Yisrael - The National Jewish Home or a home for Jews?

 Special thanks Moshe Schwartz who inspired the titular question of this article

Almost three quarters of a century after its birth, who would have imagined that the essence of the State of Yisrael would still be a focus of debate and mostly among Yisraelis?

The subject was brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago. One of my friends told me that her youngest son who is in high school was given an assignment on the issue. Students, she told me, were requested to deliberate on whether Yisrael’s National anthem, “Ha’Tikvah,” which includes expressions to the yearning of the “soul of a Jew” to Zion should be revisited. Following such pondering, the students were instructed to express an opinion on whether its lyrics which, do not mention non-Jews should be modified and include other minorities such as Druze, Muslim, Christians, and others who are Yisraeli citizens.

As a frame of reference, the teacher suggested a few sources. One of them was an article entitled “Lost in Translation – Hatikva in Arabic Too” was written by Gadi Benmark. In it, Benmark evokes that Yisrael follows the example of Canada. There, the anthem, “Oh Canada” was originally written in French, in the seventeenth century when Canada was “The New France.” The British, who arrived much later, explains Benmark, evidently felt that the French version excluded them and hence added an English language version, which is not a translation of the French one. “So now,” comments Benmark, “it is a national universal song that every Canadian, of every origin, can sing proudly.” In conclusion, Benmark suggests that Yisrael duplicates the Canadian experience so that every Yisraeli can sing the version that suits them.

With all due respect to Canada, not only do I consider such an analogy inappropriate, I also deem it an insult.

I am afraid that no matter how one addresses it, neither the French, nor the English possess the same bond to Canada, which is a few hundred years old, as the one that Jews have forged with the Land of Yisrael for over a few millennia. And I am not even touching upon the Biblical connection, as I much as I hold it true, simply because I believe that in today’s geo-political environment, religious arguments are irrelevant. The union between the People and the Land, in the case of the Jews, reflected itself for thousands of years not only in religious rituals and customs. It also paraded itself in Literature, Art, Archeology and documented historical accounts.

Canada, unlike Yisrael, was created in a unilateral move by the British in 1867. The British Parliament then passed the North America Act. Canada was introduced into the family of nations in an arbitrary step by a colonial power. Its purpose, its goal, its core, and its nature were left undefined.

The creation of the State of Yisrael was anything but an arbitrary move by one government. No act of one state, one parliament or a single colonial power decreed its  foundation or created it. Its idea, yes, but not its actual creation.

From the very first moment of the inception of the notion, starting with the Balfour Declaration, Yisrael (AKA Palestine, the artificial name given to it by the Romans in 135 C.E.) was defined as the place where a National Home for the Jewish People, not just a home for Jews, would be erected. The State of Yisrael was decreed as Jewish in its essence and by more than one source.

The Jewish character of Yisrael was further reinforced in the San Remo Accord of 1920 which was voted upon by the Supreme Council of Five that acted as an International Court of Law. It was an International Order, not just an Act of Parliament of one power.

And then, of course there was U.N resolution 181 of November 29, 1947. In it, the family of nations, voted to establish two states in Eretz Yisrael, one Arab, and one Jewish. The Jewish State was born following a democratic vote after a long painful labour period.

Ironically enough, more than the Jews defined the nature of their state, the Gentiles did.

As a Jewish state, the only Jewish state on the globe, might I add, Yisrael should adhere to the designated nature and substance decreed to it. It should keep the blue and white flag with the powerful symmetric Star of David at its center. It should maintain the emblem of the Menorah that adorned the Temple of Solomon and it should keep the words of Ha’Tikvah intact.

If someone feels that certain lines in Yisrael’s Jewish National Anthem are hard for them to digest, I suggest they refrain from singing it. Losing our national identity at the cost of accommodating others is not an option, I am afraid. Turning Yisrael from the Jewish National Home to merely a home for Jews is a risk we cannot afford to take. That is one of the most important lessons that our Jewish history curriculum has taught us.

We cannot and should not allow ourselves to fail that course.

Am Yisraek Chai 

A Miracle called "The Jewish People"

 

“Every day, many a miracle happens to the sons of Israel. Were it not for G-d’s miracles, we should -Heaven forbid! – have perished long ago” – Yonatan Eibschutz

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

Our long and eventful Jewish history is without doubt a testimonial to the first quote. Channukah, but one example, is always reminiscent of G-d’s marvels, past and present. Our entire Jewish existence, I believe, is a unique phenomenon. Each Jew, irrelevant of whether they regard themselves as such or not, is a miracle.

Some Jews, unfortunately, fail to see their lives as such. They are the ones Einstein is referring to in the former part of his quote. Others, like myself, live our lives as Jews “as though everything is a miracle,” as though each and every one of us is a wonder on their own.

Before anyone jumps at me and accuses me of arrogance or practicing some form of  “Jewish elitism,” let me explain.

As many of my readers know, both my parents were Shoah survivors. To have come out of the abyss, from the netherworld, to have survived its infernal fires, to have been reborn, gather the shambles of one’s life and build a bigger better temple, raise a family and rebuild trust in a vile world is miraculous. That, coupled with resuming to live one’s life as though “everything is a miracle,” eventually turns one into a miracle.

The fabric of our Jewish history is woven with many such astounding stories. “Miracle” is our Jewish middle name.

Much to my dismay, though, some fellow Jews continue to regard our existence as the first part of Einstein’s words suggest. “We were always meant to be a small nation,” told me a Jewish acquaintance once when I bemoaned that we are losing too many Jews to assimilation. According to her, there is nothing miraculous about our two thousand years of enduring, persecution, pogroms, discrimination and forced conversion. These were, if I follow her logic, merely some milestones to ensure that we fulfilled our destiny to remain a small nation. What a slap in the face of our Jewish heritage such a view is. In her perspective, so it seems, we are just like everyone else, just a nation among the nations with no unusual history, no unique set of beliefs and no Torah. She is, of course, entitled to hold that belief.

I, however, refuse to prescribe to that kind of a notion. I believe in miracles.

