tours of the mount and publishes prayer books in which former Jewish glories are graphically depicted; its director reassures readers of its website that there is no call “for the launching of missiles or the exploding of the mosque”. But the Temple is “not just something historic, stored in a memory chest”. For nationalist-Orthodox children, it is increasingly a reality.

The larger, ultra-Orthodox community remains ostensibly unaffected. Its rabbis still forbid even walking on the mount and are content to wait for the Messiah without spurring him on. But between the two groups there is a theological overlap that translates into a tough brand of politics. The ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a pivotal part of the government’s coalition, has given notice that it will walk out if there is any negotiation over Jerusalem. Sure enough, in leaked draft proposals put by Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, the question of Jerusalem is postponed indefinitely. Or until the Messiah comes?

Jerusalem's "Rave" Reviews

2008-08-17T01:57:00.003+03:00

When many people think of Israel, an image of people riding around on camels in the desert shooting machine guns may come to mind (if you think I'm joking I'll have you know I actually had a friend in college who seriously believed this until I informed him to the contrary that we actually have such advanced infrastructure as "roads" and "office buildings" and "malls"). If it's not the middle east conflicts that one may think of then perhaps Israel's numerous religious and historical sites, or it's pristine beaches and natural scenery, or it's world renown high-tech industry. But an often overlooked aspect of Israel is it's trance scene. Israel has given to rise to some of the top trance artists, including Infected Mushroom, a personal favorite of mine and almost anybody else into Goa Trance.

It's with this in mind that I feel I shouldn't have been surprised, though I still was, by what I witnessed this past Friday afternoon. While running an errand that involved schlepping from the the Machane Yehuda shuk to the old city, I started hearing a steady deep thumping coming from a side street off of Yaffo Street. As I kept walking it kept getting louder and louder. As I came by a corner I saw some people hanging out on the steps. A few more steps in that direction revealed security guards checking people's backpacks as they were walking in, and as I finally came past the corner I was privy to a full on dance club in the middle of the street. It was complete with what could have been club quality speakers, a stage, and tens of people showing off their best moves while the electronica was blaring out into the streets. I was left scratching my head and asking myself if I was honestly seeing a public sidewalk rave. But not just any public sidewalk rave. One next to the old city of Jerusalem, the religious capital of the world... in the middle of broad daylight... on Friday afternoon when everyone is (supposed to be) getting ready for shabbat. Turns out my eyes, and ears for that matter, were not deceiving me and it was actually happening. I even had a tiny yetzer hara trying to convince me that if it wasn't for my errand as well as the dead give-away peos and tzitzit, maybe I should have jumped into the crowd and relived some old glory days, but alas... the service of the Lord is very demanding upon His faithful ones.

The strange event stuck in my mind for several hours into shabbat, and I mentioned it to a friend of mine from yeshiva while we were walking to the home of our hosts for Friday night dinner. My friend informed me that apparently he's witnessed this same Friday afternoon rave before, just a mere several blocks from where I saw it. Apparently the trance scene in Israel is even better than I originally thought! So much so you don't even need to travel to Tel Aviv on a Saturday night, just walk around downtown Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon.

So for anyone who is a fan of good music, you now have yet another reason to make aliyah. Come to Israel... and don't forget your glowsticks!

Why American Aliyah? It's the Economy, Stupid.

2008-08-15T17:58:00.008+03:00

Abraham Waxman, a prominent Jewish-American sociologist who has written much about American Aliyah, recently wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post, arguing that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it may make economic sense for American Jews to make Aliyah:

THE HIGH cost of Jewish living has had an impact on patterns of American aliya. Those for whom living a Jewish lifestyle is more important are those who are most likely to make aliya because their lifestyle costs are much lower in Israel. Ironically, although American Jews have traditionally associated making aliya with economic sacrifice, aliya can make economic sense...

