Stand for Freedom in Iran

Join thousands of Americans who stand for human rights and freedom at the "Stand for Freedom in Iran Rally" as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the UN General Assembly.

Thursday September 24th at Noon
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47th Street and Second Avenue

Click here for more information.

Iran and nuclear weapons. Don't let it happen.

Obama in Egypt meets Jew hater Egyptian archeologist Hawass who says that Judaism is a “false faith” calling it “the faith that they forged and contaminated with their poison, which is aimed against all of mankind.”

How could they do it? Obama travels to Cairo, Egypt, for a world beating speech and his handlers set him up to meet with none other than Jew hating Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt. Hawass is a familiar face to millions who have seen him reveal secrets of the past on TV programs about Egyptian archeology. In February he revealed a secret about himself and his innermost beliefs. In an Egyptian TV interview Hawass said this about the Jews:

“For 18 centuries they were dispersed throughout the world. They went to America and took control of its economy. They have a plan. Although they are few in number, they control the entire world.”

The interviewer continued, asking Hawass how it is possible that Jews “have taken control of the entire world.” In response Hawass explained:

“The reason is that they are always united over a single view. They always move together, even if in the wrong direction. We, on the other hand, are divided. If even two Arab countries could be in agreement, our voice would be stronger. Look at the control they have over America and the media.”

You can read the transcript and watch the video of Hawass’ outrageous statements over at MEMRI. http://tinyurl.com/akugv7 and http://tinyurl.com/c8277p.

What else does Hawass have to say about Jews? In an article for the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, which is distributed around the world, Hawass wrote that:

"The concept of killing women, children and elderly people... seems to run in the blood of the Jews of Palestine. [In fact,] it seems to have become part of the false faith of this people, who is tormenting us in our [own] homeland.

When I speak of the Jewish faith, I do not mean their [original] faith, but the faith that they forged and contaminated with their poison, which is aimed against all of mankind... The only thing that the Jews have learned from history is methods of tyranny and torment - so much so that they have become artists in this field. They have done to the Palestinians what Pharaoh and Sargon [of Akkad] did to the Jews..."

So there we have it. Obama meets with a world famous Egyptian archeologist who also happens to be a hater. A hater of Jews, a hater of history and a hater of the truth. Oh, the irony. How could Obama meet with him? Didn’t he know? Didn’t his people check out the background on Hawass?

In the speech he delivered in Cairo, the President had this to say about Jews:

“Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed -- more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, it is ignorant, and it is hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction -- or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews -- is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.

On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people -- Muslims and Christians -- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.”

Wait. What? What do you mean “on the other hand?” There is no “on the other hand” about the Holocaust. The rights of the Palestinians is not “on the other hand” of the worst genocide in history. It is not “on the other hand” of the Final Solution, the plan to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth.

There is no moral equivalence to the Holocaust. There is no “on the other hand.”

And truth be told, while we’re speaking plain truth to the world, the plight of the Palestinians has more than anything else to do with the fact that they have been used as pawns by the Arab Muslim countries in the battle to wipe out Israel. The Arabs have refused for decades to allow the Palestinians to become citizens or work in their countries. They force them to stay in refugee camps. And let’s not forget the UN with its UNRWA, the only UN body ever devoted to maintaining one people as permanent refugees. When a million Jewish refugees were forced out of Arab lands not a finger was lifted to help by the UN. There was no special UN agency for them. About 600,000 of them settled in Israel with help only from other Jews.

The President is on the way to visit the remains of concentration camps in Germany. Perhaps we will hear more about “the other hand.”

The Writings of Michael Oren, New Israeli Ambassador to the US

Michael Oren was born in 1955 in upstate New York and raised in New Jersey. He moved to Israel in 1979 and is currently a professor in the Jewish civilization program at Georgetown University. Oren is a well known author and his writing can tell us much about what to expect from this new Israeli ambassador, especially in the wake of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with President Obama. Oren is the author of the highly regarded books Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East and Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present as well as a number of articles about Israeli foreign policy.

One of Oren’s most recently published articles is “Seven Existential Threats” (http://tinyurl.com/ccwpsa), in which he writes about the unique condition of the State of Israel and the confluence of threats to its existence that it is forced to consider and confront on a daily basis. Oren leads the article with the threat of the loss of Jerusalem. This section is reminiscent of Natan Sharansky’s article published a couple of years ago in Haaretz titled “The Temple Mount is more important than peace” (http://tinyurl.com/chhja). Oren goes on to write about the threats of demographics, delegitimization, terrorism, a nuclear-armed Iran, the failure of Israel to exercise sovereignty over large sections of its territory and population, and corruption.

In another article, titled “Jews and the Challenge of Sovereignty” (http://tinyurl.com/qfubl9), Oren examines whether the phrase “Jewish state” is a contradiction of terms.

Other articles by Oren include “The Second War of Independence” (http://tinyurl.com/db9e3t), “Did Israel Win the Six Day War” (http://tinyurl.com/pc4tcm) and “Zohan and the Quest for Jewish Utopia” (http://tinyurl.com/qn6arc).

Israel… is a miracle. Yom Ha-atzmaut, Israel Independence Day 2009

It is the embodiment of 2000 years of hopes and dreams. The hopes and dreams of your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents and your ancestors before them. It embodies the dreams of generations who were repeatedly forced to move across kingdoms and continents, of generations who were persecuted and exterminated over blood libel after blood libel. They were accused of killing Christ. Accused of using the blood of children in the baking of Passover matzos. Accused of blocking the path of the “master race.” Accused as enemies of the state. From Rome to the inquisition to the concentration camps to the gulags to the Arab street. Accused, hated and executed for lie after bloody lie.