I consider my parents’ survival and the survival of many of our Jewish brothers and sisters through hard and dangerous times, a miracle. Moreover, to have been born to a miracle, by default, makes one a miracle. I am a daughter of two miracles. Hence, my birth, my gift of Life is, itself, a miracle.

Furthermore, I hold the view that a miracle should never be wasted. To preserve one’s life as a miracle, one needs to recreate miracles, spend their time on this earth, strive relentlessly and act constantly in a way that would keep the miracle going.

In the words of our wise Talmud, “Hope for a miracle but don’t depend on one.” (Megillah 7b)

In other words, miracles do not just happen. One should never depend on them.

In my words, one should keep the faith, never give up and create a fertile ground for miracles to transpire. That, too, as our few millennia old Jewish history, has proven, is attainable .

May this Channukah season be full of miracles and every blessing to all

The Winner Takes It All

 

The following is the English translation of a Face Book post published by Tal Gilad on September 2nd, 2020 and translated by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks

Columbus was not the first European who arrived in America. Today, we know that the Vikings already arrived there about 500 years before him. It bears no significance as they did nothing other than to settle and leave after a short while. Columbus’s discovery is the one that bore international significance, political and economically and opened for Europe a new horizon to the New World. Therefore, credit was given

To Columbus and justly. Erikson and the Vikings remained in the realm of an anecdote, nothing more.

Magellan was not the first to   orbit the earth. In fact, he himself did not complete the voyage as he was killed in the Philippines. His Malaysian interpreter, defected the expedition and probably returned to him homeland after the death of Magellan and this way, in fact, became the first person who encircled the earth – from Malacca to Spain, from Spain with his crew around America and then back to Malacca. His adventures interest no one since his “operation” had no strategic, international, political, or economic significance. The credit was not even given to Sebastian Elcano, the captain, who completed the entire round aboard the only ship that remained. Magellan was the initiator, leader of the expedition, the organizer, therefore the glory is his and rightfully so.

 

Alexander Graham Bell was not the only one and possibly not the first one to invent an apparatus which served as a basis for the telephone. The 19^th century was a century of amazing inventions which accompany us until this very day in modern variations, the light bulb’ the camera, the train and more. Quite a few people worked on all these discoveries at the same time. The Italian, Antonio Meucci, invented a similar device, twenty years before Bell. Six hundred people claimed to have come up with a similar invention and filed suits against the recognition of Bell as the inventor of the telephone. All of those are irrelevant (though the U.S. recognized Meucci’s “contribution”) since they never turned their invention – real or otherwise - into something useful for general use and meaningful to the entire human race. The credit was given to Bell and justly so, even though he was getting tired of all the lawsuits, the gossip and after his retirement, he refused to hear about the matter.

Benjamin Netanyahu is not the first Yisraeli who has visited the Emirates and not even the first leader who has met with leaders from that region. He is the first one who has made it meaningful when he brough Yisrael to a powerful economic, political, and strategic position through clear vision and an understanding that the agreements between the countries rest on mutual interests and not the sentiments of the Left which a political insight of a tofu. He is the firs one  who has brought about a formal visible agreement, diplomatic and commercial relationships on the table meaningful agreement to all of Yisraeli citizens , he is the first one who turned the negotiations from “covert” ones to normalization, to a clear and official given which all factors in the region have to take into consideration from now on. If Shimon Peres or Joe Blo did at one point flew over to the Emirates and sang Kumbaya, it bears no relevance and it had no “preparation” to anything.

Therefore all the wailing from Leftists claiming that it was actually Peres who started it all, and that who needs this peace and how it hurts that Netanyahu is successful- these are just background noises which will fade out to the complainers’ section in the basements of history. The credit will be given to Netanyahu and rightfully so. Thank you for listening. Hopefully, it has been understood.

If Netanyahu runs for elections as head of Likud, I will, again, vote for him

Dear readers,

The following post was published on Facebook by Tal Gilad this morning. It was written in Hebrew and translated into English by me.

The truth is that I was planning to write  one on my reasons for voting for Netanyahu, following Netanyahu’s brilliant Press Conference last night. Watching his body language, listening to his wisdom evoked in me the exact same sentiments that no one other than Tal could describes in  words. Thank you for another great observation, Tal.

Here is the translation of his post:

Yes, of course I will vote again for Netanyahu if and in the hope that he heads Likud.

Not only because of his contributions to Yisrael’s economy, its security, power, and status in the world arena.

Neither will I vote “just in spite” against the Supreme Court or the Left and definitely not against the dear and beloved brothers on the Right who are upset with him and who are correct in every word, except that they lack patience  and prudence.

Not because of the Peace Agreement with the Emirates.

I will vote for him  since if in this inferno that he and his family are going through, in all the soul consuming experiences, the demonstrations, blood libels, ewers of hatred, defamation, lies,  sticks in the wheels from all corners of the political spectrum, if, among all this, he manages to maintain equanimity, function normally, carry out important international agreements,  head a rickety government of the most problematic, most neurotic Nation in the world, during the most horrific circumstances plaguing the world, if he still succeeds at doing all this, without moving a facial muscle, except for a light smile, and without even one hair moving on his head – then this man is not made of iron, but from some substance which cannot be found on Earth.

Yes, this is exactly the man that each State could only dream of as a leader.

We Are Fed Up.........

Dear friends,

I have decided to translate into English the following FB post, written in Hebrew by Tal Gilad. I have done it for the benefit of those among us who are new Olim, native English speakers who are exposes to the biased media and all those “mavins” who try to impress upon us that the Chinese Communist Party Virus, though released accidentally yet spread  around the world deliberately, is nothing bu a scare tactic by our leaders.

Shabbat Shalom padded with abundant health and the best of every blessing. 🇮🇱💜🇮🇱

Here it is.

“I am already tired of the nonsense. I am tired of each of our nine millions citizens is convinced that they are the only ones who know what is good and what needs to be done about the current health crisis (or any other issue). They and only they are the wisest and have all the information on everything since they read on the internet what someone said.