Waxman ends with these words regarding the potential consequences of America's economic downturn for US Jewry:

Although America's Jews have enjoyed unprecedented degrees of equality and a sense of being at-home that they have not experienced in any society in which they were not sovereign, there are no guarantees that this will not slow down, if not reverse direction. While such a forecast is not on the radar screen, anyone with a sense of history cannot be too certain that it cannot develop.

Jewish Love

2008-08-15T17:28:00.003+03:00

Jewish love is about union - and there are many types of love and union. Surely there is union between man and woman, between parents and children, and between friends. But there are other unions which matter very much: the union between people and G-d, between Jews and their land, and between the broader family of the tribe of Israel, and even between the tribe of mankind which we call the human race...

In this week's Torah portion we learn: (6th Portion - Chapter 6)
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our G-d; the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart.

When one decides to live his life with this concept in mind - to love G-d with everything one has - there comes a great relief because one is freed from the many self-serving choices that are put in front of him today and everyday. We are here to serve G-d, to make His name great, to bring a greater consciousness of Him into this world. Now that is love, that is dedication, that is freedom and that is real fun! He wants us to use all of our gifts to the max - but this world is not about self-actualization, it's about G-d-actualization.

What's really amazing is that to do all that, (to make His name great through loving Him), G-d commands us to love ourselves and to love each other. For Hashem, His greatest joy comes from when people, and especially Jewish people, get along and have peace in our homes.

This Tu b'Av, may we see the union of the Jews through a physical as well as spiritual union, that is, may we serve G-d together in the Land of Israel as a united family. We may have love for Him individually, but the full vision is of union - the union of all Jews in one place with one heart. That is what we yearn for, yet we are still divided. After 2000 years of division, it is time for the next era - the time of love and unity, selflessness and joy.

Video Blog: Witness NeoZionism - 43 New Members of Israel and the IDF

2008-08-13T18:26:00.000+03:00

At Kumah we call it NeoZionism. It's that spirit of giving it all to rebuild our Homeland. Witness it yourself in this video. 43 young adults (age 20, plus or minus - usually minus - 3 years) gave up the "good life" in America to join the IDF. The ingathering of the exiles is well in progress as our Nation is infused with this new energy, this new passion, for returning home and contributing to the growth of the Jewish Nation.

The Secret to Making it in Israel...

2008-08-13T17:51:00.003+03:00

...is knowing how to eat Hummus.

The video below will guide you through the learning process.

Boycotted Israeli Car Commerical

2008-08-12T22:34:00.005+03:00

This Israeli commercial for Nissan's new Tiida (or Versa, in the US) automobile, which is supposed to save its owners lots of money on gas, was pulled off the air as a result of Arab pressure.

Video Blog From The Kotel on Tisha B'Av 5768

2008-08-10T02:31:00.001+03:00

(This is the early edition unedited version.)

Is This Cool or is This Cool?

2008-08-07T07:23:00.002+03:00

To vote "cool" please say "cool" in the comments.

To vote "cool" please do the same thing but say "cool".

Weapon of Choice

2008-08-05T12:42:00.003+03:00

It's amazing the beautiful Jews you're guaranteed to observe during late-night trips to the Kotel. A couple of nights ago I was posted up near one of my favorite spots for nights at the Kotel, towards the back right corner (the other being in the tunnel tucked right into the front left corner closest to the Kadosh Kadoshim). There are two main reasons this spot is so great. First of all it's usually the least crowded and if you plan on spending a long amount of quality time with Hashem it affords you the opportunity to have your space and avoid distractions. Secondly it will seat you next to a nightly shiur given by a quite fiery-voiced rav, the passion for Torah of which can really be inspiring. A third reason for any single guys out there is the thought that you never know... your zivug could be davening at that exact moment just a mere several yards away from you on the other side of the mechitza and you don't even know it. Anyway, several evenings ago while I was enjoying a particularly good session of Kotel time, a soldier walked in. He was carrying his weapon strapped over his shoulder and walking hand in hand with his young son. He pulled up a chair and a shtender, sat down, and his son said something inaudible to him. He smiled and gave his weapon to his son at which point he put the barrel up to his mouth. Several moments later he took it and put it up to his own mouth.

