Ha'aretz had a very interesting article on the Shalem Center, available here. The article is primarily about alleged corruption at the center. An interesting subtopic is the discussion of founder Yoram Hazony's views about Rabbi Meir Kahane:
One of the galvanizing events in Hazony's life was an encounter with the ultranationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane, in the fall of 1984. Seven years ago, Haaretz correspondent Akiva Eldar published excerpts from a eulogy Hazony wrote in 1990, after Kahane's assassination in New York. "We were mesmerized," Hazony wrote about the meeting with Kahane at Princeton. Most of his friends, he noted, had never before spoken with a Jewish "believer" and were amazed to discover that an Orthodox Jew could be an intelligent person, capable of defending his opinions against a group of Princeton students. They had all entertained an image of Judaism as something primitive. "We listened in astonishment, and finally in shame, when we began to realize that he was right."
Hazony knew, of course, that Kahane's racist party had been barred from running for the Knesset in the 1988 elections. He also added a demurrer, stating that he and the others were unable to reconcile the Judaism they had learned with Kahane's tendency toward violent solutions for problems, or with the crude presentation of his views. At the same time, Hazony made it clear that, "[We express] gratitude to someone who changed our lives, thrilled and entertained us, helped us grow up into strong, Jewish men and women. Many of us found other ways of doing what he asked."
Ninety years ago today, the British government issued the Balfour declaration.
Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
The Bible Belt Blog has a recording of a recent interview with former president Jimmy Carter.
He comments on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Explaining why the Bush administration is worse than its predecessors, he points to the lack of peace talks.
"For the first time since Israel was founded, we've had zero peace talks to try to bring a resolution of differences in the Middle East. That's a radical departure from the past."
The claim is false, under any reasonable definition of "peace talks".
Former President Jimmy Carter has been accused of plagiarizing and distorting several maps from Dennis Ross' memoir, The Missing Peace. For more on the controversy, see the blog Jewish Current Issues.
CARTER: My maps came from an Atlas that's publicly available.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[BRIAN] TODD: We tried to contact the firm that Carter says he got those maps from, it's called the Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem to see if they got those maps from Dennis Ross. We were unable to reach that company.
Well, the maps are derived from an atlas that was published in 2004 in Jerusalem and it was basically produced under the aegis of officials in Sweden. And the Swedish former prime minister is the one who told me this was the best atlas available about the Middle East.
By googling "Applied Research Institute" I was able to find this atlas, most recently published in 2004. The maps cited by Carter do not seem to be listed in the contents, but as I do not have access to a copy I cannot confirm this.
If this is indeed the correct atlas, we can learn quite a bit about the objectivity of the officials in Sweden under whose aegis it was basically produced. See, for example, the map of Wars and Border Changes (1948 - 1982). Note that the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is divided into two areas: those "occupied by Israel" in 1967 and those "occupied by Israel" in 1948. "Ending the occupation" means eliminating the State of Israel.
Jul. 11, 2006 18:21
'Peretz's lack of degree harms Israel's security'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Professor Uzi Arad, who served as former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser, said Monday that the fact that Defense Minister Amir Peretz did not have an academic degree, harmed the state's security.
Officials at the Inter-Disciplinary Center, where Arad works, condemned the comment as racist.
There was a suicide bombing at the old bus station today in Tel Aviv, killing nine and wounding dozens. You can read about the attack here. At least five Israelis and two Romanians were murdered.
May their families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
This story, from MEMRI, seemed too juicy to ignore. Professor Hasan Bolkhari, a cultural advisor to the Iranian Education Ministry, gave a lecture which was broadcast on Iranian television in which he discussed the MGM television series Tom and Jerry. You can also view the clip. Here are a few excerpts.
Hasan Bolkhari: "There is a cartoon that children like. They like it very much, and so do adults - Tom and Jerry."
[...]
"Some say that the main reason for making this very appealing cartoon was to erase a certain derogatory term that was prevalent in Europe."
[...]
"Watch Schindler's List. Every Jew was forced to wear yellow star on his clothing. The Jews were degraded and termed 'dirty mice.' Tom and Jerry was made in order to change the Europeans' perception of mice. One of terms used was 'dirty mice.'
"I'd like to tell you that... It should be noted that mice are very cunning...and dirty."
[...]
"Tom and Jerry was made in order to display the exact opposite image. If you happen to watch this cartoon tomorrow, bear in mind the points I have just raised, and watch it from this perspective. The mouse is very clever and smart. Everything he does is so cute. He kicks the poor cat's ass. Yet this cruelty does not make you despise the mouse. He looks so nice, and he is so clever... This is exactly why some say it was meant to erase this image of mice from the minds of European children, and to show that the mouse is not dirty and has these traits. Unfortunately, we have many such cases in Hollywood shows."
The Danish government has tried to get out the message that it does not control what is in newspapers and that Danish courts will determine whether the newspaper that originally published the cartoons, Jyllands-Posten, is guilty of blasphemy. The government has also expressed apologies for the offending drawings.