I am tired of hallucinatory  conspiracy theories about the virus which  refer to it as a “fake plague,” a n international plot to try and control our privacy, where we are at any given moment as though Google and Facebook did not do it a long time ago and with our full and enthusiastic consent. Those who are not yet familiar  with the Google timeline is welcome to check. If anyone has forgotten where he urinated  two months ago, Google will remind them and will even draw a map of how they got there and how long they  urinated. They will also provide the exact amount in liters. An analysis of the colour is not yet available, but soon there will be, for sure.

I am fed up with those irresponsible  and impatient’ who refuse to let anyone “make decisions about them” since “the Spirit of Man” and their “Right” and BS, and they do not understand that they not only put themselves in harm’s way but also anyone they meet after, in their vocalism, their invincible young spirit and their fantastic immune system,’ endangered themselves. Don’t you honestly understand that you, in your foolishness, are a catalyst to the virus and cause more infected and the extension of the emergency guidelines?

We are tired of those who seriously believe that Netanyahu is responsible for the virus or uses it to take control or who knows what  the hell else. How much empty space does one need to have in their skull to fill it up with such absurdities?

The entire world confronts the virus. Do you genuinely believe that millions of doctors, nurses, elected officials, leaders, members of the health system, including Arab  and Muslim states, all are employed by Netanyahu and Sarah?

Do you seriously believe that you know about the virus more than millions of doctors’ nurses, elected officials, leaders, and members of the health systems the world over? All of those are brainwashed, receive instructions or threats or are part of an international conspiracy and only you the underground smart-alecks know better?

Are you that thick? Are you honestly unable to, at least for a few months, able to follow emergency guidelines and sit quietly, for heaven’s sake?

We are so fed up with the nonsense. So fed up."

Yes to Brit Mila Simply Because We Are Jews

This article was written by Tal Gilad in Hebrew and was published first in Walla on November 29^th, 2013, during a public debate that was raging over on the subject of Brit Milah  which ensued following a fine imposed on a woman who refused to have her son circumcised. It was translated into English by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks.

I am circumcised. My son is circumcised. Anyone that I know in my close surrounding is circumcised. I presume that with certainty even though I never checked. Not one of us remembers his circumcision as a horrible and traumatic event since we were only eight days then and no one remembers anything of that age.

A baby eight days old does not possess enough awareness to be afraid of what they are about to do to him, develop trauma or treat this pain as no more than a momentary unpleasant discomfort. He does not fear the consequences it might bear on his sex life, on his masculinity or his male identity. He does not see it as an attack on his legal rights as a human being. He does not know anything about any of these issues. All he knows is that it hurts during that moment and then it stops and that is all because he is merely eight days old. That is why the ceremony is performed when he is eight days old.

I do not wish to enter the issue of the penalty which the rabbinical court decreed. I do not know all the details and wish to avoid the issue of whether any institution has the jurisdiction to impose that. That is not the topic.

Brit Mila (circumcision) is a directive that Jews have been following for four thousand years. It does not cause any medical problems (possibly the opposite) and poses no national or personal tragedy that is imprinted on  the memory of our genetic code.

I need to confess that I, too, was nervous during the Brit Milah of my son. I also remember that I felt like hitting everyone. The bottom line, however, is that we are Jews and it would be more stupid and selfish if, because of my belligerence he will have to face this predicament of whether to do or not do it at the age of twenty, with all the fears that were mentioned earlier which are nonexistent at the age of eight days. I do not wish to mention another faith which performs this ceremony when the boy is thirteen, when one is fearful and is forced to go through that. This way, it is one unpleasant minute for the baby, one nervous minute for the parents and over.

It is by far less worse than other events that the child undergoes in his life, starting with birth, a scary experience in itself, through ear aches, teething aches, inoculations, fear and sadness during those moments when a determined brave mother who refuses to circumcise her son goes out to have a good time because it is her right and no one will decide for her. There are other more traumatic events in a person’s life such as, the first day in the nursery, kindergarten and a whole host of occurrences which are far less pleasant than Brit Milah which one overcomes and continues to grow.

And no contentious organization sees in it anything that hurts the child’s rights.
That is so, perhaps since it does not carry the intoxicating  scent of was against religious imposition and no one can bask in the words, “primitive ritual.”

By the way, interesting to notice that part of the primitive and cruel People that lives in America do the same to their children without the noise and the commotion and human rights. Oh, those cruel Gentiles 😉

Are We Completely Crazy? The Life of a Terrorist is Not Sacred

This article, written by Tal Gilad, first appeared in Hebrew on February 2, 2017, at the end of the trial of Elor Azaria. It was published in “Makor Rishon.” It was translated into English by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks.

It is difficult to write about Elor Azaria. The entire affair is an absurd dance, so hallucinatory, frustrating, and depressing, in a way that one does not know where to commence. The point that continues to echo in my head, though, is one that seems to be taken out of a horror show in hell, was to hear the judges say that Elor attacked the “Sanctity of Life” principle. Throttled Mother Theresa during helping the poor. The Sanctity of the Life of a terrorist?

As far as we, Yisraelis, are concerned - and no, we do not have the privilege of seeing it from a different point of view -  it is  irrational and unethical for us to practice any sensitivity to the “sanctity” of life of people for whom we are the object of desire for obliteration, who hold a declared ideology on the subject and even arrived with the goal of  putting that ideology to practice.

Perhaps, it is necessary to explain that which is self-explanatory. A terrorist is not a criminal, not even a POW or a bomber of the common kind. Even a law offender acts within the boundaries of the society of which he is a part. He committed a crime and for that specific issue, he must be punished within his community, when the goal of the punishment is, mostly, to correct or deter. It is meant to bring matters back to the course of law and order.

In the more sever circle, one can find treason, espionage etc., despite the fact that they do not always involve death directly, these are acts which are aimed, intentionally and maliciously, against an  entire entity, an attack on security interests and endangering an entire state and its citizens. The punishments, in such cases, are severe in most countries, generally a long sentence or even the death penalty. Still, vaguely, there is a framework of abiding by the rules of the game, a dirty crime, where there is, nonetheless, room for a legal debate and both sides are equal in the eyes of the law.