You see, this wasn't a normal soldier. His uniform wasn't green with reddish brown boots and a beret. It was a large white kippah, flowing white shirt and pants, and bright orange crocs. And his weapon was an M-16 or the like, though it had a strap attached to it like one. This weapon was his extra large shofar... this man was a soldier of Hashem. It's hard to describe how beautiful the notes sounded coming out of his horn as he blew it proudly. He we all were, at the sight of our two destroyed holy temples, thousands of years without them, and during the nine days leading up to the anniversary of their mutual destruction. Yet even in a time of seeming despair and mourning such as this, this man sounded the shofar's cry of our redemption and, if for just a few seconds, reminded us that we may be mourning now, but that will soon come to an end. The geuala is on it's way, and if you need proof, just take a late-night trip to our holy Kotel and wait for Hashem to give you a sign.

Shmittah Calendar: Month of Av 5768

2008-08-03T13:37:00.004+03:00

The month of Av began yesterday, on Shabbat!

The following list is not fully comprehensive at all but includes some common everyday produce most people use. It is largely based on Rabbi Marcus's "Shmittah 5768: A Pratical Guide" (which we recommend you order for yourself here) and other sources. For more information on what these dates mean see here.

Kedushat Shevi'it Starts

On 1 Av:
Popcorn

On 15 Av:
Plums (Euro Longated)
Sunflower Seeds

On 20 Av:
Dates

Additionally Kedushat Shevi'it for these items remains in effect (with *ed items already in Sefichim):

Apples
Apricots
Artichoke
Asparagus
Avocado
Banana
Barley*
Basil
Beets*
Broccoli*
Butternut Squash*
Cabbage*
Cabbage (Red)*
Carrots*
Cauliflower*
Celery*
Chickpeas*
Coriander*
Corn (Fresh)*
Cucumbers*
Dill*
Eggplant*
Etrog
Fennel*
Figs
Garlic*
Grapes
Grapes for Wine
Horseradish
Kohlrabi*
Lemon
Lettuce*
Litchi
Mango
Medlar (Shesek)
Melon*
Mint
Mustard*
Nectarine
Onions*
Paprika
Parsley*
Peaches
Pears
Peas (in pod)*
Pepper (Jalapeno)*
Peppers*
Pineapple
Plums (Japanese Round)
Potatoes
Pumpkin*
Radish*
Radish-Small*
Sabra
Scallion
Spinach*
Strawberries*
Sweet Potatoes*
Tomatoes*
Turnip*
Watermelon*
Zucchini (Squash)*

Kedushat Shevi'it Ends

There are no items that Kedushat Shevi'it ends this month.
------------------
Sefichim Begins

On 1 Av:
Popcorn

On 3 Av:
Paprika

On 15 Av:
Sunflower Seeds

Additionally Sefichim remain in effect for the following:

Barley
Beets
Broccoli
Butternut Squash
Cabbage
Cabbage (Red)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chickpeas
Coriander
Corn (Fresh)
Cucumbers
Dill
Eggplant
Fennel
Garlic
Horseradish
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Melon
Mustard
Onions
Parsley
Peas in Pod
Pepper (Jalapeno)
Peppers
Pumpkin
Radish
Radish-Small
Spinach
Strawberries
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnip
Watermelon
Zucchini (Squash)

Sefichim Ends

There are no items that Sefichim ends this month.
------------------
Biur

On 1 Av:
Mustard

Note: The following items already required Biur:

On 1 Shevat 5768:
Fennel

On 14 Adar Bet 5768:
Sweet Potatoes

On 15 Iyar 5768:

Broccoli

On 1 Sivan 5768:

Medlar (Shesak)
Peas in Pod

On 1 Tamuz 5768:
Artichoke

On 19 Tamuz 5768:
Apricots

The Identity of the Land

2008-08-03T05:54:00.002+03:00

Tzafrir Ronen at the Jerusalem Conference speaking on the true identity of the land disputed between Jews and Arabs.