It is painful to remember all of this on such a happy and momentous occasion as this 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel. But we are commanded to remember. It is part of our collective and individual history. In a world where the old blood libels are raised anew, in a world where children are taught that it is their duty to die killing Jews. In a world where Israel is treated like the Jew among the nations, we must remember, because Israel is still today the embodiment of our hopes and our dreams and our future.

What does Israel mean?

Israel means challenge. It challenges every single one of us to play a role in our history, to be active instead of passive. It challenges us to do something, anything, instead of nothing. It challenges us to defend ourselves and to save ourselves. It challenges us to stand up for our rights to live in a world that has time and again denied us the right to live. It challenges us to keep ourselves from falling into another 2,000 years of living at someone else’s pleasure. For every single one of us, it challenges us to survive, not just individually, but as a people.

Israel means courage. It gives us courage and it demands courage from each of us. Courage to travel to Israel. Courage to live in our place in history. Courage to speak out against a growing voice questioning Israel’s right to exist and questioning our rights to have a say in our government here in the United States. It means courage to be angry when Jews are the victims of suicide bombers and gunmen, or assaulted or killed on the streets of Europe. Courage to be angry when synagogues and cemeteries are attacked or defaced. Courage to speak out for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldiers. Courage to speak out against rocket attacks on homes and schools in Sderot. Courage to cry for the last words of Daniel Pearl. Courage to refuse to be a victim. And it demands the personal and individual courage to act.

Israel means being chosen. To quote from an article in the March issue of Commentary Magazine [1]: “What it is about this strange little people that continually finds itself at the center of international attention, repeatedly on the front lines against totalitarian forces of evil—Nazism, Soviet Communism, now jihadism—all of which have marked the Jews as their primary obstacle to achieving world domination.” But…here we are…living with the miracle of a resurrected and thriving Israel. “We live in an age when one might think that the chosenness of the Jews had become impossible to doubt.”

Israel means home. A refuge for the tired, the poor, the oppressed Jews of Europe, South America, the Arab world, Russia, Ethiopia, and yes it is even home to Americans who have chosen to make it home. It means home to Bedouins, Arabs, Muslims, Armenians, Christians, B’Hai and other minorities who have the right of citizenship, the right to vote for elected representation and the freedom to practice their religion. Israel means home to Holocaust survivors, who even after the war faced displacement, pogroms and death at the hands of their neighbors. Israel means home to people who could live elsewhere but who choose to live there. It means home for our people and it beckons us to come home.

And Israel means hope. Perhaps more than anything else…hope. Hope that our future is better than our past and our present. Hope that our people endure. Hope that each of us will see and act on our role in history. And it means hope that we will teach our children to do the same. With moral clarity and courage our actions will define the future. As Herzl said: If you will it, it is no dream.
May Adonai cause a new light to shine over Zion, and may we all soon be worthy of that light.

Am Yisrael Chai

 

1: Soloveichik, Meir. “Mysteries of the Menorah.” Commentary Magazine. March 2008: 37-42

Yom Ha'atzmaut - Israel Independence Day 2009

Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, begins at sundown on April 28th. This is the 61st anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel. It is preceded by Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers, a reminder that Israel owes its independence and existence to the many soldiers who sacrificed their lives.

For almost 2000 years the idea of the re-establishment of the Jewish State was only a dream. Efforts to re-establish Israel took hold with the First Zionist Congress, called by Theodore Herzl, on August 29, 1897 in Basle, Switzerland. Herzl wrote in his diary after the congress, “In Basle I founded the Jewish state . . . Maybe in five years, certainly in fifty, everyone will realize it.”

Fifty years and nine months later, on May 14, 1948, approximately six months after the UN General Assembly voted in favor of the plan for the partition of Palestine, just a few years after 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and European Jewry looked down the shaft of extinction, and while Egyptian fighter-bombers flew overhead, David Ben Gurion proclaimed the independence of the State of Israel. One day later the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon invaded the Jewish state. Thousands of Jewish soldiers died defending their reborn country. For a summary of the events leading up to and after independence, titled Israel's War of Independence, visit http://isracast.com/articles/548.aspx.

In reaction to the establishment of Israel over 1 million Jews in ten Arab countries and Iran, whose communities existed in the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region for more than 2,500 years, were expelled from their homes. (The population of Jews in those areas today is estimated at 27,000.) Approximately 600,000 of these refugees sought refuge in Israel, including more than 100,000 Iraqi Jews who emigrated in 1951 in a dramatic airlift. The Jewish refugees were forced to abandon virtually all of their property, especially as they fled from the most hostile countries of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Libya. (See http://tinyurl.com/2ukwe7 and www.justiceforjews.com/jjac.pdf.) They were gradually absorbed and integrated into Israeli society without any assistance from the United Nations.

Their story is told in a film titled The Forgotten Refugees. A few years ago the film was shown at the Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, at the Jacob Burns Film Center. It is currently available on DVD. After the film there was a discussion with two of these refugees. One gentleman told the story of his family, how they secretly traveled from Syria, hid in Lebanon, lived under threats against their lives and of their desperation to leave. He was unable to contain his emotions as he told how his family learned on Passover that they had received permission to enter Mexico, living their own personal Exodus. You can learn more about this film and the Forgotten Refugees at www.theforgottenrefugees.com.

There have been several hundred resolutions on the Middle East conflict adopted by U.N. General Assembly including over 120 resolutions referring to Palestinian refugees. During that same time, there were no U.N. resolutions, there was no U.N. recognition and there was no U.N. assistance for Jewish and other refugees from Arab countries and Iran. (See http://tinyurl.com/c6gt6d, http://tinyurl.com/2gpoz5, http://tinyurl.com/2ofl9v and http://tinyurl.com/2vz2b6.) Today efforts are underway to catalogue the loss of their communal and individual assets and document the mass human rights violations committed against them (www.wojac.com and www.justiceforjews.com).