A bit further in the vague realms, dwell the “classic” terrorists, such as the Irish underground, or the anarchists who used to blow up coffee shops. If we analyze their horrific deeds, we would still discover  that they stem from some kind of a twisted ideology of “destroying in order to build a new society” or in order to banish the British, where the civilians that were hurt were not the target itself, or as means of spreading fear. The Irish underground did not have a set doctrine according to which one has to kill all of England and annihilate its citizens.

A terrorist who attacks Yisrael does not belong to any of these circles. He is from a different world. His sole goal is to destroy the whole organism, anyone and anything that is in it, including the lawmakers, the laws and the entire body of voters, for or against, including those who are fighting for his rights and his sanctity of life or defend him in court, including his children and their babies. He is coming to murder us all because in his eyes, it is the right and educational step to take. There are no rules and no fair play, one should only kill, and we are not the means, we are the target. Morally, as far as we are concerned, he is not supposed to have any rights, there is nothing to fix, deter or understand.

Intra-galactic values

This is analogous to extra-terrestrials that come to annihilate humanity to make frozen food out of it or just because they dislike Earth. They do not try to scare; they are not trying to harm the national interests or to free anyone from “the Occupation.” They come to kill, and for the purpose of killing, the more, the better and we do not interest them beyond that. We are not obliged by any intra-galactic values. There is not much that we can do other than defend ourselves and kill them in return. There is no Geneva Convention for devouring extra-terrestrials, they will gobble and package for takeaway including Geneva.

Clearly the Palestinians see it differently. We have no problem with the Palestinians admiring the terrorist and naming city squares after him, in the same manner that the extra-terrestrials will gurgle songs of praise for the one brave member who traveled lightyears  merely to bring them back fresh humans from earth. It is not my business, nor my role to educate either the Palestinians or the extra-terrestrials. It is a situation of a total clash of interests and irrelevant on who is right. It does not belong here. In such a situation, I am entirely duty bound to my interest. As a Jew in Yisrael, I have no right to view it from any other angle, it would be irresponsible of me towards my children. And, please, be wise enough to distinguish between the readiness of a large portion of the public to principally understand that which they see as national aspirations of the Palestinians and the  twisted recognition of the willingness of terror organizations to murder us all and the sense of their ”Sanctity of Life” concept. The first is a legitimate discussion, the second, never.
 

Somehow, the feeling that whoever is sensitive to the sanctity of life of the one who comes to slaughter him and his family, is a super moral kind, has taken roots. A heavenly creature with a halo of light and a soprano church choir accompany his appearance at our gate. He is not, he is an irresponsible idiot and the last thing one can say about him is that he is righteous because his fake morality endangers others. It is not morality, it is an infantile narcissism of the kind of “wow, I am so good.” These are two entirely different creatures. One has practical and educational values, the other is a monster in a sheep’s skin.

Elor killed a terrorist. He merely helped a dying terrorist reach the seventy-two virgins, fifteen minutes earlier. He broke the law, true, and if someone breaks the law, he should be punished. So keep him confined to his base over the weekend and warn him that next time he should conduct and legal verification of death procedure and not wait eleven minutes. But stop pumping yourselves with the “sanctity of life,” of a terrorist. You have entirely gone mad; you lost your compass.

Shavuot - An Ode to G-d

This article was written by Tal Gilad in Hebrew and translated into English by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks.

Disclaimer: the essay below represents the point of view of the writer only. It is not intended to offend anyone or aimed at entering debates over one’s religious beliefs or scientific point of view. He solely expresses his thoughts. Nothing more. Thank you.

Shavuot, the Holy Day on which the Torah was given to Am Yisrael, is here.

True, every religious belief or faith needs to be respected. I trust, however, that over one issue there is no dispute, Judaism is the source for the other widely practiced faiths – Christianity and Islam. At school they taught us that the uniqueness of Judaism is that it is the first monotheistic faith. They also explained to us the difference between the belief in one god and that in many gods. I feel that this is missing the core of the issue.

It was also said about Akhenaten that he was a monotheist since he believed that the sun is the only god. New studies raise the possibility that he was merely “substituting” the previous sun god without rescinding the others, or that he only diminished their significance. It not that crucial. The bottom line is that it is no big deal to believe in one god instead of a few. OK, one works alone, the other delegates, what difference does it make?

The wisdom and distinctiveness of Judaism, especially its earlier debut is that Judaism is a giant leap in the  perception of G-d, not only is He One and Only, He has no shape, He is all-powerful and infinite and the G-d of all of us. I stress, of ALL. He chose Am Yisrael, but He is also the G-d of all nations, including the enemies of Yisrael. Whether they choose to believe in him or nor, is their preference.

This stems from the understanding that one god cannot be restricted. The moment he is your god only, he becomes something terribly forceful. In other words, if you build a tower which reaches the heavens or if you train at the gym long enough or bring in the air force, you will be stronger than him.

If he has a shape, he is limited. If there is something that preceded him, as was the case with the Greek gods, he is limited.

Hence, one cannot utter His name, since the moment you give Him one, you limit Him to words and letters. He must, therefore, be omnipotent, He is everything, omnipresent and invariably everywhere, our G-d in Heaven and Earth.

Incidentally, it does not matter whether the world has been existing for 13 billion years or six thousand years. Both are numbers that enable us to quantify a concept that we cannot grasp since it is perpetual. Just as one says “god” to introduce a word to something self-explanatory, a notion which cannot be articulated, so one names a number in order to clench on to something. Just as the decree that north is up, and south is down. Why? Just because. I have swerved a bit. That is a different subject altogether, but in fact, still related.

With all due respect and sincerely, I am not belittling or lessening the significance and stature of Christianity and Islam.  On the contrary, they spread the belief in one god and thus contributed their share in raising the whole of mankind to a higher spiritual level. But the basic perceptions about the essence of G-d originate in Judaism. The rest are a product of the original and thy do not deny it. It is not a problem to construct a wagon. The problem is to invent the wheel since it forces one to exit the thinking mode to which they were used. The inventor is also the one who understands their invention and knows all the stages that led  them to that understanding, as opposed to someone who received it ready-made and applies to it all that they know and are familiar with in their world. Jesus was a Jew and probably never considered himself a god. His followers, however, conceived the idea of the holy trinity, partly in order to make their faith more accessible and more concrete. Therefore, observant Jews do not enter a church. In their eyes, the holy trinity is a form of idolatry. After all, how can one divide that which is infinite, formless, and baffling into three? Which three?