Needed: Shimshon ha-Gibor

2008-07-30T12:30:00.002+03:00

Yishai, Shalom,

Welcome back.
I enjoyed listening to your "Yishai in America" series.
I would be interested in hearing more about attitudes to Aliyah among the people you met in the states.

Is a free El-Al flight not enough for them? Do they want to be "beamed up" to Israel when the Beit ha-Mikdash drops out of the sky in pre-fab fire construction.

Or are they waiting for us in Israel to build the Beit ha-Mikdash like in "Field of Dreams" -- if you build it, they will come?

I saw a really nice article by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu in the parsha sheets this weekend.
Here's my own take on what he said:

Needed: Shimshon ha-Gibor to "shake things up."

He said that his son asked who killed the terrorist this time. It was another settler who fired the 1st shot. Will the police chief investigate all these border guards who stood by and watched in the recent attacks. No, because the judicial system would then go after him.

Just like the rulers of Judah were made uncomfortable by Shimon's daring attacks on the Philistines, because they preferred their comfortable existence as a vassal state to Philistia, so too our rulers try to suppress any bit of Jewish activism.

I myself never understood what was the point of Shimshon's career as a judge. What did he accomplish. But from the Rav's article, it all began to make sense. Shimshon woke up the people of Judah from their complacency, from their slave mentality.

What? You want to settler the land of Israel? You can't, this is an illegal outpost. Settling the land of Israel violates "international law" (what is that? something the nations made up to prevent us from returning to our land)

You want to protect yourself against terrorists, even by only firing in the air. We'll find an Arab to lie and say that he was hit by a bullet from your gun and throw you in jail.

But when we try to argue and say that actually, according to the San Remo agreement, this is actually part of the Jewish homeland, they just laugh at us.

But when 13 year-old girls call their bluff and refuse to recognize the authority of their kangaroo courts, then they get nervous. They are nervous because others might see "the man behind the curtain" pretending to be a wizard.

kol tuv,
Dan

Seeing The Edge

2008-07-29T09:26:00.002+03:00

Here is my new article:

I have just returned from a five week trip to the US. While there I dedicated half of my time to family and the rest of the time to lecturing about Israel and Aliyah and meeting with American Jews who want to take part in building the Jewish State -- the most important project of the Jewish people in two thousand years...

While my speeches hit their mark and the meetings went well, I had to contend with a constantly recurring question: "What's going to be with Israel's government? Are the people of Israel going to allow themselves to be led off the edge of a cliff, like lemmings?" This question came at me from every corridor and only then did I realize how hard it is for an American Jew to break out of the American Galut. From America, Israel seems like a crazy place of endemic instability, full of enemies from within and without. Add to that sentiment the amazing attraction of America, its convenience, its wide roads, its philo-Semitic tolerance, and its wealth and you end up with one thought: "There is no way in heck I'm leaving America for Israel."

I assured the people who asked me this question that as a Jew living in Israel and taking part in the building of our country daily, I am even more concerned by the policies of my government and am embarrassed by them. I told these questioners that it will take people like them and people like me to change our reality for the better and that we have no right to abdicate our responsibility to Israel in these hard times. I told them that we did not wait two thousand years to watch a reborn Israel go down the tubes, G-d forbid.

But there was another point that I had to make: I explained to American Jews that they are locked in a media loop in which their only information about our beloved homeland comes from reading the papers or watching the news. The media is notoriously negative, not just against Israel, but in general. I asked American audiences to relate the last time they saw something positive about America in the press? They could not recall the last time.