In contrast to the experience of the Jewish refugees, refugee camps were established for the approximately 600,000 Palestinian Arabs who fled their homes during war for independence. The camps were set up and maintained, and are still maintained today, primarily by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is dedicated solely to the welfare of the Palestinians. Not the Holocaust before nor subsequent genocides or ongoing world strife since have warranted the creation of another relief agency dedicated to the continuous maintenance of a single people as refugees. They are still denied citizenship and basic rights by their Arab hosts including the right to work and own property.

New York Times ♥ Zahi Hawass

Leave it to The New York Times to come to the rescue of world famous Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archeologist and secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, with a textbook whitewash defending his reputation. Hawass is a familiar face to millions who have seen him reveal secrets of the past on TV programs about Egyptian archeology aired on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and PBS. Now he has revealed a secret about himself and his innermost beliefs. In an Egyptian TV interview Hawass said this about the Jews:

“For 18 centuries they were dispersed throughout the world. They went to America and took control of its economy. They have a plan. Although they are few in number, they control the entire world.”

The interviewer continued, asking Hawass how it is possible that Jews “have taken control of the entire world.” In response Hawass explained:

“The reason is that they are always united over a single view. They always move together, even if in the wrong direction. We, on the other hand, are divided. If even two Arab countries could be in agreement, our voice would be stronger. Look at the control they have over America and the media.”

What else does Hawass have to say about Jews? In an article for the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, which is distributed around the world, Hawass wrote that:

"The concept of killing women, children and elderly people... seems to run in the blood of the Jews of Palestine. [In fact,] it seems to have become part of the false faith of this people, who is tormenting us in our [own] homeland.”

"When I speak of the Jewish faith, I do not mean their [original] faith, but the faith that they forged and contaminated with their poison, which is aimed against all of mankind... The only thing that the Jews have learned from history is methods of tyranny and torment - so much so that they have become artists in this field. They have done to the Palestinians what Pharaoh and Sargon [of Akkad] did to the Jews..."

Hawass issued a “clarification” on his web site complaining that his statements are being widely “misrepresented.”

Where does the The New York Times enter the picture? On Saturday April 18th in a 1,251 word article titled “Egypt’s Tomb Raider – Off and (Mostly) On Camera,” author Michael Slackman, with contributing reporter Mona el-Naggar, wrote about Hawass’s “star” status as an all-round archeology superman. There is no reporting about Hawass’s statements or writings about Jews. But there is one indirect reference in this whitewashing, reputation defending, article published the world’s newspaper of record:

“…and he has been taken to task for his critical statements about Jews. He insists, though, that he is not anti-Semitic and that his remarks were aimed only at Israeli Jews and their treatment of the Palestinians.”

The reader is left to wonder about those “critical statements” without any hint of how vile they were. Indeed, how interesting the phrase “critical statements” is itself. What does it say about the writers, the editor and the publisher? Was Hawass only critical of Jews? Isn’t he really perpetuating the same old lies that have been used for centuries as the basis for hatred and murder of Jews? On the same page, one column to the left, is an article titled “Palestinians Urge Envoy to Press Israel on Statehood”. One is reminded of Laurel Leff’s Buried by the Times.

Here are links to the articles and videos cited above. Take a look for yourself.

MEMRI TV: “Renowned Egyptian Archeologist Zahi Hawass: Jews Control the Entire World”

• Video (http://tinyurl.com/akugv7)
• Transcript (http://tinyurl.com/c8277p)

MEMRI: “Antisemitic Statements and Cartoons in Wake of Gaza War” (search the page for Hawass or scroll down to the 12th paragraph) (http://tinyurl.com/d2jo4v)

The New York Times: “Egypt’s Tomb Raider – Off and (Mostly) On Camera” (http://tinyurl.com/cwx6et)

Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day: the anniversary of the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem

At sundown on May 21st we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, the anniversary of the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. For the first time in thousands of years the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, came under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem began thousands of years of mourning and longing for Jerusalem, as we were reminded just a few weeks ago when we concluded our Seders with the words “Next year in Jerusalem.” Living in a time of the reunification of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state should be a joyous celebration countering thousands of years of destruction and exile. (http://tinyurl.com/2mowqa)

You can listen to the historic and dramatic sounds of Israeli Defense Forces entering the Old City of Jerusalem and reclaiming the Western Wall on June 7, 1967, including the sound of Army Chief Chaplain and Brigadier General Shlomo Goren sounding the shofar, soldiers saying prayers, including the shehechianu, singing HaTikvah and crying. A transcript is also available. Visit http://tinyurl.com/23a4ej.

Under Jordanian occupation between 1948 and 1967, Jews were refused entry to the Old City and Jewish monuments were systematically destroyed. In 1967, Egypt provoked another pan-Arab war against Israel (the Six-Day War) by ordering UN peacekeepers out of the Sinai Peninsula and blockading the Straits of Tiran. When Israeli soldiers recaptured Old Jerusalem a few days later, they discovered that the Jordanians had not only dynamited synagogues. They had used Jewish tombstones to pave roads and built latrines (http://tinyurl.com/3x6lqs).