One can, of course, find numerous hints and aspects of “accessibility” in our writings starting  the creation of the world where G-d, allegedly, says something or rests on the seventh day since he was tired, through “let us create a man in our image” and more, there was a need for visualization. But the <<basic>> notion in Judaism is that “G-d is One,” stressing the principle that there cannot be more than one that is endless and everything. Nothing could be more than endless and all. This is the central principle in Judaism and if one does not accept it, one does not understand its essence. After all, it is inconceivable that Moshe would come down from Mount Sinai and say, “OK, the golden calf is also a god,” merely to keep everyone happy and quiet.

“We shall do, and we shall hear,” which Am Yisrael took upon itself upon receiving the Torah, is also derived from this sentiment. After all, that “all” cannot give anything bad, impossible. He will not negate the universe and everything He created, just like as in the “know it all” question, “can G-d create a stone that He cannot lift?” Funny. Can the heavyweight lifting world champion raise and hold in the air the chair that he is sitting on? No. The contradiction is not in the answer but in the question.

The Ten Commandments are ten basic principles for living in the company of human beings, that which distinguishes between humans and animals. Their essence is Empathy. The wise Hillel summarized it “do not do unto others that which is hateful to you, the rest is commentary, go and learn.” Empathy is civilization, give and take, karma, flow of energy, call it whatever you wish. Has G-d given them directly to Moshe in a wrathful baritone voice? What difference does it make?

The funny thing is that in the desperate efforts to find a meaning to that which has none, researchers raised the hypothesis that there was no need for the world to be created, it has always existed (even Aristo claims that), which means that they believe that there is something primordial which has no creator, is infinite, has no shape and no size, that everything in it is conducted with a fixed and balanced amount of energy which cannot be subtracted by one tiny bit or else all will be chaotic.

In simple words, it is not G-d, but G-d. I reached the conclusion that just as the various religious leaders, astral physicists reach a certain point where they themselves do not understand their theories and move on to esoteric terms. And if one questions them, they define that person as ignorant and mindless.

So, here is another unique aspect of Judaism. We shall do and we shall hear. We accept our inability to understand. It is always great to learn and widen one’s horizons and it is not a shame to accept that there are issues which are beyond our understanding. This, also, has wisdom and spiritual eminence.

Lag Ba'Omer

The following article was written by Tal Gilad two years ago and translated into English by Bat-Zion Susskind - Sacks

In recent years, an acceptable social custom has been spreading, to discredit Bar Kochba (in Hebrew it means the “son of stars”). It kind of looks wise and realistic, we will all become an Ilana Dayan of the Jewish history, especially if we add that Chazal, likewise, treated him skeptically and called him “Bar Koziba (false messiah).”

Ben Kusba was his official name on his driver’s license., so the most one could do with it is play with one letter. So, perhaps, his name was written differently because of pronunciation. However, Chazal’s main doubt stemmed from the fact that some of them were hoping that he was the Mashiach and it turned out that he was not. It is not even certain that Bar Kochba regarded himself as such. It is merely hinted in one folklore tale which is not based on a true event. In all references, he addresses himself as Shimon Bar Kusba, the president of Israel, not a mashiach and not even Bar Kochva.

Alas, a nation’s history is not composed merely of victories and successes.
As a matter of fact, most rebellions in the world failed, naturally. An uprising is generally attempted by the weak against those who are stronger, but all those failed rebellions turned to be a symbol of national pride which awards them with adrenaline to keep on going.

The Slovaks proudly point out and built museums and monuments to commemorate their uprising against the Nazis in 1944 which ended in an excruciating defeat. Bridges, streets and squares are named after it. The Poles share the same sentiments regarding their revolt in that same year which ended in a destruction of Warsaw with 250,000 dead. A quarter of a million(!) and no one is yelling “Why did we even bother.” The why is clear, they were fighting a conqueror.

The Hungarian revolt against the Austrians in 1848 ended up in their rout and the execution of its commanders. Yet, that does not prevent from the Hungarians to mark their Independence Day on the 15^th of March, the date of the outbreak of the revolt, each year. In Madagascar, the uprising against the French, in which at least 30,000 locals were killed, is proudly celebrated each year. There are plenty of other examples.

Even the American National anthem, the “Star Spangled Banner,” which Americans sing fervently with a hand on their heart was written during the war of 1812, which, itself, was not a glorious success, to say the least. The anthem originated in the battle at Fort McHenry in which the Americans were not even able to respond as the British bombarded them incessantly with long range canons and the writer simply got excited at the sight of the banner that continued to fly despite the shelling.

From the little that is known about Bar Kochba’s rebellion, it shows that it was well planned, realistic, devoid of religious hysteria, attributes that differentiated it from the previous revolt. The rebels prepared for it secretly and even dug a tunnel system in the style of the Vietcong Cauchi Tunnels. The command was central and organized, unlike in the previous one, and the number of fighters was much greater.

The Romans had difficulties crushing the uprising. One legion was destroyed entirely. Others absorbed great losses. At one stage, the Romans were able to concentrate, in Judea, one third of the army of the great empire. Finally, Julius Severos, a Roman Senator, stationed in Britain was sent to Judea. He is the one who was finally able to overcome the Jews through isolation and a siege while slowly approaching Beitar. In the eyes of the Romans, it was regarded as a great victory against a bitter enemy.

The outcome of the revolt was indeed devastating. And I deliberately use the term “the outcome of the revolt’ and not the “revolt caused,” because the revolt did not cause, the Romans did. The resistance of the raped did not cause the beating of the rapist.  She cannot be guilty for trying to resist. The revolt resulted in hundreds of thousands of dead, the dwindling down of the Jewish settlement, exile and gradual emigration following edicts that were issued. And worst of all -the horrible name Palestine – the curse of Adrian. Despite all of that, there has always been continuous Jewish settlement in Eretz Yisraelsrael and the Bar Kochba revolt was not the last one. How many of us heard of the revolt of Gallus in 351? Yes, another Jewish uprising against Rome, headed by a man whose name is not so pleasant to the ear, Patricious, who was also considered a messiah until he, too, failed. Another revolt took place in the seventh century against Byzantine. It lasted four years and ended with a settlement which was revoked through Christian incitement and led, as usual, to the slaughter of Jews.