At least 56 people were murdered on Wednesday night in Amman when three suicide bombers attacked three hotels in the city. Al-Qaida in Iraq has taken responsibility for the bombing. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims.
In one of the hotels (the Radisson), the bomber targeted the a wedding of two Jordanians of Palestinian descent. (See here.) Both the bride and groom lost their fathers among a score of guests who were killed, mostly relatives. This probably marks the first time that a Palestinian wedding was targeted by an al-Qaida faction.
The Radisson was targeted at least once before, nearly six years ago in the Millenium Plot. Fortunately, those attacks were stopped in advance, as were the simultaneously planned attacks in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
On a hopeful note, there were mass protests today in Jordan against the bombings. The protesters were not calling for the US to withdraw from Iraq. They were not calling for an end to peace with Israel. Their message was loud and clear. "Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!"
The editorial line of the Jordan Times (Jordan's English language newspaper) was similar:
We were attacked because of what Jordan stands for, because of what it represents in this region and beyond: A model of stability and security in a constantly turbulent area, an example of moderation and tolerance amidst bloody wars and religious and ethnic tensions, a success story of modernisation in a gravely underdeveloped region.
Terrorists hit Jordan because it embodies what they despise the most: Peace. They hit us because we are the champions of the true Islam of tolerance, dignity, respect for human life and understanding of the other.
They hit us because we have always been at the forefront in the fight against terrorism, long before Sept. 11, long before the “war on terror” became an integral part of US policy, long before Washington and all other Western capitals had ever even heard of Al Qaeda and Osama Ben Laden.
...
This is how we respond to those who try to take from us what we hold dearest: By upholding it more strongly and firmly than ever.
As someone who has had a fair grounding in the principles of genetics, statistics, and mathematical modelling, I was intrigued to hear about a study with a novel hypothesis regarding the mechanism for both Jewish intellectual performance and Jewish hereditary / genetic diseases.
And I was equally irked when this study was recklessly quoted and reasoned about by people who didn't even bother to read even just the abstract of the scientific article, but just "secondary" reporting by the main stream press, such as with the popular Economist report. Most people who responded to this news failed to even address the main point of their study, which was the proposed mechanism for the correlation between Jewish intellectual performance and Jewish hereditary / genetic diseases. Instead they resorted to knee-jerk reactions, denouncing racism, eugenics, and racial stereotyping.
I agree with this editorial from Ha'aretz. At the very least, the law should not use the ethnicity of the terrorist as a basis for differentiating between victims of terrorist attacks which target Israelis.
Neither should private Jewish organizations. We must not send the message to our youth that the premeditated murder of Arabs does not qualify as terrorism. Perhaps someone should inform the One Family Fund?
IDF Southern Command Head Maj. Gen. Dan Harel says most weapons collected from settlers slated for evacuation; tells settlers he identifies with their pain, but IDF will not serve as 'human flak jacket' for settlers anymore; Mofaz: First two days of pullout will be crucial...
These scum whores are sure getting mighty truthful of late; now the unaware can understand very simply how and why we failed to crush our enemies with 'military geniuses' like that...
And the 'unity mongers' can finally stop telling us to love these fetid turds, it's time to rid ourselves of them.
Revava Leader "Yaakov Ish Tam" Supports Attacking Israeli Arabs
Eden Natan-Zada, the nineteen year old terrorist who murdered four Israelis before being lynched in the northern Israeli town of Shfaram on Thursday, had ties to the Revava movement. As I explained in a previous posting, Revava is an offshoot of Kahane Chai.
In January of 2005, Yaakov Ish Tam, the moderator of the English language Revava discussion board, gave his views on attacking Israeli Arabs. His position was that Revava, as a movement, could not support such things, but that personally he was in favor, and "kol hakavod" (literally, "all of the glory") to those who went ahead and did this on their own. One should note that the type of violence referred to in this discussion was rock throwing, spitting, etc., which, while criminal, is not the same thing as shooting with an assault rifle.
Later in this discussion, Yaakov Ish Tam argued that it is acceptable to violently fight other Jews. He seemed to be referring specifically to the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces who will be charged with executing the disengagement plan. (He may as well be referring to their leaders and/or their supporters. You can read this exchange for yourself.)
Yaakov Ish Tam gave his views in a dialogue on the Revava discussion board which he started last January. In his initial posting he laid out Revava's official strategy for stopping the disengagement.
How To Stop the Withdrawal
With the Israeli government determined to dismantle outposts and settlements, it is the duty of every God-fearing Jew to try to prevent this outrage – and there are many practical measures we can take to accomplish this.
When the government decides to dismantle a settlement, it is forced to allocate massive IDF and police manpower to the locale in question. Forces are mustered from all over the country to carry out the government order, and because of that, the government is left vulnerable.
While the army and police are attempting to evacuate a settlement, simultaneous, large-scale disruptions throughout the country can have a powerful effect as they would simply be unmanageable by the forces remaining. The IDF would have no other choice than to scale back the soldiers used to carry out the dismantlement. This is the only realistic and effective measure that concerned citizens can take, considering the often long travel times and army blockades which prevent Jews from physically being present in the settlements they wish to defend.