Yet, soon after the victory of 1967, Israel unilaterally gave control of the Temple Mount to the Islamic Authority of Jerusalem — the Waqf. Jewish prayer is still forbidden on the Temple Mount and the battle in Israeli courts to allow Jews the freedom to pray on the Mount continues. In 1996 the Waqf changed the accepted status quo that was kept for generations. Without oversight of archeologists or assessment of damage to the Temple Mount and its history, the Waqf converted two ancient underground Second Temple Period structures into a new large mosque. The two structures, known as Solomon’s stables and the Eastern Hulda Gate passageway, were never mosques before. The new mosque extends over an area of 1.5 acres and is the largest mosque in Israel. It is able to accommodate 10,000 people. Thousands of square-meters of the ancient Temple Mount were dug up by tractors, paved and announced as open mosques. In November 1999, the Waqf opened what it called an “emergency exit.” The exit expanded into a gaping hole, 18,000 square feet in size, and up to 36 feet deep. Thousands of tons of the ancient fill from the site, subsequently found by Israeli archeologists to contain artifacts dating as early as the First Temple Period, were dumped into the Kidron Valley.

What has been found in the crushed rubble discarded by the Waqf? Arrowheads shot by Babylonian archers 2,500 years ago, coins from the Jewish revolt that preceded the destruction of the Second Temple by Roman legions in 70 CE, and a bulla, or seal impression that bears the name Gedalyahu Ben Immer Ha-Cohen, suggesting that the owner may have been a brother of Pashur Ben Immer, who is described in the Book of Jeremiah as a priest and temple official.

You can learn more about the archaeological destruction of the Temple Mount at www.har-habayt.org and about the Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation at http://templemount.wordpress.com.

Vilified - new hard-hitting AJC video that highlights three malicious lies about Israel

Via the AJC web site:

New York - March 24, 2009 - AJC's hard-hitting short film Vilified: Telling Lies About Israel has received more than 20,000 views since being uploaded onto YouTube just two weeks ago.

"Vilified shows how Israel has been subjected to more lies and libels than any other democracy," said David Harris, AJC Executive Director. "We produced the film in order to empower the many people who want to defend Israel from these libels with the means to do so. We're delighted that the audience for the film has been so large and we've had many messages of appreciation from inside and outside the Jewish community."

The video has been pulled from YouTube but can be watched below by clicking the control on the lower left corner of the video: 

 

You can also see the film at the following link: http://wejew.com/media/3922/Villified_Telling_Lies_About_Israel_Expose_Shocker/

Israel cited as one of three “lands of opportunity”

Via Globes Online at http://tinyurl.com/dkdsft.

Israel was cited as one of three "lands of opportunity", along with Denmark and Singapore, by the Economist magazine. The report notes that governments of all three countries enthusiastically endorse entrepreneurship, though, "the Danes and the Singaporeans regard it as their ticket to success in a global economy and the Israelis as a matter of survival". The magazine lists innovations developed in Israel, including the Pentium chip by Intel, voicemail developed by Comverse Technology, firewalls developed by Check Point Software, and the Pillcam developed by Given Imaging.

The report notes that Intel and Microsoft, among others, opened development centers in Israel, and that many Israelis study in the US and return to Israel to develop their careers and ideas. "Many Israeli entrepreneurs yo-yo between Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv; almost 70 Israeli companies are traded on NASDAQ.”

The complete report from the Economist can be read at http://tinyurl.com/atm597.

Join the Salute to Israel Parade in New York on May 31, 2009

Be sure to organize your local and synagogue groups to march in the Salute to Israel Parade (http://salutetoisrael.com/parade/) on May 31, 2009. Or join in the fun with the many thousands of spectators along 5th Avenue. The Parade will take place from 11 AM to 5 PM, rain or shine, beginning at 57th Street and 5th Avenue continuing to 79th Street. This is the largest event in the world celebrating the anniversary of Israel's independence. This year’s parade celebrates the 61st anniversary of the independence of the modern State of Israel.

The parade will be joined by community leaders, American and  Israeli dignitaries, celebrities, floats and marching bands.

What does Gilad Schalit have to do with you?

Read it on The Jerusalem Post http://tinyurl.com/chgkav.

The following came in from the AZM http://tinyurl.com/djqub7.

Bring Gilad Home Now

This coming Shabbat, March 21, 2009, Gilad Shalit will mark his 1,000th day in captivity by HAMAS.

As Gilads parents, friends, and family are holding a vigil outside the Prime Ministers office, solidarity events and other events are also being held in cities across the national and the globe.

Join the efforts on behalf of Gilad. Here's what you can do:

RABBIS: Organize a vigil and read prayers for Gilad this coming shabbat and every shabbat until he is returned home.

LEADERS:
Encourage local, organizations and congregations to come together for a community vigil for Gilad.

Visit the AZM website for ideas and materials http://azm.org/vigil.shtml.

EVERYONE Join the more than 3,000 people attending the Facebook "Virtual Rally" for Gilad entitled: Free Gilad Shalit VIRTUAL RALLY; 1,000 Days of Captivity. Invite your friends and colleagues to join. http://tinyurl.com/c6nx5

Read the article: An Open Letter to Jews in the Diaspora, which appeared in the Jerusalem Post to understand why this is relevant to you.

Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers) and Yom HaShoah (Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Heroism) 2009

Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, begins at sundown on April 28th. This is the 61st anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel. It is preceded by Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers, a reminder that Israel owes its independence and existence to the many soldiers who sacrificed their lives. Observance of Yom HaShoah (Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Heroism) begins at sundown on April 20th, one week after the seventh day of Passover.

For almost 2000 years the idea of the re-establishment of the Jewish State was only a dream. Efforts to re-establish Israel took hold with the First Zionist Congress, called by Theodore Herzl, on August 29, 1897 in Basle, Switzerland. Herzl wrote in his diary after the congress, “In Basle I founded the Jewish state . . . Maybe in five years, certainly in fifty, everyone will realize it.”