These revolts are hardly mentioned in our history perhaps because they were small and perhaps because it was in violation of the three oaths which gained much more validity after the Bar Kochba revolt – no to rebelling against the gentiles, no to climbing the wall and lastly, the need to wait patiently, when the wise Jewish elders said: Leave national honour aside, it is more important to secure the people at any cost. Don’t resist, first remain alive, the rest will be taken care of later.

“He should have known.” The same words would have been said about Judah the Maccabee, if the Revolt he had led had failed, about Ben Gurion, if, G-d forbid, we would have lost in 1948. One can say that about almost any revolt in the history of mankind. Revolt is a combination of a moral right and a calculated risk. Generally, the rebels know that their odds are few, but they know that they have to fight for their freedom, to send a clear message: We shall not surrender, a message that is addressed to the conqueror and future generations.

So, without any doubt – he was a hero, he called for freedom, albeit for a short time, but let us give him the honour that the man, who carried out one of the most difficult revolts against the Roman Empire, deserves.

One Should not be afraid to speak of the Palestinian Naqba

Yom Ha’atzmaoot and what surrounds it has turned into a teasing holy day in recent years. A high-profile memorial service for the terrorist (sorry, for “all victims”) and soon Naqba Day slowly approaching to be commemorated on the same Gregorian calendar date as Yisrael’s Independence Day.

I have no issue with the Palestinian point of view. All they want is to live calmly, cultivate their land and slaughter the Jews like any normative nation that is contented with its lot. One can understand their anguish at the fact that they have been deprived of that right. Likewise, one can understand the crocodile’s disappointment when the antelope fled and now it is left without breakfast. It is also easy to understand how difficult it was for the Nazis to witness their dream to destroy the Jews shattering in front of their very eyes when the Russians and Americans liberated the camps. It must have really hurt. It is alright. This is how they see it when the stress is on the word “see.” The problem begins when the victim starts sliding from understanding to empathy and from there justifying those who come to slaughter him and his family. How unfortunate is the crocodile, perhaps I should give him half of my derriere? I will manage. I will sit on my side.

There is no doubt that the Palestinians have experienced a tragedy. So did the Nazis. Mistaken is the person who does not think that the next stage is a joint and flattering Yom Hashoah for “all victims.” It will happen. The deranged ones among us will ensure it does.

The Yisraeli empathy towards the Palestinian failure is a twisted version of the American and European guilt feelings regarding colonialism. We copied it, albeit as a response to the wrong question. The Yisraeli sees himself as a cavalier who is destoying a Native American village and stealing its land or hauling Africans to a slave ship. Except, in this case, it is just the opposite, Watson. Here we are the Native Americans, the one in a thousand cases in which the intended victim was able to overcome the murderous attacker and push him back.

Hungary and Slovakia refuse, and tenaciously, to accept Muslim immigrants. Anyone who is incensed at them for not partaking in the festival of European guilt feelings towards anyone whose skin is slightly darker than theirs, does not know that there, the story is different: Hungary was conquered and enslaved, in the past, by the Turkish Muslims who pushed them northward and only after many generations were liberated by the Austrians. The Hungarians and the Slovaks never conquered one centimeter of Africa or Asia and did not burn Native American villages. Neither did we. They do, however, remember what happened to them five hundred years ago. We, on the other hand, have forgotten what happened to us merely seventy years ago. The fact that we are successful at constantly our neighbours’ plan to destroy us, does not make us conquering colonialists in the microscopic tiny piece of land resting at the heart of 13 million square kilometres which are inhabited by 300 million Arabs.

What characterizes the Arab – Yisraeli wars is its totality. One side comes out with a declared goal to destroy the other side entirely. Not winning, not subduing, not imposing demands of conditions or to conquer land. Annihilate everyone to the last one. They lost? They deserve it. Suffering, let them do some reflections, learn from their mistakes and rebuild their lives. Damn, a thousand organizations and states funnel aid and assistance, incessantly, solely for that purpose. The Palestinians, though, have for four generations have been making a living off misery and at the same time refuse to give up the dream of extermination They refuse to disembark this monstrous idea. They are already lying on the ground with broken limbs, without teeth and, still, what preoccupies them is not getting to the emergency room but instead obstinately insists “now, I will really kill them.” Just like the dark knight of Monty Python.

On Yisrael’s Independence Day, one should not be intimidated to talk about the Palestinian Naqba. On the contrary, it should be taught quite openly. Here once stood an Arab village. Its residents fled because of a war that Arabs started. Here was another one and now stands in its place a flourishing Jewish town, founded by the ones destined to an impeded slaughter. Ah, and there, too, was some small village. Alas, what can one do? This is the fate of the villain that muddles with Yisrael.

Sorry, dear world, the show is over. Sorry, dear neighbours but the slaughter of the Hevron Jews, the slaughter of Zefati Jews, khybar, khybar Ya Yahud and the eradication of an entire Jewish entity, raping and forcefully Islamizing its women and children – all this will only remain in your harsh nostalgic rhymes. And from year to year, as Yisrael gets stronger and mightier, this is getting less and less attainable. Sad, but c’est la vie.

The Eighty First Blow

I first heard about the story that I am about to unfold to you here, dear readers, when I was a young child in Yisrael. The year was 1961.

In April of that year, Adolph Eichmann, the notorious Nazi criminal who was one of the initiators and implementors of the “Final Solution” for our Jewish People, stood trial in Yisrael, the National Home of the Jewish People after he had been kidnapped and brought to Yisrael.

The trial was broadcasted live over the radio. As a young child, I would never forget those long nights of pain, heartache and endless tears that poured like rivers from my parents’ eyes as the atrocious stories were being told, stories that no sane mind can digest. Those were the nights Yisrael stood still as witness after witness took the stand to point at this evil man and repeat two words that have become part of our Jewish DNA, “J’accuse!”

