What You Need To Know And See

Everyone must see this movie from Honestreporting.com called Obsession. Hat tip to AOW.

Caught Drawing Breath While Being Jewish

And so it begins. A Muslim man breaks into the Seattle Jewish Federation, which only a week before hosted a pro-Israel rally, and shoots six women, killing 1, and among the wounded was a pregnant woman, all because he was 'angry' at Israel. The crime these women committed? Drawing breath while being Jewish. How dare they!

So how are the authorities in Washington State reacting? Apparently the local ADL has offered the courageous advice of telling Jews to not go to Shabbat services and stay in their homes. Can't imagine Abe Foxman is happy with that. And the police are now stepping up security at synagogues and mosques, the latter I'm not quite understanding why. Do they think the Jews will riot and attacks Muslims? Sounds like a waste of money and resources to me.

My fear? The anti-Semitic backlash is just beginning.

What You're Not Hearing On The News

You've probably heard that Hezbollah hit an Israeli ship with a cruise missile right? But did you know that they hit an Egyptian freighter first? Why haven't we been hearing more about this? By the way, do you know the difference between a rocket and a missile? A rocket is a self-propelled munition with no guidance capability, while a missile has guidance capability and is a state-sponsored weapon. And Hezbollah has them. The trail leads straight to Damascus and Tehran.

Important Message From Israel

I received the following note from my friend Pam, who runs Sar-El in Israel, which has civilian volunteers helping out soldiers on IDF bases.

I want to thank all of you for your e-mails & calls of support for the State of Israel & all the soldiers who are fighting so valiantly at this time. The soldiers really need to know that all of us are with them right now. Sar-El is doing its part in conveying this message to them. We have a very low percentage of volunteers who are leaving because of the situation. On the contrary, we have had many more people, young & old, who have signed up for the next few weeks BECAUSE of the situation—people who are paying very high airfares in order to come here. We thank all of you who are coming to join us.

We also thank all of our current volunteers who are working doubly hard at their bases. Many people are working day & evening shifts, without any complaints. They are working late on Thursdays; there are no trips during the week because there is work to be done & the army has cancelled all trips for soldiers. Our volunteers do not complain—they are happy to work; they are soldiers, too. This is what Sar-El is all about. It was created in a time of need and our volunteers are always available in times of need.

As you can imagine, the war is costing a fortune. The economy is suffering, tourism is down (except for our Sar-El volunteers). The army budget for “extras” such as trips, transportation, etc. will be affected. The Foundation which gets private contributions is a US tax deductible corporation. The Foundation has been able to buy many things for the volunteers at the bases, such as tools & equipment, refrigerators, museum trips, transportation, etc. All contributions to the Foundation are appreciated & you can contact me for information.

We also collected over 2000 shekels this week for special things for the soldiers up north. Yesterday Elaine, Kenny, Shira & I went on a fast shopping spree for snack foods, candy, drinks, toiletries, & sox for the soldiers. We delivered several carts full of items to a drop off place. The Table to Table organization will deliver it today directly to the soldiers on the front line. Gershon made dozens of his delicious cookies for the soldiers. In the near future, Gershon will be opening his new bakery here—Flo’s Pies & Cookies.

Sar-El has a special & unique connection with all soldiers in the IDF. We appreciate all of them & know that the soldiers who are now fighting up north or in Gaza are there for us—to defend & protect our country. All of us at Sar-El give them our total support.

I thank all of you for your hard work, prayers & support at this time.
If anyone wants to know how, email me at estherhoffmanAThotmail.com

Two Ways To Help

Send a letter to an Israeli family sitting in a shelter.

Post a message of support that all of Israel can see.

Informative Note From Israeli Soldier

Written by a soldier in the Nachal Haredi Unit. Hat tip to Naomi Ragen, cleaned up grammatically by me.

People jump to conclusions about the Israeli leadership and their strategies concerning Gaza and Lebanon. First of all, do not believe anything you read in a foreign newspaper or even half of the Israeli ones about this current situation. For example… just a few months ago an Arab Family in Gaza was killed on a beach. The Palestinians said the Israelis did the killing, as did international media. After research it was shown that in no way whatsoever was it an Israeli bomb that murdered that family, but a bomb that was left by HAMAS. However, by then, we lost the sympathies of world media, and Olmert apologized prematurely for something that Israel did not even do.