Fifty years and nine months later, on May 14, 1948, approximately six months after the UN General Assembly voted in favor of the plan for the partition of Palestine, just a few years after 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and European Jewry looked down the shaft of extinction, and while Egyptian fighter-bombers flew overhead, David Ben Gurion proclaimed the independence of the State of Israel. One day later the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon invaded the Jewish state. Thousands of Jewish soldiers died defending their reborn country. For a summary of the events leading up to and after independence, titled Israel's War of Independence, visit http://isracast.com/articles/548.aspx.

In reaction to the establishment of Israel over 1 million Jews in ten Arab countries and Iran, whose communities existed in the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region for more than 2,500 years, were expelled from their homes. (The population of Jews in those areas today is estimated at 27,000.) Approximately 600,000 of these refugees sought refuge in Israel, including more than 100,000 Iraqi Jews who emigrated in 1951 in a dramatic airlift. The Jewish refugees were forced to abandon virtually all of their property, especially as they fled from the most hostile countries of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Libya. (See http://tinyurl.com/2ukwe7 and www.justiceforjews.com/jjac.pdf.) They were gradually absorbed and integrated into Israeli society without any assistance from the United Nations.

Their story is told in a film titled The Forgotten Refugees. A few years ago the film was shown at the Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, at the Jacob Burns Film Center. It is currently available on DVD. After the film there was a discussion with two of these refugees. One gentleman told the story of his family, how they secretly traveled from Syria, hid in Lebanon, lived under threats against their lives and of their desperation to leave. He was unable to contain his emotions as he told how his family learned on Passover that they had received permission to enter Mexico, living their own personal Exodus. You can learn more about this film and the Forgotten Refugees at www.theforgottenrefugees.com.

There have been several hundred resolutions on the Middle East conflict adopted by U.N. General Assembly including over 120 resolutions referring to Palestinian refugees. During that same time, there were no U.N. resolutions, there was no U.N. recognition and there was no U.N. assistance for Jewish and other refugees from Arab countries and Iran. (See http://tinyurl.com/c6gt6d, http://tinyurl.com/2gpoz5, http://tinyurl.com/2ofl9v and http://tinyurl.com/2vz2b6.) Today efforts are underway to catalogue the loss of their communal and individual assets and document the mass human rights violations committed against them (www.wojac.com and www.justiceforjews.com).

In contrast to the experience of the Jewish refugees, refugee camps were established for the approximately 600,000 Palestinian Arabs who fled their homes during war for independence. The camps were set up and maintained, and are still maintained today, primarily by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is dedicated solely to the welfare of the Palestinians. Not the Holocaust before nor subsequent genocides or ongoing world strife since have warranted the creation of another relief agency dedicated to the continuous maintenance of a single people as refugees. They are still denied citizenship and basic rights by their Arab hosts including the right to work and own property.

Grenade explodes at Jewish centre in Venezuela

A grenade was thrown at a Jewish community centre in Venezuela's capital on Thursday, stoking fears of anti-Semitism less than a month after a synagogue was ransacked. http://tinyurl.com/bcjb85

Royal seal impressions from the First Temple period discovered south of Jerusalem

Archaeologists have discovered many royal seal impressions that date to the reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah (end of the eighth century BCE) at an excavation in southern Jerusalem. Four “LMLK” type impressions were discovered on handles of large jars that were used to store wine and oil in royal administrative centers. These were found together with the seal impressions of two high ranking officials named Ahimelekh ben Amadyahu and Yehokhil ben Shahar, who served in the kingdom’s government. The Yehokhil seal was stamped on one of the LMLK impressions before the jar was fired in a kiln and this is a very rare instance in which two such impressions appear together on a single handle.

Another Hebrew inscription, 600 years later than the seal impressions of the Kingdom of Judah, was discovered on a fragment of a jar neck that dates to the Hasmonean period. An alphabetic sequence was engraved with a thin iron stylus below the vessel’s rim in Hebrew script that is characteristic of the beginning of the Hasmonean period (end of the second century BCE).

The pottery vessels that were recovered from the ruins of the building indicate it first dates to the end of the Iron Age (the First Temple period) in the eighth century BCE. Following its destruction, along with Jerusalem and all of Judah during the Babylonian conquest, Jews reoccupied it in the Hasmonean period (second century BCE) and it existed for another two hundred years until the destruction of the Second Temple. During the Byzantine period the place was reinhabited as part of the extensive rural settlement of monasteries and farmsteads in the region between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. (source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Also see this article from Haaretz.  http://tinyurl.com/cnr63l and http://tinyurl.com/b8vu84

Anti-Semitism: Jews Under Attack

Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League delivered a speech entitled Anti-Semitism: Jews Under Attack. To quote Foxman "In all my years at the Anti-Defamation League -- monitoring exposing and combating anti-Semitism -- I have never been so worried about the safety and well-being of Diaspora Jewry as I am today." Read the speech here. http://tinyurl.com/bfpqdq The ADL is also making available Global Anti-Semitism: Selected Incidents Around the World in 2009. http://tinyurl.com/d5gxrn.

The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism also monitors antisemitic activities throughout the world. It coordinates the struggle against this phenomenon with various government bodies and Jewish organizations around the world. It's report on Anti-Semitism in the wake of Operation Cast Lead can be read at www.antisemitism.org.il/eng.

Our own blog entry with links to articles reporting on attacks against Jews and synagogues around the world is available here.

Digg for Israel

For the uninitiated, this has nothing to do with archaeology or a shovel. And it’s not a spelling error. So then, you ask, what does this mean?