This is also where the story you are about to read was first told. This is where, my parents, two Shoah survivors, and I heard it for the first time.

It starts in the Przemysl ghetto. One of its inmates, a thin young man, age 16-17, along with a group of others were appointed as the “Transport Commando” where they were employed as carriers. Their duties consisted of emptying Jewish homes and transferring the content to storage.

One day, in the summer of 1943, close to the liquidation of the ghetto, the Nazis executed the train station manager. His crime, he was a Jew (though he had converted to Christianity earlier in his life). His wife who was not Jewish was shot as well.

Along with his team, this young man was assigned to empty is home. The place, as it turned out, housed many books,  a large portion, of which studied the subject of trains. The occupants of the ghetto had already heard about the trains and their destinations.

While removing the content of the train station manager’s residence, our young man decided to take some of the books and upon their arrival back in the ghetto hide them. Being aware that such a move was akin to signing one’s death warrant, did not deter the young man from pursuing his plan. He was adamant that those books should never fall into German hands.

A few days later, he was called into the yard. There, he saw the Jewish camp commander standing next to Yosef Schwammberger, the SS commander in charge of the camp. The latter was holding a leather strap which was tied to a dog’s collar. The strap was thick. On one side, it had a buckle.

The young boy had already witnessed the way the Nazi commander had employed the dog and on more than one occasion before. “Man, go get the dog,” was one of his favourite methods of punishment.

It was clear that something horrible was about to happen. One does not get to see commander Schwammberger for any minor issue.

“Where did you hide the books ?” roared the SS man after removing the strap from the collar.

Initially, the young man was unaware of his “crime.” When he realized what it was, he explained that when he got back to the ghetto, it was “lunch time” and by the time it was over, the books had disappeared so he had assumed that people had already taken them to read.

Wrong answer!

Yosef Schwammberger, raised the strap and hit the boy over his neck. He then ordered someone to bring in “the bench.” It was a special bench. On it, they would   lay the “culprits” or the victims and deal them twenty-five (25!) blows with no less than the buckle. After fifty (50!) blows, Yosef would produce his gun and shoot the victim. It was common knowledge.

The uncertainty of his fate was just as devastating as punishment by death.

When the strokes commenced, our young man started counting them. Surely, he felt, he could count to 25. After the 13^th and 14^th blows, he fainted. When he came to himself, he was hit again. He fainted several times. The other residents of the ghetto were asked to come out and watch it.

Suddenly, he felt nothing.

There were eighty (80!) blows, so the witnesses counted.

This young man was a miracle, the embodiment of one! Let me tell you why.

According to the Talmud, punishment by lashes, which was common in ancient times, should not surpass 39 for fear that the 40^th strike might be detrimental to them. The guilty person may be weak, can get sick or die as a result of them. The number of the lashes the accused was dealt was always measured against his health status for fear that such a practice might endanger him. But there were never more than thirty-nine. Thirty-Nine, NOT Eighty! To survive 80, it must be, it can only be a miracle

When he finally came to himself, our young man heard Schwammberger yelling : ”In three minutes, I want the books back in the library.”

Where he got the energy and the strength to get up and run to the piles of books, is an enigma to this young man who is now B’H 95 years old. He stood there with his back bleeding, waiting for Schwammberger’s orders. The latter pulled a Psalms book and asked him whether it was one of them. After, he confirmed it, the young man was ordered to go but not before he was dealt one more blow on his neck. For a few days afterwards, our young heroic man spent several days in the corridor.

This young man survived that horrific experience but lost his whole family. He survived Auschwitz. He clung to life, been to hell and came out of it ready to avenge the demons with staunch determination, a determination understood by very few.

During the Death March, when the Nazis were hastily moving the inmates westward, in the freezing winter, he was able to escape with a couple of friends. They were hiding until the arrival of the Russians at which time, our hero joined Red Army, learned to drive a tank and fought against the Nazi army, on the Czech front.

After the war he made it to Eretz Yisrael on a refugee boat. The boat was captured by the British sent to a detention camp in Cyprus and eventually married, set up a family, joined the police force, became a police officer and was appointed to be one of Eichmann’s, the now miserable, dismal creature that the former Nazi had become, interrogators.

Amazingly enough, our hero told his story only once. It was the first and the last time he had shared it, until Eichmann’s trial.

One of the witnesses in the Eichmann trial was Dr. Bushminsky, one of the ghetto residents who had seen what had happened in that yard, in the Przemysl ghetto, on that dreary day in the summer of 1943. When they first met and our young man introduced himself. The doctor, who evidently did not recognize him, said “I knew someone by that name in our ghetto. He was dealt 80 blows by Schwammberger. “Last I heard, he added, “he was dead.”

"He is not dead, he is standing right in front of you,” answered our friend.

Dr. Bushminsky must have shared that with Gideon Hausner, the Chief Prosecutor at the Eichmann trial. When Dr. Bushminsky took the witness stand he also shared the story about the young man who was beaten 80 times. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Hausner turned to Dr. Bushminsky and asked: “Can you point that young man to us?” “Yes, your honour,” answered Dr. Bushminsky, “he is sitting right next to you and is wearing a police officer’s uniform.”

Later, when asked by  Gideon Hausenr, the chief prosecutor in the Eichmann trial why he never shared his story more than once, the proud man unveiled a very sad reality that many of the other survivors faced upon sharing their story.

Disbelief.

As it turns out, our friend, did try to share history once with a couple who he had met. When  he finished his recount, he saw the man turn to his wife and say to her in Hebrew: “Shoah survivors had been through so much, sometimes they tend to mix truth with imagination.”

“That’s it,” he resolved right there and then and later disclosed to Hausner and others during one meeting, “I am not telling anymore fantasies.” The silence that cloaked the room was deafening.

“And that, for me,“ he added to their blank faces, “was……”
“Your Eighty First Blow,” uttered one of those present.

This hero is B”H still with us today. His name is Michael Goldman Gilad. He is the father of our dear friend here, Tal Gilad.