In Lebanon, you must understand that Hizbollah is not a "faction" it is part of the government. As we have seen lately as the puppet Lebanese government has come out and declared itself as defenseless against Hizbollah. However, that is not the case. Civilians in Beirut are handing out cakes and cookies as a celebration of the 8 dead Israeli soldiers and the two kidnapped ones.

What I have learned in three months of being at checkpoints is something I call the middle eastern personality, which is common in both Arabs and middle easterners. People who visit Israel have experienced it here too. It is the attitude that "I gotta get for me what I can at the expense of almost everyone else." The expression in Hebrew is to "work" someone. At the checkpoints people come and cry or claim they are sick and need to go to the hospital, or have important meetings, all in an attempt to get us to let them pass quickly into Israel. Most of the cases are false, and just the way to "work" or "hustle" the soldiers at the checkpoint. Most of this is witnessed by the Women in Black, who for some reason, believe these stories and only take the position of the Arabs, never that the soldiers are trying to protect the citizens of Israel from potential terrorists. So, the Arab citizens play up these stories to "work" the hearts and minds of the "human rights" activists and the media. These people do not learn through discussion or compromise because of Middle Eastern culture. Look at the history now in every Arab country about their ability to compromise where it be honor killing, jihad terrorism, constant civil war, pillaging and rape and all the other cultural riches of the Arab world. It is not within their mentality, which has been nurtured thought history to compromise civilly. (This does not in any way reflect on all Muslims or Arabs) However, it is the typical behavior you witness in the Arab marketplaces in Egypt and Israel If you have been to these marketplaces, then you will understand what I am talking about.

Israel is a westernized and Jewish society, which is all about discussion, analysis, and compromise Just look at the Talmud! What Israel is coming to realize now because of recent events and "compromises" such as leaving Gaza (while Israel reaps the rewards of daily punishment by missiles hitting several major cities such as Ashkelon and Sderot.
Our Jewish naiveté is that everyone is nice and perfect and can be dealt with through diplomacy. This is not true. Our enemies learn one way and the one and only way is through the language of war and the language of the sword. We did not set it up that way, they have. And now, going into Lebanon and destroying all of Hizbollah and their infrastructure and their supporters with a firm, unwavering hand is the only way. We were in Southern Lebanon for 20 years and there was "peace in the North" only when we "compromised" and pulled out. Our soldiers are getting kidnapped and missiles now fall on Haifa.

Now you have to understand the Arab guerilla tactics, both Palestinian and Lebanese. They never fight in a battlefield like a normal army. They retreat to civilian villages and cities and hide there until they poke their nose out of some window and shoot some anti tank or aircraft missile. So for defense, and I say DEFENSE forces, to succeed they must battle them even if they are in civilian territory. Again, We did not decide that, they did. So when civilians are killed unintentionally it is because THEY decided that it should be that way. The world is full of naive bleeding hearts that will bash Israel for doing what it has been FORCED to do. They forget the fact that when soldier go into an Arab town for the sole purpose of finding a group of terrorists, the "civilians" are suddenly not so civil. They have guns, they throw Molotov cocktails, and rocks, big large cement blocks at soldiers. That is what we experience everyday in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. We are fighting a guerilla and civilian army at ALL times. Suicide bombers are not part of an army they are civilians. There has never been a war fought like this in the history of humankind. But the "lefties" and even some on the right and the people who are not even connected and oblivious, including the international community think they have the right to tell Israel how to act, how to respond! Do you know why so many soldiers die in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon? Not because the enemy's army is better, they are not even close to the IDF. We have better equipment, more equipment, better training, so how is it that soldiers are kidnapped and killed? That's a good question. It is because the left and the international community is keeping such a close look, and bias toward Israel's defense tactics, that are hands are tied in defending ourselves properly. We take so many dangerous steps in order to protect civilians, that in return, we are killed and kidnapped. Did you know that at the Lebanon Border for the last ten years, because of "International" pressure, that if you see 500 Hizbollah terrorists with AK47's and rocket launchers and missiles coming up to the actual border fence, 50 feet from the Israel soldiers, 50 feet from Israel's soil, that the IDF cannot fire unless they fire first! They can aim, set up shop 50 feet from you, but until they fire and shoot at you, the Israeli soldiers cannot defend themselves. Is that logical? No, it is insane. The only reason why so many Israeli's both civilian and military are dying is explicitly the fault of the International Leftist agenda. The Left likes to see the minority win, even if it is Hamas and Hezbollah. We can only defend ourselves the way of the sword. Do not let anyone tell you anything differently. As I and the other soldiers and Israeli citizens have personal stakes in the matter, and as a supporter of the Jewish homeland, you do too.
Am Yisrael Chai!