Social news sites on the internet are the latest battle grounds for hearts and minds. They’re web sites where people share links to news articles and others find them. Users of social news sites often organize themselves into groups of like-minded individuals, who stay up-to-date on news and developments of interest to them by reading news that their “friends” submit to the site. In addition to becoming someone’s friend, users can also become a fan of other users and monitor the news they’re posting. News links are placed in loose categories and rise in prominence and attention when people vote for them. On one social news site those votes are called “diggs”, which harkens back to the good old days when friends would ask “can you dig it, man?” Users can also vote against a digg by clicking the “bury” icon, reducing the link’s ranking and even preventing it from showing up in topical listings. That particular site is called Digg, and it is one of the most popular and active social news sites on the internet.

In addition to digging articles, users can post comments and replies to the news links submitted by anyone else. Then the comments can be dug or buried, just like a news link.

Now you’re asking, how does this translate into a battle for hearts and minds?

Users can share links to almost anything and they can say almost anything they want in their comments. And this is exactly what they do. What this all adds up to are pro-Israel and anti-Israel diggs and comments. Some are blatantly anti-Semitic, some are plain lies, and others are inaccurate. Reminiscent of the four sons, the battle for hearts and minds lies among the uninformed readers, who may get a false understanding of the conflict from people with an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda. The first line of battle, from afar, is the posting of links to news articles supporting a cause. The pitched battles take place on the comment-field, where writers contradict news articles and each other, often getting nasty and slinging mud. They also digg and bury each other’s links and comments.

This is where you come in. You can show your support for Israel and help shape public opinion by digging stories on Digg. Sign up for membership and search for links to articles containing the word Israel. If you agree with the article or feel that it supports or portrays the truth, click the digg button. If you feel the opposite you can click the bury button. The same goes for comments. Anti-Israel or anti-Semitic comments, or comments that are just plain lies, can be buried and hidden from future readers if enough people click the thumbs-down bury button. This is all very intuitive and once you get comfortable you’ll find yourself adding people to your friends list, digging news stories of your own and posting comments to other people’s posts. You can also find “friends” by looking at other people’s friend lists.

The result may just be that you’ve helped shaped someone’s view or understanding of Israel, or possibly changed someone’s mind. You’ll also feel the satisfaction of voicing your opinions to the world, fighting for the truth. Follow this link to Digg to get started.

Other sites such as reddit, deli.icio.us and StumbleUpon will also let you share your viewpoint and news to shape public opinion.

Digg

Del.icio.us

Reddit

StumbleUpon

Start digging, and have fun!

Thank your members of Congress for supporting Israel's right to self-defense

Thank your House member and your senators for voting in favor of resolutions that that back Israel's continuing search for peace and right to self-defense.

Record tourism to Israel in 2008, more than three million visitors

2008 was all-time record year for tourism in Israel. More than three million visitors entered the country – 32 percent more than in 2007 and 13 percent more than the previous record year of 2000. http://tinyurl.com/7ypcrx

Tu B’Shevat is coming

At times like this it is important to remind everyone that there’s more to Israel than fighting for self-defense and survival.

Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year of the Trees”, is celebrated on February 9th, the 15th of Sh'vat. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. this holiday was a way for Jews to symbolically bind themselves to their homeland by eating fruits found in Israel. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu B’Shevat similar to the Passover seder. The sweetness of the fruits alleviated the bitterness of life in exile and reminded Jewish people everywhere that the land of Israel awaited its children. The Jewish National Fund provides two Tu B’Shevat haggadot that you can download for free, as well as activities and other information, at http://tinyurl.com/8voc6f.

With the reestablishment of the State of Israel the holiday has found a new expression. It is no longer only the date when fruits of the Land of Israel are tasted. It embodies our dedication to the environment of Israel and has become a tree planting festival in which both Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees in Israel in honor or in memory of a loved one or friend. Read more from the Jewish Agency at http://tinyurl.com/6sdruo.

Anti-Semitic Attacks on Jews, Synagogues, Other Jewish Organizations, since Gaza operation Cast Lead

Updated March 23rd, 2009

Op-Ed: Anti-Semitism: Combating a global pandemic, by Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of “The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control.” http://tinyurl.com/br9euy 

Attacks against Jews and Jewish organizations around the world increased with the fighting in Gaza in December 2008 and have continued into 2009. Here is an updated list of anti-Semitic incidents:

Overseas 

1	12/26/08	Yemen to build ghetto for Jews
2	12/30/08	Anti-Jewish vandalism in Paris is linked to Gaza.
3	12/31/08	London Jews under attack; Jewish man pulled from car and assaulted
4	01/01/09	Danish police have arrested a man for shooting two Israelis in a shopping mall
5	01/02/09	Hamas has threatened to attack Jewish targets around the world
6	01/03/09	Swastikas were found on Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial
7	01/04/09	The children of Yemeni Jews in Raida district of Amran province were assaulted by Yemeni Muslim students due to the Israeli attacks on Gaza
8	01/05/09	A major Ontario union proposes to ban Israeli academics at the province's universities
9	01/05/09	Fliers in Copenhagen call for the killing of Jews
10	01/06/09	Hamas leader says revenge for Israel's Gaza assault will be murder of Jewish children across the world
11	01/06/09	A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the liberal synagogue in Brussels amid a wave of anti-Semitic attacks against Jews across Belgium
12	01/06/09	Two cars with petrol bombs were launched in attacks on a synagogue in Paris
13	01/06/09	Anti-Semitic intimidation and violence surges in London and Manchester
14	01/06/09	Yemeni Jews demand to be relocated quickly following a recent increase in attacks and threats coming in the wake of Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip
15	01/06/09	Unknown assailants set fire to the door of Brussels synagogue
16	1/06/09	Pro-Palestinian protesters shoved burning rags through the mailbox of a Jewish home in Antwerp
17	01/06/09	Anti-Jewish violence in Europe
18	01/07/09	Anti-Semitic graffiti in Hastings
19	01/07/09	Jews in Sweden under increasing threat
20	01/07/09	The hysteria that dare not speak its name
21	01/07/09	Edmonton synagogue windows smashed
22	1/07/09	Israeli basketball team forced to flee as Turkish crowd storms court
23	01/08/09	Anti-Semitic attack on teenage girl in Paris
24	01/08/09	Surabaya Activists Block Synagogue, Burn Israeli Flags
25	01/08/09	Vandals break windows at synagogue in Germany
26	01/08/09	Anti-Semitic incidents cross Australia
27	01/08/09	Italian trade union proposes to 'identify and boycott' Jewish-owned shops
28	01/09/09	Fears grow that hate-filled Islamic extremists are drawing up a “hit list” of Britain’s leading Jews
29	01/09/09	Spike in incidents against Jews in Canada, including harassment and death threats
30	01/09/09	“Kill a Jew” graffiti appear in Bosnia
31	1/10/09	Norwegian police used teargas and detained some 100 protesters Saturday after a protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza went out of control in Oslo
32	1/10/09	Anti-Israel protests turn violent across Europe
33	01/12/09	Nine firebombs thrown at synagogue in Paris suburb
34	01/12/09	Copenhagen police evacuated a city synagogue during a service over fears for the safety of the worshippers
35	1/13/09	Palestinian hits synagogue guard with iron bar in Berlin
36	1/13/09	Burial chapel of a Jewish cemetery in Sweden's third largest municipality was firebombed
37	1/13/09	London Starbucks is firebombed 'in protest against Israel'
38	1/13/09	Europe Reimports Jew Hatred
39	1/13/09	55 anti-Semitic attacks in France since Gaza
40	1/15/09	Arsonists have thrown petrol bombs at a Paris synagogue, the fourth such incident since Israel began its offensive in the Gaza Strip
41	1/16/09	Jew stabbed in Paris suburb
42	1/17/09	A synagogue in France's eastern region of Lorraine was the target of a Molotov cocktail attack
43	1/17/09	Explosive device found at Chabad in Florence, Italy
44	1/18/09	Swedish Cemetery Firebombed
45	1/19/09	Three Attacks on Synagogues in Netherlands
46	1/19/09	London man attacked ‘for Gaza’
47	1/19/09	Anti-Semitic Incidents in France
48	1/19/09	Security increased at Jewish buildings following attacks in Amsterdam
49	1/19/09	Maribor synagogue in Slovenia vandalized
50	1/19/09	Attacks on Jewish community in Netherlands
51	1/23/09	Wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Turkey
52	1/23/09	Romford, England, synagogue attacked by anti-Semitic vandals
53	1/25/09	Kosher warehouse in Paris hit in arson attack
54	1/29/09	Rise of anti-Semitic incidents in Latin America troubling
55	1/30/09	Anti-Semitic leaflets left at Ukraine synagogue
56	1/31/09	Synagogue in Caracas Venezuela attacked and vandalized
57	2/1/09	Shop owner in Reykjavik, Iceland posts sign stating “Jews not welcome here.” Also see this article on Iceland news site DV.is. According to this article on Wikipedia, the Jewish presence in Iceland is almost non-existent although the first lady of Iceland is an Israeli Bukharian Jew.
58	2/3/09	Explosive device found at Ukrainian synagogue
59	2/4/09	Austria: Innsbruck synagogue to receive more police protection after a wave of attacks by vandals
60	2/8/09	Spain: Ancient Barcelona synagogue, employee attacked
61	2/9/09	Anti-Semitism on the rise in Sweden
62	3/4/09	Vandals desecrate Transdniestr, Moldova, synagogue

Incidents in the US

1	12/29/08	In Chicago, a firebomb was thrown at one of the city’s oldest synagogues in an arson attempt
2	12/31/08	Protesters in Florida supporting Hamas hurled insults and hate speech
3	01/03/09	Two synagogues in Knoxville were struck by vandals
4	01/01/09	Jewish day schools in Chicago received a bomb threat
5	12/31/08	A San Francisco Holocaust Memorial was defaced with Anti-Semitic graffiti
6	12/30/08	Anti-Semitic signs were placed on a Dalton, TN, synagogue
7	12/31/08	Anti-Israel signs were placed at a synagogue in Irvine, CA
8	01/05/09	A preschool in Camarillo, California is hit by vandals with anti-Semitic messages for a second time in one week. This is the fourth time this year the school has been defaced with swastikas
9	01/06/09	At least six residents on the same street in Bethesda, Maryland have found anti-Semitic fliers in their driveways
10	01/06/09	Milwaukee protest includes anti-Semitic and anti-Israel expression
11	01/08/09	Anti-Semitic fliers distributed in Bethesda and parts of DC
12	01/10/09	Waiter serves fear at Jewish wedding in Woodbury
13	01/11/09	Four synagogues in Chicago, Lincolnwood, defaced by vandals
14	1/10/09	Gaza war protesters turn San Francisco into “Arab street,” label all Jews as terrorists, equate Israeli with Nazi Germany
15	1/16/09	Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue vandalized
16	1/23/09	Brockton shooter planned to end the shooting spree at a synagogue
17	1/26/09	Mobile, Alabama suspect who spray painted anti-Semitic graffiti on synagogue is believed to be a domestic terrorist
18	1/27/09	Historic Tulsa, OK, synagogue gutted, blaze under investigation
19	1/29/08	Anti-Semitic incidents in Madison, WI increased in 2008
20	1/30/09	Synagogue in Portland, Maine, vandalized with swastika
21	3/4/09	Rockford, Illinois, synagogue defaced (includes video)
22	3/17/09	Modesto Synagogue Defaced With Swastikas, Graffiti

Also see the CST (Community Security Trust) Antisemitic Incidents Report 2008 detailing incidents in Britain, and “The writing is on the synagogue wall - World depressions lead to a rise in anti-Semitism. All over Europe, the evidence is around us.”