An up-and-coming movement called "Revava" has begun organizing a series of meetings throughout the country. The goal of the movement is to initiate nationwide disobedience on the day the government enacts its plan of destroying outposts.
"Revava" is allowing every member to decide for himself how active he can be when that moment comes. Whether it is being physically present at the outpost in question to help locals resist, blocking the intersection closest to their place of residence along with other local activists, or merely demonstrating by roadsides – everyone can take part. Pay attention to notices of upcoming meetings that will feature speakers who explain tactics relevant to a range of issues, from how to reach an outpost under army blockade, to methods that can be used to resist evacuations as they happen.
As its name implies, "Revava" has set for itself a goal of 10,000 members to be recruited over the next year.
Illegal, but ostensibly non-violent. Within two hours there was a reply from a member who felt that the strategy did not go far enough.
Why not take it one step further.Offensive is the best defence why should the leftests and Arabs set the agenda ,and we just react .Let settlements be set up in as many places as possible encouraging Jews inside and outside of Israel to settle in large numbers to show our love,strength and numbers.Also why should we be made to feel uncomfortable in our homeland of Israel ,Let the Arab get a taste of his own medicine .Boycott doing business with Arabs and those that employ them .If every Jew will just yell at every Arab on the street or wherever he encounters them ,with words such as Terrorist ,murders get out of our G-D given Israel ,imagine what can be.
This was followed a half-hour later by a post arguing that "revava is too soft" and that, following the example in that week's issue of Darka Shel Torah, activists should form cells to take part in seriously violent actions. Some contributors thought that this post went too far, in that it did not show the proper respect for the Revava leadership. Then, on January 13, another participant, a high school student living somewhere in the diaspora, suggested violence towards Israeli Arabs:
Y not also, attack arabs in pre-1967 Israel on that day? kids and teens should throw rocks and spitt, etc,. at arabs on that day. if there willing to get arrested and cause trouble y not do it against arabs. (they would be knocking 2 birds with 1 stone)
The next day, Yaakov Ish Tam responded:
I am in favor, but I don't participate in such activities,
You realize legally as a movement you can not advocate or encourage such things.
It is bad enough that we are openly encouraging people to break the law, once we call for attacking Arabs we will be closed down before we finish our sentence.
If people went ahead and did this on their own, kol hakavod to them but it can't be a part of Revava for obvious reasons.
Firstly, I will admit to my own ignorance before stating my opinion. If you have a different view, please convince me. I am a baal tshuvah and am making plans to travel from the US to Israel to protest the disengagement because it is completely unjustifiable, even from a secular view as far as I can see. I firmly believe that Sharon has lost his marbles. However, I do not agree with fighting fire with fire as so many on these forums seem to support. Does not the Torah say not to strike a fellow Jew? I think that the way you make yourself heard is through peaceful protest, because the secular world cannot villainize you even close to as much as they would and do if you break the law. I suggest that Jews instead stand up and voice their view in large numbers while only disobeying the law that is unjust: that being the disengagement bill. If we break other laws which we agree with in the process, then we are really weakening our position.
Just a thought. I look forward to constructive criticism.
The next day, Yaakov Ish Tam replied, explaining that while violence between Jews should normally be avoided, there are several exceptions relevant in the present scenario.
If someone comes to kill you, rise up early and kill him first.
Judaism is not a "turn the other cheek" pacifistic religion.
Normally strife between Jews is the worst possible scenario and should be avoided at all costs. Except for a few examples..
1. Self defense one does not allow even another Jew to harm us physically or in any other way.
2. Chillul Hashem, a desecration of G-d's name if we do not act.
3. Civil war, such as when the levites stood up after the golden calf, pilegesh b'givah, Maccabees during chanukka etc... Some Jews are wicked and a danger to the very existence of the Jewish people. Such people need to be destroyed for the sake of the community.
1. If someone comes to expel me from my house, Jew or goy I will resist. It is a shame that such force is necessary but THEY are the aggressors in this case and the responsibility for any violence lies on their heads
2. This is not a personal issue, it is a national and religious one. Giving away land in Eretz Yisrael is absolutely forbidden under Torah Law and to do so after years of constant terrorism is a huge desecration of G-d's name. All of those Jews who died settling or defending the land will have died in vain and their graves even dug up and moved. And all this to give the land on a silver platter to the very animals who have been murdering us.
It can't be that an Arab will murder Jews and then be GIVEN THAT JEW'S HOUSE by the sick distorted Israeli government.
It also sends the message that we don't have faith in G-d that he can keep his promise to the Jewish People.
3. There is no civil war and I hope none breaks out but again, if they are willing to cross all red lines and use unnecessary force against Jews, we will fight back and expel them from our midst. There comes a point when the damage that will be caused by NOT fighting will exceed the damage done by any potential civil.
We are not yet at that point but we are rapidly headed in that direction.
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