I continued: I, too, see and hear the painful dark headlines in Israel. However, when I walk past the Jewish kindergartens in Israel I see them full of kids, when I drive into Jerusalem I marvel at its grandeur, when I walk into the general store I see it packed with Israeli products and fresh food! My image of Israel is fundamentally different because I am not enslaved by the media's negative proclivities, nor do I think that my government's suicidal policies are the end all/be all of what Israel is really all about. I can see the bigger picture and I will not allow the media and others to minimize and trivialise our efforts.

When Balak king of Moab wanted to fight the Jews he called in the evil prophet Bilaam to curse the Jews and thereby weaken them. We read in Numbers 23:13

"Then Balak said to him [Bilaam], 'Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, only their edge you will see and you will not see the whole of them; and curse them for me from there.'"

What is going on here? If I were to curse a nation I would want to see the whole bunch of them splayed out in front of me and then let 'em all have it! Why does Balak offer Bilaam a tiny glimpse of the nation in an attempt to help the evil prophet issue forth a diabolical curse? Shouldn't it be the opposite?

The evil ones on this Earth have a well developed sense of cunning and these two bad guys were no exception. They knew the secret of the Jewish people: the united totality of the Jewish people is unbeatable and the big picture of Jewish history is the revelation of G-d's providence and kindness. However, if you focus in at the small picture you may find some dirt, some criminality, some all-too-human weakness that will darken the image. That is why Balak offered Bilaam to see only the edge of the Jews -- if Bilaam could only zoom in on some negative aspect of the Jews and disregard the big picture, maybe then he could muster the venom needed to curse G-d's people.

That type of zoom-in to the darker side of today's Israel is exactly what our enemies want. They want us demoralized, they want us to turn away from Israel. However, we, lovers of Israel, cannot allow ourselves to be minimalist observers who become dissuaded when we hear that our country is going "off the derech" -- off the right path. On the whole, the Jewish project of rebuilding our homeland is moving forward at lightning speed. Israel is soon going to be the home for the majority of the world's Jews, and is already far and away the cultural center of Judaism. All of our enemies and even our sick government cannot derail the forward momentum of this project -- unless we let them!

So let us not fall victim to our enemies' dark desires to see the edge of the Jewish people with a focus on negativity. Instead, let us see the grand vision of Israel and the nearer-then-ever horizon of destiny. Once we get our vision in order we will have a renewed burst of energy to help Israel get through this tumultuous time. And that will be our great merit.

Good Surprises...

2008-07-28T12:28:00.002+03:00

The NY Post has an awesome Israel at 60 section - one which all Jewish organizations can be proud of and learn from. Click here to see it.

The Good Things

2008-07-27T07:51:00.004+03:00

Jacob Richman wrote:

Hi Everyone!

On Friday afternoons, I buy several newspapers including Hebrew ones. Every so often, the Hebrew newspapers include a special insert. If we get a new Israeli president there will be a picture of him / her; if a sports team wins a champinship there may be a picture of them; before Passover you can find a free Haggadah; and before Israel Independence Day there is a large flag folded inside the paper.

This past Friday (July 25), there was a small glossy, two-sided, flyer in the Yediot Achronot newspaper.

On the front of the flyer is a family eating together at the table. The Hebrew text reads: Friday is Reserved for My Family To talk, laugh, eat together. There is one day of the week that you can sit with the whole family and connect. So we declare: Friday is Reserved for My Family.

On the back of the flyer is the Shabbat Kiddush:

After close to 24 years in Israel, I still find nice surprises in the most unexpected places.

Shavua Tov,
Jacob

Video: Yishai Flies With NBN!

2008-07-23T14:20:00.001+03:00

Not By Chance

2008-07-23T14:00:00.002+03:00

From Haaretz (!?)

"It's no coincidence that men with knitted skullcaps - two of them soldiers - were involved in killing the terrorists who carried out the last three terror attacks..."