What can you do? Be aware, maintain a heightened sense of awareness. The organization that coordinates security for North American Jewish institutions has advised Jewish organizations to reassess their security. And of course, advocate for Israel. Here are some ways you can support Israel:

Stay informed with the news from Israel:

• Watch English TV news from Israel (may be preceded by a 30 second commercial in Hebrew). (http://tinyurl.com/6mxebp)
• Listen anytime to the news in English from Israel Radio. (http://tinyurl.com/5z37ob)
• Read the latest news headlines from the IBA, or listen to live IBA broadcasts in any of several languages. (http://tinyurl.com/8klucl)
• Subscribe to the JCPA’s Daily Alert (http://www.dailyalert.org/)

Attend and promote pro-Israel rallies.

Urge your members of Congress to support Israel's right to self-defense

Support Israel’s right to exist (http://tinyurl.com/7ofjvg)

Advocate for Israel: A Guide (http://tinyurl.com/9snf23)

Israel Advocacy Resource Guide (http://tinyurl.com/9cmjsm)

Tools for Advocacy (http://tinyurl.com/89ljh6)

Resources from the American Jewish Committee 
(http://tinyurl.com/2o6eza)

On One Foot (http://tinyurl.com/a68s8k)

GIYUS.org (http://tinyurl.com/esp9n)

10 Ways You Can Help Israel (http://tinyurl.com/9fc4dr)

StandWithUs (http://tinyurl.com/6kst6k)

Support Israel in Your Community – Attend a rally

Israel solidarity rallies are scheduled for many areas around the country, including the following cities.

New York
Albany, NY
Northern New Jersey
Southern New Jersey
Bridgeport, CT
Boston, MA
Washington, DC
Harrisburg, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Columbus, OH
Youngstown, OH
Miami, FL
South Palm Beach County, FL
Palm Beach, FL
Atlanta, GA
New Orleans
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
St. Louis, MO
Los Angeles
Peninsula, CA
Sacramento, CA
San Francisco, CA

Click here for more information about attending a rally, resources you can use to help support Israel, groups on the ground in southern Israel that need your support and online activities to show your support (http://tinyurl.com/7ckhae).

Rockets Fired from Lebanon into Israel's North

At least three rockets were fired into the north of Israel from Lebanon on Thursday, wounding two Israelis near the town of Nahariya. The Israeli Army said it "responded with fire against the source of the rockets." (http://tinyurl.com/6tw5mz)

New York area Israel Solidarity Rally on Sunday, January 11th at 11:00 AM

Numerous organizations will join with the JCRC of NY and the UJA-Federation of New York , in cooperation with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, to sponsor a New York metropolitan area community-wide rally in support of Israel.

The rally will take place near the Israeli Consulate at 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue.

Download the flier by clicking here. (http://tinyurl.com/9fgqa4)

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Launches Emergency Campaign to Raise Awareness and Funds for Wellbeing Needs of Israel's Soldiers

FIDF Asks Jewish Community to Show Support and Love for Israel's Brave Soldiers

Following the recent developments in Israel and the on-going IDF "Cast Lead" Operation, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) has launched an Emergency Campaign, titled "FIDF Frontline Operation," aimed at raising awareness and funds to fulfill the immediate wellbeing needs of the IDF Soldiers on the frontlines of the Gaza Strip.

In response to an emergency request from the IDF to supply more goods and wellbeing services to the thousands of active-duty and reserve soldiers deployed in the Gaza Strip area, FIDF is accelerating its activities to help soldiers in the field.

To learn how you can help click here (http://tinyurl.com/7j6aas).

2008 – The year in rockets

Of the 3,278 rockets and mortar shells that landed in Israel in 2008, the ones that made headlines were hits on shopping malls, schools and homes. Eight people were killed and 947 people were wounded. Thousands of civilians suffered from anxiety, shock, and various traumas. Once the "RED ALERT—TZEVA ADOM" sirens sound, they have 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter before impact. The continuing fire of rockets and mortar shells has a severe, cumulative psychological effect on the population, causing severe damage to its social structure and severe damage to its feeling of safety.

With Hamas rockets from Gaza striking as far as Ashdod (http://tinyurl.com/82px49), Ashkelon (http://tinyurl.com/85zvlt) and Beersheba (http://tinyurl.com/9epuhh) nearly one million Israelis live within range. The IDF Home Front Command issued new instructions to citizens (http://tinyurl.com/879dte) and released a video showing how to react or prepare for incoming rockets (http://tinyurl.com/7t4yhm). Citizens as far as Tel Aviv have been ordered to prepare their private shelters (http://tinyurl.com/9t73q6).

For a summary of rocket fire and mortar shelling on Israel in 2008 download a report from The Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center (http://tinyurl.com/9wob3y).

Israel issues new instructions to citizens to prepare for rocket attacks from Gaza

With rockets from Gaza striking as far as Ashdod (http://tinyurl.com/82px49), Ashkelon (http://tinyurl.com/85zvlt) and Beersheba (http://tinyurl.com/9epuhh) , and nearly one million Israelis living within range, the IDF Home Front Command has issued new instructions (http://tinyurl.com/879dte) to citizens and released a video (http://tinyurl.com/7t4yhm) showing how to react or prepare for incoming rockets. Citizens as far as Tel Aviv have been ordered to prepare (http://tinyurl.com/9t73q6) their private shelters.