The Animals Of Israel

While many organizations are helping people, the animals of Northern Israel are also suffering. This organization is trying to help.

Action Needed For Israel-Loving Americans

If you love Israel and you're an American, you need to write/call your elected representives in Congress, if they aren't any of the following people, and thank them for their support of Israel because you can bet they're hearing from the people who are pissed with how they voted (something like 20-to-1 are calling voicing their displeasure compared to thanking). Actually, you should also thank your senators regardless, since the vote in there was unanimous in favor of supporting Israel. To find out who your reps are, visit here. Now the list of those who did not support:

Those voting NO: Abercrombie (D-HA), Conyers (D-MI), Dingell (D-MI), Kilpatrick (D-MI), McDermott (D-WA), Paul (R-TX), Rahall (D-WV), Stark (D-CA).

Those voting present: Kaptur (D-OH), Kucinich (D-OH), Lee (D-CA), Waters (D-CA)

Those not voting: Davis (D-FL) Davis (R-VA), Duncan (R-TN), Evans (D-IL), Fortenberry (R-NE), McKinney (D-GA), Northup (R-KY), Nussle (R-IA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) -- but she has a good reason -- she was in the hospital, Westmoreland (R-GA)

Help Israel

If you have any questions on how to stick up for Israel when questioned by people, this is a great primer.

State Department: Truth Or Furthering Anti-Israel Agenda?

I find it very interesting that the State Department has issued an edict that Americans shouldn’t try to leave Lebanon, that they must stay put. Why do I find that interesting? Because as we were told this on Fox News by a priest who said he now knew what it was like to be a hostage (sorry, was there a gun pointed at your head? I think not), he openly pondered why it was that all the other foreigners’ countries were bringing in ships to rescue their citizens… why only the U.S. was leaving its people there? Why indeed? Could the State Department be trying to make things worse to have it reflect badly on Israel or am I getting paranoid?

Success! Iran Hijacks G8 Agenda

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Hezbollah (Iran/Syria's proxy terror group) chose now to stir the pot. Suddenly, pundits on the 24-hour News Networks have stopped talking about pressure on Iran or North Korea at the G8 Summit. It's all about the Mideast turmoil. Glad to know everyone is soooooo easily manipulated. And not like we couldn't see this coming... just like we could see a major attack coming. You can't say you're surprised that this is happening, right? Anyone who is surprised has had their head in the sand over the last several years.

How else do you explain that buildup of weapons we've been seeing (lord knows how many we haven't seen) flowing into Gaza and the West Bank via secret smuggling tunnels? How about the various times Israel has caught ships laden with missles headed for the PA? We know every time there's been call for a ceasefire (more aptly called a Hudna), it's been to build back up their illegal arms supply. The world and Israel have stood by as the terror groups have succeeded in rebuilding their arsenal with an obvious purpose -- this moment. And not like they hid their desires. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc. voiced their desire to do away with the Zionist Entity every time they got in front of a microphone. But they've been joined recently by a very powerful, delusional ally.... the president of Iran. And it is for him that this is all happening.

As the world watches the goings on in Lebanon and Israel, Iran has succeeded in buying themselves some more time for their nuclear ambitions. Israel can't make a plan to take out Iran's nuclear arsenal when they're busy fighting a two-front war. It's all coming up roses for Iran.