Saving Yisrael, our Only Home

.The following is the English translation of Tal Gilad's recent FB post which was written in Hebrew

He is not the Garbuz of these upcoming elections. Garbuz uttered his words in different circumstances and different timing and caused them to lose many votes.

The Left today is entangled in a wrathful inertia of hatred, the kind that has not been seen since the Russian revolution. They no longer bother to hide the fact that they deeply despise "the others," because as far as they are concerned, it is some twisted form of carrying out justice and mostly revenge of years of defeat. They hate the Right' enthusiastically and enjoy it. Finally, they can shout it out openly, and to the cheers of their camp, that which they held in their stomach the whole time.

They no longer hide that they lie, mislead and cheat. They no longer hide hat they tailor files, lie in the media, distort information, engage in awareness engineering, control the prosecution department, the police, our educational system that they have the power and will do as they wish. Everything is open and they do not care, because the end justifies the means – and what can we do. We have no 

weapons, no media, no police and no justice system.

Yoez Handel is not alone. We hear more and more such statements because they feel stronger.

Handel spoke directly to his voter base, to the hard core, frenzied lynch enthusiasts. His words empower them. The day is not far when they will admit openly to abducting the Yemenite children and will present it as a heroic deed of saving those children from their inferior parents.

There is only one way of stopping this horror – vote, vote, vote. Arrive from every place and unde 

any condition just as one does during wartimes, no matter where from, fill the planes flying to Yisrael with each running to join their units upon arrival without thinking "one more, one less, who cares

We are in a war over our Home, over Liberty, Freedom of Expression, individual freedom. We are in a war over Democracy.

If you do not vote, you will never forgive yourself.

Against all Odds

As a child, Alina was always skinny, sickly and constantly bullied by her friends. They mocked her for her small size and pale complexion.

“One day,” she used to retort back at them, “I will be on top of the world. Where will you be?”

The dream to shake off the image of her dreary childhood, in the city of Khabarovsk, her birthplace, located in the far eastern part of Russia, took hold of her heart and shaped Alina’s essence. Though she ended up living a very comfortable life, earned a business management degree from one of the top and most prestigious universities and had all her needs taken care of, something was missing in her life. Life in that remote part of the world was empty and seemed to hold no future. The dream, however, refused to extinguish itself. Parts of her spirit and soul were begging for a change.

It was her Jewish ancestry, of all factors, which helped revive the dream, bring about the change and help fulfill her wish.

“Why don’t you travel to Yisrael?” her mother asked her one bright day trying to cheer her up. “Since my father is Jewish,” she suggested to Alina, “ under the Law of Return, you can move there without any problem. Give it a try. You can always come back home.”

Despite warnings against the difficulties that Yisrael poses to new immigrants and in spite of the doubts expressed by those that were close to her about her ability to adjust to life here, Alina took her mother's advice. In 1999, she arrived in Yisrael. She was immediately placed in an absorption center in Tiberias where, a year later, she was joined by her mother.

From Tiberias, they both moved to Eilat.

In 2004, Alina moved to Herzliya where she commenced her studies towards earning a Personal Training Certificate at the American-Israel Fitness college. Life, it seemed, was finally beginning to smile at her. She was on her way to realize her childhood dream.

In October of that year, Alina was preparing for her final exams in the course. She needed a break and, along with her mom, went on holiday at the Hilton Hotel in the resort town of Taba in the Sinai Peninsula. She was planning on doing her studies in the tranquility of the relaxing desert atmosphere. That vacation changed her life and shaped its destined path in every respect.

Many Yisraelis may recall October 7^th of 2004 as the day in which two devastating terror attacks took place in two resorts frequented by Yisraeli travelers. The Hilton Taba was one of them.

Alina was sitting just outside the hotel lobby reading her course notes when a powerful blast ripped through the hotel. It was caused by two separate car bombs each carrying 200kg of explosives detonated in the lobby. He mother was upstairs in the room.

The scars caused by the many pieces of flying glass that hit Alina are etched on her body. They are an eternal reminder of that devastating day, a day that marked a turning point in her life.

With each passing moment of her long and painful recovery, following the terror attack, Alina felt weakness leaving her body. She was getting stronger not only physically but also emotionally. The “skinny and sickly” young girl from Khabarovsk was fading away into parts of a very remote past. Determination to defy all odds filled every cell in Alina’s body. If she can challenge death, she decided, she can overcome any of life’s tests.

Her attempt to study for the final exam of her course were one of those tests. The blood-soaked notebooks and her scarred body refused to let the waves of grief that threatened her troubled soul to subside. At the same time, Alina was determined not to let victimhood dictate her life. She would study and pass her exams! Failure was one term that evaporated from her vocabulary. Her efforts paid off. She passed her exams with flying colours and earned her certificate.

Something else happened to Alina on the day she survived the terror attack. She realized WHY she survived. “Mom,” she called her mother one day, “I am going to convert to Judaism. My maternal grandfather was Jewish. His People became a nation on Mount Sinai. I am coming back Home.”

Alina embarked on the journey of Halachic conversion to Judaism. Several months later, her mother joined her.  The sliver of hope on the cloudy skies of Alina’s life was getting wider.

In 2007, Alina gave birth to a beautiful boy. “I named him Roniel,” she told me as she turned around, exposed part of her upper back and pointed at one of her scars. It was in the clear and defined shape of the Hebrew letter Reish. “Roniel is my precious gift. He is part of my reward and the soothing balm to my bruised soul.”

Alina’s regained inner strength has pushed her to take her dream even further. This year, she has participated in three body building competitions. The first, Nabba - Israel where she earned first place in the 40+ category. The second WBF – Israel where she earned second place in the bikini 35+ category. She also earned second place in the NAC competition of bikini 40+.

 

“Though my resolve to turn my life into a success came from within me,” she told me when we met for lunch last week, “I am very grateful to my partner, Oded Saba, for his ongoing support and encouragement through this journey.”

The balance of beauty, wisdom and determination that Alina has been blessed with are the traits that have brought her thus far and have made her a role model to many.
  

We wish her the best of luck and every blessing! 🇮🇱 🏆 🇮🇱