Rockets Do Land

This time in Safed. This one was about 300 meters from my cousin's house. Thanks to her father for sending the photo.

Israel

I know with the events of today I should have a post up. The thing is, I'm so worn out by my intense anger at the situation, that I have nothing left. I want Syria bombed. I want Iran bombed. I want justice. I know there will be none. It feels very hopeless. The world feels like it's falling off its axis, that black is white, wrong is right, etc.

Benjamin Hendrickson, Rest In Peace

I was away all week in Las Vegas, but while there, I heard of the sad, shocking passing of Emmy-award winning As The World Turns actor, Ben Hendrickson, who played Chief of Detectives Hal Munson for over 20 years. He was a theater actor who thought he was only signing on to play a 1-day role. But Ben was so much more. His quiet, heartfelt portrayal moved all who watched him.

He'd suffered horrible losses over the last few years -- his beloved mother and brother -- which probably played a large part in his taking his own life. Hopefully he is finally at peace.

News From France

My friend Sahbra forwarded this email to me with information about anti-Semitism in France from this site. I cannot verify it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s true and thought you would all find it frightening. I know I do. Not surprised mind you, but scary nonetheless.

Once again, the real news is conveniently not being reported as it should. At present, in my Hebrew class, there is a woman who recently made aliya from Paris with her family. I have spoken with her about anti-Semitism in France and she confirmed that it is very, very serious and getting worse every week. She and her family fled Paris and came to Israel, fearing for their lives - literally. This is first hand, my friends.

To give you an idea of what's going on in France where there are now between 5 and 6 million Muslims and about 600,000 Jews, here is an email that came from another Jew still in France. Please read! Will the world say nothing - again - as it did in Hitler's time?

He writes, "I AM A JEW -- therefore I am forwarding this to everyone on all my e-mail lists. I will not sit back and do nothing." Nowhere have the flames of anti-Semitism burned more furiously than in France:

In Lyon, a car was rammed into a synagogue and set on fire. In Montpellier, the Jewish religious center was firebombed; so were synagogues in Strasbourg and Marseilles; so was a Jewish school in Creteil - all recently.

A Jewish sports club in Toulouse was attacked with Molotov cocktails, and on the statue of Alfred Dreyfus in Paris, the words "Dirty Jew" was painted. In Bundy, 15 men beat up members of a Jewish football team with sticks and metal bars. The bus that takes Jewish children to school in Aubervilliers has been attacked three times in the last 14 months.

According to the Police, metropolitan Paris has seen 10 to 12 anti-Jewish incidents PER DAY in the past 30 days. Wake up, world! Walls in Jewish neighborhoods have been defaced with slogans proclaiming "Jews to the gas chambers" and "Death to the Jews."

A gunman opened fire on a kosher butcher's shop (and, of course, the butcher) in Toulouse, France; a Jewish couple in their 20s were beaten up by five men in Villeurbanne, France. The woman was pregnant; a Jewish school was broken into and vandalized in Sarcelles, France. This was in the past week.

So I call on you, whether you are a fellow Jew, a friend, or merely a person with the capacity and desire to distinguish decency from depravity, to do, at least, these three simple things:

First, care enough to stay informed. Don't ever let yourself become deluded into thinking that this is not your fight. I remind you of what Pastor Neimoller said in World War II: First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Second, boycott France and French products. Only the Arab countries are more toxically anti-Semitic and, unlike them, France exports more than just oil and hatred. So boycott their wines and their perfumes. Boycott their clothes and their foodstuffs. Boycott their movies. Definitely boycott their shores. If we are resolved we can exert amazing pressure and, whatever else we may know about the French, we most certainly know that they are like a cobweb in a hurricane in the face of well-directed pressure.

Third, send this along to your family, your friends, and your co-workers. Think of all of the people of good conscience that you know and let them know that you and the people that you care about need their help. The number one best selling book in France is "September 11: The Frightening Fraud," which argues that no plane ever hit the Pentagon.

Is it any wonder that Aliya from France to Israel has increased dramatically?